Jon Richardson, the comedian most well-known for 8 out of 10 Cats, has announced that he is ‘quitting comedy’ for pastures new.
Richardson put an announcement out on his Instagram yesterday in which he stated he was making a career change.
Posting on social media, Richardson said: "I just thought I'd give you a little update.I don't really do social media updates and I'll tell you why, because I don't think anyone cares. But I have a little bit of news.
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"Although I would love to be a stand-up comedian, I'll probably end up being a teacher.”
He continued: "I've been thinking a lot about that and I loved being a comedian, it was absolutely the right choice, I have decided it would have been nice to try the other option."
Richardson has now revealed that he was perhaps being a bit tongue in cheek as he is set to star in Waterloo Road.
While Richardson will definitely be departing from comedy in his role in the fairly serious Rochdale school-based drama, BBC News reported that Richardson would be taking a role in the show, explaining his one-day-early April Fools joke.
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The comedian will appear alongside fellow comedian Jason Manford in the show, assumedly as a teacher.
Despite posting on March 31st, Richardson committed heavily to the joke, even having his agency released a statement on their website confirming he was ‘quitting’ stand-up comedy.
They posted: “Off The Kerb would like to express their best wishes and support for Jon Richardson who - after some very careful consideration - has decided to retire from stand-up comedy, and instead pursue a career in teaching.
“We fully respect and admire this decision, and wish him all the best with his new career."
The move sparked questions online, with Richardson’s comedian friends all seemingly either in on the joke or falling it for themselves.
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Josh Widdicombe commented: “Comedy’s loss is teaching’s loss,” while Aisling Bea posted a comment saying: “OH MY GOD THE LUCKY CLASSROOM THAT GETS YOU JON BOY!”
One fan commented: “Please tell me this is an early April fools? 😭 but those kids will be incredibly lucky.”
The role in Waterloo Road is his first acting role since the mockumentary series Meet the Richardsons, which he starred in alongside his wife at the time, Lucy Beaumount.
The pair both played fictionalised versions of themselves, however Richardson announced their divorce last April.
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In a join statement released by the (now seemingly former) comedian, Richardson said that the ‘difficult’ decision was made ‘jointly and amicably'.
They went on to say: “As our only priority is managing this difficult transition for our daughter, we would ask that our privacy is respected at this sensitive time to protect her well-being."
Topics: BBC, TV, TV and Film, Jon Richardson
Michael Slavin