Footlights Totally Explained

Everything about Cambridge Footlights totally explained

Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, run by the students of Cambridge University and now also the Anglia Ruskin University (formerly Anglia Polytechnic University). The club was founded in 1883.
It grew in prominence in the 1960s, as a hotbed of comedy and satire, and continues to produce the regular and very popular Smokers at the ADC Theatre - an informal mixture of sketches and stand-up. Footlights also produces regular plays and sketch shows.

Famous Footlights members

The careers of many prominent figures in the world of entertainment began in Footlights, including:

Name	Birth	Death	Career
Douglas Adams	1952	2001	Writer
Clive Anderson	1952	—	Comedian, television presenter
David Armand	—	—	Comedian, actor
Alexander Armstrong	1970	—	Comedian
Pete Atkin	1945	—	Singer-songwriter
Richard Ayoade	1977	—	Comedian, actor
David Baddiel	1964	—	Comedian, novelist, television presenter
Morwenna Banks	1968	—	Comedian, actor
Humphrey Barclay	1941	—	Comedy executive, producer
Cecil Beaton	1904	1980	Photographer
Leslie Bricusse	1931	—	Lyricist, composer
Eleanor Bron	1938	—	Actress, author
Tim Brooke-Taylor	1940	—	Comedy writer and performer
Robert Buckman	1948	—	Comedian, author, physician, television presenter, columnist
Jon Canter	—	—	Script-writer
Graham Chapman	1941	1989	Comedian, actor, writer, physician
John Cleese	1939	—	Comedian, actor
Peter Cook	1937	1995	Comedian, writer, satirist
Joe Craig	1980	—	Novelist, musician
Hugh Dennis	1962	—	Comedian, actor,writer, voice-over artist
Jimmy Edwards	1920	1988	Radio and television comedy actor
Alan Fleming-Baird	1972	—	Composer
David Frost	1939	—	Television presenter
Stephen Fry	1957	—	Comedian, writer, actor, novelist
Graeme Garden	1943	—	Comedy writer and performer, physician
Mel Giedroyc	1968	—	Actor, writer, television presenter
Germaine Greer	1939	—	Writer, broadcaster, academic
Nick Hancock	1962	—	Actor, television presenter
David Hatch	1939	2007	Involved in management and production at the BBC
Natalie Haynes	—	—	Comedian, author
Tony Hendra	1941	—	Satirist, writer
Kit Hesketh-Harvey	1957	—	Comic perfromer, scriptwriter
Tom Hollander	1967	—	Actor
Matthew Holness	—	—	Comedian
Claude Hulbert	1900	1964	Comic actor
Jack Hulbert	1892	1978	Actor
Eric Idle	1943	—	Comedian, actor, author, songwriter
Clive James	1939	—	Writer, poet, critic
Simon Jones	1950	—	Actor
Jo Kendall	—	—	Actor
Hugh Laurie	1959	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Jonathan Lynn	1943	—	Comedy writer, actor, director
Miriam Margolyes	1941	—	Actor
Dan Mazer	1971	—	Comedian, producer, screenwriter
Kevin McCloud	1959	—	Writer, designer, television presenter
Rory McGrath	1956	—	Comedian
Ben Miller	1966	—	Comedian, director, actor
Jonathan Miller	1934	—	Neurologist, theatre and opera director, humorist, sculptor
David Mitchell	1974	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Lucy Montgomery	1975	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Neil Mullarkey	—	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Jimmy Mulville	1955	—	Comedian, comedy writer, television presenter and producer
Simon Munnery	—	—	Comedian
Richard Murdoch	1907	1990	Radio, film and television performer
Bill Oddie	1941	—	Comedy writer and performer, author, composer, musician
John Oliver	1977	—	Comedian, comedy writer, television personality of Daily Show fame
Sue Perkins	1969	—	Actress, writer, television presenter
Steve Punt	1962	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Jan Ravens	1958	—	Actor, impressionist
Griff Rhys Jones	1953	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Charles Shaughnessy	1955	—	Television and film actor
Julian Slade	1930	2006	Writer
Tony Slattery	1959	—	Comedian, actor
Dan Stevens	1982	—	Actor
William Sutcliffe	1971	—	Novelist
Emma Thompson	1959	—	Comedian, actress, screenwriter
Sandi Toksvig	1958	—	Comedian, author, radio presenter
Mark Watson	1980	—	Comedian, novelist
Robert Webb	1972	—	Comedian, actor, writer

Footlights President

The elected leader of Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club is known as the Footlights President. There is also a Vice President. Past presidents have included The Goodies members Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, as well as Peter Cook, Hugh Laurie, David Mitchell, Tony Slattery, and Monty Python member Eric Idle (who was first to allow women to join the Footlights).
The current Footlights President is Sam Sword.

List of Presidents

1886 - F.W. Mortimer
1887 - J.J. Withers
1888 - W.S. Gilbert
1890 - Oscar Browning
1891 - C.M. Rae
1892 - Oscar Browning
1894 - Oscar Browning
1895 - Oscar Browning
1896 - H.C. Pollitt
1897 - H.C. Pollitt
1898 - M.V. Leveaux
1899 - S.W. Burgess
1900 - O.J. Goedecker
1901 - R.J. White
1902 - E.K. Fordham
1904 - G.S. Heathcote
1905 - G.S. Heathcote
1906 - H. Rottenburg
1907 - H. Rottenburg
1908 - J.S. Murray
1909 - L.B. Tillard
1910 - A.R. Inglis
1911 - A.R. Inglis
1912 - P.D. Ravenscroft
1913 - C.A.A. Douglas Hamilton
1914 - M. Cutherston
1919 - B.D. Nicholson
1920 - B.D. Nicholson
1921 - M.D. Lyon
1922 - M.D. Lyon
1923 - F.E. Powell
1924 - J.A.C. Barradale
1925 - H.J. Warrender
1926 - J.D. Houison Craufurd
1927 - H.C. Martineau
1928 - H.E.R. Mitchell
1929 - J. Fell Clark

1930 - J.C. Byrom

1931 - R.S. Hill

1932 - P.E. Lyon

1933 - J.A. Coates

1934 - Lord Killanin

1935 - Harry Lee

1936 - Peter Crane

1937 - Albert E.P. Robison

1938 - P.B. Meyer

1939 - Sir Robert Ricketts

1947 - D.C. Orders

1948 - D.C. Orders

1949 - Simon Phipps

1950 - Adrian Vale

1951 - Ian Kellie

1952 - Andrew Davidson

1953 - Peter Firth

1954 - Leslie Bricusse

1955 - Brian Marber

1956 - Tim Berington

1957 - Allan Mitchell

1958 - Peter Stroud

1959 - Adrian Slade

1960 - Peter Cook

1961 - Peter Bellwood

1962 - Robert Atkins

1963 - Tim Brooke-Taylor

1964 - Graeme Garden

1965 - Eric Idle

1966 - Andrew Mayer

1967 - Clive James

1968 - Jonathan James-Moore

1969 - Barry Brown

1970 - Adrian Edwards

1971 - Richard MacKenna

1972 - Steve Thorn

1973 - Robert Benton

1974 - Jon Canter

1975 - Clive Anderson

1976 - Chris Keightley

1977 - Jimmy Mulville

1978 - Martin Bergman

1979 - Robert Bathurst

1980 - Jan Ravens

1981 - Hugh Laurie

1982 - Tony Slattery

1983 - Neil Mullarkey

1984 - Nick Hancock

1985 - Kathryn Crew

1986 - Nick Golson

1987 - Tim Scott

1988 - Peter Bradshaw

1989 - Roland Kenyon

1990 - Henry Naylor

1991 - Sue Perkins

1992 - Dan Gaster

1993 - Mark Evans

1994 - Robert Thorogood

1995 - Charlie Hartill

1996 - David Mitchell

1997 - Sarah Moule

1998 - Richard Ayoade

1999 - Kevin Baker

2000 - Dorian House

2001 - James Morris

2002 - Ed Weeks

2003 - Stefan Golaszewski

2004 - Ed Riches

2005 - Raph Shirley

2006 - Simon Bird

2007 - Tom Sharpe

2008 - Sam Sword

2009 - Alastair Roberts

Footlights book

Information about the Footlights Revues during the first one hundred years of the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club (1883—1983), and the people who appeared in them — with a foreword by Eric Idle:

Further Information

Get more info on 'Cambridge Footlights'.

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