Joseph Roland Wilkinson (born 2 May 1975) is an English comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He began his comedy career in 2004 and has supported Alan Carr and Russell Howard on tour. In 2006, Wilkinson won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year.
Wilkinson's television appearances include Live at the Electric and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. He is also in the comedy duo Two Episodes of Mash, alongside Diane Morgan. In 2019 Wilkinson won a celebrity special version of The Great British Bake Off (for Stand Up to Cancer UK).
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Early life
Wilkinson was born in Bromley to Stella and Brian Wilkinson. He was named after his grandfather, Rolan Joseph. Along with his brother, Robert, Wilkinson was brought up in the village of Kemsing. He attended Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys.
Career
While working in graphic design, Wilkinson started his career in 2004 at his local pub, which was holding an 'open mic' evening. Asked by the pub to return, Wilkinson told the Northern Echo:
I thought, 'Oh, I hadn't really thought about doing it again'. So I did that a few months later, and then someone else booked me and it just sort of kept going. People kept booking me and I have no recollection of my first gig. I'm almost certain it wasn't brilliant. I'd love to say I had my five-point plan. I'm still sort of winging it if I'm honest.
Since 2008, he has performed many stand-up shows, including the tour "Joe Wilkinson: My Mum's Called Stella and My Dad's Called Brian", and has appeared at venues such as the Edinburgh Fringe and the Bloomsbury Theatre.
Television
Since 2010, Wilkinson has appeared in a number of television shows. In 2010, he played various characters in the first series of Robert's Web. He appeared on The Rob Brydon Show, The Wright Stuff, Show & Tell, Comedy Lab, My Funniest Year, and the television film England's Worst Ever Football Team. He played a major role in Him & Her as Dan Perkins, the lonely, socially awkward neighbour to main characters Becky and Steve.
Wilkinson has appeared on 8 Out of 10 Cats, Have I Got News for You, Mock the Week and Never Mind the Buzzcocks and has performed at a stand-up section of Russell Howard's Good News. He has appeared in Miranda.
Wilkinson wrote three episodes in the first series of Anna & Katy, as well as an animated short in 2012, A Fishy Tale. Three episodes of Show & Tell and the episode '2001' for My Funniest Year were written by him.
Wilkinson was involved in the BBC Three comedy show Live at the Electric as a member of the comedic double act Two Episodes of Mash with Diane Morgan. It had been previously broadcast on BBC Radio 2.
In 2014, Wilkinson appeared as a resident comedian on the revived TV game show Celebrity Squares, hosted by Warwick Davis on ITV. It returned for a second series in April 2015.
In 2016, he starred in the Sky 1 series Rovers which he co-wrote with David Earl. He was also a contestant on the second series of Dave comedy panel show Taskmaster.
In 2019, Wilkinson appeared as Jeffrey in the first and third series of the Netflix original series Sex Education, and featured in Ricky Gervais' comedy-drama After Life as "Postman Pat", the incompetent and nosey postman of the main character's street.
In November 2019 he starred in the three-part Gold sitcom The Cockfields, which he co-wrote with David Earl. Wilkinson plays Simon, who takes his girlfriend Donna (Diane Morgan) to meet his family at their home on the Isle of Wight for the first time.
Stand-up
Wilkinson has performed two major tours: My Mum's Called Stella and My Dad's Called Brian and The Joe Wilkinson Experience.
Other work
In 2014, Wilkinson appeared in a commercial for Hellmann's Mayonnaise with Sue Barker and Brian Blessed, and in 2015, Wilkinson began voicing ads for Hotels.com.
In June 2015, Wilkinson appeared in a live recording for the Pappy's Flatshare Slamdown. From the beginning of the show, he was quite inebriated and had to be substituted with a member of the audience when he left to get himself another glass of wine. The episode was published in August 2017.
In 2019, Wilkinson took part in a special episode of The Great British Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer, with Georgia Toffolo, Jeremy Paxman and Sally Lindsay. He made gherkin-inspired biscuits in round one, which host Paul Hollywood loved, and won first place. Round 2 was chocolate crumpets, which also won first place. Round 3 was to bake a cake representing a hobby: he chose a chocolate orange cake to represent his "peachy bum" Rear of the Year award, again coming first. Overall, Wilkinson won Star Baker.
Podcasts
In 2019 Wilkinson, David Earl, and Poppy Hillstead began a podcast called Gossipmongers, a weekly podcast where listeners send in unsubstantiated rumours. At the end of each episode they choose their favourite piece of gossip from that episode. In September 2020 Hillstead was removed from the podcast. The podcast ended in February 2022. Earl and Wilkinson have both suggested there are no plans to bring it back.
In 2021, David Earl and Joe Wilkinson began a podcast called Chatabix, originally a daily weekday podcast recorded very early in the morning. From the summer of 2023 the podcast changed to being 3 episodes a week released Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
In 2021, David Earl and Joe Wilkinson began a podcast called My New Football Club. Wilkinson left the podcast in 2022 due to being unable to commit time to it. The show is now presented by Earl, Jon Beer and Alfie Indra. The podcast was originally about David becoming a new fan of Exeter City but now provides regular updates on Exeter City including interviews with staff as well as famous fans of other teams.
In 2023, Joe Wilkinson and Patrick Bamford began a weekly podcast titled My Mate's a Footballer, centered around Wilkinson's dream to be best mates with a footballer. The two discuss the ins and outs of professional sport, with Bamford able to give insight into the dressing room of Leeds United.
Personal life
Wilkinson and his wife, Petra Exton, live in Brighton. He has a stepson. Wilkinson has described his life as "boring" but argues it has been useful in giving him material for his stand-up act.
He is a supporter of Gillingham F.C.
