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Chris McCausland
Christopher John McCausland (born 15 June 1977) is an English comedian and actor. He is known to television audiences for his role as Rudi in the CBeebies show Me Too!. He regularly appears at comedy venues around the UK, including The Comedy Store. McCausland is blind due to retinitis pigmentosa. In December 2024, McCausland won the twenty-second series of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with professional dancer Dianne Buswell. Early lifeChristopher John McCausland[1] was born on 15 June 1977[2][3] in West Derby Village in Liverpool[4] and has lived in Surbiton, near Kingston upon Thames, since 1996, after moving there to study at Kingston University. He graduated in 2000, with a BSc Honours in Software Engineering. After a spell as a web developer, deteriorating eyesight prompted a change of direction and he worked in sales for a number of years, during which time he first performed stand-up comedy in 2003.[5] Stand-up comedyMcCausland first tried stand-up at a new act comedy night in a room above a pub in Balham in July 2003.[6] Within his first year of performing, he won the Jongleurs J2O Last Laugh competition, came runner up in the Laughing Horse New Act of The Year and came third in Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny? competition. Between 2005 and 2012, he took six stand-up shows to the Edinburgh Festival and in 2011 was awarded the Creative Diversity Award for comedy by a Channel 4-led panel of broadcasters which also included BBC, ITV and Sky. He has performed all over the world, including across Asia and the Middle East, and regularly travels the UK playing the country's top comedy clubs. He appeared on the BBC's Live at the Apollo on 4 January 2018 and hosted the show on 7 January 2022.[7] TelevisionIn 2014, McCausland fronted a national television advert for Barclays, promoting the benefits of their new talking cash machines. Also in 2014, he starred in the Jimmy McGovern drama series Moving On, alongside Anna Crilly and Neil Fitzmaurice. In 2012, he appeared alongside fellow comedians in Jimmy Carr's Comedians Special charity episode of Celebrity Deal or No Deal.[citation needed] He appeared in three series of At The Comedy Store in 2008 for Paramount Comedy as well as in 2010 and 2012 for Comedy Central. In 2010, he featured in BBC One's end of year spoof news review, Unwrapped with Miranda Hart. In 2011, he appeared in ITV's series Stand-up Hero. McCausland was also one of the principal characters in the CBeebies series Me Too!, playing Rudi the market trader. Filmed in 2006, it aired on CBeebies and internationally until April 2016. On 20 August 2018, he appeared in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders. On 18 October 2019, he appeared on the BBC comedy panel show Would I Lie to You?.[8] McCausland has established himself as a regular panellist on the BBC satirical news show, Have I Got News for You, making six appearances since his November 2019 debut. His most recent appearance was in May 2024. In February 2020, he appeared on an episode of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown on Channel 4. McCausland scored highly throughout the episode, playing by memory alone, and correctly guessed the difficult end of game "Countdown Conundrum" before the sighted panellists. During the show, presenter Jimmy Carr produced blindfolds for the other contestants and encouraged them to try playing without sight.[citation needed] On 15 January 2021, he appeared again on the BBC One show Would I Lie to You?[9] In July 2022, Channel 4 announced McCausland would present a four-part travelogue series, provisionally titled The Wonders of the World I Can't See. The series aired in June and July 2023.[10][11] In April 2023, he was a contestant in the reality television series Scared of the Dark.[12] In December 2023, he was a contestant on Richard Osman's House of Games.[13] In March 2024, he featured in series 13, episode 5 of Not Going Out, "Train".[14] On 29 June 2024, his Saturday morning chatshow The Chris McCausland Show premiered on ITV1.[15] From September 2024 McCausland competed in the twenty-second series of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, where he was partnered by professional dancer Dianne Buswell.[16] He is the first blind contestant to appear on the show.[17] In week 3 the couple danced a jive to the "Wayne's World Theme" and scored 30 points; in week 4 they danced a salsa to "Down Under" and again scored 30 points; and in week 5 they danced a waltz to "You'll Never Walk Alone" and scored 35 points. The couple became the 100th Strictly couple to perform in Blackpool. In the semi-finals they danced a Charleston and a Viennese Waltz, the latter of which scored 36 points. They were announced as the series winners.[18][19] The winner of Strictly Come Dancing was determined by a live public vote at the final show. McCausland, who suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, was crowned the winner following his performances on the dance floor and after tackling complex dance routines during the series with his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell.[20] He appeared as a panelist on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2024, paired with Maisie Adam.[21] Some viewers complained that the quiz featured many visual elements, with little effort made to account for his visual impairment.[22] On 23 December 2024 it was announced that McCausland would deliver the annual Channel 4 Alternative Christmas message, on Christmas Day, in which he would appeal for an end to discrimination against disabled people.[23] Film
RadioMcCausland was a guest on BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity in February 2023.[25] His hypothetical donation to this imaginary museum was "a vinyl record". Since March 2023, he has hosted a Radio 4 panel game about sound clips, called You Heard It Here First.[26] In April 2024, he featured on BBC Radio 4’s Room 101. Personal lifeMcCausland lives with his wife and daughter.[5] His blindness is due to retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that has affected both his mother and grandmother. McCausland had complete loss of sight by the age of 22.[27] He is a supporter of Liverpool F.C.[citation needed] References
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