Patron: Paul Merton

‘Such an amazing array of stars played at the Streatham Hill Theatre back in the day.  It would be wonderful to see this beautiful theatre brought back to life so we could enjoy watching the next generation of performers tread its boards.’

Paul Merton has come a long way since the days of his early performances whilst living in a Streatham bedsit! Known for his intelligent and often surreal humour, his weekly appearances on BBC1’s Have I Got News For You – as well as Radio 4’s Just A Minute and his travel documentaries – have seen him become an artfully rebellious fixture in our lives for over 25 years. His breakthrough as a television performer came as a result of the improvised comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? although he had previously appeared on Saturday Live, performing stand-up comedy. His talent for improvisation served him well as a TV host, including hosting Room 101, and he continues to be a member of and perform with the London improv group The Comedy Store Players. Paul has presented documentaries on the history of the world of entertainment and written books such as Silent Comedy, his autobiography Only When I Laugh and Funny Ha Ha, 80 of the funniest stories selected and introduced by Paul.