Greg Davies: The Shocking Truth!

Gregory "Greg" Daniel Davies, born on 14th May 1968, St Asaph, Flintshire, North Wales, UK is a stand-up comedian and actor whose roles have included Greg in We Are Klang, Mr. Gilbert in The Inbetweeners, Ken Thompson in Cuckoo, the Taskmaster in Taskmaster, and Dan Davies in Man Down. Greg is well known for his guest appearances on Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You?, and Fast and Loose, having also been a stand-up on the Live at the Apollo series. He was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance during 2013.Davies' Welsh parents lived in England when his dad drove his mum across the border to make sure he was born in Wales, to ensure that he'd be eligible to play rugby for the Welsh national team. Greg grew up in Wem, Shropshire, which he regards as home but his father's origins lie in Porthmadog, North Wales. Both Davies' paternal grandmother, Edith, and her sister, Rebecca, were illegitimate; his great-grandfather, William Owen, having a 2nd family in Stanleytown. Like many folk in North Wales, Greg claims to be descended from Owain Gwynedd. Davies attended Thomas Adams School in Wem then Brunel University in Uxbridge, London, where he studied English and Drama. Before his career in comedy, Greg taught secondary school Drama and English for 13 years at Langleywood School in Slough; Orleans Park School in Twickenham; and Sandhurst School.Davies played a caricature of cricketer W. G. Grace in a series of adverts for Channel 4's TV coverage of The Ashes in 2005. Greg was nominated 3 times in the Chortle Awards of 2007, 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.Davies' 1st solo stand-up show, Firing Cheeseballs at a Dog, was nominated for the Fosters Edinburgh Comedy Awards at the Edinburgh Festival during August 2010, the show being taken on his 1st ever tour the following autumn. He was also nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe's Malcolm Hardee 'Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid Award'.Greg starred in Channel 4's sitcom Man Down from October 2013, as Dan, a man who hated his job as a teacher, with Rik Mayall as his father. The channel commissioned a 25-min. Christmas special before the 1st series was broadcast, with a 2nd series being announced during Davies's live tour The Back of My Mum's Head, before Rik Mayall's death in June 2014.