Rob Rouse got his first break in comedy by winning the So You Think You're Funny? new act competition in 1998. As well as stand-up, he also performed as part of the Big And Daft trio with Ian Boldsworth and Jon Williams from 1997 to 2002, taking three shows to the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2002 he took his first solo show to the Fringe. TV credits include presenting the first series of The Friday Night Project on Channel 4, the C4 sketch show Spoons, and playing Mike in the first series of the BBC3 sitcom Grown Ups.
In 2016, he played Bottom in Ben Elton's Upstart Crow.
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John Gordon Sinclair joins Upstart Crow stage show
With Rob Rouse and Helen Monks reprising roles
Gregory’s Girl star John Gordon Sinclair is joining the cast of the stage version of Upstart Crow when it returns to the West End later this month.
He will be taking the role of the puritanical Dr John Hall, first played by Mark Heap in the show’s original run.
Meanwhile, Rob Rouse is to reprise his role as Bottom with Helen Monks back as Susanna, producers have announced today. It was already known that David Mitchell would be playing Shakespeare and Gemma Whelan Kate, as in the original BBC comedy.
The production – written by Ben Elton and directed by Sean Foley – originally opened at the Gielgud Theatre in February 2020 but was forced to close early by Covid.
Now it is back for a ten-week season at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, starting on September 23.
Also reprising their stage roles are Jason Callender as Arragon, Danielle Phillips s Judith and Reice Weathers as Mr Whiskers. New to the cast are Gloria Onitiri as Desiree, and Stewart Wright as Burbage. The cast is completed by Andrew Hodges, Dedun Omole and Annabel Smith.
Elton said: ‘Besides Will and Kate many of the other characters from the TV sitcom feature in this new play. Hilarious Helen Monks is back as Shakespeare’s grumpy daughter Susanna. Top comic Rob Rouse will once again have us laughing at his Bottom.
‘Gotta say, the brilliant new actors who are joining Upstart Crow for the first time will have to really pull up their puffling pants if they don’t want to get upstaged!’
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