CV: Jack Dee

He’s been a waiter, a chef and a stand-up comedian. Here, we look at how the creator and star of Bad Move (8pm, ITV) became the king of the downbeat sitcom…

Front of house: Jack, 56, claims he spent the first 25 years of his life not knowing what he wanted to do. He moved to London from Winchester, then took a job as a trainee manager at a brasserie, thinking to make a career in the hospitality industry. Jack was genuinely surprised to learn from colleagues that he wasn’t smiling when he greeted customers…

Jack of all trades: He talked his way into a job in the kitchens at The Ritz, but he didn’t last and, over the next couple of years, he worked as a courier and a market researcher – he even once decided he’d like to become a vicar – but eventually returned to waiting tables. Standing up: In 1986, shortly after breaking up with his girlfriend, Jack took an open-mic slot at London’s Comedy Store. He was asked back and, by 1991, he’d won a British Comedy Award for his stand-up; in 1992, he landed his first TV series, The Jack Dee Show. A long run of TV panel shows and comedy showcases followed, interspersed with acting roles. The write stuff: It wasn’t until 2006 that Jack wrote his first sitcom, the wonderfully sour Lead Balloon, in which he starred as grumpy comedian Rick Spleen. It ran for four series and was nominated for three British Comedy Awards. In another case of art imitating life, Bad Move was also inspired by his own life.