For those of a similar name, see Reece James (disambiguation).
Rhys James
Birth nameRhys Jones
Birth date30 April 1991 (age 35)
Birth placeSwindon, Wiltshire, England
Alma materUniversity of Manchester
OccupationComedian
Years active2008–present
Websiterhysjames.co.uk

Rhys James (born Rhys William Jones, 30 April 1991)[1] is a British stand-up comedian. James has appeared on Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo.

Personal life

James studied for a politics and international relations degree at Manchester University, starting his stand-up career in 2010 whilst still a student.[2] He supports Tottenham Hotspur football club.[3]

Career

James has appeared on Mock the Week, becoming a regular panelist upon the show's revival in 2026, Russell Howard's Stand Up Central, @elevenish, Virtually Famous and Sweat the Small Stuff. In 2010 he performed as part of the Pleasance Comedy Reserve at the Edinburgh Fringe, was a finalist in the Laughing Boy New Act Competition and placed 3rd in 'Comedy Central's Funniest Student'.[1][4][5][6][7][8] James also appeared on certain YouTube channels such as The Football Republic (Top 10 Football F*ck Up's) and Spurred On. In 2022, he was a guest host on Ed Gamble and Matthew Crosby's Radio X show.[9]

In 2019, James embarked on his first nationwide tour Snitch,[10] which was completed in 2021 after delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] He has also appeared on The Great American Joke Off on The CW, as one of the panel of six comedians performing in 2023. James' first book, titled You'll Like It When You Get There, was published in August 2025.[12]

Live shows

Podcasts

James has been featured on numerous podcasts, including Brett Goldstein's Films To Be Buried With and Jamie Laing's Private Parts.

In 2020, James began hosting a podcast called Early Work which featured conversations with performers about their early creative material.[17]

In 2022, James started hosting Fit & Proper alongside Lloyd Griffith. This podcast sees a weekly guest hypothetically rebuild a football club of their choosing.[18]

Television

TitleYear
Seann Walsh's Late Night Comedy Spectacular2014
Sweat the Small Stuff2014–2015
Virtually Famous2015
@elevenish2016
The Chris Ramsey Show2017
Soho Theatre Live2017
When News Goes Horribly Wrong2018
Comedy Central at the Comedy Store2018
The Premier League Show2018
Alan Carr's Christmas Cracker2018
Roast Battle2019
Live at the Apollo2019
Soccer AM2018–2020
Love Island: Aftersun2020
Comedians: Home Alone2020
The Lock Inn Pub Quiz2020
A League of Their Own2020
Comedy Game Night2020
Richard Osman's House of Games2020, 2025
Pointless Celebrities2021
Celebrity Mastermind2021
Guessable2021–2022
Comedians Giving Lectures2022
Mock the Week2016–
The Weakest Link2023
Out of Order2024

References

  1. ^ Logan, Brian (24 February 2016). "Rhys James review – standup with a superiority complex". The Guardian
  2. ^ Castle, Jill (2015) "Rhys James on respect, Twitter and why he loves The Glasgow Stand", Glasgow Herald, 22 July 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2016
  3. ^ "Premier League predictions: Lawro v comedian Rhys James". BBC Sport. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Interview: Comedian Rhys James". 26 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Rhys James Begins - Soho Theatre - 9–14 February — LondonCalling.com"
  6. ^ "Edinburgh Fringe 2014: Rhys James at Pleasance Courtyard and". The Independent. 3 August 2014.
  7. ^ "Rhys James, comedian". Chortle.
  8. ^ "Rhys James: Remains". Soho Theatre.
  9. ^ "Rhys James on Instagram: "I've successfully predicted some world events on mock the week in my time, but this one doesn't count because it was already true. Swipe for the prescience anyway. Here we go confirmed."". Instagram. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  10. ^ "Review: We Went to See Rhys James on Friday, and Thank F**K We Did". The Londonist. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  11. ^ "NEWS: In light of COVID-19, Show And Tell have postponed all events for the next 3-4 weeks.". Twitter. 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  12. ^ "Wildfire bags comedian Rhys James' 'introvert's manifesto' in three-way auction". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  13. ^ "Rhys James: Begins : Reviews 2014". www.chortle.co.uk. Chortle. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  14. ^ Williams, Ben (2015) "Rhys James: Remains", Time Out, 20 August 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2016
  15. ^ "Rhys James: Forgives review". What's on London. 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  16. ^ "Rhys James: Spilt Milk". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  17. ^ "Early Work with Rhys James - Trailer", 2019-12-11, retrieved 2023-01-14
  18. ^ "Fit & Proper: Trailer", 2022-11-18, retrieved 2023-01-14