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David James Stuart Mitchell (born 14 July 1974) is a British comedian, actor and writer. He is half of the comedy duo
alongside . The duo starred in the
in which Mitchell plays . Mitchell won the
in 2009 for his performance in the show. The duo have written and starred in several sketch shows including , ,
and also . Mitchell and Webb also starred in the UK version of 's
advertisement campaign. Their first film
was released in 2007.
Mitchell is a frequent participant on British , being a team captain on , and the former host of
and , as well as a frequent guest on other panel shows, including , , ,
and . He also hosts the radio show
and was a co-host of the comedy news programme . As a writer, Mitchell regularly contributes comment articles to
Mitchell's ancestry can in part be traced back to the . He was born in , , England, to Ian Douglas Mitchell and Kathy Grey Mitchell (née Hughes), who were then hotel managers. In 1977, his parents gave up their jobs to lecture and to look after a then two-year-old Mitchell. He attended Napier House primary school. He is t when David was seven and a half years old his parents had another son, Daniel. The family moved to
where Mitchell's parents became lecturers on hotel management at Oxford Polytechnic, now . and he attended
which was an independent preparatory school in the city. In a 2006 interview with , Mitchell stated his childhood dreams:
When I was at school I either wanted to be a comedian-stroke-actor or . But I didn't admit that to other people, I said I wanted to be a
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 , a
in Oxfordshire. Having always been top of the class at primary school and prep school, once he moved to , he realised that there were plenty of people more intelligent than he was and so turned his attention to debating and drama, "where [he] had a chance of being the best". There, Mitchell often took part in plays, "largely because you got to play cards backstage." His roles mainly consisted of small minute-long parts, until he won the role of
in . This was the first time that he was "consciously aware I was doing a performance" and that that "was better, even, than playing cards." Mitchell 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".
Rejected by , , in 1993, Mitchell went up to
where he read History. There, he began performing with the Cambridge , of which he became president for the 1995–96 academic year.
Mitchell was in his first year at university when he met
during rehearsals for a 1993 Footlights production of , and the two men soon set up a comedy partnership. According to Mitchell, these factors had a detrimental effect on his studies at university and he attained a
in his final exams.
Before his break into comedy, Mitchell worked as an usher at the
theatre, and in the cloakroom of
among other jobs.
"We have superficial differences and underlying similarities. We pretty much agree about what we think is funny. But we come across differently. We get on really. And together we're greater than the sum of our parts."
— Mitchell describing his partnership with Webb.
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 .
As a result of their performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, the duo were given the chance to write for
and for series two of . After minor work on
and , their first break into television acting was in 2000, on the short-lived BBC sketch show , which they primarily wrote, and starred in. The show also featured three time BAFTA winner , who would become a regular cast member of Mitchell and Webb projects, and , later of
fame. Other cast members included
and . Additional material for the show was provided by various people, including
In 2001 the two men were commissioned for a sketch show of their own, entitled , which ran for six episodes on the now defunct channel . Despite the show running for a mere series, it 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 " 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
sitcom , as flatmates
respectively. The show originated from writers
and '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
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 ". The BBC hailed Mitchell's performance in the series, citing 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 [Mark's] opinions." Peep Show has aired nine series, making it the longest-running sitcom in Channel 4 history.
In 2009, Mitchell won the
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 , and the pair shared the 2007
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
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
Mitchell (right) as "Ginger" on stage with Robert Webb during a performance of their The Two Faces of Mitchell and Webb stage tour
After the success of Peep Show Mitchell and Webb returned to sketch comedy with their
, which ran for four series. The show was adapted for television and became . Producer
described it as "the shortest pitch [he had] ever written". The show has run for four series. Towards the end of 2006 the pair made their first tour, with a show called . The tour was criticised as just "a succession of largely unrelated scenes" by '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,
was released on 18 May 2007. It was directed by
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
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 is in preparation. They also wrote and filmed Playing Shop, a comedy television pilot for
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
episode "" in 2012.
In 2007 the duo fronted the UK version of 's "" adverts, with Mitchell playing PC. The adverts received much criticism. Writing in ,
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
list of the most powerful people in television comedy.
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
in 2001. He played the surgeon Dr Toby Stephens in the
sitcom . In 2005 he played Kate's hapless secretary Tim in the BBC's updating of
series. Mitchell appeared as various roles on the Channel 4 sketch programme . The show was not well received, with the
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 . Mitchell had a small part in the film , 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 for series five of the
impressionist sketch show , and voiced Mitch in the
animated series . He also narrated the reality show . Following the success of Channel 4's Alternative Election Night in 2010, which Mitchell hosted with ,
and , the four presented , a series of live shows looking at the week's affairs. Mitchell has a solo segment entitled Listen to Mitchell. The show has run for three series.
Mitchell has presented four series of the online video show David Mitchell's Soapbox, a series of short
co-written with
for . In these monologues Mitchell has criticised a variety of subjects, including the BBC show
and . Matt Warman of the
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 , warning of the dangers of cocaine, as ""; and also for the 's "The Highway Code". He writes columns for
and The Guardian. He also took part in , a
held in aid of
at the . In October 2009, Mitchell signed a deal with
Fourth Estate to write a volume of memoirs and a novel. The memoirs, , was published in October 2012 with the novel scheduled for 2013.
Mitchell played
in the sitcom , broadcast in 2016 as part of the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the playwright's death. The series has been renewed for 6 more episodes, as well as a Christmas special, scheduled to air in 2017 on BBC 2.
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 , opposite . The show has run since 2007, airing nine series. Since 2006, he has hosted fourteen series of , a
on . The inaugural episode of , 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 , opposite . Mitchell has also hosted three episodes of Have I Got News For You. Mitchell hosted the panel show . He hosted the second week of Channel 4's , and appeared as himself in an episode of , a panel show parody. He also appeared as one of the participants on the Channel 4 show , and has appeared on several episodes of . Other appearances include , , , ,
and , as well as appearances on
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 in response to 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:
There was a quote from Catherine Zeta-Jones about playing golf with her husband Michael Douglas. We essentially all started to imagine the scene of the two of them playing golf and that was very enjoyable and turned into a really fun bit of TV. It is moments like that which, for me, justify the existence of panel shows because no-one would ever have written those words. It purely came out of that combination of people which proves panel shows can produce funny TV in a way you could never write into a sitcom or a sketch show and thereby justifies its place on screen. I think it is a great form of entertainment and we shouldn't lose sight of that.
named him "The Best Comedy Panel Show Guest" in the world, stating that "he's incredibly, disgustingly witty" and "even starting to make
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",
labelled Mitchell "a national institution".
Mitchell's favourite actor is , and he lists ,
as his comedy idols. Additionally, following the death of British actor
in February 2013, Mitchell revealed that whenever he has acted he "always hoped to be something like him [Briers]". Mitchell has also identified , Monty Python and
as highly influential on his career.
Mitchell's father was born in
of , and his mother is —Mitchell considers himself British rather than English. On 7 August 2014, Mitchell's name appeared—as part of a list of 200 signatories—in support of an open letter to The Guardian opposing
prior to the September 2014 . Mitchell's participation in the open letter follows a May 2011 Observer column, in which he concludes that "the British will have lost their country" if Scotland ever achieves independence.
Mitchell has often joked about his personal life in interviews. In 2005 he stated he had "been in so many situations when I've just said nothing to someone I've fancied." He later added that "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 , as the flatmate of novelist . In 2007, he was best man at Robert Webb's wedding to Abigail Burdess.
He first met broadcaster
at a showbusiness party in 2007 and was "completely smitten", and although she decided to pursue someone else, he continued to pine for her. In December 2010 they began dating. In March 2012 their engagement was announced in , and they married on 17 November 2012. In May 2015, Coren announced the birth of their daughter.
He remains interested in history and said in an interview with
that "I can see myself in a few years' time joining the
and going round the odd castle. I think I might find that restful as the anger of middle age sets in." In his interview on Parkinson he stated that if he could go back in time to do one thing, it would be to go to the building of , to ask them "why they were bothering". He is a cricket and snooker fan, and also plays the occasional game of squash and tennis. He is a user of Twitter, and does not drive. He is an .
Mitchell walks for an hour each day to counter a bad back, and as a result lost weight, but he "probably [has] quite a bad diet" and "probably drinks too much." He is constantly "checking and re-checking things", and describes himself as a worrier. Mitchell is a keen
fan and has written on the subject for .
His favourite television programmes include , which he called the "best programme ever". He claims that watching new comedy is "very stressful", and cites ,
as being among his favourite television programmes. He has also stated a liking for , , , , ,
and the television programmes of .
Beyond the realm of film and television, Mitchell cites
as among his favourite authors. He once claimed that he is "not remotely interested in music", but appeared on the radio programme . Mitchell has revealed that he owns two CDs, 's
First starring role
Various characters
Also writer
Various characters
Various characters
A appeared in all six episodes
Episode 1.4: "The Mountains of Doom"
Various characters
A appeared in all six episodes
Daydream Believers: "Brand New Beamer"; later adapted into a radio one-off
1950s patient
Episode 1.6: "Agency Nurse"
The Strategic Humor Initiative
Various characters
for Best TV Comedy Actor in 2007
Nominated –
for Best Comedy Performance in 2008
Won – BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance in 2009
Nominated – BAFTA for Male Performance in a Comedy Role in
Dr Toby Stephens
Episode 1.9: "Nothing to Fear"; also writer
All About George
Episode 1.3
Dirty tricks
Episode 1.5
Pat Taylor
Episode 2.6: "Live Final"
Episode 1.3:
Episode 1.1
Dr James Vine
Appeared in 12 episodes
Various characters
for Best Comedy Programme or Series in 2007; nominated 2009
Two British Comedy Award nominations
Various characters
Also writer
Two episodes
Playing Shop
Also writer, unaired pilot.
Episode 1.6
Jolliforth Jollington
Two episodes
Robot (voice)
Episode 7.2: ""
Keith Davis
The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm
Harold Haggerstone
Harry Hill in Professor Branestawm Returns
Harold Haggerstone
William Shakespeare
Also executive producer
As narrator
Sci-Fi Saved My Life (2007)
TV Is Dead? (2007)
Wonderland – The Secret Life of Norman Wisdom Aged 92 3/4
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)
: Dancing in the Dark: The End of Physics? (2015)
Channel 4 Mrs Claus endorsement (2016)
Fanorama – Team captain ()
Does Doug Know? – 2 appearances (2002)
– Host for 5 episodes (2005)
– 10 7 times as guest presenter ()
– 11 appearances ()
– 21 appearances ()
– 6 appearances (, , )
– Team captain (2006)
– Team captain (2007–)
– 1 appearance (2007)
– 1 appearance (2008)
– 2 appearances ()
– host (2010)
– 1 appearance (2011)
– 1 appearance (2012)
– 1 appearance (2013)
– 1 appearance (2013)
– host (2013)
Other programmes
The 100 Greatest Cartoons (2005)
Britain's 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches (2005)
– 1 appearance (2006)
– 1 appearance (2006)
– 7 appearances (2006)
– 2 appearances ()
The World's Greatest Comedy Characters (2007)
– 1 appearance (2007)
Time Shift – 1 appearance (2007)
– 1 appearance (2008)
– 4 appearances (, )
– 3 appearances (, 2011)
– 1 appearance (2009)
– 3 appearances (, 2013)
– 2 appearances ()
– 2 appearances ()
Channel 4's Comedy Gala (2010)
Channel 4's Alternative Election Night – host (2010)
– 5 appearances (, 2012)
– Co-host (2011– )
Mark Lawson Talks to... – 1 appearance (2011)
Ronnie Corbett's Comedy Britain – 1 appearance (2011)
QI – Genesis (2011)
Channel 4's 30 Greatest Comedy Shows (2012)
Goodbye Television Centre (2013)
The Comedy Vaults: BBC2's Hidden Treasure (2014)
50 Years of BBC2 Comedy
Until Morning
5 also writer
Daydream Believers
Reverend Fecund
BBC Radio 4, 3 appearances
BBC Radio 4 serial
Behaving Ourselves: Mitchell on Manners
– Host (2006–)
– 4 appearances ()
– 4 appearances ()
– 1 appearance – (2009)
– 1 appearance – (2009)
– 6 appearances – ()
This Mitchell and Webb Book (2009), with Robert Webb
Thinking About It Only Makes it Worse (2014)
. . 19 July 2009. BBC Radio 4 2014.
A & C Black (2010). .
(online ed.). Oxford University Press 2011.
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on 4 October .
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. Archived from
on 15 October 2012.
Mitchell, Ben (27 August 2006). .
Fryer, Jane (25 October 2007). .
Mitchell, David (2 November 2007). The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz (Television production). .
Ken Plume (26 June 2012). . FRED Entertainment (Podcast). Event occurs at 1:23:23 2013. 'Innocent Millions Dead or Dying' ... which wasn't actually about the first world war, that's what they put on Wikipedia ... it was about a nuclear apocalypse.
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Staff (13 July 2009). . London: MediaGuardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media) 2009.
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. Chortle. 2 February .
Perry, Kevin (5 December 2006). .
Logan, Brian (24 October 2006). . The Guardian 2007.
. BBC News. 20 May .
. The Guardian. 24 March .
. BBC 2007.
. chortle.co.uk. 25 May .
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. BBC 2007.
Bremner, C Robertson, David (12 October 2009). .
Button, Katie (24 January 2008). .
Thornton, Michael (9 December 2008). .
Pettie, Andrew (10 June 2009). .
Harrison, Phil (12 February 2010). .
Jefferey, M Sperling, Daniel (6 September 2012). .
Gamet, Jeff (29 January 2007). .
Brooker, Charlie (5 February 2007). . The Guardian 2007.
Pettie, Andrew (7 April 2007). . The Telegraph 2007.
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Conlan, Tara (7 September 2010). . The Guardian 2010.
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Warman, Matt (5 February 2009). . The Telegraph.
Sweney, Mark (14 December 2008). . The Guardian 2008.
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Cavendish, Dominic (31 March 2010). . .
Allen, Kate (14 October 2009). . The Bookseller 2009.
Turner, Dom (19 May 2012). . The Rabbitm 2012.
. Amazon 2012.
Radio Times staff. . RadioTimes 2016.
. Endemol. 26 April .
. BBC Radio 4 2014.
Sherwin, Adam (25 September 2013). . The Independent 2013.
Mitchell, D ; ; ; . (). "Episode 7". . Season 36. Episode 7. BBC 1.
Parker, Parker (6 October 2009). . Broadcast Now 2009.
Burrell, Ian (17 February 2010). . The Independent 2010.
. Internet Movie Database 2007.
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on 27 May .
Andrew B David C Tim T Caitlin Moran (19 December 2009). . The Times. London.
. Radio Times. April .[]
. Virgin Media. Virgin Media. 19 February .
Mitchell, David (15 May 2011). .
. The Guardian. 7 August .
David Mitchell (15 May 2011). . The Observer 2014.
Mitchell, David (19 December 2010). . The Guardian 2009.
Walker, Tim (6 March 2011). .
Seale, Jack (20 March 2012). . The Radio Times 2012.
. . 17 November .
. Twitter.
Mitchell, Ben (25 August 2006). .
Mitchell, David (5 May 2007). "" (Interview). Interview with . London: .
Teague, Lizzie Catt with Lisa Higgins and Jack (14 February 2012).
Mitchell, David (18 December 2010).
2016 – via The Guardian.
. Telegraph.co.uk.
Mitchell, David (11 September 2011). .
2011. [...] I'm even worse off for cars than I am for doorbells. I have none [...] and neither do I have a driving licence [...]
Potter, Laura (14 February 2010). .
. . 5 May .
Higgins, Ria (6 July 2008). .
Naughton, John (16–22 February 2008). "Just Joking". Radio Times. p. 24.
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"David Mitchell". . Season 1. Episode 6. 30 April 2006. Channel 4.
. BBC 2009.
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Fletcher, Alex (23 August 2012). .
. Faber 2014.
Bibliography
Mitchell, David (2012). Back Story: A Memoir. .  .
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