Griffith Rhys Jones (born 16 November 1953) is a Welsh actor, comedian, writer and television presenter. He starred in a number of television series with his comedy partner, Mel Smith. He and Smith came to national attention in the 1980s for their work in the BBC television comedy sketch shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones.
From 2008 to 2018, Jones presented the television bloopers show It'll Be Alright on the Night for ITV, having replaced Denis Norden and being succeeded in 2018 by David Walliams.
Griffith Rhys Jones was born on 16 November 1953 in Cardiff, the son of Gwynneth Margaret (née Jones) and Elwyn Rhys Jones, a medical doctor. He was six months old when his family moved to West Sussex owing to his father's occupation as a doctor. Jones attended Conifers Primary School in Midhurst, West Sussex, before his family moved to Epping, Essex. He attended a junior school in Epping, Essex, and Brentwood School, also in Essex.
After a short spell working as a petrol-pump attendant, Jones gained a gap year job on the P&O ship Uganda, working for a company organising school trips. In his autobiography, Semi-Detached, he describes how he was charged with helping to look after 600 Canadian schoolgirls, followed by a similar number of younger Scottish schoolchildren, and refers to the experience as being like "St Trinian's at sea". Jones initially read History, later changing to English, at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, graduating with a 2:1.
After Cambridge, Rhys Jones then joined BBC Radio Light Entertainment as a trainee producer, with his responsibilities including the satirical show Week Ending and Brain of Britain. He also appeared in 1974 in the Comedy series Oh no it isn't ! on BBC Radio 4.
Rhys Jones came in as a producer of Rowan Atkinson's show The Atkinson People with Frankie Howerd, Clive Anderson and Rory McGrath, for the BBC and appeared twice on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Rhys Jones filled in several minor roles in the first series of Not the Nine O'Clock News, and was brought in as a regular cast member from the second series onwards, replacing Chris Langham. Rhys Jones says that the reason he got the part was not due to his appearance in the initial shows, or his talent, but because producer John Lloyd was dating his sister at the time.
Rhys Jones was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1984 for Best Comedy Performance in Charley's Aunt and in 1994 for Best Comedy Performance for his performance in An Absolute Turkey. He also played Toad in The Wind in the Willows at the National Theatre in 1990, as well as several other theatre roles including Fagin in Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and Harpagon in The Miser. at the Garrick Theatre. He provided the voices on the series of short cartoons Funnybones.
Rhys Jones has continued his acting career, being cast in Casualty and Agatha Christie's Marple as well as starring in Russell T Davies' drama series Mine All Mine on ITV. It'll Be Alright on the Night returned with Rhys Jones as the new presenter, taking over from Denis Norden. The first programme with Rhys Jones as host aired in 2008.
In January 2012, Rhys Jones returned to BBC sketch comedy The Ones alongside the likes of Hugh Bonneville, Tom Hollander and Larry Lamb, for one of a three-episode series in which comedy legends take to the stage for a mix of stand-up and sketches.
After Not the Nine O'Clock News, Mel Smith and Rhys Jones teamed up in 1984, and they appeared in the comedy sketch series Alas Smith and Jones. (the show's title being a pun on the American television series Alias Smith and Jones). After the first series, the two men appeared in Mike Hodges' science fiction comedy movie Morons from Outer Space. and then in 1989, the London Weekend Television production Wilt. Dressed as bobbies, in July 1985, Smith and Rhys Jones introduced Queen on stage at Live Aid.
Smith and Rhys Jones were reunited in March 2005, for a Comic Relief sketch,. which led to a revival of their previous television series in The Smith and Jones Sketchbook. Their final television appearance together was a Head To Head routine for the special of 2012 The One Griff Rhys-Jones.
With Smith, he co-founded the television production company Talkback Productions, now part of RTL Group and later in 2005, he established the production company Modern Television. When Smith died in the summer of 2013, Rhys Jones wrote a piece about his comedy partner in the Radio Times, saying it was "sheer bliss" to perform with Smith.
In 1981, Rhys Jones along with Mel Smith founded Talkback, a production company which produced many British comedy series, including Smack the Pony, Da Ali G Show, I'm Alan Partridge, They Think It's All Over, QI and Big Train.
In 2005, Rhys Jones created his own production company Modern Television, which has since made several productions with Rhys Jones as presenter and executive producer.
In May 2014, Rhys Jones was executive producer on his production company's debut BBC drama A Poet in New York starring Tom Hollander as Dylan Thomas.
Rhys Jones has developed a career as a television presenter, beginning as the co-host on several Comic Relief programmes. He presented Bookworm from 1994 to 2000, was the presenter of the BBC's Restoration programme and has undertaken fundraising work for the Hackney Empire theatre conservation project.
Since 2006, Rhys Jones has appeared in the BBC's Three Men in a Boat series, alongside Dara Ó Briain and Rory McGrath. The series has included the trio rowing the River Thames, as in the 1889 novel, sailing from London to the Isle of Wight for a sailing boat race, borrowing numerous vessels to make their way from Plymouth to the Isles of Scilly.