He first rose to fame as a member of the synth-pop duo The Communards, alongside Jimmy Somerville. Somerville was the vocalist, whilst Coles was the pianist. Their cover of "Don’t Leave Me This Way" became the UK’s best selling single of 1986. After they split in 1988, Somerville went on to a solo music career, whilst Coles eventually became a clergyman. He served as the vicar of the Northamptonshire town of Finedon from 2011 to 2022.
A regular presence on the UK radio and television scene, Coles has appeared in such programs as QI, Would I Lie to You?, and Have I Got News for You. He has also participated as a contestant on Celebrity Masterchef, and Strictly Come Dancing. Additionally, he was a guest host for Countdown during its 40th anniversary celebrations. From 2011 to 2023, he was a presenter for BBC Radio’s Saturday Live, previously serving as a guest host from 2008 to 2009.
Coles also has a fairly successful writing career. His work includes Lives of the Improbable Saints, and the follow-up Legends of the Improbable Saints, which focus on some of the more unusual or lesser known Christian saints. He has published three memoirs: Fathomless Riches (concerning his music career, and his conversion to the clergy), Bringing in the Sheaves (recounting his everyday life with the Church), and The Madness of Grief (regarding the death of his husband David, his subsequent grief, and the impact it has had on his life). In 2022, he published Murder Before Evensong, a Cozy Mystery, and the first in a series of novels about Amateur Sleuth Canon Daniel Clement. The second instalment, A Death in the Parish, will be released in 2023.
