Photo: Yusuf Laher (dudephotography) / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Richard Ayoade might be my favorite kind of entertainer: a genuinely brilliant mind who commits totally to playing the fool. Moss in The IT Crowd is a masterpiece of awkward physical comedy precisely because every gesture is so intelligently constructed — the BAFTA was overdue. But what elevates him for me is the range: Cambridge Footlights president, film director, screenwriter, and the driest presenter in Britain. His comic persona, all deflection and self-deprecation, hides a meticulous craftsman. I find his refusal to take himself seriously, while taking the work deadly seriously, quietly inspiring. Hammersmith produced one of the sharpest comic sensibilities of his generation.
Overview
Richard Ayoade ( EYE-oh-AH-dee; born 23 May 1977) is a British comedian, actor, writer, director, and presenter. He played the role of socially awkward IT technician Maurice Moss in Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd (2006–2013), for which he won the 2014 BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance. Ayoade was president of the Footlights club whilst a student at the University of Cambridge.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Richard Ayoade
- Name (Japanese)
- リチャード・アイオアディ
- Reading
- りちゃーど・あいおあでぃ
- Born
- May 23, 1977 (age 49)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Snake
- Origin
- Hammersmith, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- comedian / film director / television presenter / screenwriter / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- St Catharine's College
Awards & achievements
- Chortle Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Comedian — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.