Celebrity Puzzling returns for brand new series but are Jeremy Vine and Tim Vine related?
Jeremy hosts the game show and Tim is on Sally Lindsay's teamJeremy Vine returns with a brand new series of Celebrity Puzzling – and Tim Vine will be on the Channel 5 show, too. But are they related?
Series 2 of the game show kicks off tonight (Monday February 23, 2026) with Jeremy back at the helm.
He’s also joined by his co-stars, team captains Sally Linday and Carol Vorderman, and two celebrity guests.
One of those is Tim Vine. But is he related to Jeremy? Here, we find out.
Who is Tim Vine?
Tim was born in Cheam, London, on March 4, 1967. This makes him 58 years old.
His dad Guy, who died in 2018, worked as a lecturer in civil engineering while his mum, Diana, was a doctors’ receptionist.
Tim’s older brother is Jeremy Vine, the TV and radio broadcaster. Jeremy, 60, hosts his own Channel 5 programme every weekday morning – The Jeremy Vine Show – as well as Celebrity Puzzling.
Both boys attended the prestigious Lynton Prep, followed by Aberdour School and, later, Epson College.
Don't miss a single story! Add us as a Preferred Source in Google for all your television news
The brothers also have a younger sister called Sonya, although she is not in the public eye. She is a successful artist.
Church upbringing
Tim and Jeremy were raised in a strict Christian household. They are both still practicing Christians.
Jeremy previously mentioned Tim while speaking to The Guardian about religion. He said: “If you’re introduced to high-octane Christianity young, you naturally reject it and then, cautiously, come back. That was the process I went through, but I don’t begrudge that.
“Mum and Dad had a phase where they probably wanted us to be missionaries, but when your middle child announces he’s going to be a comedian, you realise the game’s up.
Yes, this was The Flared Generation, and yes, that is me on the left, with @SimonW80 and @RealTimVine and our new vocalist Tina. Circa 1985. Cheam’s most successful punk band. pic.twitter.com/EQIm6aCDtZ
— Jeremy Vine | Here, on Tiktok, Insta & Facebook (@theJeremyVine) December 3, 2019
Jeremy and Tim Vine’s punk band
In the 80s. Jeremy and Tim dabbled with a music career. The brothers were both members of the punk band, The Flared Generation. They had formed the group with their friend, Simon Williams.
The group set themselves the goal of becoming as big as The Jam and The Fall. However, they struggled to get booked for gigs even in local pubs and clubs in Cheam.
In a bid to make a name for themselves, The Flared Generation decided to give themselves a USP (Unique Selling Point). Rather than be trend-setters, they decided to be “un-cool”.
Jeremy previously admitted: “We had a meeting and we decided what we’ve got to do is reverse it – so instead of the coolest band we need to become the least cool band in the world.”
He added: “My brother’s very talented with music so he wrote songs like a song called Sensible Shoes and a song called University Sweatshirts and one called Flared Revolution.
“We found suddenly we got incredible amounts of coverage because it was something that wasn’t happening anywhere else.”
It worked. The Flared Generation found themselves in the pages of pop magazine Smash Hits, where they were described as “the most unfashionable punk band in the country”.
But although they were considered big stars in and around Cheam, the band did not reach the dizzy heights of nationwide stardom.
Jeremy later got a job at the BBC as a reporter and researcher. His big break came in 1989 when he landed a gig as a presenter on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Tim, however, had other ambitions.
Tim Vine’s comedy career
Tim decided to pursue a career as a comedian. He was working as a security guard when he began trying his hand at open-mic nights.
Tim began making a name for himself on the London comedy circuit after realising that one-liners got him the best reaction.
In 1996, Tim met Lee Mack and they became good mates. The funnymen have since starred together on The Sketch Show, Not Going Out and Let’s Play Darts for Comic Relief.
Tim has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival multiple times. He’s also got plenty of pantomime credits under his belt.
Tim has appeared in shows including Celebrity Countdown, Celebrity Squares and Taskmaster. His appearance alongside Jeremy on Celebrity Puzzling is his latest TV venture.
In October 2004, Tim landed in the record books. He achieved a Guinness World Record for the most jokes told in an hour, which was 499.
Tim managed to hold on to his record for 10 years. But in 2024, Australian comedian Taylor Goodwin broke it by telling 550 jokes in an hour.
Jeremy and Tim Vine on Celebrity Puzzling
Tim appears as one of two guests on tonight’s Celebrity Puzzling. The other one is Welsh broadcaster Owain Wyn Evans.
Jeremy introduces Tim by saying: “Joining Sally, a comedian who once told 499 jokes in an hour. That was a long Christmas dinner, I tell you. It’s my own brother, Tim Vine!”
He also urges Tim to tell a story about how he once landed a cameo in the Australian soap Neighbours. Tim’s character had to ask directions outside Lassiter’s.
In Celebrity Puzzling, each team goes head-to-head as they try to crack a series of clues to solve picture-based puzzles.
The new series continues each weeknight on Channel 5 at 7pm.
