Jon Canter

Jon Canter is an English television comedy writer for Lenny Henry and other leading comedians. Canter was born and brought up in the Jewish community of Golders Green, North London and studied law at the University of Cambridge where he became President of Footlights.

After a spell in advertising copywriting (and as a housemate of Douglas Adams) he became a freelance comedy writer, setting up home in Aldeburgh with his wife, painter Helen Napper. He became a principal writer for the comedian Lenny Henry, also writing for Dawn French, Angus Deayton, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, as well as script editor for Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. He co-wrote the 2003 BBC television satirical comedy Posh Nosh with the co-star Arabella Weir; and the BBC Radio 4 situation comedy Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful with Guy Jenkin. He wote a Radio 4 Afternoon Play I Love Stephen Fry in 2008. He wrote for the ITV animated cartoon version of Mr. Bean, and the screenplay for the film Full Monty 2.

His first novel, Seeds of Greatness, a comic story inspired by his upbringing, was published in 2006 (ISBN 978-0-224-07773-6), and was abridged by Fiona McAlpine as a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. His subsequent novels have been A Short Gentleman (2008) and Worth (2011). An adaptation of A Short Gentleman was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012. Since 2008 he has been a regular contributor to The Guardian's comment pages. In 2014 'The Rev. Diaries' was published: this was based on the TV programme starring Tom Hollander, and was written with help from Tom Hollander and James Wood.