David Earl | |
---|---|
Birth name | David Geoffrey Earl |
Born | [1] | 9 March 1974
Medium | Stand-up comedy, actor, writer |
Years active | 2006–present |
Genres | Cringe comedy, Dark comedy, Surreal humour |
David Geoffrey Earl (born 9 March 1974) is a British actor and comedian, best known for his comedy character Brian Gittins. He has featured in several projects associated with Ricky Gervais, most notably as Kevin "Kev" Twine in the comedy-drama Derek , and in smaller roles in Extras , After Life and the film Cemetery Junction . Earl also works frequently with comic Joe Wilkinson. Together they co-wrote and starred in the sitcom Rovers, and the comedy series The Cockfields . They also host three podcasts called Gossipmongers, Chatabix and You Don't Know What You're Doing. He also co-wrote and starred in the feature film Brian and Charles where he plays an isolated inventor who builds a robot.
Earl was born in Crawley on 9 March 1974. [2] Before undertaking acting roles, Earl worked as a gardener, [3] a greenkeeper at a golf club, a van driver delivering building tools, and a window cleaner.
One of Earl's earliest online videos featured him playing a character called Graham, which he sent to a friend who showed it to Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. They liked the video and Gervais asked Earl to play an obsessive fan, based on the character from the video, who talks to Andy Millman in a pub in an episode of Extras. Around this time Earl played Tony Queen in the film The Penalty King. [4]
Earl went on to create a number of online videos in character as Brian Gittins and played this role in the film Cemetery Junction. [5] In 2012 a sitcom pilot entitled Gittins was broadcast on Channel 4. [6] In the pilot Gittins works as a taxi driver: previously the character had been a cafe owner and this discrepancy is highlighted in an episode of the podcast Flatshare Slamdown, in which Earl appears as Brian. [7] He releases regular Brian Gittins and Friends podcasts. [8]
Another of Earl's characters is Steve "Cumbo" Cumberland, who features in a number of online videos, including a Channel 4 Comedy Blaps series, co-written with Brett Goldstein. [9]
In 2011, Earl was revealed to be the person behind the popular Twitter account of Dr Peter Thraft, a supposed sex therapist. [5]
Earl has three children and lives in Devon with his wife Naomi. [10]
Year | Title | Role | Episodes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | TFI Friday | Mrs Evans (comedy skit as a man wearing a bride's gown) | s3 e23 episode | |
2006 | Extras | Obsessive fan | 1 episode | |
2006 | The Penalty King | Tony Queen | Film | |
2007 | The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | George | 1 episode | |
2010 | Cemetery Junction | Brian | Film | |
2011 | Job Culture | Doorman | Film | |
2012 | 4Funnies | Brian Gittins | 1 episode | Writer |
2012–2014 | Derek | Kevin "Kev" Twine | 14 episodes | |
2016 | Rovers | Bruce | 6 episodes | Writer and associate producer |
2017 | Drunk History | 1 episode | ||
2017 | Brian and Charles | Brian | Short | Writer |
2019–2022 | After Life | Brian | 15 episodes | |
2018 | Sick Note | Paul | 1 episode | |
2019 | The Cockfields | John | 3 episodes | Writer and Associate producer |
2022 | Brian and Charles | Brian | Film | Writer |
2023 | Apocalypse Clown | Bobo | Film |
A live radio show hosted on Spreaker from 2012-2017, where Brian played the role of 'the worst radio presenter in the world'. Callers would Skype in from around the world, and these included David Edwards and Charles Petrescu. [11]
Brian, David Edwards and Charles Petrescu have a chat with various comedians. It started in 2016, with guests including John Kearns, Lolly Adefope, and Scroobius Pip. [12]
In 2019, David Earl, Joe Wilkinson and Poppy Hillstead began a podcast called Gossipmongers, a weekly podcast where listeners send in unsubstantiated rumours. At the end of each episode they choose their favourite piece of gossip from that episode. In September 2020 Hillstead was removed from the podcast [13] [14] without any public explanation from Earl or Wilkinson. The podcast continued without Hillstead and all mention of her was removed including the entire back catalogue being deleted. The podcast quietly came to an end with the final full episode in February 2022. Earl and Wilkinson have both suggested there are no plans to bring it back.
In 2021, David Earl and Joe Wilkinson began a podcast called Chatabix, originally a daily weekday podcast recorded very early in the morning. From the Summer of 2023 it is now 3 episodes a week released Tuesday to Thursday where they chat to each other as well as special guests including Ben Rufus Green their co-star from The Cockfields
In 2021, David Earl and Joe Wilkinson began a podcast called My New Football Club. The show is now presented by Earl, Jon Beer and Alfie Indra after Wilkinson left the podcast due to time commitment. The podcast was originally about David becoming a new fan of Exeter City and now provides regular updates on Exeter City including interviews with staff as well as famous fans of other teams. [15] In 2024, the podcast was rebranded to You Don't Know What You're Doing.
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, writer, producer, director and musician. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms The Office (2001–2003), Extras (2005–2007), and Life's Too Short (2011–2013) with Stephen Merchant. He also created, wrote and starred in Derek (2012–2014) and After Life (2019–2022).
Adam Offord Buxton is an English actor, comedian, podcaster and writer. With the filmmaker Joe Cornish, he is part of the comedy duo Adam and Joe. They presented the Channel 4 television series The Adam and Joe Show (1996–2001) and the BBC Radio 6 Music series Adam and Joe.
Stephen James Merchant is an English comedian, actor, director, and writer. He was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series The Office (2001–2003), and co-writer, co-director, and co-star of both Extras (2005–2007) and Life's Too Short (2011–2013) alongside Ricky Gervais. With Gervais and Karl Pilkington, he hosted The Ricky Gervais Show in its radio, podcast, audiobook, and television formats; the radio version won a bronze Sony Award. He also provided the voice of the robotic "Intelligence Dampening Sphere" Wheatley in the 2011 video game Portal 2. Merchant co-developed the Sky One travel documentary series An Idiot Abroad (2010–2012) and co-created Lip Sync Battle (2015–2019).
Marc David Maron is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician.
Robert Young Lee Jr. is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. Lee co-hosts the podcast Bad Friends with Andrew Santino. He also co-hosts the podcast TigerBelly with Khalyla Kuhn.
Brian Posehn is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, musician, and writer. After numerous appearances as a television guest star, Posehn acquired his first major recurring role in HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995–1998). He is known for his roles as Jim Kuback on The WB's Mission Hill and Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program. Posehn had a recurring role on The Big Bang Theory as geologist Bert Kibbler.
Daniel Renton Skinner is an English actor and comedy writer, working in stage, film and television. Skinner often performs as the character Angelos Epithemiou, and is also one half of the Brian and Roger podcast.
Pappy's, originally known as Pappy's Fun Club, is a British three-man comedy act, composed of comedians Ben Clark, Matthew Crosby and Tom Parry. The sketch troupe previously performed shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but now mostly talk on podcasts about balconies and spaghetti. They regularly produce podcasts under the Pappy's Flatshare heading, and created and starred in the BBC Three sitcom Badults.
David Wayne Spade is an American stand-up comedian, actor and podcaster. His comedic style, in both his stand-up material and acting roles, relies heavily on sarcasm and self-deprecation.
Diane Morgan is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has portrayed Philomena Cunk on the review programme Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe (2013–2020) and in the mockumentary series Cunk on Britain (2018) and Cunk on Earth (2022). She also played Liz on the BBC Two sitcom Motherland (2016–2022) and Kath in the Netflix dark comedy series After Life (2019–2022), as well as writing and starring in the BBC Two comedy series Mandy (2019–present).
Joseph Roland Wilkinson is an English comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He began his comedy career in 2004 and has supported Alan Carr and Russell Howard on tour. In 2006, Wilkinson won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year. He has also made numerous appearances on television programmes such as Live at the Electric and has been touring solo since 2011. He began appearing on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown in 2012, initially as Rachel Riley's assistant. He has since gone on to become a frequent panellist or guest team captain. He is also in the comedy duo Two Episodes of Mash, alongside Diane Morgan. In 2019 Wilkinson won a celebrity special version of The Great British Bake Off.
Derek is a British comedy-drama television series starring, written by and directed by Ricky Gervais. The pilot was produced by Derek Productions Ltd. for Channel 4 and aired on 12 April 2012. Channel 4 describes the show as "A bittersweet comedy drama about a group of outsiders living on society's margins".
Ben Rufus Green is an actor and comedian from Canterbury, Kent, England, known for playing David in The Cockfields, and his own sketch comedy videos online, under the alias greensville.
Katie Cariad Lloyd is a British comedian, actress, writer, and podcaster. She is a member of the improvisational comedy group Austentatious, the host and creator of Griefcast, and an improv teacher.
Joe DeRosa is an American Stand-up comedian, actor, restaurateur and podcaster.
Philip Nathaniel Wang Sin Goi is a British-Malaysian stand-up comedian and comedy writer who is a member of the sketch comedy group Daphne, and co-creator of their BBC Radio 4 series, Daphne Sounds Expensive. He currently hosts the comedy podcast ‘BudPod’ with fellow comedian and Footlights alumnus Pierre Novellie.
Rachel Sarah Parris is an English comedian, musician, actress and presenter. She hosts the satirical news show Late Night Mash.
After Life is a British black comedy-drama television series created, written, executive produced, and directed by Ricky Gervais, who plays lead character Tony Johnson. It premiered on 8 March 2019 on Netflix. The second series premiered on 24 April 2020. The third and final series premiered on 14 January 2022.
Jamie Demetriou is an English comedian, actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Bus Rodent in Fleabag and for creating, co-writing, and starring in Stath Lets Flats. For the latter, he won Best Male Actor in a Comedy, Best Writer of a Comedy, and Best Scripted Comedy at the 2020 BAFTA Awards.
The Cockfields is a British television sitcom created by Joe Wilkinson and David Earl, and produced by Yellow Door Productions for Gold. It aired over two series from 12 November 2019 until 12 November 2021, including a Christmas special, for a total of 10 episodes. In 2023, the first series was shown on BBC Two. Set on the Isle of Wight, it stars Wilkinson as Simon and Diane Morgan as his girlfriend Donna. The show begins with Simon and Donna returning to Simon's home to visit his family for his fortieth birthday. Sue Johnston plays Simon's mother Sue, Bobby Ball as his stepfather Ray, and Ben Rufus Green as his stepbrother David. The cast also includes Nigel Havers as Larry, and Sarah Parish as Melissa.
Occupation: Comedian