Nominated for best compere at the Chortle Awards in 2014 for his work with the Angel Comedy Club in London, Barry Ferns first started as stand-up in 1995, aged 17. But then he quit stand-up to make Edinburgh Fringe sketch shows, including The Leisure Virus in 2000, Doreen the following year and This Sketch Show Belongs to Lionel Richie, which began in 2007 and became better known for its marketing ideas than its content – including Ferns legally changing his name to Lionel Richie. In August 2008, Ferns started stand-up again and in 2012 got to the final of the Leicester Square Comedian Of The Year competition.