Stephen Frederick Eustace Frost (born 28 December 1955) is an English actor and comedian, best known for his work on Whose Line Is It Anyway? as well as several projects with comedy partner Mark Arden.

Stephen Frost
Glastonbury Festival, 2019, with the Stephen Frost Improv All Stars
Born
Stephen Frederick Eustace Frost

(1955-12-28) 28 December 1955 (age 68)
Redruth, Cornwall, England
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Actor and comedian
Years active1980–present
Presenting the "Stephen Frost All Stars" improvisation show, Glastonbury Festival, 2008

Early life

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Frost was born in Redruth, Cornwall, and is the son of the abstract artist Terry Frost and brother of painter Anthony Frost.

He joined Banbury School (now Wykham Park Academy) in north Oxfordshire, part of Stanbridge Hall, in September 1967. The school had become comprehensive that term, but only in name; the buildings largely remained. The school transitioned over years. He played rugby for his county at age 16, and badminton locally, and athletics, in the AAA five star scheme.[1] His brother Simon was also athletic. He took took part in many school drama productions, in the sixth form, with his brothers Simon and Matthew.[2] In the sixth form he grew a beard, and worked with the National Youth Theatre. He won a playwright award from the Royal Court Theatre. The head of the school drama group was Brian Derbyshire; the teacher left the school at the same time as Stephen, in July 1974.[3]

He passed two O-levels, Geography and Physics. He passed one A level, Geography.[4] His headteacher was Harry Judge. He lived at 2 Old Parr Road from 1963 to 1974. In 1974 family moved to Newlyn in Cornwall. He attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Art Malik (and his wife Gina Rowe), Mark Arden and actors Jeremy Gittins and Robert McCulley.[5]

Career

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Work with Mark Arden

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Frost is known for his work in the 1980s with Mark Arden as part of the double act The Oblivion Boys on Saturday Live. Veterans of the alternative comedy scene, he and Arden appeared in The Young Ones, and later had their own TV series Lazarus and Dingwall on BBC2. They played the lead roles in the 1987 revival of Tom Stoppard's play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Piccadilly Theatre. They also played two robbers in 'Big Deal' series 2, in the episode 'Popping Across The Pond'.

In 1994 the Oblivion Boys starred opposite the comedy duo Raw Sex (Simon Brint and Rowland Rivron) in the partially-improvised comedy film There's No Business....

The duo appeared in a series of British TV advertisements ending with the catchphrase "I bet he drinks Carling Black Label". One spoofed the "launderette" commercial for Levi's in which Nick Kamen stripped to his underwear; in their pastiche, Arden and Frost played launderette customers who were stripped entirely, with just strategically placed books maintaining their modesty.[6]

Solo work

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Without Arden, Frost has appeared on BBC Radio 4's Just a Minute, and the improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. He has appeared on three episodes of Have I Got News for You (there was a 13-year gap between his second and third appearance) and on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He also appeared as Dirk in Tony Bagley's series Married.

He played two small roles in Blackadder: a prison guard in the first-series episode "Witchsmeller Pursuivant", and the overly cheerful head of a firing squad in the episode "Corporal Punishment" of Blackadder Goes Forth. He also appeared in the comedy series Mr. Bean, starring Rowan Atkinson, in the episode entitled "Mr. Bean Rides Again" in one of the skits where Mr. Bean is on a train.

In 2003 he appeared in a production of 12 Angry Men alongside Bill Bailey.

Frost appeared alongside Tony Hawks and Angus Deayton in the 2012 feature film Playing the Moldovans at Tennis.

Currently

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Frost is a regular on the London comedy circuit. He is also a veteran of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Glastonbury Festival.

Frost still appears regularly with The Comedy Store Players in The Comedy Store, London.

Filmography

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Film

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1987 The Love Child Tough Policeman
1994 There's No Business Reg Prince
1995 Savage Hearts Concierge
Feast of July Man in Restaurant
Spot's Magical Christmas Deer 1 Voice
Video short
United Kingdom version
Credited as Steve Frost
1998 Wind Policeman Short film
2000 The Suicidal Dog Philip the Test Your Strength Man Short film
2012 Playing the Moldovans at Tennis Steve
2014 The Squeakies Compere
2021 Phase Dad

Television

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Television
Year Title Role Notes
1981 Doctor Who Tharil Uncredited
Series 18: "Warriors' Gate: Part Four"
1982-1983 Carrott's Lib 8 episodes, 1 special
Writer – "Best of Carrott's Lib"
1982-1984 The Young Ones Various 7 episodes – 3 credited as Steve Frost
1983 Blackadder Soft, A Guard 2 episodes – 1 uncredited
Dramarama Rev. Bell Series 1, episode 2: "Rip It Up"
Reilly, Ace of Spies Styrne Episode 11: "The Last Journey"
Rebellious Jukebox The Oblivion Boys Episode #1.2
1983-1984 The Entertainers The Oblivion Boys 2 episodes
1984 The Comic Strip Presents... Bula Series 2, episode 7: "Slags"
1985 Big Deal Tony Series 2, episode 14: "Popping Across the Pond"
Dempsey and Makepeace Big Mall Series 2, episode 5: "Tequila Sunrise"
Happy Families Village Gendarme Episode 3: "Madeleine"
Girls on Top Disco Dancer Series 1, episode 3: "C.O.D."
1986 Kit Curran Pates Series 2, episode 4: "A Sick Society"
1986-1996 Saturday Live Himself / Oblivion Boys / Various 10 episodes
Writer – 1 episode
1988 Bust Mike Benson 2 episodes
1989 Blackadder Goes Forth Corporal Jones Series 4, episode 2: "Corporal Punishment"
Close to Home Frank DeAngelo 4 episodes
1991 Lazarus & Dingwall Steve Lazarus 6 episodes
Writer
Murder Most Horrid Sgt. Dawkins Series 1, episode 1: "The Case of the Missing"
1991-2005 Have I Got News for You Himself / Panelist 3 episodes
1992 Mr. Bean The Laughing Man Episode 6: "Mr. Bean Rides Again"
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Huge Man Series 2, episode 4: "Barcelona, May 1917"
Fool's Gold: The Story of the Brink's-Mat Robbery Bernie Clarke TV movie
1992-1998 Whose Line Is It Anyway? Himself / Performer 33 episodes
1993 The Almost Complete History of the 20th Century Narrator Voice
13 episodes
1993-1994 Brighton Belles Gilbert 2 episodes
1994 The All New Alexei Sayle Show Various Episode 6
What's Up Doc? Steve the Security Guard / Walter Flume 16 episodes
Credited as Steve Frost
Blue Heaven Big Larry Episode 1
Frank Stubbs Promotes Big Eddie Series 2, episode 5: "Mr. Chairman"
Harry Enfield & Chums Man Painting Episode #1.5
1994-1995 The Bill Duggan / Colin Glover 2 episodes
1995 Jack and Jeremy's Police 4 Various TV movie
1996 Jack and Jeremy's Real Lives Steve / Stephen / Farmer 3 episodes
Drop the Dead Donkey Tom Series 5, episode 7: "Charnley in Love"
The Famous Five Dirty Dick Series 2, episode 6: "Five on a Hike Together"
1997 Gobble Gun shop assistant TV movie
Pie in the Sky Trubb Series 5, episode 3: "Pork Pies"
1998 Vanity Fair Bute Crawley Miniseries
4 episodes
1999 Just a Minute Himself / Panelist 4 episodes
French and Saunders Special – "French and Saunders: The Phantom Millennium"
2001 Mr. Charity Cab Driver Episode 6: "The Big W"
2002 Spheriks Match Narrator Voice
Credited as Steve Frost
2002-2005 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Himself
2004 Working the Thames Himself / Presenter Documentary
2011 Paul Merton's Adventures Himself Episode 4: "Caravan"
2013 Poirot Chief Inspector Series 13, episode 4: "The Labours of Hercules"
2015 Boomers German John Episode: "Christmas Special"
2018 Holby City Peter Mosley Series 20, episode 49: "Love Is"
2023 Ted Lasso Bruce Series 3, episode 2: "(I don't want to go to) Chelsea"

Books

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  • Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed Malcolm Hardee & John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 0-09-188924-3; ISBN 978-0-09-188924-1

References

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  1. ^ Banbury Guardian Thursday 29 October 1970, page 24
  2. ^ Banbury Guardian Thursday 29 November 1973, page 16
  3. ^ Times Friday March 29 1974, page 12
  4. ^ Banbury Guardian Thursday 29 August 1974, page 11
  5. ^ The Stage Thursday 16 June 1977, page 15
  6. ^ Ad on YouTube
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