David Mitchell (comedian)
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David James Stuart Mitchell (born 14 July 1974) is a British comedian, actor, and writer. Mitchell rose to prominence alongside
Robert Webb Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He rose to prominence alongside David Mitchell as part of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. Mitchell and Webb starred in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Peep Show' ...
as part of the comedy duo
Mitchell and Webb Mitchell and Webb are a British comedy double act composed of David Mitchell and Robert Webb. They are best known for starring in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Peep Show'' and their radio and TV sketch shows '' That Mitchell and Webb Sound'' and '' ...
. The duo starred in the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
sitcom '' Peep Show'', in which Mitchell plays Mark Corrigan. He won the British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Performance in 2009 for his performance. Mitchell and Webb have written and starred in several sketch shows including '' Bruiser'', '' The Mitchell and Webb Situation'', '' That Mitchell and Webb Sound'', and '' That Mitchell and Webb Look''. They have also starred in the British version of
Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
's " Get a Mac" ad campaign. Their first film, '' Magicians'', was released in 2007. They starred in the short-lived TV series ''Ambassadors'' in 2013, and in the Channel 4 comedy-drama ''
Back The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral c ...
'' from 2017 to 2021. Mitchell starred as Owen in the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
sitcom '' Think the Unthinkable'', as Dr. James Vine in the
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
sitcom '' Jam & Jerusalem'', and as
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
in the
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
historical comedy '' Upstart Crow''. He has starred in the BBC One detective comedy-drama '' Ludwig'' since 2024. He is a frequent participant on British panel shows, being a team captain on '' Would I Lie to You?'', the host of '' The Unbelievable Truth'' on BBC Radio 4, and the former host of '' The Bubble'' and '' Was It Something I Said?''; as well as guesting on other panel shows including '' QI'', '' The Big Fat Quiz of the Year'', '' Mock the Week'', '' 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', and '' Have I Got News for You''. He was also a co-host of the comedy news-show '' 10 O'Clock Live''. As a writer, he contributes opinion pieces to British newspapers ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' and ''
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''.


Early life

David James Stuart Mitchell was born in
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
on 14 July 1974, the son of hotel managers Kathryn Grey (née Hughes) and Ian Douglas Mitchell. As his mother is Welsh, hailing from
Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
, and his father was born to a family that was originally Scottish, he considers himself British rather than specifically English. He would explore his ancestry in a 2009 episode of ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' and discover his connection to the Gaelic scholars John Forbes and Alexander Robert Forbes. In 1977, when Mitchell was two years old, his parents left their jobs to give lectures on hotel management as this gave them more time with him. He has a brother named Daniel, who is seven years younger. Mitchell's family moved to
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
, where his parents became lecturers at Oxford Polytechnic (now
Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (OBU; formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Th ...
). He attended the independent private New College School. In a 2006 interview with ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', he recalled his childhood dreams: "When I was at school I either wanted to be a comedian-stroke-actor or
prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. But I didn't admit that to other people, I said I wanted to be a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
and that made my parents very happy. I didn't admit I wanted to be a comedian until I came to university, met a lot of other people who wanted to be comedians, and realised it was an okay thing to say." From the age of 13, Mitchell was educated at
Abingdon School Abingdon School is an independent day and boarding school in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. It is the List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, twentieth oldest Independent School (UK), independent British school. In May 202 ...
, a public school. Having always been top of the class at primary school and prep school, he realised after moving to Abingdon that there were plenty of people more intelligent than he, so he turned his attention to debating and drama "where ehad a chance of being the best". Mitchell often took part in plays "largely because egot to play cards backstage". His roles mainly consisted of small minute-long parts until he won the role of
Rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...
in an adaptation of ''
Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...
''. This was the first time that he was "consciously aware ewas doing a performance" and that this "was better, even, than playing cards". He had been "obsessed" with comedy writing since his school days as he "always felt that doing a joke was the cleverest thing" and "would intrinsically prefer a parody of something to the actual thing itself". As part of his gap year, he worked as a "general dogsbody" at
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, in their English Language teaching division. He was rejected by
Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...
, then went to
Peterhouse, Cambridge Peterhouse is the oldest Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Peterhouse has around 300 undergraduate and 175 graduate stud ...
in 1993, where he studied history. There, he began performing with the Cambridge
Footlights The Cambridge Footlights, commonly referred to simply as Footlights, is a student sketch comedy troupe located in Cambridge, England. Footlights was founded in 1883, and is one of Britain's oldest student sketch comedy troupes. The comedy so ...
, of which he became president for the 1995–1996 academic year. In his first year at university, he met
Robert Webb Robert Patrick Webb (born 29 September 1972) is an English comedian, actor and writer. He rose to prominence alongside David Mitchell as part of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. Mitchell and Webb starred in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Peep Show' ...
during rehearsals for a Footlights production of ''
Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
'' in 1993, and the two men soon established a comedy partnership. According to Mitchell, these factors had a detrimental effect on his academic performance at university and he attained a 2:2 in his final exams.


Career


Early work and ''Peep Show''

Before his break into comedy, Mitchell worked as an usher at the
Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a nonprofit theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London."About the Lyric" > "History" ''Lyric'' official website. Retrieved January 2024. Background The Lyric Theatre ...
theatre, and in the cloakroom of ''
TFI Friday ''TFI Friday'' (Thank Four it's Friday) is an entertainment show that was broadcast on Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom. It was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker, and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first five ...
'' among other jobs. Mitchell's first project with Webb was in January 1995, a show about a nuclear apocalypse entitled ''Innocent Millions Dead or Dying: A Wry Look at the Post-Apocalyptic Age''. Webb later described it as being "fucking terrible". After leaving university he and Webb began performing a number of two-man shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. As a result of their performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, the duo were given the chance to write for
Alexander Armstrong Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong (born 2 March 1970) is an English actor, comedian, radio personality, television presenter, singer and farmer. He is the host of the BBC One game show ''Pointless'', and is a weekday morning-show presenter on C ...
and Ben Miller and for series two of '' Big Train''. After minor work on '' The Jack Docherty Show'' and '' Comedy Nation'', their first break into television acting was in 2000, on the short-lived BBC sketch show '' Bruiser'', which they primarily wrote, and starred in. The show also featured future Academy Award and BAFTA winner
Olivia Colman Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Award ...
, who would become a regular cast member of Mitchell and Webb projects, and
Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won two Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most ...
, later of ''
The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...
'' fame. Other cast members included Matthew Holness and Charlotte Hudson. Additional material for the show was provided by various people, including
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, television producer and filmmaker. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003) ...
and James Bachman. In 2001 the two men were commissioned for a sketch show of their own, entitled '' The Mitchell and Webb Situation'', which ran for six episodes on the now-defunct channel Play UK. The show was reasonably well received. ''Wessex Scene''s Darren Richman said: "What the series lacked in budget, it made up for in magnificent material," and went on to call it "far superior to the vastly overrated '' Little Britain''" and "perhaps the greatest forgotten sketch show of modern times". ''Eureka! TV'', which released ''The Mitchell and Webb Situation'' on DVD in 2005, said that the show "gushes forth an hilarious stream of surreal and quirkily inventive sketches," as well as calling it a "cult success". In the interview with ''Wessex Scene'', Mitchell stated that he was "more proud of the way it turned out than annoyed that it was only aired on a small channel". Mitchell and Webb's next project came in 2003, with starring roles in the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
sitcom '' Peep Show'', as flatmates Mark Corrigan and Jeremy Usbourne respectively. The show originated from writers Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain's failed attempt to complete a team-written sitcom for the BBC; they had an old script that they wanted to revive and Mitchell and Webb helped out, with it eventually evolving into ''Peep Show''. Despite low viewing figures (which almost got the show cancelled after series three) the show was received to wide critical acclaim. The '' British Sitcom Guide'' called it "without a doubt one of the best sitcoms of the decade". Ricky Gervais has been cited as saying: "The last thing I got genuinely excited about on British TV was ''Peep Show'', which I thought was the best sitcom since ''
Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three seri ...
.''" The BBC hailed Mitchell's performance in the series, stating that: "As Mark Corrigan, David reached out to all those middle-aged men in a twentysomething's body, who believe drugs are boring and systems are necessary if society is to function at all." Mitchell has stated that he empathises with Mark and enjoys playing him and that he "agrees with many of ark'sopinions". ''Peep Show'' aired for nine series, which makes it the longest-running sitcom in Channel 4 history. In 2009, Mitchell won the British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy Performance for his work on ''Peep Show'', after having lost in the same category the year before. He was nominated again in 2010. He won the award "Best Television Comedy Actor" at the 2007 British Comedy Awards, and the pair shared the 2007
Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
Award for "Comedy Performance". They were also jointly nominated for "Best Television Comedy Actor" at the 2006 British Comedy Awards. ''Peep Show'' itself has also won the BAFTA for "Best situation comedy" in 2008, and the British Comedy Award for "Best TV comedy" in 2006, and retained it the following year. It also won "Best TV Comedy" at the ''South Bank Show Awards'', and claimed a Golden Rose in 2004.


Other Mitchell and Webb projects

After the success of ''Peep Show'', Mitchell and Webb returned to sketch comedy with their BBC Radio 4 sketch show '' That Mitchell and Webb Sound'', which ran for five series. The show was adapted for television and became '' That Mitchell and Webb Look''. Producer Gareth Edwards described it as "the shortest pitch
e had E, or e, is the fifth Letter (alphabet), letter and the second vowel#Written vowels, vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others wo ...
ever written". The show ran for four series. Towards the end of 2006 the pair made their first tour, with a show called '' The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb''. The tour was criticised as just "a succession of largely unrelated scenes" by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''s Brian Logan, who gave it a rating of two stars. ''That Mitchell and Webb Look'' won them the BAFTA for Best Comedy Programme or Series at the 2007 awards, and they earned a further nomination for it in 2009. It was nominated for two British Comedy Awards in 2006: Britain's Best New TV Comedy and the Highland Spring People's Choice. Their stage tour ''The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb'' was nominated for the British Comedy Award for Best Stage Comedy, and ''That Mitchell and Webb Sound'' won a Sony Silver Award. Their first film, '' Magicians'', was released on 18 May 2007. It was directed by Andrew O'Connor and written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. Mitchell played the role of a magician named Harry. Later in 2007, the pair recorded a pilot
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
sitcom entitled ''Daydream Believers'', in which Mitchell played Ray, a science-fiction writer. The show was previously a one-off television pilot from Channel 4's ''Comedy Lab'', and also starred Mitchell and Webb. Mitchell and Webb's first comedy book, ''This Mitchell and Webb Book'', was published in 2009. A second book was planned for 2010. They also wrote and filmed ''Playing Shop'', a comedy television pilot for
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
about two men who operate a business out of their shed. Although the BBC commissioners were happy with it, Mitchell and Webb scrapped it themselves, as they felt it was too similar to ''Peep Show''. A new pilot had been commissioned, but the plan was later shelved. Mitchell and Webb voiced a robotic duo in the ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' episode " Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" in 2012. In 2007 the duo fronted the UK version of
Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...
's " Get a Mac" adverts, with Mitchell playing PC. The adverts received much criticism. Writing in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Charlie Brooker claimed that the use of Mitchell and Webb in the adverts was a curious choice. He compared the characters of PC and Mac in the adverts to those of Mark and Jeremy in ''Peep Show'', stating that "when you see the ads, you think, 'PCs are a bit rubbish yet ultimately lovable, whereas Macs are just smug, preening tossers.'" ''The British Sitcom Guide'' also criticised the pair for "selling their souls". One journalist called the adverts "worse than not funny", and accused Mitchell and Webb of "an act of grave betrayal" for taking corporate work. In an interview with ''The Telegraph'', Robert Webb responded to the duo's critics, stating that "when someone asks, 'Do you want to do some funny ads for not many days in the year and be paid more than you would be for an entire series of ''Peep Show''?' the answer, obviously, is, 'Yeah, that's fine.'" In the same interview, Mitchell also said: "I don't see what is morally inconsistent with a comedian doing an advert. It's all right to sell computers, isn't it? Unless you think that capitalism is evil – which I don't. It's not like we're helping to flog a baby-killing machine." In 2005, the duo were placed ninth on a list of the United Kingdom's best television talent, and were named twelfth in a ''
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'' list of the most powerful people in television comedy.


Solo acting, presenting and writing

As well as his work alongside Webb, Mitchell has appeared on his own in several shows. He played technical expert Owen in the Radio 4 sitcom '' Think the Unthinkable'' in 2001. He played the surgeon Dr Toby Stephens in the
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
sitcom '' Doctors and Nurses''. In 2005 he played Kate's hapless secretary Tim in the BBC's updating of ''
The Taming of The Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...
'' in its ShakespeaRe-Told series. Mitchell appeared as various roles on the Channel 4 sketch programme '' Blunder''. The show was not well received, with the British Sitcom Guide naming it as the worst thing that Mitchell did in all of 2006 in their "British Sitcom Awards" of that year. He portrayed the recurring character of Dr. James Vine in the BBC sitcom '' Jam and Jerusalem''. Mitchell had a small part in the film '' I Could Never Be Your Woman'', playing an English writer, also named David. While in Los Angeles to record the part he decided that he did not like the area much, and preferred filming in Britain. He wrote series five of the
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
impressionist sketch show '' Dead Ringers'', and voiced Mitch in the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
animated series ''
Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated series, animated Musical film, musical-television comedy, comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series originally aired on t ...
''. He also narrated the reality show '' Beauty and the Geek''. Following the success of ''Channel 4's Alternative Election Night'' in 2010, which Mitchell hosted with Jimmy Carr, Charlie Brooker and Lauren Laverne, the four presented '' 10 O'Clock Live'', a series of live shows looking at the week's affairs. Mitchell has a solo segment entitled ''Listen to Mitchell''. The show ran for three series. Mitchell has presented four series of the online video show ''David Mitchell's Soapbox'', a series of short
monologue In theatre, a monologue (also known as monolog in North American English) (in , from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts ...
s co-written with John Finnemore for ChannelFlip. In these monologues Mitchell has criticised a variety of subjects, including the BBC show ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' and
3D television 3D television (3DTV) is television that conveys depth perception to the viewer by employing techniques such as stereoscopy, stereoscopic display, free viewpoint television, multi-view display, or any other form of 3D display. Most modern 3D te ...
. Matt Warman of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' suggested that the series could be a sign that new comedy will increasingly become available online, rather than on television. The series has been released on DVD. He provided the voiceover for a £1 million government advert for FRANK, warning of the dangers of cocaine, as " Pablo the Drug Mule Dog"; and also for the Driving Standards Agency's "The Highway Code". He writes columns for ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' and ''The Guardian''. He also took part in '' Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital at the O2 Arena. In October 2009, Mitchell signed a deal with
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
and its imprint Fourth Estate to write a volume of memoirs and a novel. The memoirs, '' Back Story: A Memoir'', was published in October 2012 with the novel scheduled for 2013. Mitchell plays
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
in all three series of the sitcom '' Upstart Crow'', the first series of which was broadcast in 2016 as part of the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death. In September 2023, Mitchell published ''Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens'', a non-fiction book about the history of the English monarchy up until
Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
. The book was praised by critics; ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' rated ''Unruly'' 4/5 stars; In October 2023, Mitchell went on a national book tour. In January 2024, Mitchell began filming on the new BBC One comedy detective drama series '' Ludwig''. Mitchell plays the titular character of John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, a man who assumes the identity of his missing identical twin brother as he tracks him down. The series premiered on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer on 25 September 2024. Early reviews of the detective drama were positive with one reviewer stating "Just Give Him (Mitchell) the Bafta Now".


Stage

Mitchell made his stage debut in
Ben Elton Benjamin Charles Elton is a British comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. One of the major figures in the alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, his early stand-up style was Left-wing politics, left-wing political satire ...
's ''
The Upstart Crow ''The Upstart Crow'' is a stage play by Ben Elton developed from his BBC TV sitcom ''Upstart Crow''. Production history The play, directed by Sean Foley (director), Sean Foley, began previews at the Gielgud Theatre in West End theatre, London' ...
'' which premiered in London in February 2020 at the
Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 994 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...
. He played the part of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
as in the television series '' Upstart Crow'' which inspired the play. The play was forced to close in mid-March 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. However, it re-opened in September 2022 at the Apollo Theatre, and played for a 10-week run until 3 December 2022.


Panel shows

Mitchell has become a regular participant on many panel shows, leading ''The Independent''s James Rampton to christen him "if not king, then certainly prince regent of the panel games." Mitchell is a team captain on the BBC panel show '' Would I Lie To You?'', opposite
Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian and actor, famed for his quick wit. Mack’s better known work includes creating, writing and starring in sitcom ''Not Going Out'', and featuring ...
. The show has run since 2007. Since 2007, he has hosted 30 series of '' The Unbelievable Truth'', a
panel game A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participate. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on '' The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...
on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
. The inaugural episode of '' Was It Something I Said?'', a panel comedy show that Mitchell hosts, was broadcast on Channel 4 in October 2013. He was a team captain on the Channel 4 comedy quiz show '' Best of the Worst'', opposite Johnny Vaughan. Mitchell has also hosted ten episodes of ''Have I Got News For You''. Mitchell hosted the panel show '' The Bubble''. He hosted the second week of Channel 4's '' FAQ U'', and appeared as himself in an episode of ''
Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive ''Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive'' is a British television show, first aired on BBC Three in July 2006. Devised by Paul Duddridge, it concerns the making of a comedy panel game show called ''Annually Retentive'', themed around historical events, ...
'', a panel show parody. He also appeared as one of the participants on the Channel 4 show '' TV Heaven, Telly Hell'', and has appeared on several episodes of '' Question Time''. Other appearances include '' QI'', '' Have I Got News for You'', '' Mock the Week'', ''
Just a Minute ''Just a Minute'' is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game. For more than 50 years, with a few exceptions, it was hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Following Parsons' death in 2020, Sue Perkins became the permanent host, starting with the 87th ser ...
'', '' Armando Iannucci's Charm Offensive'' and '' 8 Out of 10 Cats'', as well as appearances on '' The Big Fat Quiz of the Year'' in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. In a 2007 interview with Digital Spy, Mitchell stated that he enjoyed panel shows, as they are "a game worth playing". He then further explained his appreciation of the panel format by challenging criticism from ''Fast Show'' co-creator Charlie Higson, who stated in September 2013 that panel comedies were overtaking television programming at the expense of sketch shows and sitcoms: The ''
Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...
'' named him "The Best Comedy Panel Show Guest" in the world, stating that "he's incredibly, disgustingly witty" and "even starting to make Paul Merton look slow on the uptake". Following his BAFTA win, Mitchell was ranked at No. 53 in the 2009 MediaGuardian 100, an annual ranking of media people in ''The Guardian''. In reference to his ubiquitous presence in broadcast and print media, ''The Guardian''s writer called him "the go-to funnyman of the moment". In their entry for ''Peep Show'' on their list of "The top 50 TV shows of the Noughties", ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' labelled Mitchell "a national institution".


Influences

Mitchell's favourite actor is
Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...
, and he lists
Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...
,
Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
and
Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English comedian, actor, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishmen ...
as his comedy idols. Additionally, following the death of British actor Richard Briers in February 2013, Mitchell revealed that whenever he has acted he "always hoped to be something like him". Mitchell has also identified '' Morecambe and Wise'', ''
Monty Python Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy ser ...
'' and ''
The Two Ronnies ''The Two Ronnies'' is a British television comedy sketch show starring Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett. It was created by Bill Cotton and aired on BBC1 from 10 April 1971 to 25 December 1987. The usual format included sketches, solo se ...
'' as highly influential on his career.


Personal life

Mitchell has often joked about his personal life in interviews. In 2005, he stated, "I've been in so many situations when I've just said nothing to someone I've fancied." He later added, "I'm sort of all right on my own. I don't want it to be forever, but the fundamental thing is I'm all right alone." For many years, he lived in
Kilburn, London Kilburn is an area in North West London, North West London, in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Brent, Brent and the City of Westminster. Kilburn High Road railway station lies 3.5 miles (5.6 km) n ...
as the flatmate of novelist Robert Hudson. In 2006, he was the best man at his comedy partner Robert Webb's wedding. Mitchell met broadcaster Victoria Coren at Jonathan Ross' 2007
Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
party and was "completely smitten". She decided to pursue someone else at the time and he later admitted to pining for her, but they had begun dating by December 2010. They were married on 17 November 2012, with Robert Webb as his best man. Their first daughter was born in May 2015. On 1 November 2023, they announced the birth of their second daughter. They currently live in Belsize Park,
North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...
. Mitchell remains interested in
world history Human history or world history is the record of humankind from prehistory to the present. Early modern human, Modern humans evolved in Africa around 300,000 years ago and initially lived as hunter-gatherers. They Early expansions of hominin ...
. In a 2006 interview with ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', he said "I can see myself in a few years' time joining the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
and going round the odd castle. I think I might find that restful as the anger of middle age sets in." In his 2007 interview on ''Parkinson'', he said that if he could go back in time to do one thing, he would choose to attend the construction of
Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...
to ask them "why they were bothering". Mitchell is a
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
and
snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...
fan; he also enjoys playing
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
and squash. He is an agnostic. Mitchell cites
Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...
among his favourite authors. He appeared on the radio programme '' Desert Island Discs'' in 2009. He revealed that he once attended a
Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...
concert and that he owns just two albums:
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
' ''... But Seriously'' and Susan Boyle's '' I Dreamed a Dream''. Mitchell, who has Scottish ancestry, was one of 200 public figures who signed an open letter to ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' in August 2014 expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue. His participation followed a May 2011 column in ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' in which he wrote, "If Scotland ever goes it alone ..the British will have lost their country."


Credits


Film


Television


Non-fictional appearances

;As narrator * '' Beauty and the Geek'' (2006) * ''Sci-Fi Saved My Life'' (2007) * ''TV Is Dead?'' (2007) * ''Wonderland – The Secret Life of Norman Wisdom Aged 92¾'' (2008) * ''
Blackadder ''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...
Exclusive: The Whole Rotten Saga'' (2008) * ''Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments'' (2008) * ''The Real Swiss Family Robinson'' (2009) * ''The Million Pound Bike Ride: A Sport Relief Special'' (2010) * ''Around the World in 90 Minutes'' (2010) * ''
Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...
'': Dancing in the Dark: The End of Physics? (2015) * ''
Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks & Sparks or simply Marks) is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home produc ...
'' Channel 4 Mrs Claus endorsement (2016) ;
Panel game A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participate. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on '' The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as on ' ...
s * ''Fanorama'' – Team captain (2001–2002) * ''Does Doug Know?'' – 2 appearances (2002) * '' FAQ U'' – Host for 5 episodes (2005) * '' Have I Got News for You'' – 17 appearances; 14 times as guest presenter (2005–2018) * '' Mock the Week'' – 11 appearances (2005–2009) * '' QI'' – 32 appearances (2005–2021) * '' The Big Fat Quiz of the Year'' – 9 appearances (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020) * '' Best of the Worst'' – Team captain (2006) * '' Would I Lie to You?'' – Team captain (2007–) * '' The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz'' – 1 appearance (2007) * '' 8 Out of 10 Cats'' – 1 appearance (2008) * '' You Have Been Watching'' – 2 appearances (2009–2010) * '' The Bubble'' – host (2010) * '' 24 Hour Panel People'' – 1 appearance (2011) * '' The Big Fat Quiz of the '00s'' – 1 appearance (2012) * '' The Big Fat Quiz of the '80s'' – 1 appearance (2013) * '' Only Connect'' – 1 appearance (2013) * '' Was it Something I Said?'' – host (2013) * '' 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'' – 8 appearances (2014–2019) * '' Outsiders'' – host (2021) ;Other programmes * ''The 100 Greatest Cartoons'' (2005) * ''Britain's 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches'' (2005) * '' Imagine'' – 1 appearance (2006) * '' TV Heaven, Telly Hell'' – 1 appearance (2006) * '' The Law of the Playground'' – 7 appearances (2006) * ''
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme featured Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews (usually three per show ...
'' – 2 appearances (2007, 2009) * ''The World's Greatest Comedy Characters'' (2007) * '' Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy'' (2007) * '' Parkinson'' – 1 appearance (2007) * ''Time Shift'' – 1 appearance (2007) * '' Lily Allen and Friends'' – 1 appearance (2008) * '' The Graham Norton Show'' – 4 appearances (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013) * '' Question Time'' – 3 appearances (2008, 2009, 2011) * '' Who Do You Think You Are?'' – 1 appearance (2009) * '' This Morning'' – 3 appearances (2009, 2012, 2013) * ''
The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...
'' – 2 appearances (2009, 2011) * '' Alan Carr: Chatty Man'' – 2 appearances (2009, 2013) * ''Channel 4's Comedy Gala'' (2010) * ''Channel 4's Alternative Election Night'' – host (2010) * '' BBC Breakfast'' – 5 appearances (2010, 2011, 2012) * '' 10 O'Clock Live'' – Co-host (2011–2013) * ''Mark Lawson Talks to...'' – 1 appearance (2011) * ''Ronnie Corbett's Comedy Britain'' – 1 appearance (2011) * ''QI – Genesis'' (2011) * '' Michael McIntyre's Christmas Comedy Roadshow'' (2011) * ''Channel 4's 30 Greatest Comedy Shows'' (2012) * '' The Jonathan Ross Show'' (2012) * ''Goodbye Television Centre'' (2013) * ''The Comedy Vaults: BBC2's Hidden Treasure'' (2014) * ''50 Years of BBC2 Comedy'' * '' The Last Leg'' – 2 appearances (2015, 2019) * '' Celebrity Gogglebox'' for '' su2c'' – 1 appearance (2020) alongside '' Victoria Coren Mitchell''


Podcasts


Radio


Non-fictional appearances


Books


Audiobooks


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* * * *
''Upstart Crow'' clips at BBC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, David 1974 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English male writers 21st-century English male actors 21st-century English male writers 21st-century English memoirists Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge Apple Inc. advertising Best Comedy Performance BAFTA Award (television) winners British agnostics British male television writers Comedians from Oxford Comedians from Wiltshire Coren family English autobiographers English columnists English comedy writers English male comedians English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Scottish descent English people of Welsh descent English sketch comedians English surrealist artists English television writers Male actors from Oxford Male actors from Salisbury People educated at Abingdon School People educated at New College School Surreal comedy Television personalities from Wiltshire The Observer people Writers from Wiltshire British television show creators