David Nicholas O'Doherty (; born 18 December 1975) is an Irish comedian, author, musician, actor and playwright and son of renowned jazz pianist Jim Doherty. His stand-up has won many international awards including the if.comedy award in 2008 and Best International Comedian at the 2014 Sydney Comedy Festival. He attended Trinity College Dublin, where his comedy career began. "I spent a lot of my time introducing things", he says, "concerts and bands, that sort of thing". "I remember my brother once bet me I couldn't get the word 'spaghetti' into an introduction for a piano recital in the Edmund Burke so I stood-up and said 'my brother has bet me I can't say the word spaghetti' and I got a laugh." O'Doherty has written several books, written two plays and released three comedy CDs. His latest book for children, ''Danger Is Everywhere'', illustrated by Chris Judge has been selected for the UNESCO Dublin, City of Literature Citywide Reading Campaign. In 2015 it was published in 10 languages around the world. He regards himself as "a failed jazz musician, scrambling about for something else to do with his life".

Style

O'Doherty combines his comedic performance with tunes played on his miniature

electronic keyboard An electronic keyboard, portable keyboard, or digital keyboard is an electronic musical instrument, an electronic derivative of keyboard instruments. Electronic keyboards include synthesizers, digital pianos, stage pianos, electronic organs an ...

. He describes his style of comedy in his song "FAQ for the DOD" as "very low energy musical whimsy" – or "VLEMWy", for short.

Comedic career

O'Doherty worked in a bicycle shop and in telemarketing and

temping Temporary work or temporary employment (also called gigs) refers to an employment situation where the working arrangement is limited to a certain period of time based on the needs of the employing organization. Temporary employees are sometimes ...

before he made his first stage appearance at Dublin's Comedy Cellar in 1998. His first full show was ''The Story of the Boy Who Saved Comedy'' which received a nomination for Perrier Best Newcomer when it was performed at Edinburgh Fringe. In 2006, he was nominated for an if.comedy award for his Edinburgh show, ''David O'Doherty Is My Name''. O'Doherty has performed at festivals across the world in locations that include Adelaide, Melbourne, Montreal, New York City and Wellington NZ, Moscow and Iceland. As a support act he first toured Ireland with

Tommy Tiernan Tommy Tiernan (; born 16 June 1969) is an Irish comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for hosting ''The Tommy Tiernan Show'' (2017–present) and playing Gerry in the sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022). Early life Tiernan was born in ...

, the United Kingdom with

Rich Hall Richard Travis Hall (born June 10, 1954) is an American comedian, writer, documentary maker and musician, first coming to prominence as a sketch comedian in the 1980s. He wrote and performed for a range of American networks, in series such as ...

and the United States with Demetri Martin. he has since returned to those places with his own tours. He has often worked with

Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comed ...

. in 2006 and 2008 he performed as part of the ''Honourable Men of Art'' at the Edinburgh Fringe, along with

Daniel Kitson Daniel John Kitson (born 2 July 1977) is an English comedian and writer. Early life Daniel John Kitson was born in Denby Dale on 2 July 1977, the son of a primary school headteacher mother and a lecturer father. He was a pupil at Scissett Midd ...

John Oliver John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Oliver started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom. He came to wider attention ...

, Andy Zaltzman and Alun Cochrane. In August 2008, O'Doherty won the If.comedy award at the Edinburgh Fringe for his show ''Let's Comedy'', which featured "a

relationship Relationship most often refers to: * Family relations and relatives: consanguinity * Interpersonal relationship, a strong, deep, or close association or acquaintance between two or more people * Correlation and dependence, relationships in mathem ...

in text messages, tunes played on a 3ft electronic keyboard, and a badger attack". He was presented with the 2008 Intelligent Finance Comedy Award and a cheque for £8,000 (€10,000) by the previous winner Brendon Burns and the Australian author and television presenter

Clive James Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.Edinburgh Fringe every year since with a new show, that he has toured around the world for much of the following year. His first CD ''Giggle Me Timbers (Jokes Ahoy)'' was recorded at his

bedsit A bedsit, bedsitter, or bed-sitting room is a form of accommodation common in some parts of the United Kingdom which consists of a single room per occupant with all occupants typically sharing a bathroom. Bedsits are included in a legal category ...

flat in front of 35 people. O'Doherty's second CD release called ''Let's David O'Doherty'' was recorded at Whelan's in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and released in December 2009. His third CD ''We Are Not The Champions'' was recorded in the same venue and was released in 2012.

Edinburgh Fringe shows

Awards and nominations for stand-up comedy

O'Doherty has been decorated with numerous awards for his achievements in comedy. In 1999, he won the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

So You Think You're Funny So You Think You're Funny? (SYTYF) is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 in the United Kingdom. The finals are held every August at The Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Past wi ...

Comedy Competition at the Edinburgh Fringe and was also a finalist in the

BBC New Comedy Awards The BBC New Comedy Award first took place in 1995, and it is considered to be one of the top UK comedy newcomer awards. It was axed in 2006, being replaced by a nationwide talent hunt that places its emphasis on sketch writing and filmed perform ...

in the same year. He has received the accolade of '' Hot Press'' Irish Comedian of the Year in 2003 and 2010. In 2000, he was nominated for Perrier Best Newcomer Award for his show, ''David O'Doherty: The Boy Who Saved Comedy'' followed in 2006 by a nomination for The if.comeddie award for his show, ''David O'Doherty is My Name'' He eventually won the if.comedy Award (formerly the Perrier Award) in 2008 for ''Let's Comedy''. In 2009 O'Doherty was made honorary president of The Monumental Brass Society, after a particularly well received routine on brass rubbing at the previous year's Edinburgh Fringe. St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, is his favourite place for brass rubbing. He was also nominated for the Barry Award at the

Melbourne International Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the second-largest international comedy festival in the world. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typicall ...

in 2006 and in 2014 received the award for Best International Comedian at the Sydney Comedy Festival. , - , 1999 , , Edinburgh Fringe , ,

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, , , - , 2008 , , ''Let's Comedy'' , , If.comedy award , , , - , 2014 , , ''David O’Doherty Will Try To Fix Everything'' , , Best International Comedian Sydney Comedy Festival Awards , ,

Television career

O'Doherty appears regularly on BBC and Channel 4 TV shows including '' QI'', '' 8 Out of 10 Cats'', ''

Never Mind the Buzzcocks ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' is a British comedy panel game show with a pop music theme. It has aired on Sky Max since September 2021, having originally aired between November 1996 and January 2015 on BBC Two. The original series was first hoste ...

'' and '' Would I Lie to You?''. In June 2012 he became the first Irish comedian to have their own ''Comedy Central Presents'' episode on American television. In May 2007, O'Doherty's first

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

, ''The Modest Adventures of David O'Doherty'', began airing on

RTÉ Two (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

. The six-part series was directed by John Carney, following the completion of his

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * '' Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Foot Pole, 2022 ...

film ''

Once Once means a one-time occurrence. Once may refer to: Music * ''Once'' (Pearl Jam song), a 1991 song from the album ''Ten'' * ''Once'' (Roy Harper album), a 1990 album by Roy Harper * ''Once'' (The Tyde album), a 2001 debut album by The Tyd ...

''. The premise of each episode was to have the comedian attempt to achieve a goal which he set for himself. The show features O'Doherty, his neighbour Bryan, and his friend

Maeve Higgins Maeve Anna Higgins (born 24 March 1981) is a comedian from Cobh, County Cork, Ireland and is based in New York. She was a principal actor and writer of the RTÉ television production '' Naked Camera'', as well as for her own show ''Maeve Higgi ...

. A running gag in the show is a reference to

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

Stephen Roche.

Radio appearances

O'Doherty appeared on ''

The Jon Richardson Show ''The Jon Richardson Show'' was a weekly radio show on BBC 6 Music, which was created due to the departure of Russell Howard from ''The Russell Howard Show'', which Jon Richardson (entertainer), Jon Richardson co-hosted with Russell. The show was ...

'' on

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

on 23 November 2008 and on 8 November 2009. He is a regular panelist on David Mitchell's Radio 4 series '' The Unbelievable Truth''.

Literary career

O'Doherty has written widely for newspapers and magazines and also has two plays, two books and a

radio series A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

to his name. His debut book was a children's book entitled ''Ronan Long Gets It Wrong'', written in 2001. It was illustrated by

David Roberts David or Dave Roberts may refer to: Arts and literature * David Roberts (painter) (1796–1864), Scottish painter * David Roberts (art collector), Scottish contemporary art collector * David Roberts (novelist), English editor and mystery writer ...

and published by Mammoth Storybooks. His first play is entitled ''Saddled'' and was written with Bryan Quinn. It was claimed as "the world's first theatrical production to feature live repair of audience members' bicycles". In 2008, he and fellow Irish comedian

performed ''I Can't Sleep'', a play recommended for children aged 5–8. This was O'Doherty's first play for children. The play, which involved the audience entering the theatre to find both performers asleep in separate beds, was performed in both Dublin and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. He has also written a series for

RTÉ Radio RTÉ Radio is a division of the Irish national broadcasting organisation Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Radio broadcasts four analogue channels and five digital channels nationwide. Founded in January 1926 as 2RN, the first broadcaster in th ...

about

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

detectives with his brother Mark, entitled ''The Bees of Manulla''. O'Doherty released a book detailing 100 false facts about pandas called ''100 Facts About Pandas''. He followed this up with ''100 Facts About Sharks'' which is 100 false facts about

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...

s. In 2014 he and illustrator, Chris Judge, released a children's book, ''Danger Is Everywhere: A Handbook for Avoiding Danger''.

Filmography

In 2008, O'Doherty starred alongside comedian

Dylan Moran Dylan William Moran ( ; born 3 November 1971) is an Irish comedian, writer, actor, artist and poet. He is best known for his observational comedy, the comedy series ''Black Books'' (which he co-wrote and starred in), and his work with Simon Peg ...

, Keith Allen and

Neil Jordan Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. His first book, '' Night in Tunisia'', won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979. He won an Academy ...

in ''

A Film with Me in It ''A Film With Me in It'' is a 2008 Irish film directed by Ian Fitzgibbon and written by Mark Doherty. The film is a black comedy that follows Mark (also Mark Doherty) and Pierce (Dylan Moran), an unsuccessful actor and a failing writer respective ...

'', a cinematic release written by and starring his brother Mark Doherty.

Discography

O'Doherty has also released five live audio albums, ''Giggle Me Timbers (or Jokes Ahoy!)'', recorded in front of 35 people in his studio apartment and ''Let's David O'Doherty'' (2009), ''We Are Not The Champions'' (2012) and ''You Only Live'' (2015) recorded at Whelan's in Dublin. ''Live in His Own Car During A Pandemic'' was recorded in his car in June 2020.

References

External links

Official site
*
''Modest Adventures''
at

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

RTÉ press release
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Odoherty, David 1975 births Living people Irish comedy musicians Irish male comedians Irish stand-up comedians Musicians from County Dublin People educated at St Michael's College, Dublin