Mike Wozniak
Mike Wozniak | |
|---|---|
 Wozniak in 2022 | |
| Born | Michael James Wozniak 8 November 1979 |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | St George's, University of London (MBBS) |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, writer, actor, former physician |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Notable work | Man Down |
Michael James Wozniak[1] (born 8 November 1979) is a British comedian, writer, actor and former medical doctor. He portrays Brian in the Channel 4 sitcom Man Down and is a member of the team that makes Small Scenes for BBC Radio 4.[2][3]
Early life
[edit]Wozniak was born in Oxford, was raised in Portsmouth, and has a twin sister.[4] He has Polish[5] and Welsh ancestry.
Education
[edit]Wozniak was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School.
He studied Medicine at St George's, University of London and worked as a doctor for several years before pursuing comedy.[5][6][4]
Career
[edit]Wozniak worked doing live sketch comedy starting in the late 1990s, and began stand-up comedy in 2007.[7][8]
He won the Amused Moose Laugh-Off contest at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008.[9][10] He was nominated for the comedy newcomer award the same year.[9][11][12] Wozniak performed at the Adelaide Fringe in 2009.[7] Wozniak was nominated for the Edinburgh Best Comedy Show in 2013.
Television
[edit]Wozniak's first major role in television came when he was cast in the series Man Down in 2013 alongside Greg Davies, who created and starred in the show.[13] He played strait-laced financial adviser Brian, a friend of Davies' character.[13]
In 2015, he wrote physical comedy Ruby Robinson for Sky Arts. It starred Kim Cattrall and a troupe of acrobats.[14][15]
Wozniak appeared and came second in series 11 of Taskmaster, which started broadcast in March 2021.[16] He has a long history with Taskmaster, having won the original Edinburgh Fringe version of the show in 2010.[17]
He also appeared on The Great Celebrity Bake Off: Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) which originally aired on channel 4 on the 16 April 2023.
In May 2023 it was announced that he will be taking part in Junior Taskmaster, a Taskmaster spin-off for children aged 9–11, as the assistant of the Taskmaster, who will be played by Rose Matafeo.[18]
Film
[edit]In 2016, Wozniak played the role of Josh in Alice Lowe's Prevenge.[19]
Wozniak made his directorial debut with a dramedy entitled Sump, released in 2017 and screened at various film festivals.[2][8] The film has a 14 minute run time and features a character named Sally, played by Jeany Spark, whose husband is trapped in a cave with others.[20]
In 2022 Wozniak played the alien Gordan in the science fiction comedy film We Are Not Alone.
Podcasts
[edit]On his St. Elwick's Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Podcast, Wozniak plays the role of host Malcolm Durridge. The show focuses on the neighbourhood association newsletter of St Elwick's, a fictional ward of Exeter, forced through budgetary cuts to change from a printed edition to the "cheapest alternative": a podcast.[21]
Wozniak also appears frequently in different roles on the Beef and Dairy Network Podcast, ten episodes of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017-2018.[22]
In 2021, he started Three Bean Salad with Henry Paker and Benjamin Partridge.[23] In March 2024, it won the Best Comedy Podcast at the Chortle Awards.[24]
Radio
[edit]Wozniak has appeared frequently in Tim Key's Late-Night Poetry Programme as a character called Jiffy, notably in the episodes "Accountancy" and "Cuisine".[25] The show is an anarchic comedy series where Key plans to recite poetry above the Norwegian fjords.
Filmography
[edit]| Title | Year | Actor | Writer | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comedy Lab | 2010 | Yes | Various | ||
| Gary: Tank Commander | 2011 | Yes | Bradshaw | ||
| Stand Up for the Week | 2012 | Yes | |||
| Live at the Electric | 2012 | Yes | Various | ||
| It's Kevin | 2013 | Yes | Various | ||
| Badults | 2014 | Yes | Harry | ||
| Lovesick | 2014 | Yes | Doctor | ||
| Crims | 2015 | Yes | Photographer | ||
| Prevenge | 2016 | Yes | Josh | ||
| Josh | 2015–2016 | Yes | Phil | ||
| The Moonstone | 2016 | Yes | Superintendent Seegrave | ||
| Walliams & Friend | 2015–2016 | Yes | Various | ||
| Drunk History | 2015–2017 | Yes | Various | ||
| Man Down | 2013–2017 | Yes | Yes | Brian | Writer for various episodes in this series. |
| Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans | 2019 | Yes | Owen Bowen | ||
| Dial M for Middlesbrough | 2019 | Yes | Neil | ||
| Taskmaster | 2021 | Yes | Himself | Series 11; Runner-up | |
| Richard Osman's House of Games | 2021–2022 | Yes | Himself | Weekly winner | |
| We Are Not Alone | 2022 | Yes | Gordan | ||
| The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off | 2023 | Yes | Himself | Contestant[26] | |
| Junior Taskmaster | 2024 | Yes | Self - Host/Assistant | ||
| Timestalker | 2024 | Yes | Dan Chovy |
References
[edit]- ^ "Man Down l Greg meets Mike Wozniak l Comedy on 4" (video). youtube.com. Channel 4. 16 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Mike Wozniak". PBJ Management. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Mike Wozniak stars as 'Brian' in new series of 'Man Down'". PBJ Management. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ a b "The Polish Pompey Prankster". Portsmouth Grammar School Opus (3): 25. 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Comedian profile: up-and-coming comic Mike Wozniak". The Guardian. 10 April 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ Meakin, Nione (9 July 2009). "Mike Wozniak – In Clown Shoes, Komedia, Brighton, July 15". The Argus. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Edinburgh award-winning stand-up Mike Wozniak comes to Up the Creek, Greenwich". News Shopper. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ a b McMahon, Vanessa (30 December 2018). "Interview with Mike Wozniak for SUMP (2017)". FilmFestivals.com. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Amused Moose Laugh Off 2008". Amused Moose Comedy. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ Herring, Richard (23 September 2008). "Warming Up". Richard Herring. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Nominees and Winners". If.Comedy. Archived from the original on 11 March 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ Arthur, Tim (15 December 2008). "Best comedy gigs of 2008". Time Out London. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010.
- ^ a b "Mike Wozniak on Man Down". ATV Today. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Ruby Robinson". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "Matt Lipsey directs Ruby Robinson for Sky Arts". Curtis Brown. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "Taskmaster series 11 line up". Twitter. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ^ "Mike Wozniak interview - Taskmaster". British Comedy Guide. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "Rose Matafeo and Mike Wozniak to host Junior Taskmaster". British Comedy Guide. 16 May 2023.
- ^ "Prevenge". Western Edge Pictures. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
- ^ "Sump (Directed by Mike Wozniak) | NFF Official Selection". Norwich Film Festival. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "St.-Elwick's-Neighbourhood-Association-Newsletter-Posdcast". Anchor.fm. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Beef And Dairy Network - Radio 4 Comedy". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "Mike Wozniak launches a new podcast". Chortle. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ^ "Chortle Awards 2024 results". Comedy.co.uk. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ Key, Tim. "Accountancy". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off". The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.