Phill Jupitus

Phill Jupitus
Phill Jupitus in Edinburgh, 2006
Pseudonym	Porky the Poet
Birth name	Phillip Christopher Swan
Born	(1962-06-25) 25 June 1962 (age 54) Newport, Isle of Wight, England
Website	Official website

Phillip Christopher Jupitus (/ˈdʒuːpɪtəs/; born 25 June 1962) is an English stand-up and improv comedian, actor, performance poet, cartoonist and podcaster. Jupitus was a team captain on BBC Two's popular music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks from its inception in 1996 until its end in 2015, and also appears regularly as a guest on several other panel shows, including QI and BBC Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.

Born Phillip Swan in Newport on the Isle of Wight, he took his stepfather Alexander's Lithuanian surname, Jupitus, when he was 16. Jupitus attended a comprehensive school before winning a scholarship to a public school, Woolverstone Hall School near Ipswich.

Jupitus worked at the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) for five years, while he also wrote political poetry and drew cartoons. He resigned from the DHSS in 1984, hoping for a career in the music industry.

Using the moniker Porky the Poet, Jupitus became associated with Anti-Fascist Action and the ranting poetry scene, alongside Kool Knotes, Seething Wells, Swift Nick and . Jupitus approached local bands to offer himself as a support act for their tours: "I thought it looked easy, I was very cheap. If you got another band to support you, there are probably four of them and roadies and managers. But me — I just turned up and read poems." His first vinyl recordings were part of the live Newtown Neurotics album Kickstarting a Backfiring Nation as Porky the Poet in 1987.