‘No, thank you for talking to me,’ says a beaming Phil Ellis. 

It’s impossible not to match Phil’s bounce in our interview, with his contagious grins and chortles. This energy – not to mention his natural funny bones – is what’s sailed him through 20 years of being the ultimate comedian’s comedian. 

He’s won the awards, critical acclaim, and a stellar reputation as one of the nicest guys in comedy. It was only last year, backstage at a particularly laborious gig, that he got a call which changed his career forever. 

Phil, 44, was gigging at a festival, where the audience was just a 10th of a 2000-person space. Ouch. Backstage, a fellow comedian asked him why he’s never been on Taskmaster. 

‘I said, “Well there’s so many comedians, it’s a big queue isn’t it? They’re not going to get me on, no one knows who I am,”’ he remembers. 

‘I went out to the tent, and there were 12 audience members. I was hosting it, so I was trying to get an atmosphere going. I asked the audience if they wanted to move forward, because they were all at the back. They went, “No, we’re alright,”’ Phil laughs. ‘There was a gap of like a mile.’ 

In his break from hosting, Phil pondered that after 20 years, he thought he might have moved past these experiences by now. Then his agent rang.

‘It was an invitation for Taskmaster,’ he says. ‘I couldn’t believe it, and you couldn’t tell anyone, so I just had to go back out and carry on. I couldn’t even tell the person who asked earlier why I wasn’t on it.’ 

Phil’s work and life changed in a few salient ways after his appearance in series 20 in September last year alongside SNL’s Ania Magliano, Maisie Adam, Reece Shearsmith, and Sanjeev Bhaskar. 

‘Firstly, the gigs I get now, I’m not worried about what I’m turning up to. They are so well run and wonderful. It opened the door to those. But the main thing is I’ve always loved my shows, and been really proud of them, and I’ve just always wanted to show them to more people.’ 

Pre-Taskmaster, Phil would take a show to the Edinburgh Fringe, and successfully so: he’d always have bums on seats unless it was a bad show. (I’m told not to look into 2017). 

But his shows’ lives would begin and end in Edinburgh. ‘I couldn’t tour it because I didn’t have an audience to tour it to,’ Phil says. 

Fast forward 12 years from when Phil’s Fun and Gamez won the Edinburgh Comedy Awards’ Panel Prize in 2014, his current show Bath Mat is the subject of his first full national stand-up tour. Many dates in his run are already sold out. 

‘I can actually go out and perform to like 500 people a night in some venues, which I’d never have dreamed of before, and they’re all for you, which I find insane,’ Phil says, having become used to rocking up in random towns to perform poorly paid gigs.  

He continues: ‘It’s nice to be the comedians’ comedian. But you do also need to live.’ 

Being recognised is a lovely adjustment, too, which Phil keeps on forgetting is his reality. He’s had a few memorable moments with fans over the last few months. 

One time, Phil was going to the toilet on a train when a young girl asked, “Are you Phil Ellis?” He said, “Yes, I am”. 

‘Then the lady came out of the toilet after me and just went, “He won’t flush that one,”’ the comedian says, laughing at the memory. 

But it’s not all just funny. Phil finds the newfound fan interactions touching, too. 

‘Once you pay for your tickets and your travel, maybe babysitters and a meal, I just want to make sure [my audiences] have the best night possible,’ Phil says. ‘Then they want to spend an hour afterwards doing autographs and things. It’s just amazing. I never thought it’d be like this. It’s moving.’  

Another Taskmaster plus was that Phil was gifted a hair transplant in January after talking in a podcast about seeing a bird’s-eye-view of his not-so-luscious locks on the Channel 4 show.  

‘I’d never been that insecure about my hair, to be honest,’ Phil laughs. ‘It’s been thinning for so long, it was so gradual. I was quite lucky really, it suited me, a receding hairline. But it took 20 years, and then I went, “Right, I’m definitely going now mate.”’ 

Phil had to choose where he wanted his hairline to start. Naturally, he brought in a photo of Jude Law, and said he liked his hairline receding, akin to the Hollywood heartthrob. It became apparent that such a hairline might not have the same effect on Phil, so he compromised with the kindly doctor. 

‘This is a very different man,’ Phil laughs. He gestures to his head. ‘It’s so weird because if I showed you a picture of my hair six months ago, this is insane, like so much thicker.’ 

While there’s still ‘a lot of work’ to do on Phil’s mop, the change has given him ‘a bit more confidence’. 

‘I’d made peace with it, but even now I look at it and go, “This is so much nicer,”’ he says. ‘I never want to encourage anyone to feel the need to do it, because I like people to feel comfortable how they are anyway. But equally, you should never be discouraged to do something that might make you feel better.’ 

He’s done Taskmaster. He’s had a hair transplant. What’s next for Phil Ellis? Will he strive for further TV appearances, or take a step back, as Phil puts it, like Homer Simpson into a bush? 

‘I only got into stand-up because I wanted to write a sitcom, so I’d like to do that,’ Phil says. 

Fans will be glad to hear he shall not be backing into the bush any time soon. 

‘It’s nice to say you’re the guy on the edge of a comedy,’ he says. ‘But it’s also quite nice to be in the tent with everyone else, and not looking in going, “Hey, what’s it like in here, guys? You got free drinks?”’ 

Phil Ellis: Bath Mat is showing throughout August at the Edinburgh Fringe at the Monkey Barrel venue at 1.55pm, and in Pleasance Courtyard on selected dates at 9.30pm. Get tickets here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/phil-ellis-bath-mat 

He is touring the show throughout the rest of 2026 into 2027. Get tickets here: https://www.philelliscomedy.com/ 

The opening statements have begun in the trial of Duane Davis, who is accused of being instrumental in the murder of Tupac Shakur.

The rapper was killed in a drive-by shooting in a now-infamous moment in rap history but no arrests were made until 2023.

On September 7, 1996, Tupac and Marion ‘Suge’ Knight were shot while waiting at a red light; driver Knight survived but Tupac died after a bullet entered his lung.

Davis, 63, is on trial in Las Vegas for murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has denied the allegations.

In the opening statements, prosecutor Binu Palal claimed the alleged former gang boss had been the ‘on-site commander’ and handed the gun to his nephew Orlando Anderson to shoot Tupac.

Palal then claimed that in a secret interview with federal agents, Davis ‘admits to his role in the shooting’, after denying it to the FBI.

He explained that a federal taskforce had been set up to investigate the murder of Christopher Wallace, known as the Notorious B.I.G, six months after Tupac’s death.

According to the prosecution, Davis claimed to have no information on Biggie but said he could ‘tell you about Tupac’.

‘He tells a federal taskforce about his involvement which you’ve heard is orchestration of the murder of Tupac Shakur,’ Palal stated.

Jurors were shown diagrams of alleged gang links, CCTV footage of the MGM Grand fight — in which Tupac and his entourage attacked Davis’s nephew— and a sketch of the white Cadillac and its four occupants.

The court heard how in 2017, Davis ‘went public’, showing a recording of an interview in which he claims the former gang boss admits to being in the white Cadillac and being part of the murder.

Davis published a book, Compton Street Legend, in 2019, in which the prosecution says he was ‘angry’ about the beating of his nephew.

Defence attorney Michael Sanft argued that police work on the case had been ‘biased, sloppy and incomplete’.

MORE: ‘Astonishing’ Hayden Panettiere remembered by co-stars after her death aged 36

MORE: Hayden Panettiere was a millennial hero with so much promise

MORE: Hayden Panettiere autopsy confirms ‘no signs of trauma’ after suspected cardiac arrest

Narcan was found in the apartment where Hayden Panettiere died, it was reported, after the Heroes actress suffered an apparent overdose at the age of just 36.

The nasal spray, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was found on a mattress in a loft apartment Panettiere was staying in when she died Sunday, TMZ reported.

It is still unclear if that Narcan had been used to try and revive Panettiere, although 911 audio obtained earlier on Monday revealed that the actress had gone into cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose. 

On Monday, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said that Panettiere’s autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on the star’s body. 

Further investigations will now take place to establish her cause of death, with Chief Deputy Coroner Shelton England telling the Daily Mail that it was too early to discuss the drug overdose theory. 

Meanwhile, a neighbor has spoken of the chaos that unfolded at the scene Sunday after Panettiere was found unresponsive and efforts to revive her proved unsuccessful.  

Micah Lee, who lives in the Judson Mill Lofts complex where Panettiere died, claimed there was a ‘bunch of commotion in the hallway’ after the star allegedly ‘collapsed’ in a unit in the building.

‘The halls are pretty hollow, so noise echoes throughout. And I had just heard about someone collapsing,’ Lee told WYFF. ‘And then afterwards there was talk about cardiac arrest. I can’t confirm any of that. That’s just what I’ve heard.’ 

In an audio of a 911 call made at 1.51pm Sunday, a female dispatcher described the actress as suffering a ‘cardiac arrest.’

A few moments later, a male dispatcher could be heard saying that Panettiere had suffered a suspected overdose at the home.

The actress – who was due to turn 37 this Friday – was pronounced dead at the scene at 2.32pm, just over 40 minutes after the first 911 call was made.

The Greenville County Coroner’s Office has completed the star’s autopsy, with the coroner telling the Daily Mail that ‘no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.’

The cause and exact manner of her death remain under investigation. 

The actress was found dead at the Judson Mill Lofts in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday

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Panettiere died at Judson Mill Lofts, an apartment block in Greenville, South Carolina

Police and the medical examiner are investigating her death, but say the preliminary investigation has not indicated any signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

Panettiere was found ‘unresponsive inside the residence, where she had been temporarily staying,’ the coroner said in a statement.

Investigators will carry out additional studies as they continue to work the case, the coroner’s statement said.

Micah Lee, who reportedly lives in the complex, claimed there was a ‘bunch of commotion in the hallway’ after the star allegedly ‘collapsed’ in a unit in the building

Panettiere and her on-off real estate agent boyfriend Brian Hickerson were said to have flown from Los Angeles to South Carolina one day before she died. 

Hickerson is originally from Greenville, public records show. It is unclear if the couple were in town to visit his family.

Panettiere’s Nashville co-star Charles Esten also performed at The Foundry, a music venue inside the complex, on Friday night as part of his Carolina Tour. 

Judson Mill Lofts is a former textile mill dating back to 1912, which was recently converted into apartments. These include studios and three-bedroom homes that can be rented from $1,295 to $3,485 a month. 

Earlier, a representative for Panettiere confirmed her death, saying her family would remember her as an ‘incredible light’ who brought ‘immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her’.

A statement from her father, Skip, read: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden.

‘She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her – and to the millions who watched her onscreen.’

Her father also asked that her family be given privacy as they ‘take time to process this unimaginable loss’.

Panettiere with her on-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson in Los Angeles in 2018. The couple had reportedly travelled to Greenville, where Hickerson is from, together

The actress had a history of suffering from drug addiction, beginning when she was just 15 years old. At the time, she claimed she started taking ‘happy pills’ in an effort to make her seem more ‘peppy’ during interviews.

Her addiction worsened while she was battling postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Kaya in 2014. 

But Panettiere has been sober in recent years, she said in a 2022 interview, noting that ‘it’s an everyday battle.’

‘It’s an everyday choice, and I’m checking in with myself all the time,’ Panettiere told People at the time. ‘But I’m just so grateful to be part of this world again, and I will never take it for granted again.’

Panettiere has also told how she nearly died during childbirth, and later gave full custody of Kaya to her former fiancé, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

Kaya, now 11, lives in Europe with her father. 

Speaking of the decision, Panettiere said she ‘desperately’ needed help at the time and insisted that Kaya does not feel ‘abandoned’ while appearing in a recent episode of the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast.

‘The idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking. Couldn’t be further from the truth,’ the actress said.

‘I was struggling with mental health and anxiety and postpartum and having to act my way through it, and just feeling like I completely lost myself,’ she added. 

Panettiere leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter with ex, Wladimir Klitschko

Hayden Panettiere has tragically died at the age of 36. Her cause of death was not immediately clear. The Hollywood star is pictured here at the Emmy Awards in 2012

The actress shared how she struggled with the decision to give Klitschko full custody.

‘It wasn’t a decision I made lightly, nor was it a decision I even wanted to make,’ she said.

‘I was going through a really challenging time in my life… I knew I needed to be able to put her first so that I could get the help I needed and be the mum she needed me to be.’

After giving birth to her daughter in 2014, Panettiere recalled hemorrhaging before she underwent seven blood transfusions and surgery to repair vessels that had begun to fail.

She said, ‘I closed my eyes and just prayed for my daughter to be OK. I truly was ready to go if it was my time. Kaya being safe and healthy was all that mattered.’

However, days later, she recalled feeling ‘nothing’ when looking at her daughter and developed postnatal depression. The actress then turned to drinking.

She said. ‘I turned to wine, which ultimately ended up leading to an alcohol dependency. It was how I would get through each day.’

Although she underwent treatment, Panettiere felt the ‘root cause’ of her drinking, the depression, was not addressed.

‘I wish more people had known what it was at the time. Maybe I wouldn’t have waited so long to get help,’ she said. 

Panettiere is remembered for her role as Claire Bennet on the hit NBC series Heroes

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She played Juliette Barnes on the ABC show Nashville, releasing a number of her own songs

Six years on from giving up custody, Panettiere spoke about her current relationship with her daughter. 

She said: ‘I love my daughter, and I’m so proud of the young woman she is becoming. I talk to her all the time, and I feel so connected to her. She’s like a mini-me.’

The actress went on to say she had ‘been able to put her first no matter how I’ve felt or what I’ve experienced’ and that she hoped that one day Kaya would ‘understand my story and why I wasn’t able to be with her all the time’.

She then called herself ‘resilient’ and a ‘work in progress’, but that she was ‘doing the work…and doing my best’.

In May, Panettiere released her memoir titled This Is Me: A Reckoning, in which she also detailed being separated from her only child.

‘Not being under the same roof with her every day has been the most gut-wrenching experience of my life, and it’s hard to describe the layers of emotion – including sadness, resentment, and anger – I’ve felt because of it,’ she wrote.

‘I grieve that I’m not the mother I thought I’d be and definitely not the mother I want to be (trust me, no one should ever have to raise a child on FaceTime), and although I miss Kaya so much my heart aches, I know how blessed I am to be her mom.

‘She is the greatest gift of my life, with all the best parts of her father and me.’