Dave Spikey (born David Gordon Bramwell, 6 October 1951) is an English comedian, actor, writer and film producer. He is best known for his stand-up comedy, writing and starring in the British comedy programme Phoenix Nights, presenting Bullseye and Chain Letters, and serving as team captain for the first four series of 8 Out of 10 Cats. Biography Early career Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Spikey spent his early career working as a biomedical scientist in the haematology laboratory at Bolton General Hospital. It was during this period in the 1980s that he scripted and performed in a number of amateur pantomimes with a group of like-minded health workers called the Bolton Health Performers. Early in his career Spikey won a talent show called Stairway to the Stars with a routine about juggling on a motorbike, judged by comedian Larry Grayson who took him aside to tell him he had potential and his routine was fantastic. Spikey was inspired to pursue a part-time comedy career while working at Bolton General Hospital. In 1992, Spikey was asked to form a double act with Rick Sykes, purely as a 'one-off' to support a popular musical duo called 'Intaglio'. Dave and Rick were known as Spikey and Sykey. The double act's most notable success came on Central TV's New Faces show. In 1993, Spikey was voted "best up and coming comedian" by the Manchester Evening News. In 1996, Spikey first met Peter Kay, with whom he would later collaborate, at the North-West Comedian of the Year Awards, which Kay won that year and Spikey was compèring. He was the final host of UK gameshow Chain Letters in 1997, following on from Jeremy Beadle, Andrew O'Connor, Allan Stewart, Ted Robbins and Vince Henderson. Success Spikey won the Best Newcomer award at the British Comedy Awards, and then co-wrote and starred in Phoenix Nights on Channel Four as Jerry St. Clair. In 2003, Spikey released his first DVD, The Overnight Success Tour. 2003 was also the year he won ‘Best Comedy Performance at Leicester Comedy Festival 2003’, an award he describes as “the weirdest trophy I’ve got on my shelf.” In late 2004, he wrote the ITV comedy-drama Dead Man Weds (2005), in which he also co-starred with Johnny Vegas. The drama follows the attempts of the new editor (Spikey) of the local newspaper, The Fogburrow Advertiser and News, to drum up excitement in the area