Laurence Rickard

Rickard has written for UK comedy shows including The Armstrong and Miller Show, The Charlotte Church Show and The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson, as well as children's programme Me and My Monsters.

He is a principal cast member, lyricist and writer for the award-winning CBBC programme Horrible Histories, in particular creating and performing the character of 'Special Correspondent' Bob Hale (a parody of presenter Peter Snow).^[2] He has also appeared regularly on the spin-off game show Horrible Histories: Gory Games^[3] and in the Horrible Histories BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.^[4]

Along with the five other members of the Horrible Histories starring cast, Rickard is also the co-creator, writer, and star of Yonderland, a family/fantasy/comedy series that premiered on Sky One on 10 November 2013. A second series was released in 2015 and a third was commissioned and began filming in early 2016.^[5] In addition he is the co-writer of Bill, a BBC-produced comedy film which is based loosely around the early life of William Shakespeare and involves the same starring troupe.^[6] Filming took place in 2014, and the film had a nationwide UK release in September 2015.^[7]

As a performer, Rickard has also appeared in the Channel Four Comedy Lab Private Lives as well as the TV series Balls of Steel. He is also a writer and performer on Tracey Ullman's Show^[8] and Tracey Breaks the News. Rickard co-created, wrote, and starred in the BBC sitcom Ghosts (2019-2023)^[1] and is co-writer of the BBC sitcom Amandaland (2025-2026).^[9]

In 2024, Rickard was awarded an honorary doctorate in humanities from Brunel University London for his services to television and education.^[1]