Dave Spikey

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Dave Spikey

Born October 6th 1951 (age 56)
Bolton, Lancashire, England
Occupation Actor, comedian, writer and producer

Dave Spikey (born David Bramwell), October 1951 in Bolton, Lancashire, is an English comedian based in Chorley, Lancashire. Spikey spent his early career working in the haematology laboratory at Bolton General Hospital. It was during this period in the 1980s that Spikey scripted and performed in a number of amateur pantomimes with a group of like-minded health workers called the Bolton Health Performers.

Contents

[edit] Bio

[edit] Early Years

In 1992, Spikey was asked to form a double act with Rick Sykes, as purely a 'one-off' to support a popular musical duo called 'Intaglio'[1]. Dave and Rick were known as Spikey and Sykey. The double act's most notable success came on Central TV's New Faces show.

A turning point came one summer Sunday evening in 1993 when Spikey got a phone call to see if 'he could get to Blackpool in half an hour'. Cannon and Ball were appearing at The Opera House and they needed a compere immediately.

He was the last host of UK gameshow Chain Letters in 1997, following on from Jeremy Beadle and Ted Robbins, among others. While working on the show, he once got trapped by the rotating Chain Letters revolving sign.

[edit] Success

Spikey won the Best Newcomer award at the Comedy Awards, and there he met Peter Kay with whom he wrote and acted in Phoenix Nights, a hit comedy series on Channel Four in which he played Jerry St. Clair. Peter Kay has announced that a new series of Phoenix Nights is to be made, however it is unknown whether Spikey will return.

In 2003, Spikey released his first DVD, The Overnight Success Tour. Towards the end of 2004, he wrote the ITV comedy-drama Dead Man Weds, in which he also co-starred, in 2005, with Johnny Vegas.

Since 2005 Spikey has been one of the regular team captains on the comedy panel game, 8 Out of 10 Cats although did not return for the series in 2007. That year also saw the release of his second live DVD, Living The Dream. He now presents the darts gameshow Bullseye on Challenge.

Spikey has two new projects in the pipeline which have been commissioned by the BBC, being Magnolia, a sitcom about painters and decorators, and Footballers Lives - a comedy about a pub football team, which was due to air by the end of 2006. He was also on the panel for talent show When Will I Be Famous?.

Because of his time at hospital, Spikey's chosen subject on Celebrity Mastermind in 2006 was Human Blood. He won this show.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Jim Bowen		 Host of Bullseye
2006- Current		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Vince Henderson		 Host of Chain Letters
1997		 Succeeded by
Series ended