Donal Coonan
Encyclopedia
Donal Coonan is an actor, writer and presenter, who is most notable for presenting Channel 4
's web show thisisaknife
.
in Dulwich
, South London, before reading PPE at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University.
While at Oxford, Coonan performed in both The Oxford Revue
and Not The Oxford Revue, and took part in the 2004 OUDS
tour of Julius Caesar
to Japan. He also co-presented The Fireman Sam and Coonan The Barbarian Show on the student radio station Altered Radio, and won the 2003 Oxford Film Cuppers competition with the short film 'Free Lunch Odyssey'.
From 2007 to 2008, Coonan attended Philippe Gaulier
's L'École Philippe Gaulier in Paris.
In 2008, Coonan presented pods on Current TV
such as Am I An Alcoholic? and This Will Help You Pull, and, as of June 2009, is currently taking part, along with Fraser Byrne, in Current TV's Blag a Million project.
as part of Taboo's Europe-wide relaunch. He played a man in a sauna
.
in North Yorkshire
he and his family took when he was a child and his nostalgic feelings about this event upon finding an old roll of cine film
and some photographs taken on the trip. Like Año Uña, it consists entirely of still photographs.
.
The competition finished on 10 May 2010. Which Donal won. His blog for the channel is here
http://uktv.co.uk/dave/blog/sid/8279
Channel 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...
's web show thisisaknife
Thisisaknife
thisisaknife was a web show produced for Channel 4 in the UK by World of Wonder that ran from December 2005 to September 2007.Originally daily, it ran from 5 January to 27 April 2006, and was presented by Donal Coonan, Rachna Suri, Alex Sutton and Susan Hickey.After a gap of two weeks, it...
.
Early life
Coonan was born December 15, 1981 in London, England. He attended Alleyn's SchoolAlleyn's School
Alleyn's School is an independent, fee-paying co-educational day school situated in Dulwich, south London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of the historic Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation, which also included James Allen's Girls' School , Dulwich...
in Dulwich
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
, South London, before reading PPE at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University.
While at Oxford, Coonan performed in both The Oxford Revue
The Oxford Revue
The Oxford Revue is a comedy group featuring students from Oxford University, England. Founded in the early 1950s, The Oxford Revue has produced many prominent comedians and satirists. The Revue writes, produces and performs several shows each term...
and Not The Oxford Revue, and took part in the 2004 OUDS
Oxford University Dramatic Society
The Oxford University Dramatic Society is the principal funding body and provider of theatrical services to the many independent student productions put on by students in Oxford, England...
tour of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (play)
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against...
to Japan. He also co-presented The Fireman Sam and Coonan The Barbarian Show on the student radio station Altered Radio, and won the 2003 Oxford Film Cuppers competition with the short film 'Free Lunch Odyssey'.
From 2007 to 2008, Coonan attended Philippe Gaulier
Philippe Gaulier
Philippe Gaulier is founder of École Philippe Gaulier, a theatre school located in Sceaux, near Paris. He trained with Jacques Lecoq from 1965 - 67. Then became a teacher at École Jacques Lecoq from 1976 - 80. Gaulier is also a playwright and has worked as a clown and theatre director...
's L'École Philippe Gaulier in Paris.
Presenting
In December 2005, Coonan became one of four presenters of Channel 4's web show thisisaknife, and when the show went weekly in May 2006, he became the sole presenter of the show. He continued in this role until thisisaknife ended in September 2007.In 2008, Coonan presented pods on Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
such as Am I An Alcoholic? and This Will Help You Pull, and, as of June 2009, is currently taking part, along with Fraser Byrne, in Current TV's Blag a Million project.
Taboo Advert
In December 2006, Coonan starred in an advert for the board game TabooTaboo (game)
Taboo is a word guessing party game published by Hasbro in 1989. The object of the game is for a player to have his/her partner guess the word on his/her card without using the word itself or five additional words listed on the card....
as part of Taboo's Europe-wide relaunch. He played a man in a sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
.
Learn to Play the Ukulele in Under an Hour (How George Formby Saved My Life)
Coonan starred as Beryl Formby in the show Learn to Play the Ukulele in Under an Hour (How George Formby Saved My Life) at the Gilded Balloon as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2008. Chortle described it as 'a straight-down-the-line, gentle, sweet, completely enchanting show, tinged with melancholy'.A Moment Twice
In November 2008, Coonan won a short film competition organised to mark the release of Jonas Cuaron's debut feature film Año Uña with his entry A Moment Twice. It concerns a trip to Robin Hood's BayRobin Hood's Bay
Robin Hood’s Bay is a small fishing village and a bay located five miles south of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire, England. Bay Town, its local name, is in the ancient chapelry of Fylingdales in the wapentake of Whitby Strand.-Toponymy:The origin of the name...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
he and his family took when he was a child and his nostalgic feelings about this event upon finding an old roll of cine film
Cine film
Ciné is usually used to refer to one or more of the home movie formats including 8 mm, 9.5 mm, 16 mm film, and Super 8. It is not generally used to refer to video formats or professional formats ....
and some photographs taken on the trip. Like Año Uña, it consists entirely of still photographs.
Funny or Die
In December 2009, Coonan wrote and appeared in the sketch Meat Feast with adult performer Alexis Silver for Funny or DieFunny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
.
Dave
Coonan is currently one of three finalists in a competition run by Dave. If he wins this contest, Coonan will be awarded a cash prize of £10,000 and will become the "roving reporter of Dave online".The competition finished on 10 May 2010. Which Donal won. His blog for the channel is here
http://uktv.co.uk/dave/blog/sid/8279