David Mitchell(VI)
- Writer
- Actor
- Producer
David Mitchell was born on 14th July 1974 in Salisbury, England. His
parents, Ian and Kathy Mitchell, worked as hotel managers in Salisbury.
David also has a brother. In 1977 the family moved to Oxford, where his
parents taught a course in hotel management at Oxford Brookes
University. David was educated at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. He
has been writing comedy material since his schooldays when he used to
write comedy sketches with his friends. A year before he went to
college, David worked for a while as a proofreader for the Oxford
University Press. He studied History at Peterhouse College, Cambridge.
Whilst he was studying at Cambridge University he joined the Cambridge
Footlights, where he met his comedy
partner, Robert Webb. David became
President of the Cambridge Footlights and after graduation he and
Robert staged a two man show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Early in his career David worked as a freelance writer on comedy sketch
shows including 'Armstrong and Miller' and 'Big Train'. He also
appeared as Owen, the IT specialist, in 'Think the Unthinkable', a BBC
Radio 4 situation comedy about a firm of management consultants. David
made a guest appearance as Owen in one episode for the first series.
This episode was broadcast on 6th November 2001. His character proved
to be so popular that Owen was co-opted as a full member of Unthinkable
Solutions and David appeared in all six episodes of Series 2 of 'Think
the Unthinkable'. These episodes were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 7th
November 2002 to 12th December 2002. In 2001 David and Robert co-wrote
a six part comedy sketch show 'The Mitchell and Webb Situation', which
was broadcast on Play UK. The series was directed by
David Kerr, who would later work
with David and Robert on their BBC2 sketch show,
That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006),
and several sketches featured the actress
Olivia Colman. Also in 2001, David bought
his first home, a small flat in the Kilburn district of London.
In 2003 David was cast as Mark Corrigan in the Channel 4 situation
comedy, Peep Show (2003). This
series follows the lives of Mark and his friend Jeremy, played by
Robert Webb, who share a flat in
Apollo House, a London apartment block. Mark works for a company called
JLB Credit. His work colleagues include Sophie Chapman, played by
Olivia Colman. The show has a distinctive
look because of its extensive use of subjective camera angles, as
viewers are shown events from Mark and Jeremy's point of view. The
series also makes use of voice overs in which Mark and Jeremy reveal
their innermost thoughts. The first series was broadcast in six
episodes between 19th September 2003 and 24th October 2003.
Peep Show (2003) was an instant
success. The show was nominated for the BAFTA television award for best
situation comedy in 2004, and a second series was quickly commissioned.
This was broadcast in six episodes on Channel 4 between 12th November
2004 and 17th December 2004. As a result of David's filming commitments
for the second series of
Peep Show (2003), he was only
available to record some of the episodes for the third series of the
Radio 4 sitcom, 'Think the Unthinkable', which was broadcast in six
parts between 13th July 2004 and 17th August 2004. To explain his
absence, the writers devised a storyline in which David's character
Owen went into hiding, and a new IT consultant, Jed, played by
Robin Ince, was drafted in to cover for him.
The first series of 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound', a comedy sketch
show, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 28th August and 2nd October
2003. All of the characters in the radio show were played by David,
Robert, Olivia Colman and
James Bachman. It was in Episode 5 of
Series One, broadcast on 25th September 2003, that a character called
Sir Digby Caesar Salad made his first appearance. Sir Digby was played
by Robert and David took the role of his trusty sidekick Ginger. These
characters would later feature prominently in the sketch show when it
transferred to BBC2 in 2006. After the success of the first run of six
episodes, 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound' was commissioned for a second
series, which was broadcast in six parts between 10th February and 17th
March 2005. Episode 5 of the second series, which went out on 24th
February 2005, included a sketch about a game show called Numberwang.
David returned to play Owen in the fourth and final series of 'Think
the Unthinkable'. This consisted of four episodes broadcast on BBC
Radio 4 between 28th September and 19th October 2005. David ended 2005
by starring in the third series of
Peep Show (2003). This was shown in
six parts by Channel 4 between 11th November 2005 and 16th December
2005 and went on to win the best TV comedy award at the 2006 British
Comedy awards. In the third series, Alan Johnson, an executive at
Mark's firm JLB Credit played by
Paterson Joseph, memorably explained his
attitude to personnel issues by saying that in his opinion illness is
weakness.
The format of the Mitchell and Webb radio series was used for a
television sketch show,
That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006),
the first series of which was broadcast on BBC2 in six episodes between
14th September 2006 and 19th October 2006. The television series
featured a number of sketches first used in the radio show such as the
surprising adventures of Sir Digby Caesar Salad, now renamed Sir Digby
Chicken Caesar. The Numberwang game show also featured in every episode
of the first TV series. Usually Robert played the game show host, but
in one episode David hosted a German language version of Numberwang. In
2006 David and Robert went on a tour of Great Britain with their stage
show, 'The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb'. This opened at the
Pleasance Theatre in London on 12th October 2006 and ended at the
Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells on 10th December 2006. In
December 2006 David was the best man at Robert's wedding to
Abigail Burdess.
In 2006 David hosted a pilot episode for a comedy panel game called
'The Unbelievable Truth'. In the game, the contestants each deliver a
lecture on a given subject. Their talks consist almost entirely of
lies, but the lectures always contain a few items of genuine factual
information. The other contestants have to identify the items of true
information, and points are won by correctly identifying true facts,
and also for successfully smuggling truths past the other contestants.
The pilot episode was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 19th October
2006, and it led to a full series of six episodes which ran from 29th
April to 3rd June 2007. The writers of
Peep Show (2003),
Jesse Armstrong and
Sam Bain, wrote the screenplay for Magicians (2007),
a comedy feature film starring David and Robert as rival stage
musicians. This film went on general release in Great Britain on 18th
May 2007. Peep Show (2003) returned
in the spring of 2007 for its fourth season after a slightly longer
break than usual. As usual David and Robert collaborated on the scripts
with Jesse Armstrong and
Sam Bain by providing additional material. The
series was shown on Channel 4 in six episodes between 13th April and
18th May 2007. David was nominated for the best TV comedy performance
award at the 2008 Television BAFTAs for his portrayal of Mark in the
fourth season of Peep Show (2003).
The show itself won the award for best TV comedy at the 2007 the
British comedy awards, and the best sitcom award at the 2008 Television
BAFTAs. Just after Peep Show (2003)
had completed its run on Channel 4, David co-wrote and starred in the
third series of 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound', which was broadcast in
six episodes on BBC Radio 4 between 24th May and 28th June 2007. The
highlights included 'Celebrity Fame Zeppelin', a sketch which parodied
reality television shows like 'Big Brother'. Since 2007 David is one
of the team captains of Would I Lie to You? (2007) since the first series.
The first series of
That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006)
won a BAFTA award, and the sketch show was commissioned for a second
series. This was broadcast on BBC2 in six episodes between 21st
February 2008 and 27th March 2008. Later in 2008 David hosted the
second series of 'The Unbelievable Truth', which went out on BBC Radio
4 between 5th May and 9th June 2008. There was also an 'Unbelievable
Truth' Christmas special, which was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Monday
15th December 2008. In the late spring of 2008,
Peep Show (2003) returned for its
fifth season, which was broadcast in six episodes by Channel 4 between
2nd May and 6th June 2008. The fifth series featured a new character
called Dobby played by Isy Suttie, who was
nominated for the award for best female comedy newcomer at the 2008
British Comedy awards. Also at the 2008 British comedy awards, David
was nominated for best television comedy actor, and
Olivia Colman was nominated for best
television comedy actress for her performance as Sophie Chapman.
Unfortunately, none of the three
Peep Show (2003) nominees won on
the night, but David's role as Mark was recognized at the 2009
Television BAFTAs when he won the award for best comedy performance. In
his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony which took place at
London's South Bank on Sunday 26th April 2009, David said that the
award should really have been shared with his comedy partner and
co-star in the sitcom,
Robert Webb.
In the spring of 2009, David hosted the third season of 'The
Unbelievable Truth'. This was broadcast in six parts by BBC Radio 4
between 23rd March and 27th April 2009. One of the guests in the third
season was Graeme Garden, who had
originally helped to devise the format of the game show. David made a
guest appearance in two episodes of the BBC Radio 4 topical debate
show, 'Heresy'. The episodes in question went out on 5th and 19th May
2009. The third season of
That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006)
started on BBC2 on Thursday 11th June 2009.
parents, Ian and Kathy Mitchell, worked as hotel managers in Salisbury.
David also has a brother. In 1977 the family moved to Oxford, where his
parents taught a course in hotel management at Oxford Brookes
University. David was educated at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire. He
has been writing comedy material since his schooldays when he used to
write comedy sketches with his friends. A year before he went to
college, David worked for a while as a proofreader for the Oxford
University Press. He studied History at Peterhouse College, Cambridge.
Whilst he was studying at Cambridge University he joined the Cambridge
Footlights, where he met his comedy
partner, Robert Webb. David became
President of the Cambridge Footlights and after graduation he and
Robert staged a two man show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Early in his career David worked as a freelance writer on comedy sketch
shows including 'Armstrong and Miller' and 'Big Train'. He also
appeared as Owen, the IT specialist, in 'Think the Unthinkable', a BBC
Radio 4 situation comedy about a firm of management consultants. David
made a guest appearance as Owen in one episode for the first series.
This episode was broadcast on 6th November 2001. His character proved
to be so popular that Owen was co-opted as a full member of Unthinkable
Solutions and David appeared in all six episodes of Series 2 of 'Think
the Unthinkable'. These episodes were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 7th
November 2002 to 12th December 2002. In 2001 David and Robert co-wrote
a six part comedy sketch show 'The Mitchell and Webb Situation', which
was broadcast on Play UK. The series was directed by
David Kerr, who would later work
with David and Robert on their BBC2 sketch show,
That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006),
and several sketches featured the actress
Olivia Colman. Also in 2001, David bought
his first home, a small flat in the Kilburn district of London.
In 2003 David was cast as Mark Corrigan in the Channel 4 situation
comedy, Peep Show (2003). This
series follows the lives of Mark and his friend Jeremy, played by
Robert Webb, who share a flat in
Apollo House, a London apartment block. Mark works for a company called
JLB Credit. His work colleagues include Sophie Chapman, played by
Olivia Colman. The show has a distinctive
look because of its extensive use of subjective camera angles, as
viewers are shown events from Mark and Jeremy's point of view. The
series also makes use of voice overs in which Mark and Jeremy reveal
their innermost thoughts. The first series was broadcast in six
episodes between 19th September 2003 and 24th October 2003.
Peep Show (2003) was an instant
success. The show was nominated for the BAFTA television award for best
situation comedy in 2004, and a second series was quickly commissioned.
This was broadcast in six episodes on Channel 4 between 12th November
2004 and 17th December 2004. As a result of David's filming commitments
for the second series of
Peep Show (2003), he was only
available to record some of the episodes for the third series of the
Radio 4 sitcom, 'Think the Unthinkable', which was broadcast in six
parts between 13th July 2004 and 17th August 2004. To explain his
absence, the writers devised a storyline in which David's character
Owen went into hiding, and a new IT consultant, Jed, played by
Robin Ince, was drafted in to cover for him.
The first series of 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound', a comedy sketch
show, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 28th August and 2nd October
2003. All of the characters in the radio show were played by David,
Robert, Olivia Colman and
James Bachman. It was in Episode 5 of
Series One, broadcast on 25th September 2003, that a character called
Sir Digby Caesar Salad made his first appearance. Sir Digby was played
by Robert and David took the role of his trusty sidekick Ginger. These
characters would later feature prominently in the sketch show when it
transferred to BBC2 in 2006. After the success of the first run of six
episodes, 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound' was commissioned for a second
series, which was broadcast in six parts between 10th February and 17th
March 2005. Episode 5 of the second series, which went out on 24th
February 2005, included a sketch about a game show called Numberwang.
David returned to play Owen in the fourth and final series of 'Think
the Unthinkable'. This consisted of four episodes broadcast on BBC
Radio 4 between 28th September and 19th October 2005. David ended 2005
by starring in the third series of
Peep Show (2003). This was shown in
six parts by Channel 4 between 11th November 2005 and 16th December
2005 and went on to win the best TV comedy award at the 2006 British
Comedy awards. In the third series, Alan Johnson, an executive at
Mark's firm JLB Credit played by
Paterson Joseph, memorably explained his
attitude to personnel issues by saying that in his opinion illness is
weakness.
The format of the Mitchell and Webb radio series was used for a
television sketch show,
That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006),
the first series of which was broadcast on BBC2 in six episodes between
14th September 2006 and 19th October 2006. The television series
featured a number of sketches first used in the radio show such as the
surprising adventures of Sir Digby Caesar Salad, now renamed Sir Digby
Chicken Caesar. The Numberwang game show also featured in every episode
of the first TV series. Usually Robert played the game show host, but
in one episode David hosted a German language version of Numberwang. In
2006 David and Robert went on a tour of Great Britain with their stage
show, 'The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb'. This opened at the
Pleasance Theatre in London on 12th October 2006 and ended at the
Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells on 10th December 2006. In
December 2006 David was the best man at Robert's wedding to
Abigail Burdess.
In 2006 David hosted a pilot episode for a comedy panel game called
'The Unbelievable Truth'. In the game, the contestants each deliver a
lecture on a given subject. Their talks consist almost entirely of
lies, but the lectures always contain a few items of genuine factual
information. The other contestants have to identify the items of true
information, and points are won by correctly identifying true facts,
and also for successfully smuggling truths past the other contestants.
The pilot episode was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Thursday 19th October
2006, and it led to a full series of six episodes which ran from 29th
April to 3rd June 2007. The writers of
Peep Show (2003),
Jesse Armstrong and
Sam Bain, wrote the screenplay for Magicians (2007),
a comedy feature film starring David and Robert as rival stage
musicians. This film went on general release in Great Britain on 18th
May 2007. Peep Show (2003) returned
in the spring of 2007 for its fourth season after a slightly longer
break than usual. As usual David and Robert collaborated on the scripts
with Jesse Armstrong and
Sam Bain by providing additional material. The
series was shown on Channel 4 in six episodes between 13th April and
18th May 2007. David was nominated for the best TV comedy performance
award at the 2008 Television BAFTAs for his portrayal of Mark in the
fourth season of Peep Show (2003).
The show itself won the award for best TV comedy at the 2007 the
British comedy awards, and the best sitcom award at the 2008 Television
BAFTAs. Just after Peep Show (2003)
had completed its run on Channel 4, David co-wrote and starred in the
third series of 'That Mitchell and Webb Sound', which was broadcast in
six episodes on BBC Radio 4 between 24th May and 28th June 2007. The
highlights included 'Celebrity Fame Zeppelin', a sketch which parodied
reality television shows like 'Big Brother'. Since 2007 David is one
of the team captains of Would I Lie to You? (2007) since the first series.
The first series of
That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006)
won a BAFTA award, and the sketch show was commissioned for a second
series. This was broadcast on BBC2 in six episodes between 21st
February 2008 and 27th March 2008. Later in 2008 David hosted the
second series of 'The Unbelievable Truth', which went out on BBC Radio
4 between 5th May and 9th June 2008. There was also an 'Unbelievable
Truth' Christmas special, which was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Monday
15th December 2008. In the late spring of 2008,
Peep Show (2003) returned for its
fifth season, which was broadcast in six episodes by Channel 4 between
2nd May and 6th June 2008. The fifth series featured a new character
called Dobby played by Isy Suttie, who was
nominated for the award for best female comedy newcomer at the 2008
British Comedy awards. Also at the 2008 British comedy awards, David
was nominated for best television comedy actor, and
Olivia Colman was nominated for best
television comedy actress for her performance as Sophie Chapman.
Unfortunately, none of the three
Peep Show (2003) nominees won on
the night, but David's role as Mark was recognized at the 2009
Television BAFTAs when he won the award for best comedy performance. In
his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony which took place at
London's South Bank on Sunday 26th April 2009, David said that the
award should really have been shared with his comedy partner and
co-star in the sitcom,
Robert Webb.
In the spring of 2009, David hosted the third season of 'The
Unbelievable Truth'. This was broadcast in six parts by BBC Radio 4
between 23rd March and 27th April 2009. One of the guests in the third
season was Graeme Garden, who had
originally helped to devise the format of the game show. David made a
guest appearance in two episodes of the BBC Radio 4 topical debate
show, 'Heresy'. The episodes in question went out on 5th and 19th May
2009. The third season of
That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006)
started on BBC2 on Thursday 11th June 2009.