Dave Gorman (I)

Dave Gorman on genius and beards

It was the great philosopher Noel Gallagher who once declared: "I'm equal-part genius, equal-part buffoon." He had a point. For every great idea that emerges from the abyss of madness, there are a thousand "genius ideas" born out of buffoonish banter down the pub.

Just ask Dave Gorman - comedian, ideas man, regaler of eccentric global challenges and one of that elite group of small-screen faces who sport the full-beard look. His whimsical Radio 4 show Genius - in which he and a celebrity guest mull over the absurd inventions of the public - makes the transfer to BBC Two this week, and he has spent weeks sifting through speculative brilliant ideas sent in by hopeful participants.

A bus that's steered by its passengers, giant bricks with speed up house-building, cold-air ballooning for people with vertigo... Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Genius, a new BBC Two programme that showcases a selection of viewers' outlandish inventions, from the truly inspired to the utterly insane.

The six-part series, hosted by comedian Dave Gorman, sees members of the public pitch their wacky ideas in front of a studio audience and then be evaluated by a celebrity guest who decides whether or not they are touched by genius.

"It's like a nonsense version of Dragons' Den," explains Gorman, who has previously presented the show on BBC Radio 4. "If you're looking to make a fortune, this is probably not the programme for you, but all the ideas have a weird internal logic to them. In the first episode, for example, someone has invented 100-metre-high shoes for winning gold at the Olympics. When they fire the starting gun, you just fall over. It's certain death, but you'll beat Usain Bolt."

Dave Gorman Blog Post

The presenter blogs about the filming of the series.

Sandi Toksvig presents a new cultural quiz show which features regular team captains Tim Brooke-Taylor and Dave Gorman. This opening edition was recorded at the Hay Festival so we're hopeful that guests who don't normally go quizzing may take part. We're promised tests on top plots, naming actors and finishing famous lines from well-known books.

Danny Wallace bet Dave Gorman he couldn't find 54 other people called Dave Gorman. Dave bet Danny he could. The resultant trek takes them as far afield as the USA (where they get caught in a tornado), Israel (where they cause a security alert at the airport) and Norway (where they lose their shoes). A life-affirming tale of English eccentricity about nothing in particular apart from having a good time all the time.

Dave Gorman: Stand up, Dave, and be counted

Dave Gorman's urge to meet everyone in the UK who shared his name was a huge comic hit at the Edinburgh Fringe. Now that it's on TV he talks about his obsession.

The British comedian Dave Gorman has his own run at the subject of names next month in a programme called The Dave Gorman Collection. It tells of the journey he made from New York, via Swindon, to Tel Aviv, covering more than 20,000 miles, to meet an impressive 54 Dave Gormans. He has compiled a compendium of Dave Gorman facts: their average shoe size is eight and most of them have ginger beards.

Gorman worked on The Mrs Merton Show before setting off, literally, to find himself. He took the story of his travels to the Edinburgh Festival last summer in a show called Are You Dave Gorman? His propaganda proved so persuasive that five members of the audience changed their names to his by deed poll.

Will the real Dave Gorman please stand up?

This comedian travels the world to find people who share his name. And he's not alone in the task - Alan Berliner's doing the same thing.