Former Never Mind The Buzzcocks host Mark Lamarr has been banned from driving for six months after pleading guilty to speeding, despite arguing that a ban would cause him exceptional hardship.
The 59-year-old comedian was caught driving a 2019 Volvo XC60 at 46mph in a 40mph zone in Twickenham, south-west London, at around 6:30am in June last year. He was handed three penalty points, fined £76, and ordered to pay a £30 surcharge and £130 in prosecution costs at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Lamarr, of Chiswick, west London, already had nine points on his licence for three prior speeding offences between August 2023 and May 2025. He argued that a ban would cause exceptional hardship, stating that he needed his car to transport his young daughter and visit his mother, who has arthritis. He also said he suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, making public transport “out of the question” on bad days.
Lamarr told the court that he is “effectively retired” and now deals records, using his car to “find stock”. He described the offence as occurring “very early in the morning” with no other traffic around, adding that his mind was not “quite as concentrated on the few miles an hour of the speed limit”.
However, chairwoman of the magistrates’ bench Margaret Mansi concluded that while Lamarr would suffer some hardship, it did not amount to exceptional hardship. The ban takes immediate effect.
