Dave Spikey is without doubt, one of the most talented comedians of the past 20 years - and one of the most successful too.
Born in Farnworth in the north-west of England as one David Bramwell in 195, his fame as a stand-up comedian wasn't always that way. With a name like that he felt honour bound to move into the health industry, and spent his early career working as a scientist in the haematology (that's blood) laboratory at the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Having scripted and performed in a number of amateur shows and pantos with fellow health workers in the Bolton Health Performers, Dave had also dabbled in stand-up both on his own and as part of a form a double act Spikey and Sykey with his friend Rick Sykes. Their most notable success came on ITV's infamous New Faces show but by then Dave Spikey was already North West Comedian of the Year in 1990 and was a regular on the northern comedy circuit, once supporting Jack Dee, Max Boyce, Cannon and Ball and Eddie Izzard all in the space of one week.
He was the last host of UK game show Chain Letters in 1997, following on from such giants of the genre as Jeremy Beadle, Andrew O'Connor and Ted Robbins, but by then he had also met fellow Boltonian Peter Kay and TV history was born. Having first worked together on the comedy ‘Mad for the A6’ for ITV and then The Services for Ch 4's Comedy Lab, it was when they wrote That Peter Kay Thing, for Channel Four that they struck gold which scooped the Best New TV Comedy at the British Comedy Awards in 2000.
At this time, Dave Spikey, by now Chief Biomedical Scientist, finally gave up the day job although he didn't forget his past. When he appeared on Celebrity Mastermind in 2006, he won the show with the specialist subject of human blood.
From then on, Northern comic Dave Spikey never looked back, co-writing and co-starring with comedian Peter Kay in the legendary show about northern club life Phoenix Nights. The show ran for two series with Dave playing "the compere without compare" Jerry St Clair, himself a great comedian as well as a great comic character. A comedy masterpiece and one of the greatest sitcoms of modern times, Phoenix Nights won the People's Choice Award at the 2002 British Comedy Awards and Dave enjoyed a personal nomination for Best Comedy Newcomer. It was also nominated for a prestigious BAFTA Award, only losing out to Ricky Gervais' The Office.
Having achieved his writing dream and using his phenomenal success to great effect, Dave returned to his first love as a stand-up comedian and in 2003 he embarked on his first ever national tour - the ironically titled Overnight Success Tour - and was soon able to convince people outside the north of England that he is a true master of comedy and a first class live performer.
He even got to appear as guest of another professional northerner on Parkinson, alongside former Beatle Paul McCartney, and in the same week appeared in front of the Queen at The Royal Variety Performance on a bill that also included one of his idols Shirley Bassey.
In 2005, he joined an all-star comedy cast at London's Apollo Theatre for Comic Aid, in aid of the Asian Tsunami. A second nationwide tour followed the same year under another apt banner in Living the Dream, to further critical acclaim and then in 2008 and most of 2009 he was out and about the length and breadth of Britain once more with the Best Medicine tour. All of his live tour shows are available on best selling DVDs.
While stand-up comedy and variety entertainment remain his great love, Dave remains a prolific writer. He wrote and co-starred in ITV's affectionate and local newspaper comedy drama Dead Man Weds, starring Dave Spikey and Johnny Vegas, a subject he was to return to in 2009 with his first book, the brilliantly titled He Took My Kidney and Broke My Heart. This was followed by the BBC comedy drama Magnolia about an ex-convicts painting and decorating firm starring Ralph Ineson and Mark Benton.
He is also a regular team captain on Channel 4's popular comedy quiz show 8 Out of 10 Cats. He was the perfect choice to replace Jim Bowen in the remake of the classic game show Bullseye for Challenge and has also appeared as a celebrity judge on the primetime Saturday night BBC1 talent series When Will I Be Famous? and on improvised comedy game show Would I Lie To You?.
A devout vegetarian and animal lover, he does lots of work and comedy benefits for charities Animal Asia and Pet Rehome, as well as providing a home himself to a whole variety of rescued animals over the years. Dave Spikey is also the voice of cancer research, working alongside Rob Brydon on the recent Smoke Free radio campaigns.
Two other comedy concepts, Footballers Lives, based around a Sunday football team, and Sour Grapes about a group of friends who buy a French vineyard are currently being developed by the BBC.
WHAT THE CRITICS SAID
“A super stand-up. He walks the tightrope between the everyday and the surreal, pausing occasionally to plant a foot down firmly on either side” The Guardian
"Relaxed, visual and hilariously funny" Time Out
"Sell your first born for one ticket...” North West Evening News
