Philip Pope

Philip R. J. Pope is a British composer and actor. He was educated at Downside School and New College, Oxford.

He appeared in the Oxford Revue in Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1978 and 1979, both with Angus Deayton. He performed in the BBC radio comedy series Radio Active (1980–87) and has also starred in a number of TV comedy shows, including Who Dares Wins (1983–88), Chelmsford 123 (1988–90) and KYTV (1989–93) Round the Bend (1989–1991). He made guest appearances on Blackadder as the painter Leonardo Acropolis and Shelley as pop star Hobo with Hywel Bennett as James Shelley. Pope also appeared as Tony Angelino, the singing Dustman in the Only Fools and Horses episode Stage Fright, in 1991. Pope has regularly featured in the radio series Old Harry's Game (1995–2009). Pope performs regularly as a singer with the Thame Chamber Choir.

He toured the UK as a member of the cast of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Radio Series Live! show for which he is also musical director. Pope portrayed several minor parts in the original radio series, as well as the more recent adaptations of the later novels.

He is currently touring the UK as one half of "Rory McGrath and Philip Pope - Bridge Over Troubled Lager"

Pope co-wrote with Richard Curtis the Hee Bee Gee Bees' single "Meaningless Songs" (B-side "Posing in the Moonlight") released in 1980 to parody the style of a series of Bee Gees disco hits. The Hee Bee Gee Bees went on to record two albums spoofing numerous acts including Eagles, Michael Jackson, The Police, Status Quo and Supertramp. Pope also wrote or co-wrote many comic songs for Not the Nine O'Clock News and Spitting Image including British Number 1 hit single "The Chicken Song" with Rob Grant & Doug Naylor and along with Simon Franglen, he did the main theme for Round the Bend for Yorkshire TV, a three series comedy shown on CITV, later shown on Channel 4 and Nickelodeon.

Pope has also composed a large amount of music other radio and television including the theme tunes for Through the Keyhole, Whose Line Is It Anyway?(UK), KYTV, My Hero and Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul. He was the musical director and composer for The Fast Show as well as the popular BBC children's programmes Words and Pictures, Fimbles and The Roly Mo Show. Pope also provides the voice for the character Yugo, of Yugo and Migo from The Roly Mo Show.

He has scored numerous dramas and comedy-dramas for TV including Ted & Ralph, Midnight Flight, Crazy for A Kiss, Hospital! and Margery & Gladys as well as the film Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000).

He was invited to arrange Snow Patrol's Run 12" remixed by Garrett Lee

On 5 October 2004, Pope featured in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio episode "Fit the Fifteenth" as one of three aliens from the planet of Krikkit. The three aliens sang a song called "Under the Ink Black Sky", which Pope wrote and performed.

On 13 February 2013, Philip and his wife Rosie appeared on the UK channel ITV1 Television programme Tonight From The Heart. The programme was about organ donation, in which their 20-year-old son Will also appeared. Their son Will was seriously ill with a failing heart with only months to live, and was in desperate need of heart transplantation. Will finally got a new heart in a successful operation, and is now slowly being nursed back to health by his family. In 2014, he appeared in The Life of Rock with Brian Pern as Mike Philips.