Dai Henwood

Dafydd Morgan "Dai" Henwood (born 7 February 1978) is a New Zealand stand-up comedian and television host. Henwood first performed comedy when he was studying Theatre and Film at Victoria University of Wellington. His career in television began in 1999 when he appeared on the TV2 comedy show ''Pulp Comedy''. He then went on to tour internationally as a stand-up comedian in 2004 and to host the television show ''Insert Video Here'' on C4.

From 2009 until 2022 Henwood was a regular panel guest on the New Zealand comedy show '' 7 Days'' as the weekly captain. Henwood continues to perform stand-up comedy as well as host and makes regular appearances on various television shows around New Zealand.

Early life and education

Henwood was born to father Ray and mother Judge Carolyn Henwood. Henwood has stated his great-grandfather was Welsh international rugby player Dick Jones. Henwood went to Wellington College for secondary school. Henwood studied Theatre and Film at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a BA in eastern religions, before winning 'Best New Face' on TV2's ''Pulp Comedy'' in 1999, the Billy T Award in 2002 and the Fred Award in 2007.

Career

In 2004 and 2005, Henwood toured the shows ''The Hot Stepper'' and ''Champagne Table Tennis'', and performed at the Tokyo Comedy Store and in Melbourne and around Britain. He subsequently performed seasons in both Auckland and Wellington during the New Zealand International Comedy Festival including the shows ''Dai-namic Scenarios'' (2007 & 2008), ''Shabba'' (2009), ''Dai Another Day'' (2009), ''Ideals vs. Reality'' (2010), ''Fonzie Touched Me'' (2011) and ''Adapt Or Dai'' (2013). In 2008 he was invited to the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival and recorded a televised gala special.

Henwood spent a period on TV3's ''Sunrise'' morning show, as the gadget guy, giving humorous reviews of the latest gadgets. He subsequently rose to prominence after featuring on television station C4 hosting ''Insert Video Here'' in 2007. Henwood then went on to host two series of comedy travel show ''Roll The Dai'' on the same network.

From 2009 until 2022, Henwood was weekly captain of Team Two on TV3's weekly panel comedy show ''7 Days'', filming over 150 episodes in that time. He now appears occasionally.

Henwood has recorded two DVDs: ''Dai Another Day'', released by EMI in late 2009, and ''Adapt or Dai'', released by Universal Music in 2013.

In 2016, Henwood was presented with the Rielly Comedy Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand.

Henwood released a memoir, ''The Life of Dai'', in June 2024 through HarperCollins.

In the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours, Henwood was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the entertainment industry and charitable fundraising.

Personal life

Henwood is known for being a fan of NRL team the New Zealand Warriors.

Henwood is married to art teacher Joanna 'Jo' Kelly. They have two children.

In January 2023, in an interview on '' The Project'', Henwood shared publicly that he was diagnosed with metastatic bowel cancer in 2020. His 2024 he made a three-part docuseries,  ''Live and Let Dai,'' in which he shared his cancer journey. In 2024 he also released an autobiography, ''The Life of Dai,'' which covered his 27 year comedy career and his cancer diagnosis.

Due to his ongoing cancer treatment, Henwood was forced to cancel the latter portion of his New Zealand tour of his show ''Dai Hard'' in May 2025.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Source:

Bibliography

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See also

* List of New Zealand television personalities

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Henwood, Dai
Living people
New Zealand male comedians
New Zealand television presenters
Victoria University of Wellington alumni
Entertainers from Wellington City
New Zealand stand-up comedians
20th-century New Zealand comedians
21st-century New Zealand comedians
1978 births
Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit