Mo Gilligan

Mosiah Bikila Gilligan (born 19 February 1988) is a British stand-up comedian. He is known for his observational comedy. After several years of uploading comedy clips to social media, he found global success in 2017.[2] He hosted The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan (2019) on Channel 4.[3] He currently co-hosts The Big Narstie Show on Channel 4, and is a judge on The Masked Singer UK since the second series in 2020, and a judge on The Masked Dancer UK since 2021.[4] In 2022 Gilligan took a break from The Masked Dancer UK due to work conflicts, and was replaced by Peter Crouch.[5]

Mo Gilligan
Gilligan in 2023
Birth nameMosiah Bikila Gilligan[1]
Born (1988-02-19) 19 February 1988[1]
Lambeth, London, England
MediumStand-up, television
Genres
Subject(s)Black culture, British culture, everyday life
Websitemogilligan.com

Early life

Mosiah Bikila Gilligan was born on 19 February 1988 in Lambeth, London to British parents of Jamaican and St. Lucian descent.[6] His mother was born in Wales while his father is from Brixton.[7] His parents separated when he was 5, and he was raised by both parents while living in Camberwell, London.[8] He began his interest in comedy whilst attending a performing arts school in Pimlico.[9] Gilligan is an avid supporter of Arsenal F.C.[10]

Career

Gilligan was working in retail, when he began uploading comedy videos on his social media accounts. His videos were popular and customers eventually began recognising him.[3] His breakout moment came in 2017, when he was spotted by Canadian rapper Drake, who quoted some of Gilligan's comedy on his own Instagram account.[11] His influences include Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock; he did his first lengthy show after watching a Chris Rock stand-up film.[12]

Gilligan currently co-hosts The Big Narstie Show, which debuted 29 June 2018 on Channel 4, with rapper Big Narstie.[13] Between them, they have been cited as some of the original purveyors of grime comedy. He paired up with Claudia Winkleman to compete on the 2018 edition of The Big Fat Quiz of the Year also on Channel 4, which they won.

Gilligan hosts his own show, The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan, which debuted 19 July 2019 on Channel 4.[14] Later on in the year, his first comedy special on Netflix, Mo Gilligan: Momentum, was released globally in 190 countries.[15]

Since June 2020, Gilligan has appeared on the second and third series of Celebrity Gogglebox, as well as the Stand Up to Cancer special of Gogglebox alongside comedian Babatunde Aleshe.[16]

On 19 August 2020, ITV announced Gilligan would become a panellist on the second series of The Masked Singer UK, replacing Ken Jeong.[17]

In 2020, Gilligan produced the hour long documentary Black, British, and Funny for Black History Month. He examined the history of the Black comedy circuit, featuring pioneering stars like Angie Le Mar, Richard Blackwood, Danny 'Slim' Gray and Rudi Lickwood, and newer comedians including Kayode Ewumi and Michael Dapaah.

In October 2020, Gilligan appeared as a contestant on The Cube alongside actor David Ajao.[18]

On 4 March 2021, ITV announced Gilligan would become a panellist on the spin-off of The Masked Singer UK, The Masked Dancer UK.[4]

On 8 February 2022 and 11 February 2023, Gilligan hosted the BRIT Awards from the O2 Arena.

In October 2022, Channel 4 broadcast Mo Gilligan + Friends: The Black British Takeover, a standup special featuring Gilligan plus Eddie Kadi, Ola Labib, Slim, Thanyia Moore, Babatunde Aléshé and The Compozers, recorded at the O2 in December 2021.

On 29 November 2022, Gilligan was confirmed as the host of the upcoming BBC One series called That's My Jam.[19]

He was honoured with the Impact in Comedy Award at the 2023 National Comedy Awards.[20]

See also

References
  1. "MR MOSIAH BIKILA GILLIGAN director information. Free director information. Director id 923751006". Company Check. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  2. Abiade, Yemi (25 February 2018). "From The 'Gram To TV: The Rise And Rise Of Mo Gilligan". Complex. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  3. McIntosh, Steven (27 April 2018). "How this comedian's viral videos caught Drake's attention". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. "ITV commissions The Masked Dancer". Press Centre. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  5. "Gilligan to have hiatus on the The Masked Dancer for Season 2". Variety. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  6. Hanson-Firestone, Dana (25 September 2019). "10 Things You Didn't Know About Mo Gilligan". TVOvermind.
  7. "Mo Gilligan on Stand Up Central". Stand Up Central. Comedy Central.
  8. "Mo Gilligan on having A-list fans and living with his mum". London Evening Standard. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  9. "Got Mo' laughs: We speak to comedy sensation Mo Gilligan". Voice-online.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  10. Gilligan, Mo [@MoTheComedian] (17 May 2014). "And it's Arrrrrrsenal. ARSENAL FC. We're by far the best team the world has ever seen" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 January 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. Renshaw, David (29 August 2017). "Get To Know Mo Gilligan, The Hilarious London Comedian Co-Signed By Drake". The FADER. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  12. "Podcast: Mo Gilligan". The Breakdown With Jamali Maddix. 14 November 2018.
  13. "Mo Gilligan extends West End run : News 2018 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". Chortle. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  14. "The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan: The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan". Channel 4. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  15. Design, L. U. A. "Mo Gilligan". Official website of stand up comedian Mo Gilligan. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  16. "Mo Gilligan's career as he stars on Celebrity Gogglebox – from impressing Drake to smashing it on TV". Metro. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  17. Jake Kanter (19 August 2020). "Ken Jeong Drops Out Of The Masked Singer UK Amid Coronavirus Travel Restrictions". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  18. "The Million Pound Cube Celebrity Episode 1". Press Centre. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  19. "Mo Gilligan on That's My Jam – "It's complete escapism at a time when we probably need it the most"". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  20. "National Comedy Awards: All the winners". Chortle. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
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