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Born in Cambridgeshire, UK, Morris' parents are both doctors. He was educated at Stonyhurst College, a Roman Catholic boys boarding school in Lancashire, and then read zoology at Bristol University.
On graduating, Morris took up a traineeship with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, where he took advantage of the free access to editing and recording equipment to create elaborate spoofs and parodies. On leaving Radio Cambridgeshire, he worked at BBC Radio Bristol, and Greater London Radio (GLR). Both stations fired him for on-air pranks.
In 1991, Morris gave up work as a mainstream disc-jockey, and devoted himself wholly to comedy with his next radio project, On the Hour. Working with Armando IannucciArmando Iannucci (born 1964) is a Scottish comedian, satirist and radio producer. He has also produced, hosted and written extensively for television comedy. He was educated at University College, Oxford. He is arguably the most under-appreciated comedian, Patrick MarberPatrick Marber is a British actor and writer. He was a cast member on the radio shows On The Hour and Knowing Me, Knowing You and their television spinoffs The Day Today and Knowing Me, Knowing You. with Alan Partridge''. He also wrote the play Closer whi, Richard HerringRichard Herring (born July 12, 1967, Yorkshire, UK) is a comedian and writer hitherto best known as part of a double-act with Stewart Lee. He grew up in Cheddar, Somerset, and was educated at St. Catherine's College, Oxford. With Stewart Lee, Herring wrot, Stewart LeeStewart Lee (born April 5 1968, Solihull, West Midlands, UK) is a comedian, writer and director best known for his work during the 1990s with Richard Herring. With Herring, Lee wrote material for Chris Morris' On the Hour ( 1991). In 1992 and 1993, he and, Steve CooganSteve Coogan (born 14 October 1965 in Manchester) is a British actor and comedian. He is one of six children of Roman Catholic parents. Coogan started out as a stand-up comic and mimic, as well as doing voice over work for adverts and impressions on Spitt and others, he created a highly original spoof news show which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4Radio stations 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It is broadcast on 92 95 MHz FM and 198 kHz longwave; and via DAB, satel. In 1994, a television version of On the Hour was broadcast under the name The Day TodayThe Day Today was a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes. It was an adaptation of the radio program On The Hour''. The cast was the same as the radio series, with Chris Morris as the news anchor, and the repertory cast of Steve. So convincing was the artifice of this current affairs parody that many viewers complained to the BBC. Morris characteristically dismissed their protests as 'boneheaded'. The Day Today made a star of Morris, and helped to launch the careers of Patrick Marber and Steve Coogan. 1994 proved to be Morris' most critically successful year, presenting a Radio One series similar in content to, but sharper than, the Greater London Radio broadcasts, and teaming up with comedy legend Peter Cook, as Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling, in a series of improvised conversations for Radio Three, entitled Why Bother.
The 'sick comedy' which had bubbled under in On the Hour and The Day Today found full release, however, with Brass Eye, another spoof current affairs television documentary show, this time shown on Channel 4. The station remit allowed for more shocking material, and Morris took full advantage of this freedom, exploring such taboos as infant mortality, incest, buggery, rape, suicide, sadomasochism, and more. A recent (2001) one off reprise of the Brass Eye format on the subject of paedophilia led to record numbers of viewer complaints, and a great deal of hysterical discussion in the press. Many complainants, some of whom admitted to not having seen the programme, felt the satire was directed at the victims of paedophilia, which Morris denies. Most critics, however, felt that the programme's target was actually media coverage of the subject.
Morris has also covered other controversial subjects. He made a false claim on the radio that Conservative MP Michael Heseltine had died of a heart attack, and also performed a song in the style of Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker about notorious child-murderer Myra Hindley with the following lyrics: "When I think of you Myra/I have to Hyra/Prostitute who looks like you".
Other projects before Brass Eye was Blue Jam, a late-night ambient music and sketch show broadcast on BBC Radio 1, which was reworked for television in Channel 4's Jam.
In 2002, Morris ventured into film with the short My Wrongs 8245 - 8249 and 117, a version of Blue Jam sketch about a man looking after a sinister talking dog. It was the first film project of Warp Films, a branch of Warp Records. In 2003, this won the BAFTA for best short film.
In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest people in British comedy.
Morris is widely regarded as someone reluctant to discuss his work, although he has given interviews, albeit relatively rarely. His output since 2001 has contained little new material, consisting mainly of recycled material (dating back to 1994) reconfigured in a "darker" style. He is currently said to be eager to return to radio - news welcomed by a large part of his considerable fanbase. He has also worked on a pilot for a television adaptation of the Nathan Barley character created by Charlie Brooker for his website TVGoHome.
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