Laurence Fox: The actor who became a political activist

Laurence Fox, who was suspended from news channel GB News this week after on-air comments about journalist Ava Evans, has been in the public eye throughout his career.

He started as an actor, but is now a right-wing commentator, activist and aspiring politician.

Appearing on Dan Wootton's live GB News show, Fox asked what "self-respecting man" would "climb into bed" with Evans.

It was a response to her appearance on the BBC, in which she said calls for a minister for men "feed into the culture war".

The boss of GB News, Angelos Frangopoulos, said on Friday he was "appalled" by Fox's comments.

Fox was suspended alongside Dan Wootton, who is one of the most high-profile hosts on the news channel. Wootton later apologised, saying he should have intervened.

Fox also apologised on Thursday for the remarks, saying he was "sorry for demeaning Evans".

Wootton could be seen smiling and laughing whilst Fox was speaking, interjecting with "a touch of balance" to say Evans regretted her comments and called her a "very beautiful woman".

Frangopoulos said an internal investigation process will be "completed very soon" and Ofcom also announced they would be investigating GB News after Wootton's show on Tuesday received 7,300 complaints.

He is best known for appearing in high profile roles such as DS James Hathaway in the ITV series Lewis, the spin-off detective show from Inspector Morse, which ended in 2015.

The 45-year-old also appeared in the 2001 Oscar-winning film Gosford Park, the TV film version A Room With A View in 2015 and a 2022 film in which he plays Joe Biden's son, called My Son Hunter.

He comes from an acting family - his uncle, Edward Fox, starred in the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal, and appeared in films including 1984's The Bounty and 1982's Gandhi, while Laurence Fox's father James appeared in films including A Passage to India in 1984 and 1993's The Remains of the Day, and ITV drama series Downton Abbey.

Laurence Fox's cousin Emilia appears in BBC TV series Silent Witness, and other roles include 2002's Oscar-winning film The Pianist, while her brother Freddie Fox's roles include playing Mark Thatcher in The Crown in 2020.

Three of Laurence Fox's four siblings are also involved in the industry - Robin is a film producer, while Jack and Lydia are both actors.

The family acting connection back to their grandfather, the first Robin Fox, who was a theatre agent.

Laurence Fox has also tried his hand at a music career, releasing albums Holding Patterns in 2016 and A Grief Observed in 2019.

In 2016, he also apologised swearing at a heckler whilst performing in the play The Patriotic Traitor in London. The audience saw Fox step out of character - that of French statesman Charles de Gaulle - and chastise the heckler with robust language.

More recently he positioned himself as a right-wing commentator and activist, and has stood for various political roles.

He caused controversy during the Covid pandemic, when he expressed scepticism over the vaccine and spoke out against lockdowns.

When he tested positive for the virus in January 2022, he said he was "joining the natural immunity club" and was taking an anti-worming treatment along with painkillers.

Fox apologised in 2020 for comments he made about the inclusion of a Sikh soldier in a World War One film.

He had previously referred to "the oddness in the casting" of a Sikh soldier in Sir Sam Mendes' movie 1917.

"Fellow humans who are Sikhs, I am as moved by the sacrifices your relatives made as I am by the loss of all those who die in war, whatever creed or colour," Fox tweeted.

"Please accept my apology for being clumsy in the way I expressed myself."

During an appearance on BBC Question Time in 2020, he called an audience member "racist" for calling him "a white privileged male", which led to him taking a break from social media.

After this exchange went viral, he told podcast host James Delingpole: "The most annoying thing is the minute a black actor - it's the same with working-class actors - the minute they've got five million quid in the bank, every interview they do is about how racism is rampant and rife in the industry".

Its website says the party exists "for patriotism and believes hard work should be rewarded".

His manifesto said he would provide "free travel on the Tubes and buses for six months" and "tough New York style community policing to target petty crime".

Fox criticised London Mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to tackle knife crime, and said: "Children are dying on our streets" and "hospitals are filling up with the stabbed and shot... in the name of political correctness".

He was also unsuccessful, winning 714 votes.

Fox said he was happy with this result, as it put him ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

Away from his acting and political projects, he also launched the Bad Law Project, an organisation he says "is there to protect and support those crushed by the system and give a voice to the voiceless".

Fox was married to actress and former Doctor Who star Billie Piper from 2007 to 2016, and they share two sons.