Rhod Gilbert
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Rhodri Paul Gilbert (born 18 October 1968) is a Welsh comedian and television & radio presenter who was nominated in 2005 for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award. In 2008 he was nominated for the main comedy award (as the Edinburgh Comedy Awards were then branded). Gilbert appears on television and radio panel shows, has performed stand-up on the
Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
, and hosted a weekly show on
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales b ...
. In September 2014 Gilbert started presenting the
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
panel show ''
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 ...
'', ending a run of five series without a permanent host, although the show ended in May 2015.


Early life

Gilbert was born in
Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...
, Wales, one of three siblings to two teacher parents, his father hailing from
Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale (; cy, Glynebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr con ...
and his mother from
Abertillery Abertillery (; cy, Abertyleri) is a town and a community of the Ebbw Fach valley in the historic county of Monmouthshire, Wales. Following local government reorganisation it became part of the Blaenau Gwent County Borough administrative area ...
. He attended Maridunum Comprehensive School and went on to study languages at
Exeter University , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...
. For the first three weeks, such was his painful shyness that Gilbert was unable to eat with other students in the canteen or even make friends with the student in the next room. After graduating, Gilbert travelled for a year and a half around Australia and Asia before returning to Carmarthen and working as an admin assistant for the
Welsh Office The Welsh Office ( cy, Swyddfa Gymreig) was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State f ...
. He later worked as a
qualitative research Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to gather and analyse non-numerical (descriptive) data in order to gain an understanding of individuals' social reality, including understanding their attitudes, beliefs, and motivation. This ...
er for several
market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Mark ...
agencies in London.


Career


Stand-up comedy

Gilbert got into professional comedy in 2002, after taking part in
the Amused Moose ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
Stand Up and Deliver course, but only "thanks to a girlfriend’s constant nagging". Within 18 months, Gilbert had already won several different talent competitions and was nominated for the ''Perrier Newcomer'' award for his first solo show in 2005 at
Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
entitled ''1984.'' He has since performed worldwide. Many of Gilbert's stories are drawn from real life events, and his life in the wholly fictionalised village of Llanbobl. In 2008, Gilbert wrote a sitcom about life in Llanbobl, which featured on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
. In his 2006
Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
show ''Knocking on Heaven's Door'', Gilbert told stories from his life, weighing up whether he would be admitted to heaven. His 2007 show, ''Who's Eaten Gilbert's Grape?'', saw Gilbert return to Llanbobl and pick up the story following the ''1984'' show narrative. His 2008 show, ''Rhod Gilbert and the Award-Winning Mince Pie'', saw Gilbert question his sanity, his career and his life after suffering a mental breakdown brought on by the award-winning mince pie at a motorway services. On 17 December 2008, he appeared at the 80th
Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
. On 18 and 19 June 2009, Gilbert made the last performances of ''Rhod Gilbert and the Award-Winning Mince Pie'' show at the
Bloomsbury Theatre The Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre on Gordon Street, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, owned by University College London. The Theatre has a seating capacity of 547 and offers a professional programme of innovative music, drama, come ...
, which was recorded and released as a DVD on 16 November 2009. The DVD also contains several special features, including his rant about lost luggage, outtakes from the performance, in which he chats with the audience and deals with hecklers and a
mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
called ''Back to Llanbobl'' in which Gilbert shows the viewer around his fictional home town, filmed in
Talgarth Talgarth is a market town, community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century parish church and ...
, Powys. Gilbert's 2009/10 show, ''Rhod Gilbert and the Cat That Looked Like
Nicholas Lyndhurst Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and became best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' (1981–2003). He also had major roles in other ...
'' previewed around the UK in small venues before being performed at the Edinburgh Festival. The show toured UK theatres from September 2009. The tour included dates at many prestigious theatres such as London's HMV
Hammersmith Apollo The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ham ...
. A DVD of the tour was released on 15 November 2010.


Tours

* 1984 * Knocking on Heaven's Door * Who's Eaten Gilbert's Grape * The Award-Winning Mince Pie * The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst * The Man with the Flaming Battenberg Tattoo * The Book of John


Stand-up DVDs


Television

On
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
, Gilbert has made a number of guest appearances on '' Would I Lie to You?''. He has appeared five and three times respectively on the
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
panel shows '' QI'' and ''
Mock the Week ''Mock the Week'' is a British topical satirical celebrity panel show, created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson. It was produced by Angst Productions for BBC Two, and was broadcast from 5 June 2005 to 4 November 2022. The programme was present ...
'', and presented two episodes of ''
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 ...
'' in October 2009 and December 2011 before becoming the permanent presenter for the final series. He hosted three episodes of '' Have I Got News for You'' in April 2011, October 2017, and May 2018; has appeared as a guest on
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 ...
's ''
8 out of 10 Cats ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' is a British comedy panel show broadcast on Channel 4 and its sister networks, airing since 3 June 2005. The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr; the current team captains are Rob Beckett and Katherine Ryan. The show is based on ...
''; and wrote and narrated
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...
's 2007 ''Goals Galore'', ''Pranks Galore'', ''Football Gaffes Galore'' and ''TV Gaffes Galore'' programmes. He also presented BBC 2W's ''Rhod Gilbert's Teen Tribes'', providing an insight into the worlds of "
Emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...
s", "
Chav "Chav" (), also "charver", "scally" and "roadman" in parts of England, is a British term, usually used in a pejorative way. The term is used to describe an anti-social lower-class youth dressed in sportswear. * * * * "Chavette" is a related te ...
s" and "
Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...
". Gilbert was Paramount Comedy's
continuity writer In fiction, continuity is a consistency of the characteristics of people, plot, objects, and places seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time. It is relevant to several media. Continuity is particularly a concern in the production of ...
and announcer between September 2004 and October 2005, providing end-credit voice-overs for their peak time programme schedule. In December 2008, Gilbert was signed for a campaign to promote tourism in Wales and became the official Voice of Wales for the country's tourist board, fronting the 2009
Visit Wales Visit Wales ( cy, Croeso Cymru) is the Welsh Government's tourism organisation. Its aim is to promote Welsh tourism and assist the tourism industry. History The Wales Tourist Board was established in 1969 as a result of the Development of T ...
television advertising. Gilbert has reported for the BBC One current affairs/human interest show ''The One Show''. In November 2008, Gilbert appeared on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's '' Live at the Apollo'' as a guest. In December 2009, he hosted the show, introducing fellow comedian
John Bishop John Marcus Bishop (born 30 November 1966) is an English comedian, presenter, actor and former footballer. Bishop formerly played football as a midfielder for Winsford United F.C., Crewe Alexandra F.C., Runcorn F.C., Rhyl F.C., Witton Al ...
. On 6 June 2009 Gilbert appeared as the headline act on ''
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow ''Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow'' is a British stand-up comedy television series hosted by comedian Michael McIntyre from different venues around the United Kingdom and Ireland. The first series was broadcast with six episodes in 2009. Each ...
'' on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
, and as a guest on ''8 out of 10 Cats'' on 17 July 2009. He also provided voiceover material for the sketch show '' Walk on the Wild Side''. On 19 January 2010, ''
Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience ''Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience'' is a British comedy programme produced for BBC One Wales in which stand up comedian Rhod Gilbert attempts various jobs for a limited time (usually a week). Many of the jobs are conducted within his native Wa ...
'' aired on
BBC One Wales BBC One Wales is a Welsh television channel owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales. It is the Welsh variation of the UK-wide BBC One and is broadcast from Central Square in Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city ...
.
Zipline Creative Limited Zipline Creative Limited is a South Wales based film, TV and radio production company, best known for its BBC Series '' Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience'' and contribution to the '' Cow – Don't Text And Drive'' campaign with Gwent Police. Th ...
worked freelance as producer/directors, editors and also camera and sound on the series for Presentable RDF. The four-part series saw Gilbert attempt a number of jobs including hairdresser,
refuse collector A waste collector, also known as a garbageman, garbage collector, trashman (in the US), binman or (rarely) dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and r ...
, soldier and parent. Following the show's success on BBC One Wales, the series aired nationally on BBC2 from 10 March. In August 2010, the BBC commissioned eight episodes of ''
Ask Rhod Gilbert ''Ask Rhod Gilbert'' is a British comedy panel show produced by Green Inc for the BBC. It began on 27 September 2010 and ended on 9 November 2011 on BBC One, it is presented by Rhod Gilbert with Greg Davies and Lloyd Langford as regular panelists ...
'' following a successful pilot earlier in 2010. The show featured Gilbert,
Greg Davies Gregory Daniel Davies ( ; born 14 May 1968) is a Welsh comedian, actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Greg in ''We Are Klang'', Mr Gilbert in ''The Inbetweeners'', Ken Thompson in ''Cuckoo'', the Taskmaster in '' Tas ...
and
Lloyd Langford Lloyd Langford (born 6 August 1983) is a Welsh comedian, comedy writer and voice artist. Early life and education Langford was born in Baglan, Neath Port Talbot. He studied film and television at the University of Warwick; he chose this be ...
answering random trivia questions, such as 'Who would win in a race, Usain Bolt or a grizzly bear?', posed by the public and celebrities, with additional celebrity guests on the panel. The show ran for two series. On 7 March 2011, series 2 of ''Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience'' began airing on BBC One Wales. In this series he tried out jobs as a farmer,
butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...
, tattoo artist and firefighter. In January 2012, Gilbert began filming series 3 of the show. It aired on BBC One Wales from 7 May 2012 and saw him take on jobs such as primary school teacher, zookeeper,
drag artist A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part of ...
and police officer. A fourth series was broadcast in June–July 2013. This series, the jobs were wedding planner, scout leader, tour guide and male model. Series 5, which had four episodes, began on BBC One Wales in September 2014 and was repeated on BBC Two from February 2015. Series 6 was broadcast on BBC One Wales starting February 2016. In September 2014, Gilbert started presenting the
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
panel show ''
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 ...
'', ending a run of five series without a permanent host. In May 2015, however, the BBC ended the show. The documentary ''Rhod Gilbert vs Kilimanjaro'', chronicling the attempt to climb
Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...
for charity made by Gilbert and several fellow celebrities, was shown on the BBC in December 2014. Gilbert appeared several times on the Channel 4 comedy/game show ''
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' is a British comedy panel show on Channel 4. The show follows the game of ''Countdown'', but presented in a comedic panel show format seen on ''8 Out of 10 Cats'', with the show being a crossover of the two. ...
''. He replaced comedian
Jack Dee James Andrew Innes Dee (born 24 September 1961), known professionally as Jack Dee, is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter and writer known for his sarcasm, irony and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom ''Lead Balloon'' ...
as the host of '' The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' beginning in 2016. In 2019, he stepped down and was replaced by Tom Allen. In September 2018, Gilbert appeared as a contestant of the 7th series of '' Taskmaster'' alongside
James Acaster James William Acaster (; born 9 January 1985) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and musician. As well as appearances on panel shows, he is known for the stand-up specials ''Repertoire'', co-hosting the food podcast ''Off Menu'' and co-p ...
,
Jessica Knappett Jessica Amy Knappett (born 28 November 1984) is an English comedian, actress, and writer. She is best known as the creator, writer, executive producer, and star of the E4 sitcom '' Drifters'', as well as her role as Lisa in ''The Inbetweeners M ...
,
Kerry Godliman Kerry Anna Godliman (born November 1973) is an English actor and comedian best known for her roles in ''Derek'', '' Bad Move'' and '' After Life''. Early life Godliman was born in Perivale, West London, and trained at Rose Bruford College in ...
and
Phil Wang Philip Nathaniel Wang Sin Goi (born 22 January 1990) 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 cu ...
. In November 2021, Gilbert was a guest presenter for BBC's ''
DIY SOS "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...
: Children in Need 2021''. In 2020, he became the presenter of
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
’s ''
Rhod Gilbert’s Growing Pains RhoD (Ras homolog gene family, member D) is a small (~21 kDa) signaling G protein (more specifically a GTPase), and is a member of the Rac protein, Rac subfamily of the family Rho family of GTPases. It is encoded by the gene RHOD. It binds GTP a ...
''.


Radio

In 2006, Gilbert hosted the
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales b ...
comedy panel show ''Jest a Minute'', live from
The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...
in London. The second series of ''Jest a Minute'' was recorded in late 2008 in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
's
Glee Club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...
, hosted by Gilbert and featuring regular team captains
Chris Corcoran Chris 'Korkey' Corcoran (born 10 April 1972) is a British comedian and broadcaster from Wales. Before becoming a comedian, he taught history at Barry Comprehensive School and was the head of history at Hayes Manor School, now Rosedale Colleg ...
and
Lloyd Langford Lloyd Langford (born 6 August 1983) is a Welsh comedian, comedy writer and voice artist. Early life and education Langford was born in Baglan, Neath Port Talbot. He studied film and television at the University of Warwick; he chose this be ...
, and guests from the comedy circuit such as
Elis James Owain Elis James (born 3 November 1980) is a Welsh comedian, broadcaster and actor originally from Haverfordwest. He grew up in Carmarthen and later lived in Cardiff. He is now based in South London. He is bilingual in Welsh and English and ha ...
,
Greg Davies Gregory Daniel Davies ( ; born 14 May 1968) is a Welsh comedian, actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Greg in ''We Are Klang'', Mr Gilbert in ''The Inbetweeners'', Ken Thompson in ''Cuckoo'', the Taskmaster in '' Tas ...
,
Lucy Porter Lucy Donna Porter (born 27 January 1973) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Brighton Festival and many clubs around Britain. She is also a regular voice on BBC Radio 4 in various panel sh ...
and
Jon Richardson Jon Joel Richardson (born 26 September 1982) is an English comedian. He is known for his appearances on ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' and ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' and his work as co-host with Russell Howard on BBC 6 Music. He is the presente ...
. A third series was also broadcast. Gilbert was also the host of
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
's '' 4 Stands Up'' comedy series which aired in the Autumn of 2008 and has also appeared twice on Radio Four's '' Just a Minute'', Radio 2's '' Does the Team Think?'', and BBC Radio 4's ''Act Your Age''. In December 2008, a pilot of his sitcom ''Rhod Gilbert's Leaving Llanbobl'' was broadcast on BBC Radio 2; the sitcom was written and starred Gilbert and
Greg Davies Gregory Daniel Davies ( ; born 14 May 1968) is a Welsh comedian, actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Greg in ''We Are Klang'', Mr Gilbert in ''The Inbetweeners'', Ken Thompson in ''Cuckoo'', the Taskmaster in '' Tas ...
, with additional writing by Sian Harries.
Lloyd Langford Lloyd Langford (born 6 August 1983) is a Welsh comedian, comedy writer and voice artist. Early life and education Langford was born in Baglan, Neath Port Talbot. He studied film and television at the University of Warwick; he chose this be ...
played Gilbert's amiable younger brother Emrys;
Di Botcher Diane Botcher (born 2 June 1959) is a Welsh actress. She has starred in several British television sitcoms and dramas, including the Sky comedy drama '' Stella'', BBC comedies '' Little Britain'' and ''Tittybangbang'' and the ITV period drama ...
played Brenda, a gossipy hairdresser; and Mike Hayward played Gilbert's father Gurnos. The show was produced by Ed Morrish. Gilbert has hinted in interviews that the sitcom is likely to move to TV when it is completed as he found that he was "seeing it" as he wrote it. Gilbert has also made several appearances on the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
comedy program '' The Unbelievable Truth''. In 2011, he recorded a radio show for
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
called '' Rhod Gilbert's Bulging Barrel of Laughs'' with comedians
Lloyd Langford Lloyd Langford (born 6 August 1983) is a Welsh comedian, comedy writer and voice artist. Early life and education Langford was born in Baglan, Neath Port Talbot. He studied film and television at the University of Warwick; he chose this be ...
,
Greg Davies Gregory Daniel Davies ( ; born 14 May 1968) is a Welsh comedian, actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Greg in ''We Are Klang'', Mr Gilbert in ''The Inbetweeners'', Ken Thompson in ''Cuckoo'', the Taskmaster in '' Tas ...
and
Sarah Millican Sarah Jane Millican ( King; born 29 May 1975) is an English comedian, writer and presenter. Millican won the comedy award for Best Newcomer at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In February 2013 she was listed as one of the 100 most powerful ...
. Each show also featured live music from bands such as
Athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...
,
Scouting for Girls Scouting for Girls are an English pop rock band. Their name is a play on the title of the 1908 Scouting handbook ''Scouting for Boys''. The band was formed in 2005 by three childhood friends from London, Roy Stride on piano and lead guitar/voca ...
,
Kid British Kid British, often styled as KiD BRiTiSH, were an English 6-piece music group, hailing from Manchester, United Kingdom. The band was composed of Adio Marchant (vocals), Simeon McLean (vocals), Sean Mbaya (vocals/guitar/keyboard), Dominick Allen ...
and
The Hoosiers ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
. It has since been repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra. From 2006 to 2019, Gilbert also fronted his own radio show, ''The Rhod Gilbert Radio Show'', broadcast by
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales b ...
on Saturdays between 11:30am and 1:30 pm, often co-hosted by fellow Welsh Comedians
Bennett Arron Bennett Arron is a Welsh writer and stand-up comedian. Background Born in Port Talbot to a Jewish family, Bennett Arron is an Award-Winning Writer, Comedian, Actor, Author and a BAFTA shortlisted Director and Presenter. He moved to London to ...
,
Lloyd Langford Lloyd Langford (born 6 August 1983) is a Welsh comedian, comedy writer and voice artist. Early life and education Langford was born in Baglan, Neath Port Talbot. He studied film and television at the University of Warwick; he chose this be ...
or
Chris Corcoran Chris 'Korkey' Corcoran (born 10 April 1972) is a British comedian and broadcaster from Wales. Before becoming a comedian, he taught history at Barry Comprehensive School and was the head of history at Hayes Manor School, now Rosedale Colleg ...
.


Personal life

Gilbert married his long-term girlfriend, writer and comedian
Sian Harries Sian Harries is a Welsh writer and actor. She is known for her work on '' Man Down'' and ''Tourist Trap''. Harries is married to comedian Rhod Gilbert. Career Harries worked on season one of ''Man Down'' and was promoted to co-writer during t ...
, in August 2013. They divide their time between
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The two have no children and in 2021 Gilbert took part in a documentary series about the stigma of male infertility. Gilbert has also played
badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
, including as a doubles partner with former gold medallist Anthony D. Jordan, relating his story on an episode of the BBC panel show '' Would I Lie to You?'' In July 2022, Gilbert announced he had been diagnosed with "stage four"
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
and was being treated at the
Velindre Cancer Centre The Velindre Cancer Centre ( cy, Canolfan Ganser Felindre) is a specialist facility caring for cancer patients in Whitchurch, Cardiff, Wales. It is managed by the Velindre University NHS Trust. History The facility was established as Velindre H ...
in Cardiff, of which he is a patron. He stated his pre-diagnosis symptoms had worsened while fundraising for Velindre in Cuba, where he also contracted
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. In December 2022 fellow comedian
Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer, and actor. He is known for his deadpan delivery of controversial one-liners and distinctive laugh, for which he has been both praised and criti ...
promoted Gilbert's DVD ''The Book of John'' on
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 ...
's ''
The Last Leg ''The Last Leg'' (known during its first series as ''The Last Leg with Adam Hills'' and in Australia as ''Adam Hills: The Last Leg'') is a British comedy and late-night television talk/sketch show that originally ran alongside the 2012 Summer Pa ...
'' on Gilbert's behalf.


Awards

2002: * Finalist in ''So You Think You're Funny'' 2003: * Winner of the ''Leicester Mercury'' comedian of the year as part of the Leicester Comedy Festival * Winner of the Paramount ''Gift of the Gag'' competition * Chortle Award nominee for best new act * Winner of the BBC New Comedy Award at the
Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...
* Runner-up in the
Hackney Empire Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in L ...
''New Act of The Year competition'' * Winner of the Metro and Jongleurs ''Spike Award for New Talent'', South East * Winner of the ''National Talent Hunt'' at the
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
Festival 2005: * Chortle award for ''Best Breakthrough Act'' * Nominated for ''The List and Writers Guild Comedy Award'' for ''Rhod Gilbert's 1984'' * Perrier nominated for ''Best Newcomer'' for ''Rhod Gilbert's 1984'' 2006: * Placed in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
''s ''Top 50 Comedians'' * Named one of The Rough Guide to British Cult Comedy's top 50 icons 2008: *Nominated for the main IF.COM Eddies (formerly Perrier award) at the Edinburgh Fringe for ''Rhod Gilbert and the Award-winning Mince Pie'' *Winner of the Time Out 'Comic of the Year' *Winner of the Time Out 'Best Show of the Year' for ''Rhod Gilbert and the Award-winning Mince Pie'' *Winner of the Time Out 'Breakthrough Act' *Nominated for the Celtic Media awards 'Best Radio Personality' for the ''Rhod Gilbert Radio Show'' on BBC Radio Wales 2009: * Nominated for the Times/South Bank Show Awards, 'Breakthrough Act' * Winner of Chortle award for 'Best Headliner' * Winner of "Comics Comic" Chortle award * Nominated for the Chortle award for ''Best Show'' for ''Rhod Gilbert and the Award-winning Mince Pie'' 2010: * Winner of 'Wales' Sexiest Male' 2014: * Honorary Fellowship at Aberystwyth University


References


External links

*
Review and details of awardsFunny Money film shorts with Rhod Gilbert
fo
BBC raw money''The Rhod Gilbert Show''
on Twitter {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Rhod Alumni of the University of Exeter Living people People from Carmarthen Welsh comedians Welsh radio presenters BBC Radio Wales presenters Welsh stand-up comedians 20th-century Welsh comedians 21st-century Welsh comedians 1968 births