Paul Merton
A master of improvised wit and surreal digression, whose deadpan delivery became a cornerstone of British panel show comedy for decades.
Born 1957 (age 69)·English comedian·Birthday: July 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Paul Merton didn't just appear on British television; he became part of its furniture, a reliably unpredictable source of inspired nonsense. Rising from the alternative comedy scene of the 1980s, his brand of humor was less about punchlines and more about following a thought to its most absurd conclusion, often delivered with a perfectly straight face. His defining home became 'Have I Got News For You,' where for over thirty years his improvisational genius and encyclopedic knowledge of silent cinema clashed wonderfully with the week's headlines. Beyond the panel show, Merton has pursued his own eclectic passions, from hosting travel documentaries about European railways to performing with his improvisation troupe and championing the art of silent film. He represents a specific, cherished type of British comic intellect: deeply knowledgeable, wildly imaginative, and always ready to derail a conversation for the sake of a better, stranger joke.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Paul was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Paul Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Paul's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became a permanent panelist on the long-running BBC satirical news quiz 'Have I Got News For You' from its second series in 1990.
- Created and starred in the surreal sketch show 'Paul Merton: The Series' and its follow-up 'Paul Merton in Galton & Simpson's...'
- Has hosted multiple documentary series, including 'Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood' and 'Paul Merton's European Journey.'
- Is a respected performer and advocate of theatrical improvisation, touring regularly with his improvisation company.
Did You Know?
His stage name 'Merton' was taken from the London district of Merton, where his first girlfriend lived.
He is a devoted fan and historian of silent comedy, particularly the works of Buster Keaton.
Merton once walked from London to Surrey in a bid to buy a vintage postbox.
He checked himself into a psychiatric hospital in the late 1980s to deal with stress and depression.
“I'm not interested in politics. I'm interested in people saying things that are funny.”
