Greg Davies
Welsh comedian and actor (born 1968)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gregory Daniel Davies (/ˈdeɪvɪs/ DAY-viss; born 14 May 1968) is a British comedian, actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Mr. Gilbert in The Inbetweeners (2008–2010), Greg in We Are Klang (2009), Ken Thompson in Cuckoo (2012–2019), Dan Davies in Man Down (2013–2017), and Paul "Wicky" Wickstead in The Cleaner (2021–2024). He also created Man Down and The Cleaner.
14 May 1968
- Comedian
- actor
- presenter
- writer
Greg Davies | |
|---|---|
Davies in 2024 | |
| Born | Gregory Daniel Davies 14 May 1968 St Asaph, Wales |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Partner | Liz Kendall (2007–2015) |
| Website | gregdavies |
Davies has released two Netflix comedy specials, You Magnificent Beast (2018) and Full Fat Legend (2025). He is the host of the comedy panel game shows Taskmaster (2015–present) and Never Mind the Buzzcocks (2021–present) and has appeared on Mock the Week, Fast and Loose, Live at the Apollo, and Would I Lie to You?
For his performance in Cuckoo, Davies was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance in 2013.
Early life
Gregory Daniel Davies was born in St Asaph on 14 May 1968, the son of Pauline and Bob Davies (1936—2014).[1] His Welsh parents lived in England at the time but Bob, a native of Porthmadog,[1] drove Pauline across the border when she went into labour to make sure he was born in Wales.[2] He grew up in the English town of Wem, which he regards as his home.[3][4][5] Davies' father, Bob, died in 2014; the Man Down Christmas special is dedicated to both Bob and Rik Mayall, who played Davies' on-screen father, who also died in 2014.[6][7] He discovered in 2017 that he is a descendant of 12th-century Welsh king Owain the Great.[1][8][9]
Davies was educated at Thomas Adams School in Wem,[4] before studying drama and English at Brunel University in Uxbridge.[10] He graduated in 1990.[11] He was a secondary school drama teacher for 13 years before his comedy career, working at Langley Academy, Orleans Park School, and Sandhurst School; large portions of his stand-up comedy routines are often dedicated to discussing his experiences during this time.[12]
Career
Film and television
In 2003, Davies made an appearance on the children's TV show Dick & Dom in da Bungalow, playing a caricatured version of himself named Massive Greg. In 2005, Davies played a caricature of cricketer W. G. Grace in a series of adverts for Channel 4's coverage of The Ashes.[13]
Davies had his breakthrough role as acerbic college head Mr. Gilbert in the E4 sitcom The Inbetweeners (2008–2014).[14] He reprised his role in the follow-up films The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)[15] and The Inbetweeners 2 (2014),[16] and the television special The Inbetweeners: Fwends Reunited (2019).[17] He then starred in the BBC Three sitcom Cuckoo (2012–2019),[18][19] earning a nomination for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance in 2013. He created and starred in Channel 4's sitcom Man Down (2013–2017),[20][21][22][23][24] which sometimes filmed in the same classroom he previously used as a drama teacher at Sandhurst School.[25]
Davies is the host of the comedy panel game show Taskmaster (2015–present).[26] He starred in BBC Two's comedy drama A Gert Lush Christmas (2015) and played King Hydroflax in the Doctor Who Christmas special "The Husbands of River Song" (2015).[27][28] He created and stars in the BBC One crime comedy series The Cleaner (2021–present),[29][30][31][32] as well as taking over as the host of the music panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2021.[33]
Stand-up comedy
Davies began his stand-up comedy career on the independent club circuit in 2005.[citation needed] In 2007, Davies was nominated for three Chortle Awards in the categories "Breakthrough Act" (for his solo stand-up act), "Best Sketch, Variety or Character Act", and "Best Full-Length Show" (both as part of sketch team We Are Klang).[34][35]
Davies' first solo stand-up show, Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog, was nominated for the Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival in 2010.[36] The show was subsequently taken on his first tour.[37] He was also nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe's Malcolm Hardee "Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid" Award.[38]
Davies toured the UK with his second stand-up show, The Back of My Mum's Head, in 2013. Davies toured with his third stand-up show, You Magnificent Beast, in 2017; a performance at the Hammersmith Apollo was filmed and released as his debut Netflix comedy special You Magnificent Beast in 2018.[39] Davies filmed his second Netflix comedy special, Full Fat Legend, at the Royal Albert Hall for release in 2027.
Personal life
Greg Davies has been noted for his height of 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), which often plays a role in his comedic performances.[40][41] He lives in the Kennington area of London,[19] and was in a relationship with Labour Party politician Liz Kendall from 2007 to 2015.[5][42]
In December 2022, Davies was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from his alma mater Brunel University.[43] In May 2024, Davies was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where his musical choices included "Baggy Trousers" by Madness and "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell.[44]
In October 2025 Greg Davies was made an "honorary townsman" of Wem, in Shropshire, where he grew up.[45]
Greg appeared on “Who Do You Think You Are?” where celebrities trace their family tree to reveal the surprising, extraordinary and often moving stories of their ancestors. Greg’s long lost two times great grandfather, Evan Owen grew up on The Owen Family Farm (Cwm Mawr) in the Hills of Snowdonia where researchers have traced it back at least eight generations to 1660. Evan Owen’s brother was the last to farm the land. It was also revealed that the Owen family, Greg and his ancestors descended from Owain Gwynedd, the King of Gwynedd (North Wales) in the 12th century and the first Prince of Wales.[1][46]
Filmography
Film and television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Dick & Dom in da Bungalow | Massive Greg | ||
| 2006 | Girls? Eugh! | Uncredited | ||
| 2007 | The Musical Storytellers Ginger & Black | Mr Hopkirk | ||
| Saxondale | Dunc | |||
| 2007 | ChuckleVision | Henry VIII (Series 19, Episode 4) | ||
| 2007–08 | CBBC Office | Various characters | ||
| 2008 | The Wall | Various characters | ||
| 2008–10 | The Inbetweeners | Mr. Gilbert | ||
| 2009 | We Are Klang | Greg | ||
| 2010–11 | Ask Rhod Gilbert | Himself | ||
| 2010–2012 | Have I Got News for You | Himself | 3 episodes | |
| 2011–2019 | Would I Lie To You | Himself | 5 episodes | |
| 2011 | Fast and Loose | Himself | ||
| The Inbetweeners Movie | Mr Gilbert | |||
| 2012–19 | Cuckoo | Ken Thompson | ||
| 2013–17 | Man Down | Dan Davies | Creator and writer | |
| 2014 | This Is Jinsy | Jennitta Bishard | ||
| The Inbetweeners 2 | Mr. Gilbert | |||
| Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule | Himself | |||
| 2015–present | Taskmaster | Himself / The Taskmaster | ||
| 2015 | A Gert Lush Christmas | Uncle Tony | ||
| Doctor Who | King Hydroflax | Episode: "The Husbands of River Song" | ||
| QI | Himself | Series M, Episode 6 | ||
| 2016 | Travel Man | Himself | ||
| Top Gear | Himself/Star in a Rallycross Car | [47] | ||
| Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods | The Centurion (English dub) | [18] | ||
| 2017 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Himself | ||
| Comic Relief 2017 | Himself | |||
| 2018 | Teen Titans Go! To the Movies | Balloon Man (voice) | ||
| 2019 | The Inbetweeners: Fwends Reunited | Mr. Gilbert | ||
| Greg Davies: Looking for Kes | Himself | [48] | ||
| 2020 | Taskmaster NZ | Himself (Series 1, Episode 7) | ||
| 2021–present | The Cleaner | Paul Wickstead Creator and writer |
||
| Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Himself / Presenter | |||
| 2022 | The Horne Section TV Show | Himself | Episode 1 | [49] |
| 2023 | Brassic | Dick Dolphin | Christmas special | [50] |
| 2024 | The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin | Leslie Duvall | Guest role | |
| 2026 | BAFTA Television Awards | Himself | Host |
|
Stand-up specials
| Year | Title | No. of shows | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog | DVD release | |
| 2013 | The Back of My Mum's Head | 47 dates | DVD release |
| 2018 | You Magnificent Beast | 53 dates | Netflix release |
| 2025 | Full Fat Legend | Netflix release |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | British Comedy Awards | Best Breakthrough Comedy Artist | Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog | Nominated |
| 2013 | 2013 British Academy Television Awards | Best Male Performance in a Comedy Program | Cuckoo | Nominated |
