Nick Hancock's Factfile

Personal Life
Nick was born in Stoke-on-Trent on October 25th 1962 and grew up with three elder sisters. His father Ken was a builder - and a Stoke supporter - and mother Adele was a teacher.

The biggest surprise in the Hancock household was when Nick won a place at Cambridge University. He was the first member of his family ever to make it to university. Nick performed in the university’s famous theatrical revue, Footlights. He went on to train as a teacher and practised stand-up comedy as a hobby before making it his career.

Nick met his wife, Iranian-born Shari Eftekhari, in the highly improbable setting of a George Best and Rodney Marsh football roadshow in Staines. Nick proposed to Shari down the pub: "We were playing pool in the Nellie Dean. I said to Shari: 'Have I got something stuck between my teeth?' As she looked I stuck out my tongue - there was an engagement ring on it. She said: 'That's lovely, yes, I will - but can we change the ring?'" Nick and Shari got married in Staffordshire two years after they first met and have two young children – Dolores and Harvey.


Did You Know?

Nick is TV’s most famous Stoke fan. In September 2001, he paid £20,000 at Sotheby's Football Memorabilia auction in London for the FA Cup winner's medal awarded to Sir Stanley Matthews in 1953.

Nick claims to be unambitious and puts all his TV success down to pure luck: “"I'm one of the most professionally lazy and unmotivated people, so my career has really been an ad-hoc series of leaps from the unknown."

Nick still gets a buzz out of hosting "They Think It’s All Over" - especially when guests get in hot water, as boxer Chris Eubank once did."Chris was slagging off Kiwi rugby star Jonah Lomu, who's 6ft 5in and about 18 1/2 stone. I knew Jonah was backstage, about to come on for our 'feel the sportsman' round. It was a very pleasing moment!”


Cool Credentials

Nick got into showbiz by working in a cabaret act, replacing Mike Myers, who had gone to work in Canada and went on to become famous in the Austin Powers films.

Nick’s comedy idol is Peter Cook and he got the chance to meet him when Cook appeared on "Room 101".

Nick appeared Red Nose Day's "The Ultimate Makeover". He hooked up Anna Ryder Richardson, Phil Turner and TV gardener Joe Swift in Liverpool to transform a play centre for kids whose parents couldn’t afford child-care.

Nick has said that if he was ever invited to guest on a chat show, he would refuse. There isn't that much of himself to give, he has insisted: “ I can’t think of anything I’ve ever done that would be of interest to anybody."