The Island: release date of comedy game show on Dave, who are contestants, and how does it work?

What is The Island about?

Comedian Tom Allen is hosting a new comedy game show, The Island, which will air on Dave.

The eight-part series has been devised by comedians  Ed Gamble, James Acaster, Lloyd Langford and John Robins, who are all executive producers.

It will see four comedians propose their ideas for their own personal dream, desert island. Those taking part will appear each week, as they expand and elaborate on their plans for their Island.

There will also be regular co-hosts that will act as reporters each week, to help test all the interesting ideas put forward.

Comedian, writer and producer Kemah Bob will take on the role of one of the co-host reporters. She is known for her appearances on ‘Stand Up For Live Comedy’ (BBC One), ‘Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club’ (ITV), and ‘Don’t Hate The Playaz’ (ITV).

Another co-host reporter working alongside Tom Allen will be comedian and actor, Jason Forbes, who is best known for his work on CITV series ‘Horrible Science’, and ‘The Mash Report’ on BBC Two.

Who is host Tom Allen?

The show’s host, Tom Allen first started stand-up at the age of 22, and went on to win both So You Think You’re Funny in Edinburgh and the BBC New Comedy Awards.

Since then he has appeared on a multitude of TV shows, including TNT Show (Channel4), The Great British Bake off: An Extra Slice (BBCTwo), and even The Apprentice: You're Fired! (BBCTwo).

Allen is no stranger to working closely with the nation’s best stand-up performers, and this show is no exception.

Who are the contestants?

The four regular contestants taking part in The Island are, Sara Pascoe, Johnny Vegas, Ninia Benjamin and Ahir Shah.

Sara Pascoe is a comedian and actor from Essex, who first burst onto the scene with Sara Pascoe Vs Her Ego at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2010.

She quickly became a regular on TV panel shows such as 8 out of 10 Cats Does  Countdown (C4), QI (BBC), and Taskmaster on the Dave channel.

Johnny Vegas, is an actor, writer and stand-up comedian who has successfully made people laugh for over 25 years.

Vegas gained a wider audience in the early 00’s when he became a regular on the panel show, Shooting Stars.

He then went on to appear in ITV’s comedy sitcom Benidorm,  followed by appearances on various other panel shows, such as 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (C4), and QI (BBC).

Ninia Benjamin is an actor and stand-up comedian, who starred in BBC3’s comedy show, 3-Non-Blondes.

She has also frequented the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and provided voice-over for multiple characters in BBC children’s programme, Tinga Tinga Tales.

Ahir Shah is a comedian known for his sharp, intelligent wit. He has been nominated for multiple awards, and has many live shows to his name.  As well as this, he’s also making regular appearances on comedy panel shows, such as The Mash Report and Have I Got News For You.

When is The Island starting on TV?

Season one, episode one of The Island starts 23 March on channel Dave, at 10pm.

It will then continue its run every Wednesday, for the next seven weeks.

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