THE BIOMEDICAL OPINION OPINION THE BIOMEDICAL 16 SCIENTIST One-to-one One-to-one SCIENTIST 17

FROM HAEMATOLOGY ALL ABOUT DAVE Won Mastermind with the highest- ever score with the specialist subject, human blood: “I told the producers TO STAND-UP COMEDY I’d love to do the red blood cell as my specialist subject. They said: ‘The may be a famous comic red blood cell – it’s a bit narrow and actor now, but in the late sixties he though, isn’t it?’ I thought: ‘A bit narrow?! It’s bloody microscopic!’” was starting a biomedical science career. Introduced column chromatography in the lab, which led to screening programmes in for hypochromic microcytic anaemia. did an event for a room full about what I did on my holidays during of clinical biochemists; it primary school, and the teacher wrote, Had an animal sanctuary at home was an interesting gig. ‘Another good essay from David, but why – rescuing dogs, goats, ducks, battery hens – and works with a What I hadn’t realised and does everything have to have a comedy range of charities, including I should have done is that element?’ I wasn’t even aware I was doing Animals Asia, Pet Rehome and you can’t tell a clinical that – it was just the way I was seeing Paws for Kids. biochemist just one joke. life,” he says. Has won two You’ve got to tell them a Dave was academic – he passed his and been nominated for a BAFTA, joke that’s not very funny, a joke that’s 11-plus, went to grammar school and was appeared on Parkinson and the Royal “Ifunny and a joke that’s hilariously funny sitting his A-levels with plans to become a Variety Performance, and is most so they’ve got a low and high control – doctor when his father (then a painter at night and come in and help save lives,” because I instigated them,” he adds. and act himself. “I was terrified but once I proud of the Performance of the Year that’s the only way it’s going to work.” and decorator) had an accident and he says. “I loved haematology.” The career didn’t come without its saw them laughing, it was like a drug.” award for his first-ever tour show. Dave Spikey knows what he’s talking couldn’t work; as the eldest child Dave Dave progressed on to the Higher challenges, and the biggest in his early After a colleague told him he should * Dave Spikey’s 30th Anniversary Tour, about. Unusually for a stand-up comic he needed to become breadwinner. National Certificate and went on to do the days in microbiology was having to kill be a comedian, he started doing talent Juggling On A Motorbike, is at theatres started his career as a biomedical scientist While in hospital, he saw a job advert two-year Special Examination leading to mice and guinea pigs that had been shows, later playing one gig a month around the UK from 27 September 2018. – joining Bolton Royal Infirmary in 1968 for medical laboratory technicians and Fellowship. He got the senior post at the tested on, then dissect them. “I was so as a hobby: “It took me three years or For details, visit davespikey.co.uk as a Junior Medical Laboratory Technician encouraged Dave to apply – suggesting it hospital following his viva for the Special inept at it that it’s a whole comedy sketch so to get a bit of motion.” and rising up the ranks over a 30-year would stand him in good stead once he exam. “I instigated a thalassaemia and right there – I feel guilty even joking Originally performing in the ubiquitous career to become Chief Biomedical could resume his studies. “I went to the haemoglobinopathy screening programme about it,” he says. “I’ve always been a working men’s clubs, Dave “died horribly him on as one of their acts. “The other Scientist in haematology at the Royal interview on the Friday from the comfort for our population in Bolton and massive animal lover and I refused to do in half of them” because his observational massive turning point was meeting Peter Bolton Hospital. of my new home, the sixth-form common introduced all the techniques for that.” it in the end. I was threatened with the comedy wasn’t popular, but a comedy Kay when he won the North West The year 2000 came and he found room, and found myself on the Monday sack, but I didn’t lose my job.” seminar evening in Bolton started Comedian of the Year [Dave had won the himself one Monday morning in a rainy, morning in a white coat in a microbiology Career success featuring comics doing similar award the previous year and as a result windswept Bolton carpark, dressed as a lab helping sample phlegm.” He also improved other areas of the Move to comedy conversational humour to Dave. was compering the event]. giant berry and singing the Katrina and laboratory. “We were a very basic lab. “Hospitals provide a brilliant little arena “I got more and more work that way, “We got on straight away and wrote the Waves classic Walking on Sunshine. He Starting out Haematology was really expanding back for comedy. In certain situations things then I started to go to gigs in London. That Thing together, then we was filming an episode of Dave was one of seven basic-grade juniors in the mid-1970s and we were getting left can get quite dark and they just need That’s where it became hard. I would wrote .” sitcom Phoenix Nights, which marked his who did the rounds in the hospital in behind. There was an old-fashioned somebody to diffuse them. Sometimes work my days until quarter past five, then Dave’s first career has influenced his move into full-time comedy. But this microbiology, histopathology, attitude of sending everything to you get it right and sometimes you get it drive down to London, do a spot in a grotty second. “Over the years I’ve garnered so didn’t come overnight: he’d been doing biochemistry and haematology, be tested at Manchester Royal wrong,” he adds. pub and then drive all the way back up, all many stories. I never just tell one gag stand-up and writing comedy in his spare while working towards their Infirmary. We thought: ‘No, we This kind of environment provided for nothing.” after another.” And despite his huge time since 1987. Ordinary National Certificate can do it here.’ I introduced fertile ground for Dave and his colleagues success, he misses it: “As soon as I walked on day release. “I found my cytochemistry techniques to put on pantomimes. He originally Comedy success in the lab I loved being part of that team. Early years home in haematology – I – PAS, Sudan Black, etc – I got wrote and directed them, but when one The first turning point was an open spot You met everybody, you knew everybody; Comedy has always been a huge part of thought it was the SAS of all that started. Those areas I performer took exception to his directing at the Comedy Score in London, which it was a fantastic family, it was a fantastic Dave’s life. “I remember an essay I wrote pathology. I aspired to be on call am immensely proud of, mainly and walked off stage, Dave had to go on went so well that the management took place to work.”