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]
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 |
Early life
editWozniak was born in Oxford, was raised in Portsmouth, and has a twin sister.[4] He has Polish[5] and Welsh ancestry.
Education
editWozniak 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
editWozniak 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
editWozniak'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
editIn 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
editOn 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
editWozniak 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.