Russ Abbot

Russ Abbot
Born	Russell Allan Roberts (1947-09-18) September 18, 1947 Chester, England
Occupation(s)	Musician, actor, comedian
Years active	Mid-1960s–present
Known for	Vocalist and drummer for the Black Abbots; The Russ Abbot Show; comedy and acting roles

Russell Allan Abbot (originally named Russell Allan Roberts; born 18 September 1947) is a multifaceted English entertainer known for his work as a musician, actor, and comedian. Hailing from Chester, he first rose to prominence in the 1970s as the vocalist and drummer for the British comedy showband, the Black Abbots, before embarking on a solo career that included hosting his own weekly television program.

Abbot continued to pursue music independently, releasing multiple singles and albums that charted successfully. Over time, his professional path expanded to encompass significant roles in television and stage acting.

Career

Starting in the mid-1960s, Abbot became a member of the Black Abbots in Chester, contributing as both drummer and backing vocalist. The group experienced some chart presence with releases on smaller labels during the early 1970s before securing a major recording contract in 1977. They produced comedy singles and a live album prior to their split in 1980.

Shifting focus to comedy, Abbot earned the title 'Funniest Man on Television' five times and appeared on The Comedians using his birth name, Russ Roberts. From 1980 onward, he launched solo albums and took roles in various TV productions. His 1985 single "Atmosphere" climbed to No. 7 on the UK charts.

His versatility was showcased through Russ Abbot's Madhouse and The Russ Abbot Show, which featured impersonations and comedic sketches during BBC primetime. These programs also inspired two annual publications containing comic strips and promotional photographs, including his well-known parodies of James Bond characters.

In January 1993, following Leslie Crowther’s accident that prevented him from hosting, Abbot stepped in as presenter for an Stars in Their Eyes Elvis tribute special—his only episode as host.

From 1993 to 1995, he portrayed Ted Fenwick in ITV’s comedy-drama September Song. Beginning in 2000, Abbot led the British National Tour of Doctor Dolittle. His theatrical repertoire also includes Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady, The Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show, Grandpa Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Fagin in productions of Oliver! staged in 1998 and 2009.

In July 2007, he assumed the role of Roger De Bris during the UK tour of Mel Brooks' The Producers. The following year, he portrayed the Tin Man at the Mayflower Theatre's production of The Wizard of Oz.

Also in 2008, Abbot joined the cast of Last of the Summer Wine for its thirtieth series as Luther 'Hobbo' Hobdyke. That year he made guest appearances on The Sarah Jane Adventures and returned to Casualty in 2009 for his second role on the series.

During 2009 and again after June 2010, Abbot took over the part of Fagin in the West End revival of Oliver!, initially substituting for Rowan Atkinson and later succeeding Griff Rhys Jones.

Between 2014 and 2016, he co-starred in the BBC sitcom Boomers.

In December 2020, University Radio Nottingham initiated an online campaign aiming to boost Abbot’s single "Atmosphere" towards becoming the Christmas Number One. Supported by Abbot himself along with others, this effort was acknowledged by the Official Charts Company as a serious contender for topping the Christmas charts.

Family

Since the late 1960s, Abbot has been wedded to Patricia Simpson, and together they have raised four children.

Singles

• 1980 – "Space Invaders Meet the Purple People Eater" / "Country Cooper Man"
• 1982 – "A Day in the Life of Vince Prince" (reached UK No. 61 for one week; returned at No. 75 after two weeks)
• 1984 – "Atmosphere" (peaked at UK No. 7, remaining on the chart for thirteen weeks)
• 1985 – "All Night Holiday" (charted at UK No. 20, lasting seven weeks)
• 1985 – "Let's Go to the Disco" (attained UK No. 86)

Albums

• 1984 – Russ Abbot's Madhouse
• 1985 – I Love A Party (achieved UK No. 12)
• 1990 – Songs of Joy

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1973	The Comedians	Clown	Episode: "Music Hall"
1979	Freddie Starr's Variety Madhouse	Various	Featured in all six episodes
1980–1985	Russ Abbot's Madhouse	Various	Appeared in all fifty episodes
1986–1991	The Russ Abbot Show	Various	Participated in all sixty-five episodes
1993–1995	September Song	Ted Fenwick	Starred in all twenty episodes
1994–1995	The Russ Abbot Show	Various	Present in all fourteen episodes
1996	Married for Life	Ted Butler	Featured in all seven episodes
1998	Noel's House Party	Detective Barret Holmes	Episode: #7.18
1999–2002	Dream Street	Narrator / Tech / P.C. Snooze / P.C. Snore / P.C. Nod Off	Voice roles across fifty-nine episodes
1999	Casualty	Simon Lancaster	Episode: "Crossroads"
2000	Heartbeat	Stanley Leroy	Episode: "Child's Play"
2002	TV to Go	Various	Episode: #2.1
2003	My Family	Len	Episode: "It's a Window-Filled Life"
2005	Doctors	Billy Jenkins	Episode: "Doctor's Orders"
2006	Agatha Christie's Marple	CI Arthur Primer	Episode: "Sleeping Murder"
2007	Hotel Babylon	Mr. Poldark	Episode: #2.1
	The Last Detective	Jules Rendell	Episode: "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Willesden"
2008	The Sarah Jane Adventures	Martin Trueman	Serial: "Secrets of the Stars"
2008–2010	Last of the Summer Wine	Luther "Hobbo" Hobdyke	Appeared in seventeen episodes
2009	Casualty	Malcolm Crowson	Episode: "Leave Me Standing"
	Harry Hill's TV Burp	Himself	Episode: #9.7
2012	Hacks	Bill Bentley	TV film appearance
	Run for Your Wife	Hospital Patient	Cameo role in film
2013	The Home Office	Don	Television pilot episode
2014–2016	Boomers	John	Featured in all thirteen episodes
2015	Funny Valentines	Morris Roebuck	Episode: "Last Chance"