British comedian and film director, born in London, 3 December 1952. d. 20 July 2013. He starred in the TV series Not The Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith And Jones (with Griff Rhys Jones). In 1981 he co-founded Talkback Productions, which became one of the leading TV production companies in the UK. Had hit single in 1987 with Kim Wilde as Mel & Kim (Rocking Around The Christmas Tree)