Moray Hunter (born October 1957) is a Scottish comedian, writer and performer. He starred in the Channel 4 sketch show, Absolutely. Alongside Jack Docherty, he played one half of the eccentric double-act, Don and George, in Absolutely and later in the spin-off series, Mr Don & Mr George. He also provided the voice for a shadow puppet in one of Aardman Animations' short films, Humdrum. He has written, produced and appeared in a variety of radio and television productions.
Moray Hunter was born in October 1957.[1] He was educated at George Watson's College in Edinburgh. He studied law at the University of Dundee then practised in Bathgate, West Lothian in Scotland.[2]
Hunter began writing and performing with Jack Docherty as The Bodgers at the 1980 Edinburgh Fringe, along with Peter Baikie and Gordon Kennedy.[3] [4] [5] In 1984 the troupe were runners up for the Perrier Pick of the Fringe with their show The Bodgers: Arfington Arfington and in December they performed their act in the Tron Theatre in Glasgow.[5] [6] A radio series of four episodes was aired on BBC Radio 4 in 1985.[7] Their 1985 Fringe performance The Bodgers: Mr Hargreaves did it earned them a second Perrier Award nomination.[5] [8]
By December 1985, ITV had been announced that he would be appearing as part of a four person comedy segment on the Hogmanay television programme.[9] In September 1987, ITV's Terry Nesson show was showing some Scottish acts not seen on television before, alongside some more established acts. The showed was billed as having regular contributions from a couple of comedy acts, including Hunter and Docherty, at that time performing as Don and George.[10]
Hunter got work writing for Chris Tarrant's Saturday Stayback show made by Central Television which aired in 1983.[11] He worked as a writer on Spitting Image series 1 and 2 which aired on the ITV network 1984-1985,[2] and series 4-7 which aired 1986-1988.[12] He was a writer for Alas Smith and Jones series 2-4 which aired 1985–1987 on BBC 2.[2] [13] The Lenny Henry Show,[14] He had writing credits on 16 episodes of Radio Active spanning series 3–5 which ran 1983-1985.[15] He wrote material for episodes in the third series of the Radio Four comedy In One Ear in 1985.[16]
Hunter and Docherty formed the media production company Absolutely Productions in 1988.[17] Hunter, Docherty, Baikie and Kennedy were joined by Morwenna Banks and John Sparkes to make the sketch show Absolutely which broadcast on Channel 4 over four seasons from 1989 to 1993.[18] Hunter and Docherty wrote and starred in Mr Don and Mr George, a series based on two characters from the show that first aired on Channel 4 in 1993 and had six episodes.[19]
Hunter and Docherty were the voices of the two main characters in Humdrum, an animated comedy short film produced by Aardman Animations and released in 1998.[20] The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film and a BAFTA nomination in the same category. He had writing credits on the animated television series Meg and Mog which was adapted from books and first aired on CITV 2003–2004.[21]
Hunter and Docherty wrote a sitcom based in an advertising agency, The Creatives, which had two series that aired on BBC 2 1998-2000.[17] Hunter, Docherty and Kennedy all starred in the radio sitcom series Very Old Pretenders on BBC Radio Four in 2011.[22]
Twenty years after Absolutely had first been on television,[23] the team prepared for a one-off live show for Radio 4's Sketchorama in Òran Mór, Glasgow to be produced by the The Comedy Unit. Docherty did not take part, citing prior work commitments.[23] The group enjoyed their comeback[24] [25] and the programme won Best Scripted Comedy with Audience in the 2014 Audio Drama Awards.[26] Three radio series of Absolutely followed 2015–2019.[27]
In December 2006, The Clan was to be broadcast by BBC Radio Scotland as a pilot. It was a comedy radio play that he wrote, commissioned by BBC Scotland and produced by Tern TV.[28]
Hunter and Docherty wrote the mockumentary series The Cup. After securing the rights, they adapted a Canadian series The Tournament which centred around a minor ice hockey.[29] The result was a six-part series based around an ambitious under-elevens football team, which aired on BBC2 in 2008.[30] Together with Gordon Kennedy, he produced two series of Secrets and Lattes a sitcom set in a middle-class Bruntsfield café which first was on BBC Radio Four in 2008.[31] [32]
He was a writer on Sorry, I've Got No Head, a children’s sketch show that aired on CBBC in 2009.[33] He was writer and producer of Freedom a comedy programme that first aired on BBC Two Scotland in December 2010.[34] [35]
His radio comedy Alone had four series on BBC Radio 4 between 2018–2022.[36] It was shortlisted for Best Scripted Comedy at the 2021 BBC Audio Drama Awards.[37]
He has appeared in episodes of various comedy programmes: Rab C Nesbitt,[38] Bob Servant,[39] Badults,[40] Still Game,[41] and .[42]
In 1998 Hunter appeared in John Byrne's version of the satirical play The Government Inspector at London's Almeida Theatre and then at Edinburgh King's Theatre.[43]
He appeared in the 2006 film The Flying Scotsman, a drama based on the life and career of Scottish amateur cyclist Graeme Obree.[44]
He appeared in the BBC's forensic crime drama Silent Witness.[45]