Maley was born in the East End of London in 1974. He lived there until moving to Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the late 1980s. Deciding not to pursue a career in music, he started performing stand-up comedy at local pubs and clubs with his friend Sam Cox. As a duo, they soon received countless offers of work and are widely regarded as the next big thing in British comedy. Both Maley and Cox have appeared in television roles separately.