Paul James Martin famed as Paul Merton is an English writer, actor, comedian, radio as well as a television presenter. He is famous for his improvisation skill. He has been ranked by critics, fellow comedians and viewers to be among Britain's greatest comedians. He is well known for his regular appearances as a team captain on the BBC panel game Have I Got News for You, and as the former host of Room 101, as well as for several appearances on the original British version of the improvisational comedy television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? Overall, he is a very talented person.
Paul Merton addresses not having children amid Who Do You Think You Are?
Paul has spoken candidly about his decision not to have children and his life with his third wife, after discovering all about his family tree on BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?. He has said having children was never a “big desire” as he admitted he likes it “when they go away”. The Have I Got News for You star spoke candidly about his private late after uncovering his family’s secrets in tonight’s installment of Who Do You Think You Are?. The 62-year-old, who has been married three times, follows his grandfather, a member of the IRA in the 1920s. Speaking to the Radio Times, he said he “didn’t want the pressure” of offspring as he touched on the “tragic things” that have happened to him. He is married to actress and writer Suki Webster, 54, and they walked down a decade ago, following the death of his second wife, Sarah Parkinson. “Children were never a particularly big desire,” he told the publication. “When I started off wanting to be a comedian in the late 70s, it was a very strange ambition to have, akin to being a deep-sea diver or astronaut. He went on to wed producer Sarah unofficially in the Maldives in 2000, with them later tying the knot three months before her death from breast cancer in 2003. During his chat, he said he has never been tempted back to the church despite his loss, after attending church as a child.
Early Life of Paul
On 9th July 1957, Paul was born as Paul James Martin in London, England. His nationality is English and his ethnicity is White. His religion is Christian. As of 2019, he celebrated his 62nd birthday with his friends and families. He was born to an English Anglican father, Albert Martin (a train driver on the London Underground) and an Irish Roman Catholic mother, Mary Ann Power. He attended St Thomas's School, Fulham and St Teresa's, Morden. He then went to Wimbledon College, a Jesuit-run secondary school that was formerly a grammar school and had just become a comprehensive, in a stream for boys who had failed the 11-plus. After leaving school, he worked at the Tooting employment office as a clerical officer for three years, quitting in February 1980.
Body Measurements of Paul
English comedian and TV personality is known for Have I Got News For You. He once said "I'm six foot two and often people say "Oh you're taller than I thought you would be" and on another occasion "Six-One, Six-Two" or 188 cm. He has got a balanced bodyweight but the exact measurements of his weight and other body details have not been revealed yet but it will be added soon.
Television Career
- Paul gained his earliest professional credits under his birth name, including an appearance as a yokel in Time, an episode of The Young Ones in 1984.
- On joining Equity he found that the name Paul Martin was already taken, so he renamed himself after Merton, the district of London where he grew up.
- His breakthrough as a television performer came in 1988 with Channel 4's improvised comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
- He remained on Whose Line until 1993.
- Have I Got News for You began in 1990, and two series of his own sketch show, Paul Merton: The Series, followed soon after.
- He presented a documentary series celebrating the history of the London Palladium, entitled Paul Merton's Palladium Story in 1995.
- He performed updated versions of fifteen of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's old scripts for an ITV series, Paul Merton in Galton & Simpson's in 1996.
- He replaced Nick Hancock as host of Room 101 in 1999.
- His first guest was Hancock.
- He hosted 64 editions.
- In 2007, his final guest was Ian Hislop (who became the first interviewee to appear twice, having also been on an edition with Hancock).
- He is one of the recurring stars from the 4 ITV Pantos.
- His best role came in 1999, where Merton starred alongside Ronnie Corbett as one of the ugly sisters in ITV's Christmas pantomime of Cinderella.
- In 2007 he presented a four-part travel documentary, Paul Merton in China.
- His second travel series, Paul Merton in India was transmitted from 8 October 2008 on the same channel.
- A third series, Paul Merton in Europe began broadcasting on 11 January 2010, again on Five.
- He hosted the British version of Thank God You're Here, which aired on ITV in 2008.
- He directed and presented a documentary on the British films of Alfred Hitchcock in 2009.
- He temporarily co-presented The One Show for two weeks on Thursday after Adrian Chiles left the show in 2010.
- His three-part documentary series Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood about the early history of Hollywood was broadcast in May 2011 on BBC2.
- His third TV series for 2011, Paul Merton's Adventures, he travels around the world going on popular tourist trails, but still manages to find some extraordinary things.
Radio Career
- He appeared on BBC Radio 4's The Big Fun Show in 1980s.
- After long-time Just a Minute panelist Kenneth Williams died in 1988, Merton (a fan of the show) contacted the producer at the suggestion of the host, Nicholas Parsons.
- He was a semi-regular guest on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue from 1991 to 1998.
- In 2000 he presented Two Priests and a Nun Go into a Pub, in which he interviewed British and Irish comedians who had (like Merton himself) been brought up as members of the Roman Catholic Church.
- He started a Radio 4 series in which he reads Spike Milligan's war memoirs in an audio-book fashion in 2009.
- In the year 2016, he overtook Williams to become the second most regular panelist, surpassed only by Clement Freud.
Marital Status, Wife, Child
- Paul is a married person. In the year 1990, he married Caroline Quentin, they announced their separation in April 1997 which was followed by divorce in 1998. They met in 1995 when Paul Merton and Caroline Quentin were doing a three-month run of The Live Bed Show in London, and Sarah was Caroline’s understudy.
- In the year 2000, he unofficially married Sarah Parkinson in service in the Maldives in 2000. They officially married in 2003 but she died from breast cancer on 23rd September 2003.
- In the year 2009, he married fellow improviser Suki Webster. As of today, the couple is living a blissful life with each other.
Net Worth of Paul
The net worth of this multi-talented person will be surely in millions as his earning source of money is from a different career. His net worth is estimated to have $1.7 Million as of 2019. But his salary has not been revealed by any sources. But it will be added very soon.
Paul Merton TV Shows
- Since 1990: Have I Got News for You
- Since 1994: Rom 101
- 1991-1993: Paul Merton: The Series
- 2007: Paul Merton in China
- Since 2008: Paul Merton in India
- Since 2010: Paul Merton in Europe
- 2011: Paul Merton’s Adventures
- Since 2006: The One Show
- Since 2011: Paul Merton’s Birth of Hollywood
- Since 2007: Paul Merton’s Silent Clowns
- 2008: Thank God You’re Here
- 1994: Paul Merton’s Palladium Story
- Since 1996: Paul Merton in Galton & Simpson’s…
- 1992: Terry and Julian
- 1989 – 1990: Sticky Moments
- 1998 – 2001: Rex the Runt
- Since 2009: Morecambe & Wise: The Show What Paul Merton Did
- 1993: If You See God, Tell Him
- 2001 – 2002: The Waiting Game
- 1996 – 1997: Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson’s…
Paul Merton Book
- 2014: Only When I Laugh: My Autobiography
- 2007: Silent Comedy
- 1995: My Struggle
- 1996: Paul Merton: My Struggle
- 1993: Paul Merton’s History of the Twentieth Century
- 1989: The Joan Collins’ Fan Club: My Life with Fanny the Wonder Dog : the True Story
- Have I Got News for You
- 2015: Just a Minute: Best Of 2015: BBC Radio Comedy
- 2016: Just a Minute: Series 73: All Eight Episodes of the 73rd Radio Series
- 2016: Just a Minute: Series 74: All Eight Episodes of the 74th Radio Series
- 2015: Just a Minute: Series 71: All Eight Episodes of the 71st Radio Series
- 2006: Robert Conybear: Inner Portraits
- 2016: Just a Minute: Series 76: The BBC Radio 4 Comedy Panel Game
