Ben Miller

Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English actor, comedian and author.

He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller.

Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two series of the BBC crime drama Death in Paradise, and for portraying James Lester in the ITV science-fiction series Primeval.

Miller was born in London, England and grew up in Nantwich, Cheshire.

His father Michael Miller was a lecturer in American literature at the City of Birmingham Polytechnic; and his mother Marion was from Wales.

His paternal grandfather was a Lithuanian tailor who emigrated to the UK and lived in the East End of London.

His paternal great-grandmother, Rose Elizabeth Lincoln, taught English at South Cheshire College.

He has two younger sisters, Leah and Bronwen.

Miller was educated at Malbank School and Sixth Form College, his local comprehensive school in Nantwich.

He studied Natural Sciences at St Catharine's College, Cambridge.

As an undergraduate, he participated in theatre with Rachel Weisz, and also dated her.

He remained at Cambridge to read for a PhD in solid state physics, with his proposed thesis titled Novel quantum effects in low-temperature quasi-zero-dimensional mesoscopic electron systems.

He abandoned his thesis to pursue a career in comedy.

Miller's interest in comedy began when a friend asked him to help ferry around the judges of the National Student Drama Festival, which was being held that year in Cambridge.

Having already finished his undergraduate degree, he joined the Footlights in 1989, working with Andy Parsons, David Wolstencroft and Sue Perkins, and went on to direct a revue.

Miller moved to London to pursue a career in comedy.

He was introduced to fellow Cambridge graduate Alexander Armstrong in 1992, at the TBA Sketch Comedy Group, a comedy club which ran at the Gate Theatre Studio, Notting Hill throughout the 1990s.

They performed their first full-length show together at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1994 and returned in 1996, when they were nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award.

Their success resulted in the commission of the television series Armstrong and Miller, which ran for four series from 1997 to 2001 – one on the Paramount Comedy Channel and three on Channel 4.

In 1998, the duo also had their own radio show with the same name on BBC Radio 4, which featured many of the sketches and characters from their TV series.

After a six-year break, the show was recommissioned for Hat Trick Productions as The Armstrong & Miller Show and three series have been produced.

Miller also started acting in films, starring in Steve Coogan's first feature film, The Parole Officer (2001).

In 2003 he played the role of Bough, sidekick to Rowan Atkinson's title character, in the film Johnny English.

In 2004 he co-starred in the romantic comedy The Prince and Me.

In 2004 and 2005, he starred in two series of the BBC television series The Worst Week of My Life, with Sarah Alexander.

In 2006 he took part in a three-part Christmas special, The Worst Christmas of My Life.

He starred as James Peregrine Lester in ITV's 2007 sci-fi drama Primeval and as Mr Jonathan in the Australian film Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance.

He and Alexander Armstrong have formed a production company named Toff Media in 2007.

The company was dissolved in 2023.

Miller provided the voice for the ITV Digital and now PG Tips Monkey in a popular series of television advertisements featuring Johnny Vegas.

In 2008, they also had a second radio show, Children's Hour with Armstrong and Miller.

In 2008, he appeared as television producer Jonathan Pope in Tony Jordan's series Moving Wallpaper on ITV1 and starred in Thank God You're Here.

In 2009, Miller appeared with Rob Brydon in an episode of QI (Series 6. 9).

The two have often been mistaken for each other, and as a joke they dressed in similar shirts for the episode and shared an on-screen kiss.

In 2010, he made his directorial debut with the film Huge.

In January 2011 he presented an episode of the BBC science series Horizon titled "What is One Degree?".

Later in 2011 he reprised his role as James Lester in the TV series Primeval.

From November 2011 he played the role of Louis Harvey in The Ladykillers at the Gielgud Theatre.

On 23 July 2012, Miller began touring for his book, It's Not Rocket Science, from the Royal Society in London.

He also appeared at the British Comedy Awards with Armstrong on Channel 4.