Ian Hislop (born in 1960)
☼ Born on13 January 1960, in Mumbles, Swansea, Wales, UK
Biography:
Ian Hislop was born on July 13, 1960 in Mumbles, Swansea, Wales, UK. He is a writer and actor, known for Harry Enfield and Chums (1994), Have I Got News for You (1990) and The Wipers Times (2013). He has been married to Victoria Hislop since April 16, 1988. They have two children.
Spouse:
Victoria Hislop (April 16, 1988 - present)
Quotes:
[#1] It is no longer acceptable in British politics to be fat or eccentric or religious.
[#2] [on his and Paul Merton's behavior towards Angus Deayton] We didn't stab Deayton in the back. We stabbed him in the front.
[#3] [on Tony Blair] In the early days we were doing jokes about how he's susceptible to spin, he doesn't know what he thinks. Nowadays he does know what he thinks and that's much more frightening. So over the years our version of his comic voice has gone from bright-eyed and enthusiastic to sort of bitter and mad.
[#4] We've done articles in Private Eye about people who've gone through the appeals process and have been exonerated. They would be dead! The Death Penalty is not a deterrent if we kill the wrong people.
[#5] [on the death of Freddie Mercury in an interview] Queen were a third-rate glam rock band.
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[#6] [on frequent Have I Got News for You (1990) guest Boris Johnson] People always ask me the same question. They say, 'Is Boris a very very clever man pretending to be an idiot?', and I always say, 'No.'
[#7] The whole point of the Windsor dynasty is they're terrifically dull.
[#8] Nicknames are rarely entirely affectionate.
[#9] [on Piers Morgan] He's a terrific bully, Piers. Essentially, that's what he is. He's the big fat boy in the playground who wants to hit you hard, and he doesn't like anyone who stands up to him.
[#10] [on Donald Trump] He doesn't want you to believe this rubbish he pumps out, he wants you to believe nothing.
[#11] At Private Eye we once had a package came in containing a death threat on a tape, and my secretary said, "Oh I don't think it's serious, Ian, it's from Coventry."
Trivias:
[#1] The only person to appear on every episode of Have I Got News for You (1990), once even doing so whilst suffering from appendicitis (something not revealed until some time later).
[#2] Editor of the satirical magazine "Private Eye", where he succeeded Richard Ingrams.
[#3] The only person to appear twice as a guest on Room 101 (1994).
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[#4] Because of his diminutive stature and pugnacious journalistic style, he was once described by fellow journalist John Sweeney as "a garden gnome on acid".
[#5] On October 1, 2024, Hislop was a passenger in the back seat of a London taxi stalled in traffic near the "Private Eye" offices when it appeared that a gunman took a shot at the cab. No-one was hurt, fortunately. This created considerable news interest and shock, but, the following day, the police reported (after extensive forensic examination) that there was no evidence that a shot had been fired and suggested that some sort of mechanical fault had caused the window of the tax-cab to shatter.
Awards:
[#1] BAFTA TV Award (2014) “Best Single Drama” Nominee for The Wipers Times
[#2] Broadcasting Press Guild Award (2014) “Best Single Drama” Winner for The Wipers Times
[#3] Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award (1997) “TV - Light Entertainment” Winner for Harry Enfield and Chums
