Mark Lamarr banned from driving despite claiming exceptional hardship

Former Never Mind The Buzzcocks host Mark Lamarr has been banned from driving despite claiming it would cause him “exceptional hardship”.

The comedian pleaded guilty to driving a 2019 Volvo XC60 at 46mph in a 40mph zone in Twickenham, south-west London, at around 6.30am in June last year.

Lamarr, 59, of Chiswick, west London, was handed three points, fined £76 and banned from driving for six months. He was also ordered to pay a £30 surcharge and £130 in prosecution costs at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.

But he tried to avoid a driving ban by saying that he needs the car to transport his young daughter and to visit his mother, who has arthritis.

The former TV presenter said that he suffers with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and that using a bus stop would be “out of the question” on a bad day, and that walking to the train station can be “quite exhausting” for him.

He said that on “bad days” he will have to “lay down for a day or two” and will be unable to walk for weeks.

Lamarr also told the court that he is “effectively retired” and is now “dealing records”, and that he uses his car to “find stock”.

The court heard that Lamarr already had nine points on his driving licence for three prior speeding offences between August 2023 and May 2025.

On the recent offence, Lamarr told the court: “It was very early in the morning, there wasn’t anybody around.

“Sometimes when there’s no other traffic around at all your mind isn’t quite as concentrated on the few miles an hour of the speed limit you are exceeding.”

Chairwoman of the magistrates’ bench Margaret Mansi noted that while he would suffer some hardship, it would not amount to exceptional hardship.

Lamarr became famous in the 1990s with TV shows like The Word, The Big Breakfast and Shooting Stars.

The former Radio 2 DJ hosted Never Mind The Buzzcocks from 1996 to 2005.