Laurence Fox is known for his controversial comments, which have ruffled feathers within his family unit in the past. The political commentator, once married to Doctor Who's Billie Piper, has a somewhat star-studded family tree.
The 45-year-old has hit headlines once again after making cruel comments about political journalist Ava Evans on Tuesday night's Dan Wootton Tonight show on GB News. Both Laurence and Dan have now been suspended from GB News following the vile TV rant.
A statement from GB News announcing Laurence's suspension read: "GB News has formally suspended Laurence Fox while we continue our investigation into comments he made on the channel last night. Mr Fox’s suspension is effective immediately and he has been taken off air. We will be apologising formally to Ms Evans today."
A separate statement confirming Wootton's suspension read: "GB News has suspended Dan Wootton following comments made on his programme by Laurence Fox last night. This follows our decision earlier today to formally suspend Mr Fox. We are conducting a full investigation."
From Laurence's actress cousin, to his famous funnyman brother-in-law, The Mirror takes a look at Laurence's relatives.
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Laurence's cousin is TV drama actress Emilia Fox (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Laurence's brother-in-law is comedian Richard Ayoade (Getty Images)Cousins Emilia Fox and Freddie Fox
Emilia Fox made her movie debut in Roman Polanski's film The Pianist but she's since appeared in other TV shows and films including Silent Witness, Blithe Spirit and more.
Laurence, meanwhile made his name in Morse spin-off Lewis and appearing in shows such as Netflix's White Lines, before he shifted to become an outspoken political activist and found himself clashing with people in TV debates and online. And Laurence's outspoken ways have seen Emilia quizzed about her views.
Defending her cousin, Emilia once told The Times: "Laurence is my cousin, he's family and I love my family. I think he'd be the first to advocate that people can have different opinions on things. We've had very different life experiences and Laurence’s political life is nothing to do with my relationship with him. We've had some amazing times together and we’ve been very mutually supportive of our personal lives."
The cousins were first seen on TV together during Bear Grylls' Mission Survive series back in 2015, where eight celebrities went deep into an unforgiving Central American rainforest for a 12-day survival odyssey.
(Twitter)Emilia said that doing the show was a "once in a lifetime chance" to learn about survival from someone as experienced as Grylls – and she dragged Laurence along for the ride. Asked why he had signed up, Laurence said his cousin had given him "almost no option", explaining: "As a relatively private person, it's not something that I would ordinarily do."
In 2019, the cousins were back on-screen together in the first series of Celebrity Gogglebox and were a hit with viewers. However, Laurence did not return for the second series and was replaced by Emilia's mum as her cousin was worried about appearing again.
Emilia's brother Freddie Fox is also an actor – appearing on stage and screen. He is best known for portraying King Louis inThe Three Musketeers. Freddie also produced a short film called Hero in 2016.
His acting credits include appearances in The Crown, TV drama White House Farm and Watership Down.
Uncle Edward Fox and Aunt Joanna David
Entertainment and showbusiness appear to run in the family, Laurence's uncle is Day of the Jackal actor Edward Fox and his aunt Joanna David has been in a number of TV shows. Meanwhile, Emilia's brother, uncle and two cousins are all in the same industry.
In Laurence's uncle Edward's most well-known flick, Day of the Jackal, he played the part of a professional assassin, known only as the Jackal, who is hired to assassinate the French president Charles de Gaulle in the summer of 1963.
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He also appeared in 1971's The Go-Between, for which he won a BAFTA award. While Edward's wife Joanna has appeared in several shows, including The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Foyle's War, Rumpole of the Bailey, Inspector Morse and Midsomer Murders.
It was In 1990 that she appeared as a contestant on Cluedo, facing off against husband Edward. Her recent TV appearances include BBC comedy series Never Better, Mutual Friends and Death in Paradise.
Brother-in-law Richard Ayoade
Also on Laurence's famous family tree is his brother-in-law. The IT Crowd star and comedian Richard Ayoade is married to his sister Lydia, he was also famously fuming with Laurence after he called a Question Time audience member racist for branding him a "white, privileged male".
Richard declined to come to his aid on social media, where the actor was receiving death threats in the wake of his comments. At the time, Ayoade, who is half-Nigerian, reportedly told Fox: "You have never encountered racism." According to The Indepedent, Fox responded: "Yeah, of course I have. I’ve encountered racism from black people towards me, when I was working in Kenya [as a safari driver] for seven months. It’s the way you’re spoken to — racism can be deferential."
After the ordeal, and calling the Meghan Markle race row "boring", Laurence said he and Richard were "all friends now" and that the rift had healed. He'd told an interviewer that "this is why you don’t get actors involved in chats like this. Because I’m just not smart enough to do it".
Sister Lydia and brother Jack
Laurence's sister Lydia is also in the acting business as she's appeared in The Souvenir, Secret Diary of a Call Girl – which also starred Laurence's ex-wife Billie – The IT Crowd, Holby City and more.
She also produced 2013's The Double, which Ayoade directed. Richard values Lydia's input in his work, once revealing that he imagines Lydia as the reader for everything he writes. The pair tied the knot back in 2007. Lydia herself has had a successful career, playing Miss Dutton in the coming-of-age comedy Submarine, directed by her husband Richard.
Laurence and Lydia's brother Jack is also in the acting game and has had roles in Sanditon, as Sir Edward Denham, and Fresh Meat as Ralph. Jack also appeared in the Rown Atkinson flick Johnny English Strikes Again as Geoffrey.
Dad James and Grandad Robin
Laurence and Lydia's dad James, who previously won a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for The Servant, also starred in Pretty Slick and I Know What I Saw. He also appeared in 1997's Anna Karenina, 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and 2009's Sherlock Holmes among many others.
The siblings' grandfather, meanwhile, was Robin Fox, a theatrical director who married Angela Muriel Darita Worthington, also an actress.
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