Peter Richardson, writer and director, founded the Comic Strip group which boosted the careers of Rik Mayall, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Robbie Coltrane and many others.
He started performing at London's Comedy Store in 1979, in a double act with Nigel Planer called "The Outer Limits". Richardson soon set up his own comedy club called The Comic Strip, taking with him a core group from The Comedy Store. At this point, various television companies were taking note of the rapidly growing "alternative comedy" scene, and Richardson was approached by Jeremy Isaacs to make a series of comedy films for Channel 4.
The Comic Strip Presents... ran from 1982 to 1988 on Channel 4, and then continued from 1990 to 1993 on the BBC. Richardson wrote more than half of the shows together with Pete Richens, and he also directed most of the BBC series. He also cowrote and directed the Comic Strip film The Supergrass, a well-made but little-known parody of slick police dramas starring himself, Adrian Edmondson, and Jennifer Saunders and featuring many other Comic Strip performers.
Richardson also directed the movies Eat the Rich featuring Motorhead, Churchill the Hollywood Years with Christian Slater and has worked with Jeff Beck, Kate Bush, Chrissie Hynde on several Comic Strip soundtracks.
Founder, writer and director of, as well as star of The Comic Strip
