Dave to air first ever Comedy Festival in an Ad Break' for CALM

International Friendship Day 2019

30 July 2019

Latest activation in the long-running Be the mate youd want campaign launches just after 9pm on Tuesday 30th July on Dave to celebrate International Friendship Day

Seventeen comics line-up to tell jokes about friendships as a reminder to get in touch with the people close to you as small gestures can mean a lot.

UKTVs comedy channel, Dave, is taking over a commercial ad break and will use the time for the first ever Comedy Festival in an Ad Break as part of its partnership with the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a leading movement against suicide, which remains the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK.

To celebrate International Friendship Day on Tuesday 30th July at 9.12pm during Taskmaster, instead of adverts and TV trailers, the channel will instead air funny anecdotes about friendship from top comics including Lou Sanders, Natasia Demetriou, Alex Horne and Phil Wang. Judge Romesh star Jess Knappett will also be lending her voice to the ad, providing the intro and outro voiceover.

The four-minute ad takeover is audio with animation and is made by UKTVs in house creative team. The full line-up of 17 comedians is: Ahir Shah, Alex Horne, Dane Baptiste, Darren Harriott, David Mumeni, Ed Gamble, Elf Lyons, Jamali Maddix, Jessie Cave, Lou Sanders, Maisie Adam, Natasia Demetriou, Phil Wang, Pierre Novelli, Sindhu Vee, Stevie Martin and Zoe Lyons.

Comedy Festival In An Ad Break | Be The Mate You d Want

The long-term Be the mate youd want campaign kicked off in 2018 with promos on Daves airtime, print and out of home ads, radio ads across the Global Radio network, social media, branded beer mats and coffee cups.

Early in 2019 the Dave/CALM Conversations Against Living Miserably podcast launched and it swiftly moved into the top 20 iTunes comedy chart. The partnership is to encourage and support male friendship as part of a shared ambition between CALM and UKTV to tackle male depression and suicide. It centres around the idea that small gestures from a friend can be a lifeline for someone going through a tough time. The ad takeover and subsequent promos will encourage people to do something to show a mate that theyre there for them.

Luke Hales, Daves Channel Director commented:

We want to use Daves reach to encourage people to get in touch with friends who need a reminder that someone is thinking of them and someone cares. The Comedy Festival in an Ad Break is a unique Dave way of doing this. Funny and warm, and ultimately by encouraging men to reach out to their friends, we are supporting CALMs mission to create a more positive and open culture when it comes to mental health.

Simon Gunning, CEO of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) said:

Were delighted to bring the next exciting phase of the Be the mate youd want campaign with Dave and UKTV to life. Comedy can be a fantastic platform for what may have traditionally been deemed difficult conversations around mental health and being there for your friends when things get tough. This partnership allows us to reach a broad audience with a funny and entertaining execution, all underpinned with an important message throughout.

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Credits

Creative Agency: UKTV Creative

Creative Director: Scott Russell

Creative Manager, Dave: Paul Philpott

Original Idea/ Script/ Senior Social Manager: Aaron Gillies

Diector: Tom Corbett

Senior Producer: Celia Bayne

Campaign Producer: Holly McIvor

Design Director: Peter Allinson

Design Producer: Sophie Yeoman

Key Art Design: Dani Liquieri

Head of Marketing, Dave: Cherie Cunningham

Talent Booker: Gem Pinkney

Assistant Brand Manager, Dave: Zena Jarjis

Animation: Mmmultiply

Motion Design: Jade Dauncey

Illustrator: Alex Fine

For more information, please contact:

Justine Bower (Director of Communications, UKTV)

Ali Laurie (Network Communications Executive, UKTV)

About Dave

Freeview 19, Sky 111, Virgin 127, YouView 19, Freesat 157, BT & TalkTalk 19

On demand on UKTVPlay

Ever since it was knee high to a TV remote, Dave had an idea. It wanted to be the first place viewers would come for brand-new, award-winning entertainment from the biggest and brightest stars and production companies in the UK. And in the years since, it has launched some of the most exciting and best-loved titles on TV. There are names like BAFTA and Emmy-nominated Taskmaster - now in its ninth series -, Judge Romesh, Hypothetical, Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier and Comedians Giving Lectures. And of course theres Dave Gorman, whose inquisitive mind is returning to the channel for Terms and Conditions Apply. Its not just in front of the camera where the comic genius lies either, with a wealth of scripted treasure such as Sliced, Porters and the globally popular Red Dwarf.

Daves not content just to make you laugh and share gags with your mates though. Expedition with Steve Backshall and Hurricane Man are showing you regions and aspects of the earth never before seen on TV. Red Bull Soapbox continues to delight with its boundless capacity for invention. And stepping away from the TV entirely, Daves partnered with CALM to launch the Be The Mate Youd Want campaign and the Conversations Against Living Miserably podcast.

Reaching 20million viewers a month, Daves come a long way, but its only just getting warmed up.

dave.uktv.co.uk / @davechannel

About UKTV

UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committ

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