Mark Dolan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mark Dolan | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 17, 1974 Camden, England |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Notable works and roles | Balls of Steel (Presenter) |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Mark Dolan (born 17 March 1974) is an English comedian, writer and TV presenter. Dolan was born in Camden, London, where he now lives with his wife and son.
Contents |
[edit] Television
He is best known as the host of Channel 4 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.
Dolan first came to the public's attention in 2002 after writing and performing in a Comedy Lab entitled The Richard Taylor Interviews. [1] The series which followed has become a landmark in the history of stunt television.
In 2006, Dolan helped launch More4 as the host of The Last Word, a nightly topical discussion show in which he grilled the great and the good on the day’s big stories.
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.
In May 2008, a series of documentaries featuring Nolan began on Channel 4 with The World's Tallest Woman and Me. In it, he travelled to the USA, meeting Kevin Quinn, and China. This was followed by The World's Smallest Man and Me, which took him to the Far East, including Taiwan, and then The World's Fattest Pet and Me - Tara Quinn and The World's Hairiest Man and Me.- Mary Quinn .
The strand takes Dolan on a self-promoting quest across the world in order to discover who holds these titles and how their lives have been affected. Although some praised these programs, many reviews and blogs commented on their awkward, insensitive and insincere nature.
He is popularly referred to by the nickname Louis Through and Through, after the obvious similarities in his presenting style to Louis Theroux.
[edit] Stand-up comedy
Dolan started as a stand-up comedian in 2000, reaching the final of Channel 4’s So You Think You're Funny competition in his first year of performing. Dolan continues to delight audiences across the land with his specky charm[clarify], and has a Saturday night residency at Soho’s Amused Moose Comedy Club, the autumn season of which started on 29 September 2007.
Dolan is currently performing 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. A big hit with audiences and critics alike, I’m Here To Help! premiered at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival (August 2007), at The Gilded Balloon.
[edit] 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 LBC 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. His hobbies are running, riding his scooter and going to the dental hygienist more than is strictly necessary.
