Mark Dolan
Encyclopedia
Mark Dolan is an English
comedian, writer and TV presenter. Dolan was born in Camden
, North London
, where he eventually returned and now lives with his wife and son.
show Balls of Steel
, which he has been presenting since it started in 2005. He is also the presenter of Channel 4 Radio
’s satirical show The Weekly Show, which is now in its second series, and the TV documentary series The World's (Something) And Me, where he meets "the world's most extraordinary people", such as The World's Hairiest Person and The World's Strongest Child. This series has proved popular and has aired three seasons of documentaries.
Dolan first came to the public's attention in 2002 after writing and performing in a Comedy Lab
entitled The Richard Taylor Interviews.
In 2006, Dolan helped launch More4
as the host of The Last Word
, a nightly topical discussion show.
Dolan has also fronted shows for E4, including its launch comedy series, Show Me The Funny, and provides his voice as presenter of a new series for Five called Urban Legends.
Dolan is the presenter for Sky Movies
' weekly movie-news show 35mm.
in 2000, reaching the final of Channel 4’s So You Think You're Funny
competition in his first year of performing. He currently has a Saturday night residency at Soho
’s Amused Moose Comedy Club.
At last year's Edinburgh Festival Mark performed his new one-man show I’m Here To Help!, a format in which the audience submit their real problems at the start of the show, to be solved by Dolan, the rest of the audience, and his mother on the phone. I’m Here To Help! premiered at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival
(August 2007), at The Gilded Balloon
.
radio and BBC London
, as well as being a panellist on a wide variety of Radio 4 comedy shows including The Personality Test
and the Jon Ronson
Show.
Dolan has lent his voice to a range of television and radio programmes, including commercials. Dolan is currently developing I'm Here To Help! for TV, and recently finished the third series of Balls of Steel.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
comedian, writer and TV presenter. Dolan was born in Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, where he eventually returned and now lives with his wife and son.
Television
He is well known as the host of Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
show Balls of Steel
Balls of Steel (UK TV series)
Balls of Steel is a Channel 4 comedy series developed by Objective Productions and hosted by Mark Dolan, his special guests would perform stunts and hold their nerve during hidden camera set-ups in the presence of celebrities or the British public....
, which he has been presenting since it started in 2005. He is also the presenter of Channel 4 Radio
Channel 4 Radio
Channel 4 Radio was a radio brand launched by Channel 4 in January 2007. On October 11, 2008 the closure was announced. It incorporated Oneword, in which Channel 4 purchased a 51% share in 2005, although it relinquished this share to co-owner UBS Media in January 2008.Listeners were required to...
’s satirical show The Weekly Show, which is now in its second series, and the TV documentary series The World's (Something) And Me, where he meets "the world's most extraordinary people", such as The World's Hairiest Person and The World's Strongest Child. This series has proved popular and has aired three seasons of documentaries.
Dolan first came to the public's attention in 2002 after writing and performing in a Comedy Lab
Comedy Lab
Comedy Lab is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998....
entitled The Richard Taylor Interviews.
In 2006, Dolan helped launch More4
More4
More4 is a digital television channel, run by British broadcaster Channel 4, that launched on 10 October 2005. It is carried on Freeview, on satellite broadcasters Freesat and Sky, UK IPTV broadcaster TalkTalk TV and on UK cable network Virgin Media and in the Republic of Ireland cable networks...
as the host of The Last Word
The Last Word
"The Last Word" is a short story by author Graham Greene, written in 1988 . It first appeared in The Independent but can also be found in collections of his short fiction, notably the Penguin edition of The Last Word and Other Stories, for which it is the lead story...
, a nightly topical discussion show.
Dolan has also fronted shows for E4, including its launch comedy series, Show Me The Funny, and provides his voice as presenter of a new series for Five called Urban Legends.
Dolan is the presenter for Sky Movies
Sky Movies
Sky Movies is the collective name for the premium subscription television movie channels operated by Sky Television, and later British Sky Broadcasting. It has around 5 million subscribers, via satellite, cable and IPTV in the UK and Ireland...
' weekly movie-news show 35mm.
Stand-up comedy
Dolan started as a stand-up comedianStand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
in 2000, reaching the final of Channel 4’s So You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny
So You Think You're Funny? is an annual stand-up comedy competition for new acts. The competition began in 1988 and has become the longest running best comedy newcomer award in Great Britain....
competition in his first year of performing. He currently has a Saturday night residency at Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
’s Amused Moose Comedy Club.
At last year's Edinburgh Festival Mark performed his new one-man show I’m Here To Help!, a format in which the audience submit their real problems at the start of the show, to be solved by Dolan, the rest of the audience, and his mother on the phone. I’m Here To Help! premiered at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
(August 2007), at The Gilded Balloon
The Gilded Balloon
The Gilded Balloon is one of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe's best-known venues, established by Karen Koren in 1986 in Edinburgh's Cowgate. When a fire destroyed the original premises, Teviot Row House in Bristo Square became the Gilded Balloon's main venue....
.
Radio
With a background in radio, Dolan has stayed close to the medium in which his career began. Alongside the aforementioned C4 radio show, Dolan is a regular presenter on LBCLBC
LBC Radio operates two London-based radio stations, with news and talk formats. LBC was Britain's first legal commercial Independent Local Radio station, providing a service of news and information to London. It began broadcasting on 8 October 1973, a week ahead of Capital Radio...
radio and BBC London
BBC London
BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
, as well as being a panellist on a wide variety of Radio 4 comedy shows including The Personality Test
The Personality Test
The Personality Test is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which sees a weekly guest host present a series of questions about themselves to a panel consisting of comedians....
and the Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, documentary filmmaker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper, City Life and Time Out magazine...
Show.
Dolan has lent his voice to a range of television and radio programmes, including commercials. Dolan is currently developing I'm Here To Help! for TV, and recently finished the third series of Balls of Steel.