Is Darren Harriott Related to Ainsley Harriott?

Comedy lovers will have been in fits of laughter when they watched Darren Harriett’s stand-up show at the Edinburgh Festival in 2017, where he won the coveted Best Newcomer Award. Those that were able to catch their breath for long enough might well have found themselves wondering whether his surname meant that he was related to Ainsley Harriott. Ainsley, of course, became known to TV viewers in the 1990s for the likes of Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook and Ready Steady Cook. The question is, are the pair related, or is this just another case of people seeing two famous people with the same name and making assumptions?

Who Are We Talking About?

It is entirely possible that you will know one of the people that we’re talking about here, with which one it is that you recognise depending entirely on when you were born. Those of an older persuasion will be inclined to know exactly who Ainsley Harriott is, given the fact that he shot to fame in the 1990s. Younger people, meanwhile, might well know the name of Darren Harriott on account of the fact that he is a comedian who started to make a name for himself towards the end of the 2010s.

Darren Harriott

Born in Oldbury in the West Midlands on the 1st of September, 1988, Darren Harriott was brought up by his mum after his father was arrested for drug dealing before killing himself whilst Darren was just a child. He moved to London as a 26-year-old, pursuing a career in comedy and began to appear in comedy clubs with his shows Visceral and Good Heart Yute. He made a name for himself, soon appearing on TV comedy shows like The Last Leg, Live at the Apollo and 8 out of 10 Cats. He truly became known to many UK TV viewers, though, when he appeared in the 15th series of Dancing on Ice in 2023.

Ainsley Harriott

Ainsley Denzil Dubriel Harriott was born on the 28th of February, 1957 in the Paddington area of London. He and his school, Paul Boross, formed the Calypso Twins duo, having a hit record in the 1990s. He became the Head Chef at the Long Room at Lord’s Cricket Ground before eventually becoming the resident chef on This Morning. That led to him presenting the TV show Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook and being a chef on Ready Steady Cook, helping him to become a household name. In 2000, he went on to host the latter show, which was also the case in a number of more straightforward cooking shows. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2020.

Are They Related?

It is not uncommon for people to read someone’s name and decide that they must be related to someone else who is famous and has the same name. That is very much the case with Ainsley Harriott and Darren Harriott. The fact that Ainsley also made appearances in comedy clubs when he was younger certainly won’t help the conspiracy theorists, nor will the fact that they have both appeared on talent shows, with Ainsley being in the 13th series of Strictly Come Dancing. In the end, though, the only thing that links the two is the surname, although Darren did once say they might be ‘distantly related‘, even if he doesn’t know how.

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