Lenny Henry is a true West Midlands icon.
Sir Lenny Henry started working in television when he was just 16-years-old - starring in Britain’s first ever black sitcom ‘The Fosters’.
From the beginning of the 80s Sir Lenny was involved in various things from Tiswas to Three of a Kind to OTT to The Lenny Henry Show - this show lasted for 10 years. He gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in The Lenny Henry Show in 1984.
He also founded the Comic Relif with scriptwriter Richard Curtis in the 80s.
In 2015, Lenny Henry became Sir Lenny Henry when he was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to drama and charity. He also carried the prestigious Birmingham 2022 Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games two years ago.
Here are some of his finest jokes and one-liners.
1. Lenny Henry on carbon footprint
I haven't got an exact number for my carbon footprint although if it's anywhere near my normal footprint it'll be size 13 wide. Photo: Joe Steele Denis Straughan
2. On Enoch Powell
"Enoch Powell says he wants to give me £1,000 to go back to where I came from. Which is great, because it’s only 20p on the bus from here to Dudley.”
3. On interviews
"When you do a press day, sometimes you’re tired and you say things in the morning you spend the rest of the day trying to correct." Photo: x
4. On opinions
"Ordinary people have opinions and if you ask, they are often very coherent. Of course, sometimes they also say ‘bananas are the instruments of Satan'"