David James Gorman (born March 2, 1971 in Stafford, Staffordshire) is an author, documentary comedian and humorist. He performs comedy shows on stage in which he tells stories of extreme adventures and presents the evidence to the audience in order to prove to them that, unlike in most other stage presentations, they are true stories. He is a former stand-up comedian. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... , Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire in England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... , Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire in England. ... Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... Documentary comedy is a form of comedy that combines aspects of stand-up, documentary and traditional story-telling. ... Look up humorist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Richard Pryor hits the money line A stand-up comedian or stand-up comic is someone that performs in comedy clubs, usually reciting a fast paced succession of amusing stories, short jokes and one-liners, typically called a monologue. ...

Biography

Gorman grew up in Stafford, England. Through his work he has revealed that he has a twin brother called Nick and that his father is called Derek. He studied mathematics at Manchester University^[1] (but never graduated^[1]) and before his solo successes was in demand as a writer, having co-written three series of The Mrs Merton Show as well as writing for many other TV series, including The Fast Show, in the UK. In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. , Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire in England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... University of Manchester Motto: Cognitio Sapientia Hvmanitas Knowledge, wisdom, humanity. ... For other uses, see Graduation (disambiguation). ... The Mrs Merton Show was a mock talk show starring Caroline Aherne as Mrs Merton. ... TV redirects here. ... The Fast Show is a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for four series from 1994 to 2000. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... British Comedy, in film, radio and television, is known for its consistently quirky characters, plots and settings, and has produced some of the most famous and memorable comic actors and characters in the last fifty years. ...

Dave also regularly appears on the BBC Three show Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive, a comedy show about the making of a celebrity panel show hosted by Rob Brydon. Dave Gorman is one of the show's team captains. In 2006 he became an occasional contributor on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He also hosts his own radio series, Genius, and his documentary feature, America Unchained, was shown on More4 in February 2008. A similarly titled book is due for publication in April 2008. For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 3. ... Rob Brydons Annually Retentive is a BBC Three television show, which first aired in the UK in July 2006. ... Rob Brydon (born Robert Brydon Jones, 3 May 1965, Swansea[1]) is a Welsh Actor, comedian and impressionist most famous for his role as Keith Barret in the BBC comedy Marion and Geoff and its spin-off The Keith Barret Show, as well as the host of panel quiz Rob... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel in the United States. ... Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart on the set of The Daily Show The Daily Show (currently The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, also known as TDS to fans and staffers) is a half-hour satirical fake news program produced by and run on the Comedy Central cable television network in... More4 is a digital television channel, produced by United Kingdom broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. ...

Gorman is a vegetarian; a fact that he revealed in the documentary film Dave Gorman In America Unchained. He lists his hobbies as photography, cycling and playing poker. Staffordshire University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2006. For animals adapted to eat primarily plants, sometimes referred to as vegetarian animals, see Herbivore. ... Photography [fәtɑgrәfi:],[foʊtɑgrәfi:] is the process of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or electronic sensor. ... Police officer on a bicycle Cycling is a means of transport, a form of recreation and a sport. ... For the domestic fireplace tool, see fireplace poker. ... Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford & Lichfield. ...

Early work

Dave Gorman is a former stand-up comedian and comedy writer. As a writer he contributed to two series featuring Jenny Eclair, and to The Mrs Merton Show. His other writing credits include Harry Hill and Steve Coogan. Jenny Eclair (born Jenny Clare Hargreaves on 16 March 1960 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) is a comedian, actress and novelist, working in the United Kingdom. ... The Mrs Merton Show was a mock talk show starring Caroline Aherne as Mrs Merton. ... Dr Matthew Hall (born October 1, 1964), better known as Harry Roy Hill, is an English stand-up comedian and author who has graduated to being a star of British television by way of a BBC radio series Harry Hills Fruit Corner. ... Stephen John Steve Coogan (born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, impressionist, and comedian. ...

Gorman's first one man "documentary style" show was entitled Reasons to be Cheerful. Billed as "a ninety minute show based on a four minute pop song", it was based on the song "Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3" by Ian Dury and the Blockheads. The show examined the song's lyrics in detail, with a view to examining whether or not each of the items listed in the song were really reasons to be cheerful. The show was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1998, and toured theatres afterwards. Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3 is a song and single by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, initially released as the single BUY 50 Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3 / Common as Muck issued on July 20th 1979 and reached number 3 in the UK singles Chart the following month. ... Ian Dury (May 12, 1942 - March 27, 2000) was a rock and roll singer, songwriter, and bandleader. ... Categories: Festival stubs | Edinburgh ...

His second full length show Dave Gorman's Better World was first performed in Edinburgh in 1999. For the show he wrote anonymous letters to thousands of local newspapers and asked the public to suggest ways in which one man can make the world a better place. He then attempted to carry out their suggestions in order to determine their efficacy.

Are You Dave Gorman?

Main article: Are You Dave Gorman?

Dave Gorman shot to fame following a drunken bet with his flatmate Danny Wallace. The bet was thus: Dave claimed that he shared the name "Dave Gorman" with the assistant manager of East Fife F.C. and that there must be "loads" of others around. Danny disagreed with him. So the two travelled to Methil (from London — several hundred miles), with a polaroid camera, to meet the assistant manager, whose name was indeed Dave Gorman. The bet soon evolved into a monster: on the way to meet Dave Gormans numbers four and five, Danny decided Dave must meet one for every card in the deck (including the Jokers). His quest to meet this target was described, highlights including 5 people changing their name by deed poll (two of whom were women), and a trip to New York that resulted in failure when he discovered the man he'd gone to meet was not Dave Gorman, but B. David Gorman and therefore was ineligible. The trip to New York also included meeting an actor who had played a character called David Gorman, the validity of which is hotly contested in the book. Are you Dave Gorman? is the title of a show by the British documentary comedian Dave Gorman and the book of the same name, co-written by Gorman and Danny Wallace. ... Daniel Frederick Wallace (born 16 November 1976) is a British documentary comedian, writer, television and radio presenter on XFM, living in London. ... East Fife Football Club (known informally as The Fife or The Fifers) is a Scottish football club based in the Fife coastal town of Methil. ... Methil is a town in South East Fife, Scotland, situated near the mouth of the River Leven on the Firth of Forth between Buckhaven and Leven. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding only to a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an active intention. ...

Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment

His second television series, broadcast on BBC Two, was entitled Dave Gorman's Important Astrology Experiment, and was quite a novel and unexpected idea for a comedy show, being based upon the idea of a controlled scientific experiment, although naturally not a serious one. The series had six episodes. For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... In the scientific method, an experiment (Latin: ex- periri, of (or from) trying) is a set of observations performed in the context of solving a particular problem or question, to retain or falsify a hypothesis or research concerning phenomena. ...

The premise was that it would test whether or not astrology really worked. Over the course of forty days, he would try to follow any instructions given to people with his star sign in a selection of horoscopes, while his "control experiment" (his twin brother, Nick) ignored them. Each would record the events of each day, and how they fared in each of three areas of life: love, health, and wealth. On each episode of the show, Dave would show footage of the amusing situations he got into by trying to follow his horoscope, and then asked a panel of "experts", agony aunt Denise Robertson (love), GMTV's Dr. Hilary Jones (health), and financial expert Alvin Hall (money), in the studio to assess how he had fared in the three areas. Following an audience vote, Dave would display on a "happiness graph" the difference between how he and his twin brother had fared that week, and whether it showed that astrology had produced a positive effect, a negative effect, or no significant effect at all. Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... Astrological represent twelve equal segments or divisions of the zodiac. ... A horoscope calculated for January 1, 2000 at 12:01:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time in New York City, New York, USA (Longitude: 074W0023 - Latitude: 40N4251). In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and... For other uses, see Love (disambiguation). ... For the business meaning, see Wealth (economics). ... Denise Robertson (born June 1934, in Sunderland, England) is a British Agony aunt, on british television. ... GMTV (Good Morning Television) is a national British breakfast television station owned by ITV plc (75%) and The Walt Disney Company (25%). It has held the license for the breakfast Channel 3 franchise since 1993, when it outbid the previous 6am-9. ... Alvin D. Hall is a financial adviser, author and presenter of the BBC television programme Your Money or Your Life // [edit] Early life Alvin was born in rural Florida, south of Tallahassee to a family of farmers, day workers and fishermen. ...

The results of the 'experiment' were dramatic indeed. The various charts showed that his overall happiness, love and wealth steadily began to recede over time (especially wealth as he was forced to travel excessively). Throughout the experiment he had numerous adventures, including traveling to New York to meet a long lost friend and then leaving a few hours later because he was ordered to spend as much time at home as possible, standing in Covent Garden on one leg with his foot in a bucket of water, a tangerine in one hand, and some breakfast cereal in the other, in a bowl that cost £85 from Harrods singing the National Anthem backwards (literally taken from one very odd horoscope), and the ethical trauma of reading a pornographic magazine at Sunday lunch in front of his mother. This article is about the state. ... Covent Garden is a district in London, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest corner of the London Borough of Camden. ... Harrods is a department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. ... The Sunday roast is a traditional British and Irish main meal on a Sunday, consisting of roasted meat with accompaniments. ...

He showed that his wealth was rapidly declining, as were happiness and love, until, on the last day he invested the last of his money to travel to Dubai to watch a golf tournament (the Dubai Desert Classic) and bet on Ian Woosnam, a golfer that shared his birthday (and would therefore share his luck). He emptied his account to travel there and, using his lucky number of the day from each of the 40 days of his experiment to determine how much he should bet, went ahead with the plan. However, he then found out that not only was gambling illegal in the country, but also that his lucky number indicated he should bet 2903 Dirhim, which at the time was 549 pounds sterling - a feat impossible since he was now out of funds. Ultimately he borrowed the money from his mother and asked her to bet the sum on Ian Woosnam to win the match of the day - as he had been instructed by his horoscope. Location of Dubai in the UAE Coordinates: , Country Emirate Dubai Incorporated (town) June 9, 1833 Incorporated (emirate) December 2, 1971 Founder Maktoum bin Bati bin Suhail (1833) Seat Dubai Subdivisions Towns and villages Jebel Ali Hatta Al Hunaiwah Al Aweer Al Hajarain Al Lusayli Al Marqab Al Shindagha Al Faq... 18th hole during Dubal Desert Classic 2001 The Dubai Desert Classic is an annual professional golf tournament which is usually played in February or March. ... The cover of Ian Woosnams 2003 autobiography. ... A lucky number is a natural number in a set which is generated by a sieve similar to the Sieve of Eratosthenes that generates the primes. ...

With his happiness at an all time low, love scraping the bottom and his finances in an extremely negative position, the experts, his mother, Danny, the crowd and, of course, Dave himself could only hope the bet would pay off - which it ultimately did at odds long enough to place him not only back at level wealth, but supplying him with twice as much cash as he had started off with.

Therefore, he "proved" that astrology works and has made him happier than the control.

Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure

In 2003, he toured Britain with a show entitled Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure, and published a book of the same name. It is another true story. At 31 Dave decided to give up his stupid ways, grow a beard and write a novel. As a result Dave believes people took him more seriously and a new novel was commissioned. Whilst trying to write a novel for his publisher (Random House) Dave became obsessed with Googlewhacks, when someone notified him that his site had one (Francophile Namesakes), and caused him to travel across the world finding people who had authored them (one of whom turned out to be one of the Dave Gormans he had met in his first adventure). He eventually spent his publisher's advance on the quest, and had to create the Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure show to pay them back. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... // Random House is a publishing house based in New York City. ... A Googlewhack is a Google search query consisting of two words, that returns a single result. ...

This show was premiered at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and then went on to sell out for a two week run at the Sydney Opera House (albeit in its smallest venue: Studio Theatre). It also sold out in a major venue at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe (George Square Theatre) before embarking on a major UK tour of 75 shows in the space of 3 months. It won Dave the award for Best One Person Show at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, an award he had previously won for the show Are You Dave Gorman? He ended up writing a book about his Googlewhack Adventure which went on to be the Sunday Times Number One Best Seller. During his "Googlewhack Adventure", Gorman had a nervous breakdown which he discusses frankly in the show. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... A street performer on the Royal Mile, with volunteer (2004). ... For other uses, see HBO (disambiguation). ... US Comedy Arts Festival is a comedy festival held each year in Aspen, Colorado. ... The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city and the county seat of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. ... The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International which is in turn owned by News Corporation. ...

In 2004, a DVD of the popular Googlewhack Adventure was released which was filmed at Swansea Grand Theatre. Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Grand Theatre is the most well known venue in Swansea for the performing arts located in the heart of the city. ...

In 2005, he toured the U.S. and performed his Googlewhack show in several cities including Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, he appeared on The Tonight Show elaborating on his travels and his quest. This tour, in which he stayed at chain motels and experienced corporate America, led Dave to undertake a road-trip across the USA in which he avoided such hotels and corporate gas stations in favour of family owned businesses. The road trip was documented as the book and film America Unchained. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Genius

He hosts a BBC Radio 4 show called Genius, in which members of the public submit suggestions to make a better world. Gorman and a guest then assess the idea in order to determine whether it qualifies as "genius". One series of five episodes was broadcast between 27 October and 24 November 2005, with a CD of the first series was released on 27 November 2006. The second series was broadcast between 7 September and 12 October 2006, with a CD released in 7 January 2008 and a third series between 1 October and 5 November 2007. He's made many references to disliking Darren Day in various episodes of the show. A pilot for a television version was recorded on 23rd November.^[2] old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... Darren Day (born July 17, 1968) is an English actor, singer and television presenter. ...

The series was created by Ali Crockatt and David Scott, and is produced by Simon Nicholls. Simon Nicholls (born 14th December 1977, in London) is a Radio and TV comedy producer at the BBC. Simon grew up in Oxford and was educated at Christ Church Cathedral School (Oxford) and St Edwards School (Oxford) before reading Law at the University of East Anglia. ...

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

On April 24, 2006, Gorman made his first appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in which he was credited as the show's Senior New Correspondent. On April 27th, he debuted as the host of the show's satirical statistical analysis piece called "Poll Smoking with Dave Gorman". He was the first Daily Show correspondent to have been born in England, and the third Daily Show correspondent to have been born outside of the United States. His most recent appearance on the show was on October 5th, 2006. He has also appeared co-hosting a segment called "ConTROVersy" with the Daily Show's other English correspondent, John Oliver, in which the pair calmly and genteelly discussed former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair over tea, parodying American stereotypes of Britons. is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart on the set of The Daily Show The Daily Show (currently The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, also known as TDS to fans and staffers) is a half-hour satirical fake news program produced by and run on the Comedy Central cable television network in... is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Oliver (born 1977[1]) is a British comedian and correspondent on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency...

Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive

Gorman starred in the BBC Three TV series Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive. In the show Gorman plays a version of himself in the role of a team captain on the deliberately lame mock comedy 'panel game'. The show concerns the making of a comedy panel game show called Annually Retentive, themed around historical events, and hosted by Rob Brydon. The show is deliberately parodic, while the game show blatantly steals ideas from other, similar shows such as Have I Got News For You and Never Mind The Buzzcocks. For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 3. ... Rob Brydons Annually Retentive is a BBC Three television show, which first aired in the UK in July 2006. ... Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show; produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been running since 1990. ... NMTB directs here. ...

America Unchained

Between October and December 2006, Dave Gorman undertook a coast to coast road trip across the United States of America. A book about the trip, entitled America Unchained: A Freewheeling Roadtrip In Search of Non-Corporate USA, was released on 3 April 2008. The rationale for the trip was to discover whether it is possible to travel across the USA without ever patronising any corporate or chain-style businesses. Thus Dave ate, slept and filled his car in restaurants, hotels and gas stations which were privately owned. is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ...

A documentary film of the adventure was also made and was aired on the British TV channel More4 on 5 February 2008 and released on DVD on 11 February. In 2007, it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at the Austin Film Festival. More4 is a digital television channel, produced by United Kingdom broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} BBC - h2g2 - 'Are You Dave Gorman?' - by Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace - the Book. BBC. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
2. ^ Wolf, Ian (2007-09-19). A Genius TV programme (English). British Sitcom Guide. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Dave Gorman's website
• Dave Gorman's photos on Flickr
• Interview – from the B3ta website.
• BBC Genius page
• Dave Gorman's Blog
• Poll Smoking With Dave Gorman video