David Vitty
Encyclopedia
David Lloyd Vitty is a long-term contributor on The Chris Moyles Show
on BBC Radio 1
under the nickname 'Comedy Dave'. He was originally a broadcast assistant on the show, but is now the show's head writer and 'Director of Comedy'.
- they got on well with each other and Moyles invited Vitty to work with him on his early morning show. When Moyles transferred to drive time
in 1998, Vitty went with him and became "Comedy Dave" after comedian Lee Hurst asked Vitty on the show who he was, he said "Super Dave" to which Lee sarcastically responded "Comedy Dave more like".
Vitty supports Everton Football Club
and spent much of his youth in Warrington
, Cheshire
, although he was educated at St Kevins. He married long term girlfriend Emma Pontefract at the Tudor Barn close to Burnham Beeches
on 23 August 2003. Live on air on 6 September 2006, he announced that they had divorced. On 24 April 2007, Vitty announced on air that Jayne Sharp
, his new television presenter partner, was six months pregnant with his child. Sharp went into labour on 2 August 2007, as announced by Jo Whiley
on her mid-morning show. His daughter, Nicole Catherine Vitty, was born, weighing 7 lb 15 oz, on 2 August 2007. Vitty and Sharp then married on 23 August 2008. On 22 April 2011, Vitty and Sharp announced they were to split.
is the "Tedious Link" (which launched September 2002 - a parody of Jo Whiley
's now-defunct "Tenuous Link"), a collection of loosely connected information, where one fact leads into another by way of juxtaposition, which then eventually leads into the title of a song (or the musician
s responsible for it), often a "classic" or memorable tune, which is usually played at precisely 9 a.m., preceded by the Radio 4
-friendly Greenwich time pips
. Once the song has been played he is questioned by listeners and the rest of the crew about the validity of the information given out during the "Tedious Link" (the theme tune from Treasure Hunt
is usually played in the background). The theme music from the TV comedy show Bottom
was used as the "bed" (underlying music) for the feature but for January 2009 Chris Moyles unveiled a new purpose-written jingle and music.
Around 9:05 a.m., Vitty sang "Let's get ready to ramble", signifying the start of the feature "Half-Time in the Show", holding onto the last syllable for a good ten to twenty seconds, in the style of Michael Buffer
. This feature was dropped on the show's return for the new year in January 2009.
, attempt to present Radio 1's Longest Show Ever with Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave for Comic Relief, a record previously held by Simon Mayo
. The show began at 6.30am on Wednesday 16 March and at 7.31pm on Thursday 17th Moyles and Vitty reached the 37 hour mark which gained them the record for the Longest Radio Show in BBC Radio 1 history. They continued to broadcast and at 8.30am Friday 18th broke the Guinness World Records
' record for the 'Longest Marathon Radio DJ (Team) Show'. By the end of the show at 10.30am, they had set a new record of 52 hours and raised £2.4 million for Comic Relief
2011 via online and SMS
donations.
Subsequently, the total raised has increased to £2,821,831 and with an audience of 2.84 million, it was the most popular live BBC Red Button radio feature ever. 3.8 Million people watched on the Radio 1 Website.
folk
band
Folk Face
with Dominic Byrne
also from The Chris Moyles Show
.
with British adagio ice skater Frankie Poultney
. He was knocked out in the skate-off on Sunday 13 February 2011.
, with the ex- The Scott Mills Show
sidekick Mark Chapman
. On 30 December 2006, on the "Celebrity Couples Edition" of The Weakest Link, Chapman and Vitty won, beating the Chuckle Brothers
in the final round. They both tour student unions across the UK regularly on their 'Chappers and Dave World Tour', and have raised money for both Comic Relief
and Sport Relief
by visiting football stadiums across the UK.
Vitty once accidentally took Simon Mayo's Radio 1 morning show off air for fifteen minutes.
On 28 February 2007, Vitty appeared in an edition of Ready Steady Cook
, beating radio colleague, and fellow band member of Folk Face
, Dominic Byrne
. He previously presented a programme called Shed Sports 1 on Nuts TV
and co-presented on UK Play's The Chris Moyles Show
.
Vitty appeared on BBC game show, Hole in the Wall
in an episode aired on 26 September 2009. He failed to get through any of the holes
On 29 December 2009, Vitty appeared on Celebrity Mastermind
, raising money for Cancer Research UK
. He finished third overall on 17 points after the general knowledge round, having recovered from scoring 6 points on the first round answering questions about British motorways.
In 2010, David provided the narration for Channel 4 series Coach Trip
.. He also features in the weekly Moan In section of Richard Bacon
's programme on BBC Radio 5 Live
.
The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show is the current BBC Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK, and has been since Chris Moyles became the station's breakfast show presenter on 5 January 2004. From 2004 to 2007, the show was broadcast 6:55–10:00 am each weekday, but since 15 October 2007 it has started from...
on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
under the nickname 'Comedy Dave'. He was originally a broadcast assistant on the show, but is now the show's head writer and 'Director of Comedy'.
Background
Vitty studied Radio Production at college, but never had any ambitions to be on-air. He began working as a copywriter and then moved onto becoming a "tech op" for Radio 1 on 5 December 1996. In 1997, he then met Chris MoylesChris Moyles
Christopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....
- they got on well with each other and Moyles invited Vitty to work with him on his early morning show. When Moyles transferred to drive time
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
in 1998, Vitty went with him and became "Comedy Dave" after comedian Lee Hurst asked Vitty on the show who he was, he said "Super Dave" to which Lee sarcastically responded "Comedy Dave more like".
Vitty supports Everton Football Club
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and spent much of his youth in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, although he was educated at St Kevins. He married long term girlfriend Emma Pontefract at the Tudor Barn close to Burnham Beeches
Burnham Beeches
Burnham Beeches is an area of 220 hectares of ancient woodland, located close to Farnham Common, Burnham and Beaconsfield, in Buckinghamshire. It is approximately 25 miles to the west of London, England.-Preservation:...
on 23 August 2003. Live on air on 6 September 2006, he announced that they had divorced. On 24 April 2007, Vitty announced on air that Jayne Sharp
Jayne Sharp
Jayne Sharp is an English broadcaster who is a former host of Bingo Night Live on ITV1.-Early life:Sharp is from Durkar in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Before presenting, Sharp went to the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside to study Media and Film, achieving a BA Hons degree...
, his new television presenter partner, was six months pregnant with his child. Sharp went into labour on 2 August 2007, as announced by Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley
Johanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...
on her mid-morning show. His daughter, Nicole Catherine Vitty, was born, weighing 7 lb 15 oz, on 2 August 2007. Vitty and Sharp then married on 23 August 2008. On 22 April 2011, Vitty and Sharp announced they were to split.
The Chris Moyles Show
Vitty's regular daily contribution to the The Chris Moyles ShowThe Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show is the current BBC Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK, and has been since Chris Moyles became the station's breakfast show presenter on 5 January 2004. From 2004 to 2007, the show was broadcast 6:55–10:00 am each weekday, but since 15 October 2007 it has started from...
is the "Tedious Link" (which launched September 2002 - a parody of Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley
Johanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...
's now-defunct "Tenuous Link"), a collection of loosely connected information, where one fact leads into another by way of juxtaposition, which then eventually leads into the title of a song (or the musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s responsible for it), often a "classic" or memorable tune, which is usually played at precisely 9 a.m., preceded by the Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
-friendly Greenwich time pips
Greenwich Time Signal
The Greenwich Time Signal , popularly known as the pips, is a series of six short tones broadcast at one-second intervals by many BBC Radio stations to mark the precise start of each hour...
. Once the song has been played he is questioned by listeners and the rest of the crew about the validity of the information given out during the "Tedious Link" (the theme tune from Treasure Hunt
Treasure Hunt (UK game show)
Treasure Hunt was a popular UK game show, based on the format of the French show La Chasse au Trésor, created by Jacques Antoine. It appeared on Channel 4 between 28 December 1982 and 18 May 1989 and was revived by BBC Two between 16 December 2002 and 2 August 2003.-The game:A team of two...
is usually played in the background). The theme music from the TV comedy show Bottom
Bottom (TV series)
Bottom was a British sitcom television series that originally aired on BBC2 between 1991 and 1995. It was written by comic duo Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson who star as Richie and Eddie, two flatmates living on the dole in Hammersmith, London...
was used as the "bed" (underlying music) for the feature but for January 2009 Chris Moyles unveiled a new purpose-written jingle and music.
Around 9:05 a.m., Vitty sang "Let's get ready to ramble", signifying the start of the feature "Half-Time in the Show", holding onto the last syllable for a good ten to twenty seconds, in the style of Michael Buffer
Michael Buffer
Michael Buffer is an American professional ring announcer for boxing and professional wrestling matches. He is known for his trademarked catchphrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!" He is known for pioneering a distinct announcing style in which he rolls certain letters and adds other inflections to...
. This feature was dropped on the show's return for the new year in January 2009.
Marathon Broadcast for Comic Relief
Moyles announced in February 2011 that both himself and Vitty would, in aid of Comic ReliefComic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
, attempt to present Radio 1's Longest Show Ever with Chris Moyles and Comedy Dave for Comic Relief, a record previously held by Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo is an English radio presenter who has worked for BBC Radio since 1981. As of January 2010, Mayo is presenter of Simon Mayo Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 and, with Mark Kermode, presenter of Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews on BBC Radio 5 Live.In 2008, Mayo was recognised as the "radio...
. The show began at 6.30am on Wednesday 16 March and at 7.31pm on Thursday 17th Moyles and Vitty reached the 37 hour mark which gained them the record for the Longest Radio Show in BBC Radio 1 history. They continued to broadcast and at 8.30am Friday 18th broke the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
' record for the 'Longest Marathon Radio DJ (Team) Show'. By the end of the show at 10.30am, they had set a new record of 52 hours and raised £2.4 million for Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
2011 via online and SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
donations.
Subsequently, the total raised has increased to £2,821,831 and with an audience of 2.84 million, it was the most popular live BBC Red Button radio feature ever. 3.8 Million people watched on the Radio 1 Website.
Bands
Comedy Dave is part of the comedyComedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Folk Face
Folk Face
Folk Face are a comedy band formed in 2005 by BBC Radio 1 DJs Dave Vitty and Dominic Byrne. Mainly appearing on The Chris Moyles Show, they have also appeared in person at the Glastonbury Festival and at several Radio 1 events...
with Dominic Byrne
Dominic Byrne
Dominic Anthony Byrne is a newsreader for BBC Radio 1 and a presenter on the BBC News Channel.-Biography:Born in Norwich, Norfolk, Byrne attended St Ivo School before attending Bournemouth University for two weeks. However, he dropped out to work at a local radio station...
also from The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show is the current BBC Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK, and has been since Chris Moyles became the station's breakfast show presenter on 5 January 2004. From 2004 to 2007, the show was broadcast 6:55–10:00 am each weekday, but since 15 October 2007 it has started from...
.
Dancing on Ice
Vitty appeared on the 6th series of Dancing on Ice (series 6)Dancing on Ice (series 6)
The sixth series of Dancing on Ice started on 9 January 2011 and ended on 27 March 2011 on ITV. Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby return as hosts whilst Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean return to mentor the celebrities...
with British adagio ice skater Frankie Poultney
Frankie Poultney
Frankie Poultney is a professional British adagio ice skater, who is a long standing member of the Dancing on Ice professional team.-Early years:...
. He was knocked out in the skate-off on Sunday 13 February 2011.
Other achievements
Vitty has co-presented cover shows on Radio 1 entitled Chappers and DaveChappers and Dave
Chappers and Dave was the name of an irregular BBC Radio 1 show presented by Mark Chapman and Dave Vitty. The show was usually only heard on air together when covering for other DJs at weekends...
, with the ex- The Scott Mills Show
The Scott Mills Show
The Scott Mills Show is a Sony Radio Academy Award-winning drive time radio show, broadcast every week-day on BBC Radio 1 from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm, with a short break at 5:45 pm for Newsbeat. The show began in its present form on 7 June 2004, and highlights of the show first became available...
sidekick Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman (DJ)
Andrew Mark "Chappers" Chapman , also known as Chappers, is the main sports presenter on Radio 5 Live as well as presenting for BBC Sport on television, his mother is Emily Chapman and his father is Peter Chapman.He was the sports newsreader and Mills' sidekick on The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio...
. On 30 December 2006, on the "Celebrity Couples Edition" of The Weakest Link, Chapman and Vitty won, beating the Chuckle Brothers
Chuckle Brothers
Barry Elliott and Paul Elliott , better known as the Chuckle Brothers, are British comedians. They are best known for their work on their BBC show ChuckleVision, which celebrated its 21st anniversary in March 2010 with a tour called An Audience with the Chuckle Brothers, which started in January...
in the final round. They both tour student unions across the UK regularly on their 'Chappers and Dave World Tour', and have raised money for both Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
and Sport Relief
Sport Relief
Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world's poorest countries...
by visiting football stadiums across the UK.
Vitty once accidentally took Simon Mayo's Radio 1 morning show off air for fifteen minutes.
On 28 February 2007, Vitty appeared in an edition of Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
, beating radio colleague, and fellow band member of Folk Face
Folk Face
Folk Face are a comedy band formed in 2005 by BBC Radio 1 DJs Dave Vitty and Dominic Byrne. Mainly appearing on The Chris Moyles Show, they have also appeared in person at the Glastonbury Festival and at several Radio 1 events...
, Dominic Byrne
Dominic Byrne
Dominic Anthony Byrne is a newsreader for BBC Radio 1 and a presenter on the BBC News Channel.-Biography:Born in Norwich, Norfolk, Byrne attended St Ivo School before attending Bournemouth University for two weeks. However, he dropped out to work at a local radio station...
. He previously presented a programme called Shed Sports 1 on Nuts TV
Nuts TV
Nuts TV was a British television channel related to Nuts magazine. Nuts TV began broadcasting on Freeview channel 42 on 12 September 2007, and launched on Sky Digital on 21 January 2008....
and co-presented on UK Play's The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show is the current BBC Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK, and has been since Chris Moyles became the station's breakfast show presenter on 5 January 2004. From 2004 to 2007, the show was broadcast 6:55–10:00 am each weekday, but since 15 October 2007 it has started from...
.
Vitty appeared on BBC game show, Hole in the Wall
Hole in the Wall (UK game show)
Hole in the Wall was a game show that airs on BBC One in the United Kingdom. This game is an adaptation of the Japanese game Brain Wall in which players must contort themselves to fit through cutout holes of varying shapes in a large polystyrene wall moving towards them as they stand in front of a...
in an episode aired on 26 September 2009. He failed to get through any of the holes
On 29 December 2009, Vitty appeared on Celebrity Mastermind
Celebrity Mastermind
Celebrity Mastermind is a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. The show is a spin-off of the long running quiz show Mastermind, with the exception that all the contestants are celebrities. As with the main show, John Humphrys is the host and question-master...
, raising money for Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. As the world's largest independent cancer...
. He finished third overall on 17 points after the general knowledge round, having recovered from scoring 6 points on the first round answering questions about British motorways.
In 2010, David provided the narration for Channel 4 series Coach Trip
Coach Trip
Coach Trip is a reality show that was broadcast on Channel 4 with More4 and Pick TV showing repeats since 7 March 2005. The programme returned on 25 May 2009. The show's format consists of 4 to 7 teams of 2 undertaking a coach tour principally of continental Europe...
.. He also features in the weekly Moan In section of Richard Bacon
Richard Bacon
Richard Bacon may refer to:* Richard Bacon , English Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for South Norfolk since 2001* Richard Bacon , English television and radio presenter...
's programme on BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
.
External links
- Profile on ChrisMoyles.Net
- Dave Vitty | Dancing on Ice 2011 itv.com