Alexander Armstrong (comedian)

Alexander Armstrong
Armstrong in 2005
Born	Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong (1970-03-02) 2 March 1970 (age 47) Rothbury, Northumberland, England
Nationality	British
Education	Durham School
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Occupation	Television presenter, comedian, actor, singer
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Hannah Bronwen Snow (m. 2003)
Children	Four

Alexander Henry Fenwick "Xander" Armstrong (born 2 March 1970) is an English comedian, actor, television presenter and singer, best known as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller and as host of the BBC TV game show Pointless.

Aside from his Armstrong and Miller sketch show characters, Armstrong's television credits include guest appearances in various TV series, whilst he also voiced Professor M in Tooned, alien supercomputer Mr Smith in the Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures, and the title character in the revived series of Danger Mouse.

Armstrong was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, the youngest of three children, to physician Henry Angus Armstrong and his wife, Emma Virginia Peronnet Thompson-McCausland. His maternal grandparents were economist Lucius Thompson-McCausland and Helen Laura McCausland (6 April 1903 – February 2000), granddaughter of Captain Conolly Thomas McCausland (13 May 1828 – 25 June 1902) and Hon. Laura St. John (12 June 1842 – 21 October 1919), daughter of St Andrew St John, 15th Baron St John of Bletso.

Armstrong was educated at Mowden Hall School in , Northumberland and St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh (where he was a chorister at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral from the ages of 11 to 13) and attended Durham School and Trinity College, Cambridge on music scholarships. He played the piano – which has been alluded to in several The Armstrong and Miller Show sketches – and the cello, the latter of which he dropped in favour of the "much more masculine" oboe.