Joshua Michael Widdicombe, born on April 8, 1983, in Hammersmith, London, has an elder brother Henry, a comedy promoter. Growing up in Devon, Josh attended South Dartmoor Community College and later studied linguistics at Manchester University, eventually transitioning into journalism.
As a reporter for the Guardian newspaper, Josh began his stand-up comedy career in 2008, making it to the So You Think You're Funny finals at the Edinburgh Fringe festival the same year. In 2008, he also wrote the sketch show "Superclump".
In 2011, Josh was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh comedy awards, but his breakthrough came the following year through his television appearances on "Mock the Week", "Stand Up For the Week", and "The Last Leg". This led to him becoming one of the most prolific young British comedians, with notable appearances on the Dave Channel panel game "Task Master" and his own self-penned sitcom "Josh" in 2015, featuring himself as a hapless flat sharer.
In 2013, Josh won the TV quiz "Celebrity Mastermind", answering specialist subject questions on the band Blur and donating his winnings to The Lily Foundation, which supports sufferers from Mitochondial disease.