Neil Dougan

Neil Dougan is one of the fastest rising acts on the Irish comedy circuit today. Bitten by the bug following his first ever visit to a comedy club, Neil walked onto the same stage with his own routine two weeks later. Within a matter of weeks he had made it to the final of Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny.

Six years later Neil is now a familiar face in comedy clubs throughout Ireland as well as on the corporate circuit where his mix of incisive political satire and acute comical observations on everyday life is in huge demand.

As well as his live appearances Neil's writing credits include Patrick Kielty's PK Tonight (BBC1 NI) and Really Really (UTV) which starred Colin Murphy, and Nutts Corner, a sketch show for Radio Ulster. He was employed as the head writer on The McKeever Show, UTV's flagship comedy show starring Nuala McKeever, and supplied sketches for The Hole in The Wall Gangs BBC Radio 2's Half Sketch Show.
He also became one of the main writers on Radio Ulster's Sketch show Don't Make Me Laugh. In November 2005 he made his first appearance radio Ulster's highly successful The Blame Game. This lead to him being invited back as a panellist no fewer than half a dozen times and once as team captain when the show was televised in February 2006.
A regular compere and headline act at the Empire Comedy Club in Belfast, Neil appeared on BBC 1 (NI)'s The Empire Laughs Back in 1999 along side 35 of the best Irish stand-up performers. As a result of this appearance he was subsequently invited by the Community Relations For Universities to demonstrate political humour to students in Northern Ireland. He also comperes the only regular comedy clubs in Northern Ireland outside of Belfast, The Marketplace in Armagh and Burnavon in Cookstown.

In September 2003 Neil made his acting debut as Alan the 40 something business executive in Devised Cultures adaptation of the Australian playwright David Williamson's black comedy The Coming of Stork.

Neil has supported Patrick Kielty on his Almost Live tour where he regularly played before audiences in excess of 1,000 people. In June 2001 he brought the house down at the Gagging for Bass Comedy Festival in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter where he appeared before a capacity crowd along with Perrier winner Tommy Tiernan. That was followed by a life appearance alongside Ed Burns on Children in Need (BBC 1 NI) November 2001. In March 2006 he appeared in his own one man show at The Glasgow Comedy Festival. His latest Television appearance came in November 2005 as part of an Irish stand-up show for BBC Northern Ireland One Night Stand. And has just finished his first comedy sitcom for radio It's not Brazil it's Northern Ireland which was broadcast on BBC radio Ulster in July 2006. Neil is currently performing with Tim McGarry (Da' from BBC 1's Give My Head Peace) at theatres around Northern Ireland for local council festivals