Nigel Planer

Nigel regularly teaches and runs workshops for actors, singers and writers at places as diverse as the Arvon Foundation, the Actor’s centre, the National Opera Studio, Lamda, Associated Studios and the Institute of Group Analysis. He is also an accredited Coach (NAWE). In 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Edinburgh Napier University.

As Performer;
After training at Lamda, Nigel Planer was a founding member of the Comedy Store and the Comic Strip group, and went on to star in the seminal TV series “The Young Ones” and “The Comic Strip Presents”. In the eighties, he had an international top-ten chart hit with ‘Hole in My Shoe’. Since then he has established himself as a successful actor in TV, theatre, film, and radio, most recently appearing as Matt Le Blanc’s lawyer in the hit series ‘Episodes’. He has appeared in the original West End casts of ‘Evita’, ‘Chicago’, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Wicked’, ‘Hairspray’ and in 2013 he was nominated for an Olivier award for his performance in Sam Mendes’ “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” at the theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

As a Writer;
Nigel has published novels, short stories, poetry and articles as well as the best-selling ‘A Good Enough Dad’, and (with Christopher Douglas) the spoof theatrical biography, ‘I an Actor’.He has had two stage plays produced; the first, ‘On the Ceiling’ transferred from Birmingham Rep to the West End. And the second; ‘Death of Long Pig’ was premiered at the Finborough Theatre in London.His TV and radio writing includes a hundred episodes of “The Magic Roundabout” for Channel 4, plus a draft of the movie of the same name for Pathe.

Currently;
N.O.W. Films hold an option on his latest screenplay “River Man”, and he is developing a musical version of Fay Weldon’s “Life and Loves of a She Devil” with Hannah Jane Fox and Andrew Holdsworth.A special thanks to all of the wonderful singers from Associated who have helped to workshop this last project.

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