# Paddy McGuinness

Patrick Joseph "Paddy" McGuinness (born 14 August 1973) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television and radio presenter. He rose to fame with the help of fellow comedian Peter Kay, who invited him to appear on the television comedy series That Peter Kay Thing (2000), and the sitcoms Phoenix Nights (2000–2001) and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004). McGuinness went on to present various television shows, including Take Me Out (2010–2019), 71 Degrees North (2011), Paddy's TV Guide (2013), Top Gear (2019–2022), I Can See Your Voice (2021–2022), and Question of Sport (2021–2023).
McGuinness has written and performed four stand-up comedy tours: The Dark Side Tour (2006), Plus You! Tour (2008), The Saturday Night Live Tour (2011), and Daddy McGuinness (2015–2016).

## Early life and education

McGuinness was born on 14 August 1973 in Farnworth, Lancashire, to parents from Bolton and attended Mount St Joseph High School. It was from his school days in Farnworth that McGuinness formed his close friendship with fellow Bolton comedian Peter Kay.

## Television

McGuinness made his television debut in 1995 as a contestant for the show God's Gift. He also appeared in the second series of the Sky 1 show The Match. On 15 May 2006, McGuinness hosted Inside Wayne Rooney on Sky 1, a programme where he completed different tasks to see the difference between him and the professional footballer.
McGuinness' other television work includes his own Chuck Stryker: The Unknown Stuntman on E4 which he wrote and starred in opposite Jonathan Wrather and a few other familiar faces.
McGuinness presented Stars in Their Cars, a series for the Travel Channel in 2016.

### Rory and Paddy

First airing on 13 August 2008, McGuinness co-starred in a television series with British comedian Rory McGrath, broadcast on Channel 5, Rory and Paddy's Great British Adventure. This was a four-part series in which McGuinness and McGrath embark on a nationwide road-trip, "on a mission to explore Britain's sporting heritage by probing the hidden life of its towns and villages". The series focuses on arcane sports, such as cheese rolling. A second series began on 20 September 2010 on Channel 5.

### Channel 4

In 2006, McGuinness guest hosted The Paul O'Grady Show. He presented the entertainment series Hotel GB in 2012. In 2013 McGuinness presented Paddy's TV Guide. In 2014 McGuinness narrated the three-part charity series Stars at Your Service for Channel 4. In 2015, he presented the Channel 4 daytime game show series Benchmark for 30 episodes as well as five celebrity editions.
From April 2023 he hosted new reality show Tempting Fortune, which returned for a second series in 2024.
In August 2023 Channel 4 announced McGuinness as presenter for "Don't Look Down" in aid of Stand Up to Cancer.

### ITV

In 2007, McGuinness presented Raiders of the Lost Archive. From 2010 until 2019, McGuinness hosted the ITV dating show Take Me Out. He was a guest presenter of This Morning in 2010, a role to which he returned in 2011. He hosted the second series of 71 Degrees North with Charlotte Jackson in 2011. In 2012, he hosted Paddy's Show and Telly. The show returned for a second special in 2013. McGuinness hosted the comedy panel show Mad Mad World for seven episodes in 2012. Two episodes were recorded but never aired. McGuinness was one of the presenters of Christmas telethon Text Santa. In 2012 and 2013, McGuinness co-hosted one hour of the telethon with Christine Bleakley, although Alesha Dixon was his co-presenter for the 2014 appeal.
In 2013, McGuinness co-presented talent show series Your Face Sounds Familiar with Alesha Dixon. In 2014, McGuinness co-hosted the Saturday night game show Amazing Greys alongside Angela Rippon. In 2015, he regularly starred in the ITV2 comedy show The Keith Lemon Sketch Show.
McGuinness played the role of policeman Ian in the ITV comedy The Delivery Man, beginning in April 2015. In 2015, McGuinness guest starred in six episodes of Coronation Street, playing the role of Dougie Ryan. The episodes were shown in August. On Christmas Eve in 2015 he presented one-off ITV special, The ABBA Christmas Party
He starred in the ITV comedy series The Keith & Paddy Picture Show with Keith Lemon in 2017. It returned for a second series in April 2018. In January 2018, McGuinness presented The Greatest TV Moments of All Time, a one-off special for ITV. McGuinness has appeared as a panellist on numerous episodes of Keith Lemon's shows Celebrity Juice and Through the Keyhole. In 2019, he replaced Fearne Cotton as team captain on the former show. He left after one series due to other work commitments.

### BBC

Paddy co-presented two episodes of Even Better Than the Real Thing on BBC One. McGuinness presented Paddy McGuinness' Sport Relief Warm-Up and was one of the presenters for the 2018 Sport Relief show. He provided the voiceover for the BBC series Ready or Not in 2018.
In 2018, McGuinness began co-presenting series 27 of Top Gear.
In 2020, it was announced that McGuinness and fellow Top Gear presenter Freddie Flintoff would host Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover, a six episode best of series, featuring the presenters narrating classic episodes of Total Wipeout. The first episode aired on 8 August 2020 and received negative reviews.
In 2021, McGuinness replaced Sue Barker as host of BBC game show Question of Sport for its 51st series. In 2024 he replaced Gregg Wallace as host for Inside the Factory.

## Radio

McGuinness had his own radio show on Bauer City 1 stations across the North of England on Sunday mornings from 9 am until 12 noon. His show ran from 2014 until 2017.
On 2 June 2024, McGuinness took over Michael Ball from presenting his 11am-1pm Radio 2 show.

## Tours

In 2005 and 2006, McGuinness toured the UK, performing 108 shows. Paddy McGuinness: The Dark Side Tour was his first solo stand-up tour. While on tour, he reprised his role of Lord Love Rocket from the award-winning comedy Phoenix Nights. From 21 August to 11 December 2008, McGuinness was involved in a second tour – known as the Paddy McGuinness Plus You! Live – which included 76 scheduled dates around the UK and Ireland. The Plus You! Tour featured McGuinness, along with other variety acts that were chosen by him, through a competition that ran on his official website, hence the title of Plus You!
In 2011, McGuinness went on his third stand-up tour, called Paddy McGuinness: Saturday Night Live Tour. In January 2015, he announced that he would be touring across 2015 and 2016 with the "Daddy McGuinness" tour throughout the UK. The tour opened in Scunthorpe on 28 September 2015 and the final date was at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 27 February 2016.
In 2023, McGuinness announced Nearly There; a 40-date UK tour announced for 2024–2025.

## Books

In 2010, McGuinness released My Guide to the North: (and Scotland & Wales, oh, and less important places i.e. the South). In 2021 McGuinness released his autobiography, My Lifey.

## Other work

In 2010, McGuinness starred in the adult pantomime Panto's on Strike at the Opera House, Manchester with Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes. In 2012, he starred in a UK TV advertising campaign for Victor Chandler, a British bookmaker. In 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018, McGuinness took part in the charity football match Soccer Aid, which raises money for Unicef. The match is aired live on ITV.
In 2012, McGuinness played Gary in Keith Lemon: The Film. In 2013, McGuinness joined Pizza Hut as their brand ambassador.
In 2017, McGuinness joined Jackpot Joy as their brand ambassador, taking over from Dame Barbara Windsor.

## Personal life

McGuinness married English model and television personality Christine Martin on 4 June 2011. The couple have a twin girl and boy and a younger daughter. In 2020 the family moved from their former £2.1 million home to a modern mansion in Cheshire.
All three of the McGuinness children are autistic, as is their mother. In 2021, they made a BBC documentary Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism. In June 2018, McGuinness revealed that he had been diagnosed with arthritis several years prior, at the age of 44.
In 2022, it was announced that McGuiness and his wife had separated, after 11 years of marriage, but would remain living together in their family home.
His brother, Tony Leonard, appeared in Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere as Raymond the Bastard's henchman, as a teammate of Paddy's on The F Word, and as a featured audience member on Celebrity Juice.
In August 2024, McGuinness was the subject of the BBC genealogy programme Who Do You Think You Are?, which revealed that his paternal great-great-grandparents, Mark McGuinness and Winifred Molloy, were from Ballina, County Mayo in Ireland. His paternal grandfather William, who was also born in Bolton, served in the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) and fought in several battles in the Second Boer War, including the Battle of Spion Kop and the Battle of the Tugela Heights in 1900.
McGuinness is a supporter of his local team Bolton Wanderers.
In November 2024, McGuiness raised more than £9 million for Children in Need's 2024 Appeal, by riding a customised 1970s children's Raleigh Chopper bike, over five-days, from Wrexham to Glasgow, a distance of almost 300 miles (480 km).

## Stand-up shows

| Year | Title |
| 2006 | The Dark Side |
| 2008 | Plus You! |
| 2015–16 | Up Close and Personal with Daddy McGuiness |

### DVD releases

| Title | Released | Notes |
| Live | 6 November 2006 | Live at Blackpool's Opera Hourse Theatre |
| Plus You! Live | 17 November 2008 | Live at Glasgow's Pavilion Theatre |
| Saturday Night Live Tour 2011 | 21 November 2011 | Live at Manchester's Arena |

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | Comedy Lab: The Services | Pump Attendant Terry | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Peter Kay: Live at the Top of the Tower | Guest appearance | |
| 2000 | That Peter Kay Thing | Patrick "Paddy" O'Shea | 1 episode |
| 2001–2002 | Phoenix Nights | Patrick "Paddy" O'Shea | 2 series |
| 2004 | Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere | Patrick "Paddy" O'Shea | 1 series |
| 2005 | Comic Relief: Red Nose Night Live 05 | Patrick "Paddy" O'Shea | |
| 2005 | Max & Paddy's The Power of Two | Patrick "Paddy" O'Shea | |
| 2006 | Sport Relief 2006 | Patrick "Paddy" O'Shea | |
| 2006 | Inside Wayne Rooney | Presenter | 1 episode |
| 2006 | The New Paul O'Grady Show | Guest presenter | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Raiders of the Lost Archive | Presenter | |
| 2008 | Keith Lemon's Very Brilliant World Tour | Cousin Gary | 1 series |
| 2008–2010 | Rory and Paddy's Great British Adventure | Co-presenter | 2 series |
| 2010–2019 | Take Me Out | Presenter | 11 series |
| 2010–2011, 2024 | This Morning | Stand-in presenter | 9 episodes |
| 2011 | 71 Degrees North | Co-presenter | 1 series |
| 2011–2012 | Paddy's Show & Telly | Presenter | 2 specials |
| 2012 | Mad Mad World | Presenter | 1 series |
| 2012 | Hotel GB | Presenter | 1 series |
| 2012–2014 | The Greatest Footie Ads...Ever | Presenter | 2 specials |
| 2012–2015 | Text Santa | Co-presenter | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | The Security Men | PC Clarke | One-off episode |
| 2013 | Paddy's TV Guide | Presenter | 1 series |
| 2013 | Your Face Sounds Familiar | Co-presenter | 1 series |
| 2014 | Amazing Greys | Co-presenter | 1 series |
| 2014 | Stars at Your Service for SU2C | Narrator | |
| 2015 | The Delivery Man | Ian | 1 series |
| 2015 | Benchmark | Presenter | 1 series |
| 2015 | Coronation Street | Dougie Ryan | Guest role; 6 episodes |
| 2015 | Keith Lemon's Back T'Future Tribute | Biff Tannen | One-off TV special |
| 2015 | The Abba Christmas Party | Presenter | One-off TV special |
| 2015–2016 | The Keith Lemon Sketch Show | Regular contributor | 2 series |
| 2016 | Stars in Their Cars | Presenter | 1 series |
| 2017 | Even Better Than the Real Thing | Presenter | 2 specials |
| 2017–2018 | The Keith and Paddy Picture Show | Co-presenter | 2 series |
| 2018 | The Greatest TV Moments of All Time | Presenter | One-off TV special |
| 2018 | Paddy McGuinness' Sport Relief Warm-Up | Presenter | One-off |
| 2018 | Ready or Not | Voiceover | 1 series |
| 2018–2020 | Sport Relief | Co-presenter | |
| 2019 | Celebrity Juice | Team Captain | Series 21 |
| 2019–2022 | Top Gear | Co-presenter | 5 Series |
| 2019–2022 | Catchpoint | Presenter | 4 series |
| 2019–2024 | Comic Relief | Co-presenter | |
| 2020 | The Big Night In | Co-presenter | |
| 2020 | Daisy & Ollie | Uncle Tommy | 1 episode |
| 2020 | Total Wipeout: Freddie and Paddy Takeover | Co-narrator | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | The Big New Year's In | Presenter | 1 episode |
| 2021–2022 | I Can See Your Voice | Presenter | 2 Series |
| 2021–2023 | Question of Sport | Presenter | 2 Series |
| 2022 | Shopping with Keith Lemon | Guest | Series 3 episode 8 |
| 2023 | The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off | Contestant | Channel 4 |
| 2023 | Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism | Himself | With wife Christine McGuinness |
| 2023 | Don't Look Down | Presenter | In aid of Stand Up to Cancer |
| 2023–present | Tempting Fortune | Presenter | Challenge show |
| 2024 | Inside the Factory | Presenter | Replacing Gregg Wallace |
| 2024 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2024 | Paddy And Chris: Road Tripping | Co-presenter | With Chris Harris |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2012 | Keith Lemon: The Film | Gary | |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
| 2022 | National Television Awards | Authored Documentary | Nominated | |
| 2022 | National Television Awards | TV Presenter | Nominated | |