Jon Richardson has joined the cast of Waterloo Road in his first ever acting role, so why has he swapped the comedy circuit for the classroom? Here’s an in-depth profile of the comic, including the most asked questions about him.

On April Fool’s Day this year, the BBC announced that comedian and TV personality Jon Richardson would be joining the cast of Waterloo Road as a new addition to the staff room. But it wasn’t a joke!

Jon, previously known as a stand-up comedian and panelist on on 8 Out of 10 Cats and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, has turned actor. But why?

Here’s everything you need to know about Jon Richardson, including his career, love life, age, and history.

Jon Richardson joins the cast of Waterloo Road

The Artist Formerly Join As A Comedian Jon Richardson has turned actor for Waterloo Road. He joins the hit drama when it returns for series 16 this September.

The announcement came as quite the surprise to his fans. At first, the cheeky devil fooled some of us by revealing he was retiring from the comedy circuit to pursue teaching. However, there was more to the news than Jon first revealed…

John was actually joining the school drama, where he would portray a teacher. At the time, he said: “I would say that joining Waterloo Road is a dream come true… But, in truth, most of my dreams about school revolve around not having done my homework or put on my uniform.”

He added: “I wanted to be a teacher growing up so hopefully this role will put all those ambitions to bed.”

Jon will play new media studies teacher Darius Donovan, who “isn’t afraid to ruffle some feathers”. The Beeb told us: “Darius is all about putting on a good show and he’s a social chameleon. His charm knows no bounds as he sweet- talks both teachers and pupils alike with a killer smile. It’s the perfect disguise for our master manipulator in a tailored suit who uses his allure to achieve his goals.”

Sounds intriguing…

Why has Waterloo Road cast a comedian in the role?

Cameron Roach, Executive Producer for Waterloo Road, explains: “Waterloo Road always strives to strike the right balance between big emotion and comedy. And we feel we’ve struck gold in casting Jon Richardson as a new media studies teacher at Waterloo Road. Not only does Jon have brilliant comic timing, his dramatic performance will surprise and delight his fans in equal measure. Next term promises laughter, tears and whole lot of mayhem.”

It’s not the first time the BBC drama has cast a comedian, either. Jason Manford joined the series for series 15. He portrayed new head teacher Steve Savage. However, his stint was short-lived after his character helped his son to cover up the death of a pupil.

Steve Strange won’t be back for season 16 following his wrongdoing. He’s in another institution for the time being – prison! Instead, EastEnders legend Lindsey Coulson will step into his shoes, playing Stella Drake.

Jon describes Waterloo Road as “incomparable” to his previous TV experience. He revealed: “Jason Manford said to me that there’s very little that you’ve learned from stand-up that will be applicable here. It was really good advice. I remember those first days of falling in love with stand-up. I could have done five gigs a night, every night for a year. I never got tired of it because I was just learning so much. Every day on set and every scene was slightly different. It was unlike anything I’ve ever done, and it’s completely addictive.”

‘Absolute monster Darius is what made me apply for the job’

Jon has admitted he was nervous about joining the cast of Waterloo Road and tackling his first ever acting role. As well as being “excited” about being part of an “institution”, he was also “anxious”.

He told us: “I’m pleased to be here and making a heck of an entrance. [At first] I was nervous because it was all filmed in an actual school. I had all the anxiety you’d get being back at school, the smell of the canteen, the sound of boots in the corridors, and all that.

“But also, the nerves of coming into a big job like that. I was very lucky to, in my first acting job, be given something like Waterloo Road. It was an absolute gift.”

Jon went on to explain that it was the character that made him consider the role. He said: “I mean, Darius is what made me apply for the job. He’s an absolute monster. But he believes himself to be a charming, charming man who acts only in self-defence and has everyone’s best interests at heart. He’s an exceptional character to play. I’m very lucky, but I hope I haven’t become him. And I hope they didn’t cast me because they think I’m like him.”

Is Waterloo Road star Jon Richardson a teacher?

No, Jon Richardson is not really a teacher in real life. He initially tricked his friends and fans when he announced he was actually becoming a teacher. In a message sent out the day before April Fools’ Day, he said: “I have a little bit of news. I’ve obviously been taking a little bit of a break from stand-up, and it’s really made me want to carry on taking a break from stand-up.”

He continued: “I’ve been thinking a lot about a diary entry that I found from 1997. It said that although I would love to be a stand-up comedian, I’ll probably end up being a teacher.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about that and I loved being a comedian. It was absolutely the right choice. But I have decided it would have been nice to try the other option.”

Jon then revealed that he’d carried out his teacher training and had already landed a job within the profession.

Of course, Jon – ever the joker – was joking! Talking about tricking his mates, he said: “It was awful, because they were all really kind. They all totally fell for it, including Romesh Ranganathan. I’ve never had a more successful social media post. What was devastating about it was that not one person said ‘don’t do it, stay in comedy, we need you’. They all said ‘good luck, off you go, cheerio’.”

Is Jon Richardson a comedian?

New Waterloo Road cast member Jon Richardson started his stage career as a stand-up comedian, before moving into TV and radio.

In his early 20s, he entered and won his heat of the 2003 BBC New Talent Comedy Search. The next year, he reached the semi-finals of the Laughing Horse New Act of the Year competition.

After reaching the final of the J2O Last Laugh Comedy Search, he celebrated his first year in comedy with a performance at London’s Criterion Theatre. Jon went on appear in The Comedy Zone at the Edinburgh Festival, as well as supporting Alan Carr on a 60-date British and Irish tour.

In 2007, Jon’s first solo show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – entitled Spatula Pad – earned him a Best Newcomer nomination at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. After winning the 2008 Chortle Award for Best Breakthrough Act, he took his his second solo show Dogmatic to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and later on his first solo tour of the UK. He continues to perform live stand-up comedy to this day.

He’s also written a book, and hosts his own show on Absolute Radio.

TV shows with Jon Richardson

Like many comedians, Jon soon started to appear on TV. Some of his first appearances included Grouchy Young Men, Stand Up for the Week, and Room 101. In 2012, he starred in Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD. The award-winning documentary for Channel 4 was part of a season of programmes about mental health.

Two years later, in 2014, Jon and his comedian friend Matt Forde examined modern aspects of becoming an adult in the three-part series Jon Richardson Grows Up. 

Between 2010 and 2015, Jon was a team captain on 8 Out of 10 Cats, which subsequently spawned 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. As well as multiple panel show appearances, Jon has taken part in 2018’s The Great Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C, Celebrity Gogglebox, and 2024′ Interior Design Masters Children in Need Celebrity Special.

He’s fronted multiple TV series of his own, including Jon Richardson: The Knitwit, Jon Richardson: Take My Mother in Law, Channel Hopping with Jon Richardson, and Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier.

More recently, Jon is probably best known for working with his now-ex-wife Lucy Beaumont. Between 2020 and their real life marriage breakdown in 2024, the pair appeared in the mockumentary Meet the Richardsons. The BAFTA-nominated comedy, which ran for five seasons, saw the couple play fictionalised versions of themselves.

In 2021, there was the TV special Jon and Lucy’s Christmas Sleepover, as well as the 2013 comedy panel show Jon and Lucy’s Odd Couples.

Who is Waterloo Road star Jon Richardson’s wife?

Jon Richardson was previously married to fellow comedian Lucy Beaumont. The pair were first introduced by mutual friend and comic Roisin Conaty. After dating for two years, they married in April 2015, and had a daughter a year later.

The pair were together for nine years, and are exactly the same age. During this time, the pair appeared to be inseparable – living and working together.

Jon and Lucy owned a detached Yorkshire home with a swimming pool worth £1 million, as well as a luxurious flat in North London.

Talking about their relationship, Lucy previously said: “We like working together and enjoy Meet the Richardsons. We really wanted to make something that people could relate to.”

She added: “Meet The Richardsons is basically an excuse for us to channel tensions into comedy. You see that in the studio; someone might start saying something thinking they’re going to land a blow… But as soon as us and the audience start laughing at them, they realise it’s all nonsense.”

Are Lucy Beaumont and Jon Richardson still together?

Sadly, Jon and Lucy are no longer together. After working together on screen for several years, Jon and Lucy announced their separation in April 2024. After a nine-year marriage, they shared a joint Instagram statement.

The statement, released by both of them, said: “After nine years of marriage, we would like to announce that we have separated. We have jointly and amicably made the difficult decision to divorce and go our separate ways.”

They went on to emphasise their commitment to their child’s welfare: “As our only priority is managing this difficult transition for our daughter, we would ask that our privacy is respected at this sensitive time to protect her well-being. We will be making no further comment.”

Why and when did the Richardsons divorce?

Neither Jon nor Lucy have aired their dirty laundry in public. And Lucy explained that she never would either. In an interview with OK! Magazine in 2024, she said: “People might think I should talk about it because we were so public and everyone knew us as a couple, but I won’t. And not because there’s any animosity.”

She continued: “We both agreed that, while it might be weird for other people not hearing anything about it, we wouldn’t talk about anything to do with the marriage or each other.

“I don’t feel any different really, just a bit angrier and not willing to take any [bleep] from anyone.”

Meanwhile, speaking to The Sunday Times, she said: “I don’t regret anything. […] I sometimes feel guilty that I talked about my daughter and my marriage, and my mum and my dad.”

The comedian explained: “I think partly I was feeling grateful. Grateful that I was getting the work, grateful that I was being interviewed, and feeling like I had to sacrifice and share everything.”

Reports say Jon paid Lucy £1.625million for her shares in their company This Guy at Night Limited. She resigned as a director in 2024.

While Jon is joining the cast of Waterloo Road, Lucy will soon been seen in the upcoming The Celebrity Traitors.

Does Waterloo Road star Jon Richardson have children?

Jon and Lucy have a daughter born in September 2016. Elsie Louise Richardson is now eight years of age, and shares her time between her mum and dad.

In 2022, Lucy published a ‘mumoir’ called Drinking Custard: The Diary of a Confused Mum. The parenting book is a “heart-warming and laugh-out-loud funny” account of being a mum.

Meanwhile, Jon Richardson mentioned his daughter in the run-up to his first appearance on Waterloo Road. He said: “I hope Waterloo Road is nothing like the school my daughter will go to because there’s a lot going on…”

What did Jon Richardson say when Sean Lock died?

Jon Richardson famously appeared as a team captain opposite Sean Lock on 8 Out of 10 Cats, and its spin-off 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

When Sean tragically died in August 2021, after losing his battle to lung cancer, Jon made a public statement like many other comedians and friends of Sean.

Jon paid tribute to Sean after 8 Out of 10 Cats won the National Comedy Award for Best Comedy Panel Show. He credited his late co-star and friend for the majority of the show’s success.

He posted on Twitter: “Massive thanks to everyone who voted for Cats Does Countdown at the Comedy Awards. That one is for Sean, without whom the show would have had a fraction of the comedy it had and much more maths.”

A year later, Jon opened up about how “upset” he felt during Sean’s final episode of Countdown. Jon admitted he knew that his co-star was unwell.

He said: “Watching Sean’s last episode of Countdown, I can see how upset I was. Knowing he was ill and how much that affected my performance, while Sean himself continued to be effortlessly hilarious.

“A true comic to the end. That’s why he’s so missed.”

Is Waterloo Road star Jon Richardson on tour?

Jon Richardson isn’t currently on tour, but he’s never far from the stage.

Although he has no current tour dates, updates can be found on his official website. He also makes announcements on his Instagram page.

If you want to see him live, however, there are other options. He’ll be appearing at Absolute Radio Live at The London Palladium for “radio’s biggest comedy night”.

Hosts Matt Forde and Jon Richardson will be joined by James Acaster, Kerry Godliman, Adam Hills, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Tom Davis and Dinesh Nathan all in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. Tickets are on sale now from absoluteradio.co.uk.

Does Jon Richardson have OCD?

Jon Richardson previously explored his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) in his stand-up show Spatula Pad. However, he eventually concluded that he has obsessive–compulsive personality disorder instead (OCPD).

The difference? Well, OCD is a type of mental disorder, whereas OCPD is a type of personality disorder.

In 2018, Jon told Radio Times that he’d been to counselling for six months. He called it “an immensely positive step”, and admitted he “wished he’d done it sooner”.

Talking about his documentary Jon Richardson: A Little Bit OCD, he described it as “life-changing”.

He told Sky News: “It sort of empowered me almost to control a lot of the things that were stressing me out at the time. And to see the severity of a disease that certainly in comedy is used far too much as a cover-all for people who like things neat and tidy or don’t like to be late. They are perfectly normal, sensible character traits.”

He added: “That’s the time I started to calm down a little bit and probably led to me being able to hold down a relationship and have a child and all the things that have made my life better now.

“It started then by realising that what I did have was more quirks of personality that I could exploit without feeling like I was mocking people with a serious disorder.”

What is Jon Richardson’s height?

The Waterloo Road star Jon Richardson is 1.73 metres tall. That’s around 5ft 6in/7ins.

In fact, his height is often the source of robust ribbing on the likes of Taskmaster.

How old is Waterloo Road star Jon Richardson?

Jon Joel Richardson was born on 26 September 1982. So he’s currently 42 years of age.

The comedian is exactly the same age as his ex-wife Lucy, who is also 42. Although she is nearly a year younger, having been born in August 1983.

Where is he from?

The 8 Out of 10 Cats star was born in Lancaster, Lancashire, which is where he grew up.

After attending Ryelands Primary School and Lancaster Royal Grammar School, he went to the University of Bristol.

However, after studying Hispanic Studies for a year and a half, he left without completing his degree. He stayed in Bristol for a time, and lived with fellow comedians Russell Howard, Mark Olver and John Robins for a year.

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See Jon Richardson in his Waterloo Road debut on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at 9pm on BBC One.