Footlights

Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, run by the students of Cambridge University and now also the Anglia Ruskin University. The club was founded in 1883.

It grew in prominence in the 1960s, as a hotbed of comedy and satire, and continues to produce the regular and very popular Smokers at the ADC Theatre - an informal mixture of sketches and stand-up. Footlights also produces regular plays and sketch shows.

Famous Footlights members

The careers of many prominent figures in the world of entertainment began in Footlights, including:

Name	Birth	Death	Career
Douglas Adams	1952	2001	Writer
Clive Anderson	1952	—	Comedian, television presenter
David Armand	—	—	Comedian, actor
Alexander Armstrong	1970	—	Comedian
Pete Atkin	1945	—	Singer-songwriter
Richard Ayoade	1977	—	Comedian, actor
David Baddiel	1964	—	Comedian, novelist, television presenter
Morwenna Banks	1964	—	Comedian, actor
Humphrey Barclay	1941	—	Comedy executive, producer
Cecil Beaton	1904	1980	Photographer
Leslie Bricusse	1931	—	Lyricist, composer
Eleanor Bron	1938	—	Actress, author
Tim Brooke-Taylor	1940	—	Comedy writer and performer, lawyer
Robert Buckman	1948	—	Comedian, author, physician, television presenter, columnist
Tony Buffery	—	—	Psychologist
Jon Canter	—	—	Script-writer
Graham Chapman	1941	1989	Comedian, actor, writer, physician
John Cleese	1939	—	Comedian, actor, lawyer
Peter Cook	1937	1995	Comedian, writer, satirist
Joe Craig	1980	—	Novelist, musician
Hugh Dennis	1962	—	Comedian, actor, writer, voice-over artist
Jimmy Edwards	1920	1988	Radio and television comedy actor
Alan Fleming-Baird	1972	—	Composer
David Frost	1939	—	Television presenter
Stephen Fry	1957	—	Comedian, writer, actor, novelist
Graeme Garden	1943	—	Comedy writer and performer, physician
Mel Giedroyc	1968	—	Actor, writer, television presenter
Germaine Greer	1939	—	Writer, broadcaster, academic
Nick Hancock	1962	—	Actor, television presenter
David Hatch	1939	2007	Involved in management and production at the BBC
Natalie Haynes	—	—	Comedian, author
Tony Hendra	1941	—	Satirist, writer
Kit Hesketh-Harvey	1957	—	Comic performer, scriptwriter
Tom Hollander	1967	—	Actor
Matthew Holness	—	—	Comedian
Claude Hulbert	1900	1964	Comic actor
Jack Hulbert	1892	1978	Actor
Eric Idle	1943	—	Comedian, actor, author, songwriter
Clive James	1939	—	Writer, poet, critic
Simon Jones	1950	—	Actor
Jo Kendall	—	—	Actor
Ian Lang	—	—	Former politician, British peer
Hugh Laurie	1959	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Jonathan Lynn	1943	—	Comedy writer, actor, director
Miriam Margolyes	1941	—	Actor
Dan Mazer	1971	—	Comedian, producer, screenwriter
Kevin McCloud	1959	—	Writer, designer, television presenter
Rory McGrath	1956	—	Comedian
Ben Miller	1966	—	Comedian, director, actor
Jonathan Miller	1934	—	Neurologist, theatre and opera director, humorist, sculptor
David Mitchell	1974	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Lucy Montgomery	1975	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Neil Mullarkey	—	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Jimmy Mulville	1955	—	Comedian, comedy writer, television presenter and producer
Simon Munnery	—	—	Comedian
Richard Murdoch	1907	1990	Radio, film and television performer
Bill Oddie	1941	—	Comedy writer and performer, author, composer, musician, ornithologist, television presenter
John Oliver	1977	—	Comedian, comedy writer, television personality of Daily Show fame
Sue Perkins	1969	—	Actress, writer, television presenter
Steve Punt	1962	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Jan Ravens	1958	—	Actor, impressionist
Griff Rhys Jones	1953	—	Comedian, actor, writer
Charles Shaughnessy	1955	—	Television and film actor
Julian Slade	1930	2006	Writer
Tony Slattery	1959	—	Comedian, actor
Dan Stevens	1982	—	Actor
William Sutcliffe	1971	—	Novelist
Emma Thompson	1959	—	Comedian, actress, screenwriter
Sandi Toksvig	1958	—	Comedian, author, radio presenter
Mark Watson	1980	—	Comedian, novelist
Robert Webb	1972	—	Comedian, actor, writer

Footlights President

The elected leader of Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club is known as the Footlights President. There is also a Vice President. Past presidents have included The Goodies members Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, as well as Peter Cook, Hugh Laurie, David Mitchell, Tony Slattery, and Monty Python member Eric Idle (who was first to allow women to join the Footlights).

The current Footlights President is Alastair Roberts.

List of Presidents

1886 - F.W. Mortimer 1887 - J.J. Withers 1888 - W.S. Gilbert 1890 - Oscar Browning 1891 - C.M. Rae 1892 - Oscar Browning 1894 - Oscar Browning 1895 - Oscar Browning 1896 - H.C. Pollitt 1897 - H.C. Pollitt 1898 - M.V. Leveaux 1899 - S.W. Burgess 1900 - O.J. Goedecker 1901 - R.J. White 1902 - E.K. Fordham 1904 - G.S. Heathcote 1905 - G.S. Heathcote 1906 - H. Rottenburg 1907 - H. Rottenburg 1908 - J.S. Murray 1909 - L.B. Tillard 1910 - A.R. Inglis 1911 - A.R. Inglis 1912 - P.D. Ravenscroft 1913 - C.A.A. Douglas Hamilton 1914 - M. Cutherston 1919 - B.D. Nicholson 1920 - B.D. Nicholson 1921 - M.D. Lyon 1922 - M.D. Lyon 1923 - F.E. Powell 1924 - J.A.C. Barradale 1925 - H.J. Warrender 1926 - J.D. Houison Craufurd 1927 - H.C. Martineau 1928 - H.E.R. Mitchell 1929 - J. Fell Clark	1930 - J.C. Byrom 1931 - R.S. Hill 1932 - P.E. Lyon 1933 - J.A. Coates 1934 - Lord Killanin 1935 - Harry Lee 1936 - Peter Crane 1937 - Albert E.P. Robison 1938 - P.B. Meyer 1939 - Sir Robert Ricketts 1947 - D.C. Orders 1948 - D.C. Orders 1949 - Simon Phipps 1950 - Adrian Vale 1951 - Ian Kellie 1952 - Andrew Davidson 1953 - Peter Firth 1954 - Leslie Bricusse 1955 - Brian Marber 1956 - Tim Berington 1957 - Allan Mitchell 1958 - Peter Stroud 1959 - Adrian Slade 1960 - Peter Cook 1961 - Peter Bellwood 1962 - Robert Atkins 1963 - Tim Brooke-Taylor 1964 - Graeme Garden 1965 - Eric Idle 1966 - Andrew Mayer 1967 - Clive James 1968 - Jonathan James-Moore 1969 - Barry Brown 1970 - Adrian Edwards 1971 - Richard MacKenna 1972 - Steve Thorn 1973 - Robert Benton	1974 - Jon Canter 1975 - Clive Anderson 1976 - Chris Keightley 1977 - Jimmy Mulville 1978 - Martin Bergman 1979 - Robert Bathurst 1980 - Jan Ravens 1981 - Hugh Laurie 1982 - Tony Slattery 1983 - Neil Mullarkey 1984 - Nick Hancock 1985 - Kathryn Crew 1986 - Nick Golson 1987 - Tim Scott 1988 - Peter Bradshaw 1989 - Roland Kenyon 1990 - Henry Naylor 1991 - Sue Perkins 1992 - Dan Gaster 1993 - Mark Evans 1994 - Robert Thorogood 1995 - Charlie Hartill 1996 - David Mitchell 1997 - Sarah Moule 1998 - Richard Ayoade 1999 - Kevin Baker 2000 - Dorian House 2001 - James Morris 2002 - Ed Weeks 2003 - Stefan Golaszewski 2004 - Ed Riches 2005 - Raph Shirley 2006 - Simon Bird 2007 - Tom Sharpe 2008 - Sam Sword 2009 - Alastair Roberts

Footlights book

Information about the Footlights Revues during the first one hundred years of the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club (1883—1983), and the people who appeared in them — with a foreword by Eric Idle:

• Hewison, Robert Footlights! – a hundred years of Cambridge comedy. Methuen London Ltd.

See also

• The Oxford Revue

External links

• Official website
• Past members and shows
• Footlights Alumni Association