Alexander Armstrong Hints at a Possible Comedy Comeback After 15 Years Away from Sketch Work

Alexander Armstrong, best known today as the long-standing host of Pointless, has opened the door—at least a little—to the idea of returning to comedy sketches after a 15-year break. Speaking at the Good Housekeeping Live with Country Living Christmas Market event at the Business Design Centre in Islington, he told the audience that he wouldn’t rule out revisiting the world that originally made him famous: the sketch comedy partnership Armstrong and Miller, which he formed with actor and comedian Ben Miller. Their duo became a staple of British comedy through hit series such as The Armstrong & Miller Show.

You can read more about their work on the official series page here.

When asked about the possibility of reviving sketch work, Armstrong admitted, “I’d love to do it.” He described how meaningful the collaboration had been, noting that writing and performing with Miller was “the greatest privilege” and that the process of building characters and jokes with someone he truly admired was a highlight of his early career. Despite the glamour associated with comedy, he reminded the audience that sketch shows require intense commitment and precision.

According to him, comedy is not all fun, because once you professionalise humor, you spend hours dissecting jokes rather than laughing at them. Over time, the craft becomes so analytical that, as he put it, “There comes a point where you long to just be able to laugh at a joke.”

Armstrong also reminisced about his early creative habits, explaining that in his late teens and early twenties he used to jot down ideas he hoped to shape into sketches or even films. He once considered himself a budding film writer, gathering any tiny spark he thought could be developed into something bigger.

Those early notebooks, he joked, were eventually “raided” when he and Miller began producing large-scale TV sketch comedy. Shows of that size require an endless flow of ideas, and by the time the pair stepped away from Armstrong & Miller in 2010, he felt he had used up years’ worth of material.

While comedy work slowed down, Armstrong’s career did anything but. Hosting Pointless and taking on various radio and singing commitments kept him constantly busy, something he openly acknowledged. He pointed out that presenting the Classic FM radio show demands focus—though with a laugh, he revealed that he sometimes squeezes in writing sessions behind the scenes. When longer classical pieces play, such as works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Armstrong quietly lowers the microphone, checks that no one is watching, and uses those four or five minutes to write a paragraph for whatever project he’s juggling.

This year, one of those projects became public: his debut children’s novel, Evenfall: The Golden Finnet, now available through its publisher Farshore. More details about the book can be found here. He shared that while balancing writing with broadcasting and music is challenging, he tries not to procrastinate and uses every available moment to stay productive.

Although Armstrong stopped short of announcing a definite comedy return, his openness, enthusiasm, and fond memories of working with Ben Miller leave fans hopeful. With his love for sketch writing still alive, there’s every chance audiences may one day see the beloved duo together again.