Jamie Demetriou (; born 1 November 1987) is an English comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Bus Rodent in Fleabag and for creating, co-writing, and starring in Stath Lets Flats. For the latter, he won Best Male Actor in a Comedy, Best Writer of a Comedy, and Best Scripted Comedy at the 2020 BAFTA Awards.
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Early life and education
Demetriou was born in the Friern Barnet area of London the son of an English mother and Greek-Cypriot father. His elder sister, Natasia Demetriou, is a comedian and actress with whom he often collaborates.
Demetriou attended The Compton School in North Finchley and joined the Chickenshed Theatre in Southgate.
After school, Demetriou attended Bristol University. His student revue show Bristol Revunions received critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 2009 to 2011.
Career
Early career
In 2013, Demetriou's one-man multi-character show People Day drew a comparison with Steve Coogan in The Independent.
In 2015, Demetriou participated in the Comedy Feed sketch show pilot, People Time, for BBC Three alongside his sisters Natasia Demetriou, Daran Johnson and Al Roberts, Liam Williams, Claudia O'Doherty and Ellie White. The Guardian said that "someone needs to invest big in People Time because it should be on television and soon". Comedian Adam Buxton said that it was the "best comedy thing I’ve seen in a long while". Despite it's good reviews, it did not get commissioned. Continuing with the cast (minus O'Doherty), he co-created the web series 2016: Year Friends. Each episode was written by a different member of the troupe. The premise of the series is that a group of friends get together and make some new year's resolutions. The show is influenced by British mockumentaries including The Office and That Peter Kay Thing, as well as the nascent reality TV genre.
2018–2021: Stath Lets Flats
Demetriou wrote (with the first three episodes co-written by Robert Popper) and starred as Stath in the Channel 4 sitcom Stath Lets Flats which ran from 2018-2021. It also stars Natasia Demetriou, Al Roberts, Ellie White, Katy Wix and Dustin Demri-Burns.
In 2019, Demetriou was nominated for two BAFTA Awards for the series – Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme and Best Scripted Comedy (as producer). In 2020, he won three BAFTAs for the show for Best Writer: Comedy, Male Performance in a Comedy Programme, and Best Scripted Comedy (as producer).
2019: This Time with Alan Partridge, Ellie & Natasia
In 2019, Demetriou appeared as celebrity chef Ralphy Moore in an episode of This Time with Alan Partridge, causing Alan to have a major allergic reaction by accidentally serving him oysters. He also provided the voice of a phone-in caller in another episode.
Also in 2019, Demetriou appeared in various roles in sister Natasia's comedy sketch show pilot Ellie & Natasia.
Demetriou played Marcus in the American miniseries Four Weddings and a Funeral, an adaptation of the 1994 British film of the same name.
2023: A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou
In 2023 he created the sketch comedy programme A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou for Netflix.
In February 2024, the show was nominated in the Best TV Show category at the Chortle Awards. In March 2024, Demetriou was nominated in the Male performance in a comedy programme category at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.
Filmography
Audiography
Podcast appearances
Demetriou has appeared on several podcasts including: Scroobius Pip's Distraction Pieces Podcast; the Brian Gittins; Friends podcast; Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster; and Richard Herring's RHLSTP.