This year DAVE GORMAN decided to go back on the road. And when we say “on the road” we really mean it. Five years after he last toured the UK, August 30th 2009 sees him embarking on a truly unique stand-up comedy tour.
A lot of acts will tell you they’re covering the length and breadth of the country… but DAVE is really doing it. Dave Gorman: Sit Down, Pedal, Pedal, Stop And Stand Up will see the intrepid comedian covering the extremes of the British mainland as he travels from this land’s southernmost point to its northernmost tip, taking in the most easterly and westerly points along the way. If nothing else he’ll get to see four lighthouses.
Oh, and did we mention he’s going to do it on his push bike? The travelling, we mean. Not the gigs. That would be silly. He’ll be standing up for those. If he still can. He’s 38 and not especially fit. And as this is a tour that promises to reach parts of the country that other tours just don’t reach, it goes without saying that the venues will sometimes be a little unconventional too. DAVE will play in 2000 seat theatres, but also 30 seat village halls. He’ll be performing in a barn, the odd hotel function room and - odder still - a railway dining car.
So, that was the original plan - to cycle between the four most extreme points of the British mainland, from south to east to west to north - and do a gig each night. 1500 miles. 33 days. 32 gigs.
However, word got out, and some people were upset. They were upset because the tour wasn't coming to their local theatre. Angry e-mails were written. Explanations were demanded. People are strange like that. The fact that the tour was following a particular route for a particular reason - that it was planned as a bike ride before it ever became a tour - didn't seem to placate them. So... to meet the extraordinary demand, DAVE decided to extend the tour into 2010. But this time without cycling from venue to venue. Because cycling from Dorking to Belfast would be silly. There's a sea in the way. He’s obviously getting lazy.
Of course that means that in 2010 only the last bit of the title is going to make sense. But look at it from his point of view. Same show, fewer blisters. What would you do?
Mind you from the audience's point of view it doesn’t matter because it’s not a show about the journey anyway. DAVE - whose hit Radio 4 series, Genius, started its BBC TWO incarnation on our TV screens in spring 2009 - may be widely acclaimed as the pioneer of documentary comedy but with this show he’s gone back to his roots as a straight up, one-man-and-a-mic stand-up.
ends
“Gorman has seen his stock rise to such an extent that he’s poised, as never before, to make the leap from cult figure to mainstream phenomenon.”
Daily Telegraph
“The man is a true genius.”
The Mirror
Earlier this year at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Comedy Festival:
"What's the best way of letting the world know that the English comedian Dave Gorman is tear-streamingly hilarious? His act is so dependent on beautifully detailed anecdotes, delivered with the soft urgency of a confidential whisper that it's next to impossible to steal a single line from his arsenal."
The Irish Times
For more information, press tickets or an image, please contact: Jenny Stewart or Dan Lloyd. Tel: 020 7598 7222. Email: jenny.stewart@avalonuk.com / danl@avalonuk.com
TOUR DATES (ON A BICYCLE)
August
Sunday 30th Gramphound Village Hall 01726 883 874
Monday 31st Liskeard Sterts Theatre 01726 879 500
September
Tuesday 1st Exeter Northcott 01392 493 493
Wednesday 2nd Taunton The Brewhouse 01823 283 244
Thursday 3rd Bristol Colston Hall 01179 223 686
Friday 4th Swindon Wyvern Theatre 01793 524 481
Saturday 5th Wycombe Town Hall 01494 512000
Sunday 6th Cambridge Corn Exchange 01223 357 851
Monday 7th Ipswich Regent Theatre 01473 433 100
Tuesday 8th Lowestoft Marina Theatre 01502 533 200
Wednesday 9th Kings Lynn Corn Exchange 01553 764 864
Thursday 10th Peterborough The Cresset 01733 265 705
Friday 11th Leicester Y Theatre 01162 557 066
Saturday 12th Stoke-on-Trent Victoria Hall 08712 975 454
Sunday 13th Salford The Lowry 0870 787 5780
Monday 14th Preston Guildhall 0845 344 2012
Tuesday 15th Lancaster Grand Theatre 01524 64695
Wednesday 16th Kendal Brewery Arts Centre 01539 725 133
Thursday 17th Threlkeld Village Hall Tickets available on the door
Friday 18th Carlisle The Brickyard 0870 060 0100
Saturday 19th Dumfries Bridgend Theatre 0871 230 5587
Sunday 20th Cumnock Town Hall 0871 230 5587
Monday 21st Glasgow The Pavillion 0141 332 1846
Tuesday 22nd Dumbarton Denny Civic Hall 0871 230 5587
Wednesday 23rd Ardlui venue tbc tbc
Thursday 24th Fort William Fired Art 01397 705 005
Friday 25th Ardnamurchan Sonachan Hotel Tickets available on the door
Saturday 26th Glenfinnan Railway Station - Dining Car 01397 722 295
Sunday 27th Fort Augustus Public Hall 0871 230 5587
Monday 28th Inverness The Ironworks 08717 894 173
Tuesday 29th Dornoch Carneige Hall 01862 871 798
Wednesday 30th Lyth Arts Centre 01955 641 270
TOUR EXTENSION DATES (PROBABLY NOT ON A BICYCLE)
February
Thursday 11th Preston Guildhall 0845 344 2012
Friday 12th Sheffield City Hall - Oval Hall 0114 278 9789
Saturday 13th Nottingham Royal Concert Hall 0115 989 5555
Sunday 14th Reading Hexagon 0118 960 6060
Monday 15th Edinburgh Festival Theatre 0131 529 6000
Tuesday 16th Bradford St George's Hall 0127 443 2000
Wednesday 17th Oxford New Theatre 0844 847 1585
Thursday 18th Derby Assembly Rooms 0133 225 5800
Friday 19th York Grand Opera House 0844 847 2322
Saturday 20th Hammersmith Apollo 0844 844 4748
Wednesday 24th Leas Cliff Hall 0844 847 1776
Thursday 25th Southend Cliffs Pavilion 0170 235 1135
Friday 26th Bournemouth Pavilion 0844 576 3000
Saturday 27th Cambridge Corn Exchange 0122 335 7851
Sunday 28th Tunbridge Wells Assembly Theatre 0189 253 0613
March
Wednesday 3rd Portsmouth Guildhall 0239 282 4355
Thursday 4th Plymouth Pavilions 0845 146 1460
Friday 5th Bedford Corn Exchange 0123 426 9519
Saturday 6th Wycombe Swan 0149 451 2000
Sunday 7th Newcastle Theatre Royal 0844 811 2121
Wednesday 10th Cheltenham Town Hall 0844 576 2210
Thursday 11th Cardiff St David's Hall 0292 087 8444
Friday 12th Birmingham Alexandra 0844 847 2302
Sunday 14th Brighton Theatre Royal 0871 297 5454
Wednesday 17th Bolton Albert Halls 01204 334 400
Thursday 18th Stoke Victoria Hall 0871 297 5454
Friday 19th Warwick Arts Centre 0247 652 4524
Saturday 20th Liverpool Empire 0844 847 2525
Sunday 21st Blackburn King George's Hall 0844 847 1664
Wednesday 24th Aberdeen Music Hall 0122 464 1122
Thursday 25th Glasgow Kings Theatre 0871 297 5454
Friday 26th Dorking Halls 0130 688 1717
Saturday 27th Belfast Waterfront Hall 0289 033 4455
Sunday 28th Basingstoke Anvil Arts 0125 6844 244
Tuesday 30th Leicester De Montfort Hall 0116 2333 111
Wednesday 31st Llandudno Venue Cymru 0149 2872 000
WHAT THE PRESS HAVE PREVIOUSLY SAID ABOUT DAVE GORMAN:
GENIUS
‘Dave Gorman is back on the telly, too, with another great show, called Genius. I loved everything about this programme, the idea, the presenter, the contributors…Like a daft Dragon’s Den with gags.’
David Stephenson, Sunday Express
‘Plays to Gorman’s strength, namely the determined application of deadpan logic in the face of any absurdity, however moronic. The result’s in the best tradition of English eccentricity.’
Ben Felsenburg, London Lite
“Impressing the dragons on Dragon’s Den is so passé - now it’s all about winning over funnyman and author Dave Gorman.”
Helen Fear, Reveal
“Brilliant Stuff”
TV Easy
“It’s mad, but that’s the whole point of this series in which Dave Gorman explores barmy but brilliant ideas to improve our lives.”
TV Times
DAVE GORMAN IN AMERICA UNCHAINED
“For all its playfulness, this turned out to be an important programme with a serious point to make. Avoiding chain hotels, gas stations and diners, he met our real American cousins, who were eccentric, free-range, yeoman individualists living life on their own happy terms.”
Stephen Pile, The Daily Telegraph
“His route follows its own peculiar logic, free of the carefully choreographed quirkiness that would be present in a more thoroughly researched travelogue, and this produces some real moments of magic.”
Robin Wiggs, The Daily Mail
“What Gorman found as he stopped off at towns called Independence from Oregon to Missouri, was a rich fabric of humanity, from car repair guys to moteliers, who are still bucking the system and still willing to help out a stranger in trouble. Independence turned out not to be a place at all - it was a state of mind.”
Keith Watson, The Metro
“Congratulations to Dave Gorman for coming up with a fresh rationale for a road trip, and, what’s more, wrapping it up as an act of resistance against corporate America…anyone who’s traveled the back roads of America will recognise the distinctive flavour of goodwill that Gorman found away from the chains, and that is often overlooked in reflexive anti-Americanism ”
Thomas Sutcliffe, The Independent
DAVE GORMAN’S GOOGLEWHACK ADVENTURE
“This is an oddly brilliant creation; at once slick and raw, dark and life affirming, celebrating the value of human contact in a virtual world.”
The Observer
“Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack Adventure is utterly joyful and wholeheartedly rewarding. His storytelling technique is a masterpiece of structured chaos. He is a genius and his show will lift your heart.”
The Scotsman
“It’s not just the highly clever concepts that elevate Gorman’s theatre pieces above the usual level of self-indulgent one-person shows. It’s also his superb comic timing, his seemingly endless enthusiasm, and his adroit use of visual aids.”
The New York Post
“Mr Gorman delivers his half-embarrassed tales with the precision of Mussolini’s trains, and his magnetic performance displays some of the oddball intensity of the earlier routines of Steve Martin.”
Jason Zinoman, The New York Times
ARE YOU DAVE GORMAN?
"Like his previous shows, Dave Gorman's latest vehicle is a brilliant example of what can happen when you take an idea and run with it. It's one of the funniest shows in years - an hour long rollercoaster of comedy. The tale is fascinating and Gorman's immaculate timing and deadpan delivery mean there is scarcely a second's break in the hilarity. 5 Stars."
The Guardian
“It's hard to think of a more likeable lark than Dave Gorman's inane odyssey. Gorman is an affable host and spins several good yarns, but the programme is also cleverly put together, taking all the architecture of a standard documentary - graphs, statistics, video clips - and then applying it to a delectably nonsensical purpose.”
The Daily Telegraph
"Our favourite show of 2001. He heightens an elegantly simple concept to the peak of absurdity, as a drunken boast leads to obsession, betrayal, exhilarating victories, devastating setbacks and maxed-out credit cards…. The smart and genial star keeps his audiences in stitches (and at rapt attention) with a true story that's as simple and accessible as it is maddeningly addictive. Go now!"
Time Out, New York
“As the cliché puts it: what's in a name? If the name happens to be Dave Gorman, the answer is: one very funny show. Mr. Gorman is the sort of comedian who can - & does - mine laughter from reading a phone book."
The New York Times
DAVE GORMAN
DAVE recently brought his hit BBC Radio 4 show Genius the BBC TWO, while his Channel 4 documentary, America Unchained, won the audience award for Best Documentary Feature at the Austin Film Festival and was nominated for a Broadcast Award. Previously - as well as making numerous other television appearances - DAVE starred in, co-wrote and produced the critically acclaimed The Dave Gorman Collection for BBC TWO in 2001, which was closely followed by his second project for the channel, Dave Gorman’s Important Astrology Experiment.
As well as sell out tours in the UK, he has had two six-week runs off Broadway in New York extended to three months, has completed a successful four-month tour of the USA and is responsible for the fastest selling show in the history of the Studio Theatre at The Sydney Opera House. Live performances have also earned him the title of Best One Person Show at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival (twice), as well as nominations for the Perrier Award, the Barry Award (the main prize at the renowned Melbourne Comedy Festival), a nomination for a South Bank Award (alongside EDDIE IZZARD and Little Britain) and two nominations for the prestigious American Drama Desk Award, which he was up against - among others - legend, BILLY CRYSTAL.
As an author, America Unchained, first published last year, was DAVE’S third Sunday Times bestselling book, following Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure, and Are You Dave Gorman?
AVALON PROMOTIONS
Avalon Promotions Limited is one of the leading promoters of live comedy in the UK. Productions include: NEWMAN & BADDIEL in the first comedy show ever to be staged at Wembley Arena; FRANK SKINNER’s record-breaking performance to an audience of 6,000 at the Battersea Power Station; Jerry Springer - The Opera at the National Theatre, at the Cambridge Theatre in London’s West End, on national tour and at New York’s Carnegie Hall; HARRY HILL at the Palace and Dominion Theatres in London; and Dave Gorman’s Googlewhack Adventure at the Sydney Opera House, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, on national tour and at the Village Theatre, New York (nominated for Drama Desk Award 2004).
The last 12 months has seen Avalon Promotions: present multi-award winning comics JENNY ECLAIR, RICHARD HERRING, RUSSELL HOWARD and FRANK SKINNER on sell-out runs; produce AL MURRAY, THE PUB LANDLORD live at the O2 and RUSSELL HOWARD at Wembley Arena; introduce some of the fastest-rising stars in comedy such as RUSSELL KANE, KRISTEN SCHAAL & KURT BRAUNOHLER and ISY SUTTIE; produce stage shows, such as Frank Skinner’s Credit Crunch Cabaret and Grumpy Old Women Live, which has toured the UK three times and performed a highly successful run in Australia; and present 23 acts at the Edinburgh Festival, where it has promoted a total of five Perrier Award winners and 17 Perrier Award/if.comedy Award nominees in just 20 years.
