# George Fouracres

**George Fouracres** is an English actor and comedian from the [Black Country](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-country), known as the third member of the sketch group Daphne, for Shakespearean leading roles at [Shakespeare's Globe](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakespeares-globe) including the title role in *Hamlet*, and as a breakout cast member of *Saturday Night Live UK*.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/mar/27/snl-uk-anarchic-rise-of-george-fouracres-comedy)</sup> The Guardian reported him as 36 years old in March 2026.<sup>[2](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/mar/27/snl-uk-anarchic-rise-of-george-fouracres-comedy)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Actor and comedian from the Black Country; from Willenhall, raised in Wolverhampton<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)</sup> |
| Comedy | Third member of sketch group Daphne, with Phil Wang and Jason Forbes; Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nomination, 2015<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup> |
| Shakespeare | Globe credits include the title role in *Hamlet*, plus *The Comedy of Errors*, *Much Ado About Nothing*, *The Tempest*, *Twelfth Night*, and *A Midsummer Night's Dream*<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup> |
| Recent stage | Falstaff in *The Merry Wives of Windsor* at the Globe (2025, directed by Sean Holmes, in original pronunciation); 'One Man' in Flo & Joan's *One Man Musical* since 2024<sup>[4](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup> |
| Screen | *Whiskey Cavalier* (ABC, 2019, US debut), *Don't Hug Me I'm Scared* (Channel 4, 2022), *The Franchise* (HBO), Netflix film *Steve*, *Saturday Night Live UK*<sup>[5](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/george-fouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)</sup> |
| Recognition | Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nomination (2015); Time Out called him "a major star in the making"<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/george-fouracres/)</sup> |

## Early life and training

Fouracres grew up in [Wolverhampton](https://www.edgepedia.org/wolverhampton) in the Black Country, living with his grandad and brothers, the story he told in his stand-up special *George Fouracres: Black Country Gentlemon* on [BBC Radio 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-radio-4).<sup>[6](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00132k3)</sup> He and the comedian Celeste Dring, also from Wolverhampton, attended the same school before both going on to Cambridge University.<sup>[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)</sup>

His training was academic rather than theatrical. He has said he trained in early medieval languages and historical linguistics and did not attend drama school, adding a self-deprecating aside that many of his harsher critics would say is pretty obvious.<sup>[4](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)</sup>

## Comedy work and collaborations

**Daphne.** Fouracres began writing comedy sketches at university so that he could write interesting roles for himself and his friends to perform; after leaving, the group kept writing sketches together in London, which is how Daphne was born, with [Phil Wang](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-wang) and Jason Forbes.<sup>[7](https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/features/george-fouracres-on-one-man-musical/)</sup> Chortle records that the troupe was formed at Cambridge and received a nomination for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2015.<sup>[8](https://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/g/34698/george_fouracres/review)</sup> The two accounts differ on where Daphne was formed: Fouracres himself places the group's birth in London after university, while Chortle says Cambridge; the discrepancy is unresolved. Daphne also made the radio series *Daphne Sounds Expensive*.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup>

**Stand-up.** He wrote his one stand-up show during a fallow year, wanting "a gentle anecdotal hour about my upbringing and my weird but lovely family".<sup>[7](https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/features/george-fouracres-on-one-man-musical/)</sup> Performed as *Gentlemon* at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe, it was adapted for BBC Radio 4 in 2022 as *George Fouracres: Black Country Gentlemon*.<sup>[5](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/george-fouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00132k3)</sup>

## Stage career

Fouracres has performed extensively at Shakespeare's Globe.<sup>[8](https://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/g/34698/george_fouracres/review)</sup> His Globe credits include *The Comedy of Errors*, *Hamlet*, *Much Ado About Nothing*, *The Tempest*, *Twelfth Night*, and *A Midsummer Night's Dream*, with the title role in *Hamlet* the most prominent.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/george-fouracres/)</sup> In a September 2021 Guardian essay he wrote about returning to the Globe's live crowds after pandemic closures, when he had gone 15 months without hearing a live audience laugh.<sup>[9](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/sep/08/george-fouracres-shakespeares-globe)</sup>

Elsewhere on stage his credits include *Mates in Chelsea* at the Royal Court, *A Midsummer Night's Dream* with Filter Theatre at the Lyric Hammersmith, *The Diary of a Nobody* with Rough Haired Pointer, and *Scrooge & Marley* with Dippermouth.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup>

**Falstaff, 2025.** In July 2025 he was cast as [Sir John Falstaff](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-falstaff) in the Globe's *The Merry Wives of Windsor*, directed by the Globe's Associate Artistic Director Sean Holmes.<sup>[4](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)</sup> For the role he made Falstaff speak in original pronunciation (OP), a form of English pronunciation associated with the 16th century, saying he had "made a rod for my own back" in doing so.<sup>[4](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)</sup>

**One Man Musical.** Since 2024 he has played 'One Man' in Flo & Joan's award-winning musical *One Man Musical*, including a West End run in which he brought his own flavor to the Lloyd Webber figure.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)</sup>

## Screen and radio career

His television credits span British and American comedy. He made his US television debut in 2019 as the villainous Hugh Cabot in ABC's *Whiskey Cavalier*.<sup>[5](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/george-fouracres/)</sup> British credits include *Pls Like* ([BBC Three](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-three), as Henry Bloyd Smith), *Raised by Wolves* ([Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4), as Charlie), *Semi-Detached* ([BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two)), *Spitting Image* (Britbox, as the voice of Prince Harry), *Don't Hug Me I'm Scared* (Channel 4, 2022, as the voices of Grolton & Hovris), *Comic Relief* (BBC One), and *Drunk History* (Comedy Central).<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/george-fouracres/)</sup> More recently he appeared in HBO's *The Franchise* and in the Netflix drama film *Steve*.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)</sup> Of *The Franchise* he said "I think it's mad that it didn't get a second series", praising its writers-on-set, improv-friendly model.<sup>[4](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)</sup> IMDb lists him as known for *Whiskey Cavalier* (2019), *Don't Hug Me I'm Scared* (2022), and *Twelfth Night from Shakespeare's Globe* (2023).<sup>[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7512041/)</sup>

Radio credits include *George Fouracres: Black Country Gentlemon*, *The Now Show*, *Clare in the Community*, *The Lenny Henry Show*, *Daphne Sounds Expensive*, and *Newsjack*.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup>

## Reception and recognition

The 2015 Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nomination for Daphne is his documented award recognition.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup> Critics' notices collected by What's On Stage describe him as "a major star in the making" (Time Out) and "probably the finest comic Shakespearean working today" ([Evening Standard](https://www.edgepedia.org/evening-standard)).<sup>[5](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/george-fouracres/)</sup> Phil Wang, his Daphne collaborator, said of his later *Saturday Night Live UK* success that "it was just a matter of time before everyone got to see how talented he is".<sup>[2](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/mar/27/snl-uk-anarchic-rise-of-george-fouracres-comedy)</sup>

## Saturday Night Live UK and recent work (2023–2026)

Fouracres's widest recognition came late in a decade-long career. He is one of the 11-strong cast of *Saturday Night Live UK*, performing alongside fellow Black Country comedian Celeste Dring, and he plays a put-upon [Keir Starmer](https://www.edgepedia.org/keir-starmer) cowering by his hotline to Trump.<sup>[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/mar/27/snl-uk-anarchic-rise-of-george-fouracres-comedy)</sup> He went viral with the "What kind of Irish is your grandad?" video.<sup>[2](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/mar/27/snl-uk-anarchic-rise-of-george-fouracres-comedy)</sup> Of the first live episode he said, "I've never known fear like when I was stepping out on to the studio floor for that first ever one, knowing that we were going to be live in five minutes."<sup>[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)</sup>

This screen breakthrough came after, not before, his stage reputation: by the time *Saturday Night Live UK* made him a breakout star he had already spent roughly a decade as a sketch comic, a solo performer, and a Shakespearean lead at the Globe.<sup>[2](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/mar/27/snl-uk-anarchic-rise-of-george-fouracres-comedy)</sup> He describes his screen profile in character-actor terms, saying he generally only pops up briefly in things "feeding more established people the odd sensible line".<sup>[4](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)</sup> Among contemporaries, the BBC's reporting pairs him with Celeste Dring, known for the BBC comedies *Lazy Susan* and *This Country*, as two Black Country comics reaching the same *Saturday Night Live UK* cast from the same school and city.<sup>[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)</sup>

## Selected credits

**Stage (Shakespeare's Globe):** *The Comedy of Errors*, *Hamlet* (title role), *Much Ado About Nothing*, *The Tempest*, *Twelfth Night*, *A Midsummer Night's Dream*, *The Merry Wives of Windsor* (Falstaff, 2025).<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)</sup>

**Other stage:** *Mates in Chelsea* (Royal Court); *A Midsummer Night's Dream* (Filter Theatre / Lyric Hammersmith); *The Diary of a Nobody* (Rough Haired Pointer); *Scrooge & Marley* (Dippermouth); *One Man Musical* (Flo & Joan, from 2024).<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup>

**Television and film:** *Whiskey Cavalier* (ABC, 2019); *Pls Like* (BBC Three); *Raised by Wolves* (Channel 4); *Semi-Detached* (BBC Two); *Spitting Image* (Britbox); *Don't Hug Me I'm Scared* (Channel 4, 2022); *Comic Relief* ([BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one)); *Drunk History* ([Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central)); *The Franchise* (HBO); *Steve* (Netflix); *Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday* (film).<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)</sup>

**Radio:** *George Fouracres: Black Country Gentlemon* (BBC Radio 4, 2022); *The Now Show*; *Clare in the Community*; *The Lenny Henry Show*; *Daphne Sounds Expensive*; *Newsjack*.<sup>[1](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00132k3)</sup>

## References

1. [George Fouracres | Shakespeare's Globe](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/bio/george%e2%80%affouracres/)
2. [From Hamlet at the Globe to Keir Starmer on SNL UK: the anarchic rise of George Fouracres, The Guardian (27 March 2026)](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/mar/27/snl-uk-anarchic-rise-of-george-fouracres-comedy)
3. [Black Country comics perform together on Saturday Night Live UK, BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lw8k0rl9no)
4. [George Fouracres Takes The Stage, Wonderland (21 July 2025)](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2025/07/21/george-fouracres-interview/)
5. [Who is George Fouracres? Comedy, TV, musicals and news, What's On Stage](https://www.whatsonstage.com/stage-names/george-fouracres/)
6. [BBC Radio 4, George Fouracres: Black Country Gentlemon](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00132k3)
7. [Shakespeare and silliness: George Fouracres on the mysterious man of One Man Musical, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/features/george-fouracres-on-one-man-musical/)
8. [George Fouracres, comedian reviews, Chortle](https://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/g/34698/george_fouracres/review)
9. ['The laughs hit me in the heart': a view from the stage at Shakespeare's Globe, The Guardian (8 September 2021)](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/sep/08/george-fouracres-shakespeares-globe)
10. [George Fouracres, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7512041/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames F to Gu*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license