Richard Blackwood has wanted to be an entertainer since the age of eight after watching Richard Pryor live in concert on TV – despite it being a very age-inappropriate show.

After graduating with a BA in business studies, he performed his first stand-up show at The Spot in Covent Garden in 1993, and soon began touring Britain with fellow comedian Geoff Schumann. He started getting presenting work on MTV, including the UK vers

ion of Singled Out and in 1999 landed his own Channel 4 show, which ran for two years. A foray into music saw him achieve No 3 hit with Mama Who Da Man in 2000 and in 2003, he appeared in Channel 5's Celebrity Detox Camp, which involved him being filmed ‘pumping 18 litres of coffee solution through his anus into [his] stomach’.

His acting career took off with roles in EastEnders (2015-2018) as Vincent Hubbard and Hollyoaks (from 2020) as Felix Westwood, while stage performances include playing Donkey in Shrek the Musical (2011) and Brightie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roo. He has also appeared in Bollywood film Don't Stop Dreaming (2007) and participated in Dancing on Ice (2019).