Nick Mohammed

Early life and education

Nicholas George Mohammed was born 2 October 1980 in Leeds, England. His mother was a Cyprus-born general practitioner and his Trinidad-born father worked in law.

Mohammed was educated at Abbey Grange High School in Leeds. He turned down an offer to study at the University of Cambridge and instead chose to study for a BSc in Geophysics at Durham University, where he was a member of St Aidan's College and played violin in the university orchestra. He auditioned for the Durham Revue twice but failed to get in, and instead frequented the local comedy circuit.

After graduating from Durham in 2003, Mohammed began studying for a PhD in seismology at the Bullard Laboratories and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He did not complete a doctorate, after dropping out to pursue comedy. Whilst in Cambridge, he successfully auditioned for the Cambridge Footlights.

Career

From age 16 to 30, Mohammed worked as a closeup magician for hotels and weddings.

Mohammed featured in the second series of BBC One's Reggie Perrin and was a co-presenter in BBC Three comedy series The King Is Dead alongside Simon Bird and Katy Wix. He made guest appearances in Pete & Dud: The Lost Sketches, Miranda, How Not to Live Your Life and Life's Too Short, and appeared in Series 2 Episode 4 of the BBC Radio 4 musical comedy show Alex Horne Presents The Horne Section.

Following his Radio 4 debut (Quarters), Mohammed had a second series Nick Mohammed in Bits. He was a cast member of BAFTA-nominated CBBC sketch show Sorry, I've Got No Head, and supported Angelos Epithemiou (as one of his radio show characters, Mr Swallow) on his 2010 national tour. He had a supporting role in all three series of the E4 comedy Drifters.

Mohammed is known for his character Mr Swallow, a megalomaniac magician. He created the character's voice and attitude after his English teacher in secondary school who spoke in the same high-pitched Northern voice Mr Swallow does, and the name coming from the fact she would swallow a lot in between sentences. He first developed the character while in Cambridge Footlights.

Mohammed developed The Mr Swallow Show for BBC Television and wrote and starred in an original comedy-drama Magic for Channel 4 as part of the Coming Up Scheme. He appeared in CBBC show Hank Zipzer as Mr. Love. He made a guest appearance in the final episode of series 1 and first episode of series 2 of Uncle. In 2015, he joined the cast of ITV comedy The Job Lot. He wrote and starred in two series of 'Detective Sergeant Nick Mohammed', a comedy set in a police station, for BBC Radio 4.

In 2018, he voiced Piglet in the Disney film Christopher Robin. Also in 2018, it was announced that he would collaborate on a new comedy series titled Intelligence with David Schwimmer for Sky One. In 2019, Mohammed appeared in the second series of Stath Lets Flats. From 2020 to 2023, he played Nathan "Nate" Shelley in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso, which ran for three seasons on Apple TV+. In 2023, Mohammed starred as a policeman in the film Maggie Moore(s), alongside Jon Hamm and Tina Fey. He was a contestant on the 17th series of the Channel 4 show Taskmaster, which launched in March 2024.

In 2025, he appeared in the fifth season of Apple TV+'s Slow Horses as Mayor Zafar Jaffrey. Also in 2025, he starred in the action comedy film Deep Cover alongside Bryce Dallas Howard and Orlando Bloom. In 2024, Mohammed opened A Christmas Carol (ish) at @sohoplace in London's West End for a Christmas run. The show was a re-telling of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol with Mr Swallow as the protagonist, also starring Martha Howe-Douglas, David Elms, and Kieran Hodgson. He originally developed the show at Soho Theatre in 2022.

In 2025, he toured the UK as Mr Swallow in new live show, Show Pony with dates extended into 2026*.* He also appeared as a contestant on The Celebrity Traitors, about which he said, "this is the first thing I've ever done as myself". He made it to the final as faithful alongside David Olusoga, before losing out to traitor Alan Carr.

Mohammed was in the 2025 Big Fat Quiz of the Year special, and was on the same team as Jonathan Ross; their team won.

Personal life

Mohammed learned the violin as a child and played in his university orchestra at St Aidan’s College at Durham University. There he met his wife, Becca, whom he married in 2014. They have three children.

Mohammed moved to Richmond, London in 2014, and lived there for nearly a decade before moving on. His eldest son, Finn, has an eidetic memory, which was showcased when they both appeared on an episode of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

Mohammed is allergic to fish and seafood.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. "Nicholas George MOHAMMED personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
2. (26 July 2018). "Nick Mohammed - the greatest showman".
3. (2022-11-29). "Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed: 'I didn't think about comedy seriously until doing a PhD in seismology'". The Guardian.
4. (Autumn–Winter 2011). "Nick Mohammed: a profile of the up-and-coming comedian (pg.8–9)". Durham First.
5. (25 February 2010). "Send in the clowns". [[Varsity (Cambridge).
6. (6 December 2010). "Nick Mohammed's heart "lies in Durham"". [[Palatinate (newspaper).
7. Hogan, Michael. (12 August 2025). "Nick Mohammed: 'Edinburgh fringe is flawed, but I adore it'".
8. "Cambridge Footlights Alumni 2000–". [[Footlights]] Official Website.
9. "Interview with actor and magician Nick Mohammed".
10. "'I think I was relatively astute in the Traitors!' Nick Mohammed on magic, TV mayhem and why he turned on Joe Marler". The Guardian.
11. "Nick Mohammed - Writer/Performer". unitedagents.co.uk.
12. "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Nick Mohammed in Bits".
13. (2022-11-29). "Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed: 'I didn't think about comedy seriously until doing a PhD in seismology'". The Guardian.
14. "The origin of Mr Swallow! {{!}} Nick Mohammed {{!}} Dish #Podcast #MrSwallow #Funny".
15. Scougall, Murray. (2023-02-22). "INTERVIEW: Nick Mohammed on Ted Lasso and taking Mr Swallow on tour".
16. (2024-05-22). "Nick Mohammed Talks Magic, Mr Swallow And Ted Lasso".
17. "BBC Radio 4 - Detective Sergeant Nick Mohammed - Episode guide".
18. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (2018-12-18). "David Schwimmer, Nick Mohammed Set For Sky One Comedy Series 'Intelligence'".
19. "'Ted Lasso' Breakout Nick Mohammed Joins John Slattery's 'Maggie Moore(s)'".
20. "Taskmaster season 17: Release date, cast and latest news".
21. (2025-10-08). "'Slow Horses' Star Nick Mohammed On Season 5 And His Character's "Make London Londerful Again" Slogan: "I Cringed A Lot Every Time I Said It" {{!}} Decider".
22. Waywell, Chris. "A Christmas Carol-ish review: hysterical comedy version of A Christmas Carol". Time Out London.
23. (2025-06-12). "Deep Cover". Metronome Film Co., Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation.
24. Guide, British Comedy. (2024-07-22). "Nick Mohammed to return as Mr Swallow in 2025 tour Show Pony".
25. "The Celebrity Traitors contestants reveal whether they'd rather be a Traitor or Faithful as Claudia Winkleman talks missions, being 'strict' and teases her "unhinged in taffeta" wardrobe".
26. (2025-11-06). "Celebrity Traitors finale: Winners and losers revealed but is it Alan Carr, Cat Burns, David Olusoga, Joe Marler or Nick Mohammed?".
27. (2025-12-27). "Channel 4 urged 'do better' after Big Fat Quiz of 2025 sparks controversy".
28. (2025-12-26). "When is The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2025 on TV, and who are the celebrity teams this year?".
29. "Does Nick Mohammed really play violin in Ted Lasso?".
30. (2023-05-31). "In 'Ted Lasso,' Nick Mohammed Has Come Full Circle".
31. Mohammed, Nick. (December 19, 2014). "X". X (formerly Twitter).
32. (2021-09-17). "Nick Mohammed From Ted Lasso Is A Proud Family Man". Bustle Digital Group.
33. (2023-03-29). "Nate Is A "Troubled Soul"". D. Watkins.
34. (2024-07-26). "8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown: Series 25 (C4: 26), Episode 2".
35. Taskmaster. (2025-08-20). "What Have You Caught? {{!}} Full Task {{!}} Taskmaster".
36. "Nick Mohammed {{!}} United Agents".
37. Massoto, Erick. (April 18, 2023). "Tribeca Festival 2023 Full Feature Film Lineup Includes 'Downtown Owl' and 'Bucky F*cking Dent'".
38. (February 4, 2021). "Nominations Announced for the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild.
39. "The Planets and Star Wars at the Proms".
40. (21 August 2025). "The Celebrity Traitors - Everything you need to know". BBC Media Centre.
41. "Nick Mohammed Awards". IMDB (Index source only).
42. (July 13, 2021). "2021 - 73rd Emmy Awards". Television Academy.
43. (July 9, 2021). "HCA TV Awards Nominations: 'Ted Lasso' Leads Programs For Inaugural Honors; NBC, HBO & Netflix Lead Nets". Penske Media Corporation.
44. (January 12, 2022). "SAG Awards: 'House of Gucci,' 'The Power of the Dog' Lead Film Nominations". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
45. (January 10, 2024). "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®". [[Screen Actors Guild]].
46. (April 1, 2024). "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®". [[Screen Actors Guild]].
47. (21 October 2021). "RTS Programme Awards 2022". rts.org.uk.
48. "Offies 2022 Finalists – A Christmas Carol-ish".