Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton (born 3 May 1959 in London) is a British comedian, author, playwright and television director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as 'The Young Ones' and 'Blackadder' and as a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV. He was a high-profile frontman of 1980s left-wing political satire.