Phil Ellis
Phillip Michael Ellis is an English stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. In 2023, his Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Phil Ellis's Excellent Comedy Show won the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality and was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. He competed in the 20th series of Taskmaster.
Early life
Ellis was born in Preston, Lancashire. He attended Archbishop Temple School in Preston, and then Runshaw College in Leyland.His interest in comedy began as a child when he would ask his mother for comedy VHS tapes, which she would buy from the Asda where she worked, including Bottom, The Young Ones, The League of Gentlemen, and Red Dwarf. Ellis cites Rik Mayall, Bob Mortimer, Sean Lock, Lee Mack, Steve Pemberton, and Reece Shearsmith among his influences.
Ellis later attended University of Staffordshire and was awarded a third in media and production. Afterwards, he worked at an airbag factory and at Domino’s as a pizza delivery driver.
Career
Ellis's TV appearances include The Russell Howard Hour, Drunk History, Roast Battle, The Tez O'Clock Show, and Redknapp's Big Night Out. Ellis wrote and starred in three series of his own BBC Radio 4 show, Phil Ellis is Trying.Ellis has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe every year since 2013. He won the Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel prize in 2014 for Funz and Gamez, a children's game show featuring adult jokes. In his shows, he is known for making up lies about his personal life; a major premise of his 2013 show Phil Ellis: Unplanned Orphan is that his parents told him at 30 he was adopted, and in a later show he claimed to have two children. In 2023, his show Phil Ellis's Excellent Comedy Show won the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality and was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award. Ellis's 2025 show Soppy Stern won the Malcolm Hardee Award for Act That Should Make a Million Quid and was a joint-winner for Best Show for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Ellis also brought back Funz and Gamez for a two-week run entitled Funz and Gamez Rebootz, which won Best Fringe Kids Show at The List Festival Awards.
In 2025, Ellis was announced as a contestant of the 20th series of Taskmaster. He initially tied for first place with Ania Magliano and Maisie Adam, but lost a tiebreaker challenge and ultimately came second.
In October 2025, Ellis launched his podcast Early Worms with comedian Anna Thomas.
In autumn 2025, Ellis announced his show Bath Mat will tour from 9 December 2025 through 26 April 2026, including a 5-night run at Soho Theatre in London.