‘One of Britain’s finest comedians’ – Sean Lock dead at 58
British comedian Sean Lock, whose surreal content and deadpan style helped make him a mainstay on TV panel shows such as 8 Out Of 10 Cats and QI, has died of cancer at age 58.
British comedian Sean Lock has died at 58 (ABC image).
His agent Off The Kerb Productions said he died at home surrounded by his family.
“Sean was one of Britain’s finest comedians, his boundless creativity, lightning wit and the absurdist brilliance of his work marked him out as a unique voice in British comedy,” it said.
The TV star was a team captain on fellow comedian Jimmy Carr’s Channel 4 panel show 8 Out Of 10 Cats and the spin-off 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
Lock also appeared on panel shows including Have I Got News for You, QI, and They Think It’s All Over.
He also wrote and starred in the popular BBC sitcom 15 Storeys High.
Comedian Lee Mack, who was a close friend, paid tribute saying: “I’ve known this day was coming for some time, but it’s no less heartbreaking.
“A true original both in comedy and life. I will miss him so much.”
Carr tweeted: “Brutal news about Sean Lock today. I loved him. I’m watching clips of him right now – laughing & crying. I’ll miss him so much.”
Born in Woking, Surrey, the comedy star left school in the early 1980s and began working on building sites but developed skin cancer, which he blamed on overexposure to the sun. He made a full recovery and focused on a career in comedy.
One of his first professional TV appearances was in 1993, starring alongside Rob Newman and David Baddiel on their signature TV show Newman And Baddiel in Pieces.
He script-edited the 1998 BBC Two series, Is It Bill Bailey? and had his own show on BBC Radio 4 called 15 Minutes Of Misery, which was later expanded into TV series 15 Storeys High.
The show was set in a tower block and centred on a pessimistic character called Vince, played by Lock, and his flatmate Errol, played by Benedict Wong.
In 2005, Lock became a regular team captain on the panel show 8 Out Of 10 Cats, a role he held for 18 series.
Between 2006 and 2007 he hosted Channel 4 series, TV Heaven, Telly Hell, in which he invited celebrities to share their own selection of TV’s triumphs and tragedies.
Guests on the show included Alan Davies, Johnny Vaughan, David Mitchell, Bill Bailey, Johnny Vegas and Nick Hancock.
In 2000, he won the gong for the best live stand-up at the British Comedy Awards.
