Johnny Vegas
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Michael Pennington (b. September 11 1971), better known as Johnny Vegas is a British comedian from the Merseyside town of St. Helens. He is known for his random rants, his husky voice and his drinking of Guinness. He appeared in a series of adverts for ITV Digital with a monkey made out of wool whose name was simply Monkey.
Comedy was not Vegas' first career choice. The child of strict Catholic parents, he joined a seminary at the age of 11 and then again at 24 after a bout of depression, but left on both occasions, deciding a career in the priesthood was not for him. He also studied ceramic design in London for three years and attempted to forge a career in pottery.
He won the Festival Critics' Award at the 1997 Edinburgh Festival, and was the first newcomer to be nominated for the Perrier Award. He was given his own segment on The Big Breakfast shortly before the show came to an end. In 2002 he was seen as a regular panellist on team B on Shooting Stars. Other profile-raising moments include a memorable guest appearance on Room 101, revealing an unhealthy obsession with an internet chat room called Beauty's Castle, and managing to break the icy exterior of Anne Robinson on the The Weakest Link in 2000.
Vegas has displayed his acting skills, with his award-winning performance as Charlie in Happiness, a guest appearance in Black Books and in the film Sex Lives of the Potato Men. He has displayed unshaking pride in the latter venture, despite it being labelled the worst film ever. He also starred in a BBC Radio 4 sitcom called Night Class about a pottery teacher called Johnny Vegas. He appeared in the comedy-drama Ideal, playing a drug dealer. In 2004, he co-starred in Dead Man Weds. The writer and co-star of this series is Dave Spikey. In 2005 Vegas started presenting an unconventional Friday night chat/comedy show on Channel 4 titled 18 Stone of Idiot.