Jimeoin (/ˈdʒɪm.oʊ.ɪn/; (pronounced Jim-Owen) born James Eoin Stephen Paul McKeown 24 January 1966) is an English-born Irish stand-up comedian and actor. He rose to prominence in Australia in the early 1990s, and had his own TV show.

He came to UK public attention between 2005 and 2008 while performing an "over the top" comedy tour of Australia's outback and major cities, which was filmed for the BBC Northern Ireland documentary Jimeoin Down Under. He has since gained international recognition and is a frequent performer at comedy festivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe.

Biography

Jimeoin was born to Irish parents in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England and grew up in Portstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. He went to Dominican College, Portstewart. He moved to Australia at the age of 22, gaining work as a gardener after working on building sites in London for four years. He lives in Melbourne with wife Catherine Arena and their four children.

Jimeoin's UK television appearances include Sunday Night at the Palladium (ITV1),Live at the Apollo (BBC1), 8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Channel 4's Comedy Gala, Dave's One Night Stand, Edinburgh Comedy Festival – Live! (BBC3, three consecutive years), Monumental (BBC NI team captain, series I and II), Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow (BBC1). He has also appeared on the Conan O'Brien Show in the US as well on a number of international specials for Montreal's Just for Laughs.

He both starred in and co-wrote two Australian feature film comedies, The Craic (1999) and The Extra (2005), both co-starring Bob Franklin. He had his own comedy television programme, the eponymous Jimeoin (1994–95) which ran for three seasons. He played Convict Griffin in the sitcom Bligh (1992).

He is also known for his extensive live comedy tours in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom. In 2013 he made his solo debut at London's Hammersmith Apollo and began to take his tours into the arenas, starting with the Belfast Odyssey Arena.

In an interview with the Townsville Bulletin on 11 March 2009 he stated that "I'm not really into that nationality thing but I've been watching the Socceroos in the football and when it comes to sport I really go for Australia. Well Ireland's shit at everything so what choice do I have?" In 2010 he completed a new series Jimeoin: Over the Top for The Comedy Channel on Foxtel and Austar. The series features Jimeoin travelling across sections of northern Australia, interspersed with stand-up routines recorded at towns visited along the way.

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Jimeoin hosted Australian TV SBS's primetime comedy programme The Full Brazilian, teaming up with the network's live coverage of 2014's World Cup games. The 25 live-to-air, hour-long shows were a mix of Jimeoin's stand-up, sketches, chat, football talk via satellite link to Rio de Janeiro, musical acts and guest comedians.