Dan Nightingale

Biography

Dan Nightingale is an award-winning English stand-up comedian and podcaster from Lancashire, renowned for his razor-sharp crowd work, instinctive timing, and rare ability to command a room with warmth and authority. A natural live performer, Nightingale blends fearless improvisation with finely honed material, earning him a reputation as one of the UK’s most respected comics on the circuit.

He has been a professional comedian since 2004 and made his first national television appearance in 2013 on John Bishop’s Only Joking. Over the years, he has become a fixture of the UK live comedy scene, recognised equally for his stand-up, compèring, and long-form podcast work.

Dan has toured nationally with his shows Smasher (2022) and Dan Nightingale’s Special (2023), both of which were later released on YouTube, reaching a wide audience and further cementing his reputation as a formidable live act.

Nightingale has appeared multiple times at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, beginning with his debut in 2005 alongside Josie Long in Audience with Josie Long and Dan Nightingale. His subsequent solo shows steadily built momentum, including Geronimo (2008), where he was noted for his emerging star quality, and The Eleven and a Half Ill Conceived Edinburgh Shows of Dan Nightingale (2012).

Later Fringe appearances such as Love in the Time of Cholesterol (2013), Dan Nightingale Is Trying His Best Not to Be a Dick, and Sex, Drugs and My Nanna’s Bungalow (2018) received strong critical responses, with reviewers highlighting both his comfortingly assured stage presence and his ability to generate huge laughs through spontaneous interaction.

In 2020, Dan co-founded the hugely successful Have a Word alongside Adam Rowe and producer Sensei Carl. The podcast has become one of the UK’s most popular comedy shows, winning Best Podcast at the Chortle Awards and earning nominations at the National Comedy Awards.

Under the Have a Word banner, Nightingale has helped build a large and deeply engaged fanbase, with the show consistently ranking among the top comedy creators on Patreon and becoming a major force in UK independent comedy.

Credits

Highly regarded by peers and audiences alike, Dan has won multiple accolades, including Best MC at the Comics’ Comic Awards and Best Act at the North West Comedy Awards, alongside repeated nominations for Best Compere at the Chortle Awards.