Ben Elton

Ben Elton, already an established comedian, began writing situation comedies in the 1980s, creating BBC classics such as *The Young Ones* (1982), *Blackadder II* (1986), *Black Adder the Third* (1987), *Blackadder 4* (1989), and in the 1990s, *The Thin Blue Line* (1995). He also contributed lyrics to Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical *The Beautiful Game*, which was nominated for Best Musical at the Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards in 2001 (2000 season). His comedy *Popcorn*, performed at the Apollo Theatre, won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best New Comedy of the 1997 season. He and Andrew Lloyd Webber were awarded the 2000 London Critics' Circle Theatre Award (Drama) for Best New Musical for *The Beautiful Game*, staged at the Cambridge Theatre. Ben Elton has three children: Bert, Lottie, and Fred. He is a co-writer of the Queen musical *We Will Rock You* with the band itself. He and Richard Curtis were offered the opportunity to write *Police Academy: The London Beat*, but declined. He served as a host for *The Prince's Trust 30th Birthday: Live* (2006) (TV).