Micky Flanagan

Michael John Flanagan is an English comedian born on 7 October 1962 in Whitechapel, East London. Raised in Bethnal Green, he is widely known for his stand-up comedy performances, national touring shows, and extensive appearances across British television and radio.

Flanagan grew up in East London as a sensitive child who was keen to leave the area. His father, Jim, worked as a welder and fish porter, had origins in County Donegal, Ireland, and served a brief prison sentence for involvement in petty crime. At thirteen, Flanagan joined the Young Socialists. Although a bright student, he became disengaged from his studies, began truanting, and left school at fifteen without any qualifications.

Following his father's lead, Flanagan took his first job as a fish porter at Billingsgate Fish Market. In 1981, he spent a summer working as a kitchen porter on Fire Island, New York. After returning to London, he worked for several years as a furniture maker. Following the failure of his business, he spent another summer on Fire Island. At age 25, he resumed his education, taking a GCSE in English, followed by an Arts and Social Sciences foundation course and a degree at City University. He subsequently completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education to train as a teacher, but decided against entering the profession.

Flanagan began his professional comedy career in 1997 after completing a comedy course at Jacksons Lane in north London in 1996. In 2001, he performed as a headline act in the Big Value Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Fringe, and in 2003 co-headlined with Nina Conti. By early 2003, he was performing at venues including Balham's Banana Cabaret and The Bearcat Comedy Club. He launched his first full solo show, What Chance Change?, in 2006, earning a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2007.

Flanagan built his media profile through radio and television. He appeared regularly on Radio 2's Out to Lunch in 2008 and hosted the four-part Radio 4 series Micky Flanagan: What Chance Change? in 2010. His stand-up routine on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow in 2009 featured his prominent "out out" skit. His television credits expanded to include Live at the Apollo, Stand Up for the Week, Mock the Week, the Royal Variety Performance, A League of Their Own, and 8 Out of 10 Cats. From 2010 to 2011, he toured Great Britain with The Out Out Tour.

In 2011, Flanagan appeared as a panellist on Epic Win and secured a book deal with Ebury Publishing for his autobiography. He subsequently served as a team captain on comedy panel programmes including The Mad Bad Ad Show, I Love My Country, and Was It Something I Said?, alongside appearances on The Chase and The Graham Norton Show.

Flanagan is married to his wife, Cathy, and the couple has one son. They live primarily in the Hampshire countryside while maintaining a residence in East Dulwich, London. In 2015, Flanagan took a year-long sabbatical from comedy to address work-related stress.