Laurence Rickard

Laurence Rickard (born 14 June 1975) is an English actor, writer, and comedian best known as a member of the Them There collective, with whom he both wrote and starred in productions including Horrible Histories, Yonderland, and Ghosts. In 2022, along with fellow Them There member Ben Willbond, he co-wrote the feature length television comedy We Are Not Alone.

He is also one half of the comedy writing/performance duo "Larry and George" with George Sawyer.

Rickard has written for UK comedy shows including The Armstrong and Miller Show, The Charlotte Church Show and The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson, as well as children's programme Me and My Monsters.

He is a principal cast member, lyricist and writer for the award-winning CBBC programme Horrible Histories, in particular creating and performing the character of 'Special Correspondent' Bob Hale (a parody of presenter Peter Snow). He has also appeared regularly on the spin-off game show Horrible Histories: Gory Games and in the Horrible Histories BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

Along with the five other members of the Horrible Histories starring cast, Rickard is also the co-creator, writer, and star of Yonderland, a family/fantasy/comedy series that premiered on Sky One on 10 November 2013. A second series was released in 2015 and a third was commissioned and began filming in early 2016. In addition he is the co-writer of Bill, a BBC-produced comedy film which is based loosely around the early life of William Shakespeare and involves the same starring troupe. Filming took place in 2014, and the film had a nationwide UK release in September 2015.

As a performer, Rickard has also appeared in the Channel Four Comedy Lab 'Private Lives' as well as the TV series Balls of Steel. He is also a writer and performer on Tracey Ullman's Show and Tracey Breaks the News. While he has played numerous roles on the shows, his most recent recurring role is that of Philip May, the husband of former British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Rickard co-created, wrote, and starred in the 2019-2023 BBC sitcom Ghosts.

In 2024, Rickard was awarded an honorary doctorate in humanities from Brunel University London for his services to television and education. He also co-wrote the six part comedy series Amandaland that same year, with the show airing February 2025.

• Official website
• Laurence Rickard at IMDb