Angus Deayton (b. 1956)
Gordon Angus Deayton, the son of a middle manager at the Prudential and of a cookery teacher, was educated at Caterham School in Surrey.
A southern fan of Manchester United, the young Deayton was hot stuff on the football field and had a trial with Crystal Palace. It came to naught, though, and he instead found himself reading languages at New College, Oxford.
His career as a satirist kicked off at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, at which he appeared in a revue. This led to the creation of a tribute band called the Hee Bee Gee Bees, whose single Meaningless Songs in Very High Voices hit the number two spot in the Australian charts.
Deayton was best known as the presenter of the satirical current affairs show, Have I Got News for You. He got sacked in 2002 after his private life was splashed over the tabloids for a second time. Tough luck really, but if one will insist on snorting cocaine with hookers one has to learn to take the rap.
Given his mastery of the smug sneer (a very public school art that) there were many who found his difficulties more amusing than anything else. He’ll be back though, we’re sure of that.
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