Robert Anthony Beckett (born 2 January 1986) is an English comedian, actor, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW! from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team captain on the E4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats and the narrator of the reality series Celebs Go Dating. He presented BBC One entertainment series Wedding Day Winners and All Together Now.
Early life
Beckett was born on 2 January 1986 in Mottingham, London.[2] His father (nicknamed "Super Dave") was throughout his career a driver of vans, lorries, oil tankers, and cabs.[3][4] He calls his mother, who was a homemaker throughout his childhood and later worked in a shop, "Big Suze."[5] He has four brothers.
Beckett started performing stand-up in 2009.[6] His performances led to a third place in So You Think You're Funny,[7] and winning the Amused Moose Laugh-Off which earned him an invitation to perform at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in Australia.[8] In Adelaide, Beckett was nominated for the best newcomer award in 2011.[9] He made his debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012 with his solo show "Rob Beckett's Summer Holiday".[10] In 2011, Beckett made a guest appearance as Mike in the Channel 4 series Fresh Meat.[11]
Beckett also presented the Rock'N'Roll Football Sunday show on Absolute Radio from August 2014 until 2018.[14]
Alongside fellow comedian Ian Smith and former footballer Jimmy Bullard, Beckett hosts UK television channel Dave's comedy-football podcast The Magic Sponge; an irreverent look at the lives of professional footballers.[15] Beckett narrated the 2016 E4 series Celebs Go Dating.[16] In February 2017, the second series of Celebs Go Dating began airing with him writing and narrating once again, this time with some overseas celebrities in tow. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team captain on the More4 panel show 8 Out of 10 Cats.
Beckett was a contestant on (and eventual winner of) the third series of Taskmaster, which aired in October 2016. In 2018, he presented Wedding Day Winners, with Lorraine Kelly,[17] and All Together Now, with Geri Halliwell, both Saturday-night entertainment series for BBC One.[18] The following year, in 2019, Beckett started presenting a Sky TV series Rob & Romesh vs..., where he and fellow comic and presenter Romesh Ranganathan travel around the world, delve into the lives and careers of celebrities and take on various challenges.
As of April 2020, Beckett has co-hosted a podcast named Lockdown Parenting Hell, with fellow comedian Josh Widdicombe. The pair frequently interview celebrities regarding the difficulties of parenting during the Coronavirus lockdown. On 20 February 2022, Beckett started his new 5-7pm Sunday Show on BBC Radio 2, a timeslot he shared throughout the year with Paul O'Grady on the Wireless.[19][20][21][22]
Personal life
Beckett married Louise "Lou" Watts, a teacher, in 2015.[23][24] The couple have two daughters.[25]