ADHD UK Logo
ADHD UK Logo

Johnny Vegas (b. 1970) is an English actor, comedian, writer and director. He is known for role as Geoff Maltby in Benidorm (2007-2018).

Vegas was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2022 at the age of 52.

Russell Brand in the Independent

BBC (2023)

“A lot of things make sense” now, Benidorm and Still Open All Hours star Vegas told Breakfast on Wednesday.

Asked what the condition meant for him, he said: “It’s that sense of disorganisation and doing basic tasks. Everybody has an element of it – it’s how strong your filter is, I think.

“When you don’t have a filter at all, very simple things become very time consuming. It’s like, [I’ll say] I’ll shift that cup, and then you have 10 other ideas and you haven’t shifted that cup, and then three weeks later that cup’s still there and somebody’s like, why haven’t you shifted that, and it’s become this monumental task and it’s built up.

“It’s just, I suppose, how your brain organises itself. I always knew I was disorganised… but it [the diagnosis] helps make sense of a lot of things at school. I’m just on the verge of learning about it.”

He added that, in some ways, “it’s made me who I am” and wondered whether “that chaos helped me be a better stand-up”.