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Season 4, Episode 4
Richard Ayoade focuses on technology for protection and security, making sure the Gadget Man house is kitted out with a smartphone-activated lock, scanning visitors with a portable metal detector and putting a robot on patrol. He is joined by actor Keith Allen to test a wallet tracker, a vest that makes the wearer look more muscular and a bulletproof bag, and also meets up with comedian Bill Bailey at a Cold War era nuclear bunker in Essex to try out a post-apocalyptic survival kit - much of which can also be used for camping holidays or festivals
HD
subtitles
16x9
Education/Science/Factual Topics
Technology
Cast & Crew
Richard Ayoade
(Presenter)
Bill Bailey
(Contributor)
Keith Allen
(Contributor)
Chris Richards
(Series producer)
Mark McQueen
(Series director)
Steve Gowans
(Executive producer)
More Information
Did You Know..
Richard Ayoade
(Presenter)
Best Known For:
The IT Crowd.
Early-life:
Born Richard Ellef Ayoade on June 12, 1977, in London. His mother is Norwegian, his father Nigerian, and Richard is their only child. The family left the capital when he was young and settled in Ipswich. He was interested in film from an early age, and wrote plays and sketches while still at school before landing a place at Cambridge to study law, where he met David Mitchell and joined the famous Footlights group. On leaving university he spent two years writing for TV sketch shows and attempting to become a stand-up comedian.
Career:
Ayoade's breakthrough came when he and Matthew Holness created fictional horror author Garth Merenghi; a stage show featuring the character won the Perrier Award, which was followed by the Channel 4 series Garth Merenghi's Darkplace. Ayoade went on to appear in The Mighty Boosh, Nathan Barley, Bunny and the Bull, and The IT Crowd. He made his big-screen directorial debut with the acclaimed Submarine (which he also wrote, adapting it from the novel by Joe Dunthorne), and has since directed The Double as well as numerous music videos for acts such as the Arctic Monkeys, Super Furry Animals, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kasabian. He's was a team captain on Channel 4 panel show Was It Something I Said? and took over as host of Gadget Man from Stephen Fry.
Quote:
"I find performing very difficult. It's difficult to be a good actor. I get very nervous, even though it sounds disingenuous, because you could legitimately go, 'Well, why do it?'"
Trivia:
Here's Ayoade's tips for aspiring directors: "Try not to get depressed. You need to be healthy so don't get a cold. Get comfortable shoes because you don't sit down for two months."
Bill Bailey
(Contributor)
Born:
January 13, 1964
in
Bath
Best Known For:
His role as team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
Early-life:
Born Mark Bailey in Bath on January 13, 1964, he gained the nickname Bill at King Edward's School in Bath, where he surprised his teachers by excelling at sport. In his youth, he spent a lot of time listening to Monty Python records, and formed a band called the Famous Five. After landing an associateship at the London College of Music, and working with a theatre troupe, he accidentally wandered into a John Hegley gig, where he decided to become a stand-up comedian.
Career:
Bill started touring with the likes of Phill Jupitus and Mark Lamarr, before forming a double-act in 1989 with Martin Stubbs. His big break came in 1995 with the show Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam, a performance of which was filmed and broadcast on Channel 4. In 1998, he scooped his own comedy show on the BBC, Is It Bill Bailey?, and enjoyed a series of successful guest slots on shows such as Have I Got News for You. Bill also starred in Dylan Moran's Channel 4 sitcom Black Books, before taking over from Sean Hughes as a captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2002. He's a regular on quiz show QI, and has also enjoyed other acting roles in the likes of Jonathan Creek and Fifteen Storeys High. His big-screen CV includes the movies Saving Grace and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, while his cameo in Hot Fuzz was very well-received. He also continues to tour with his stand-up, selling out arenas all over the world, and has begun a separate career as a presenter of wildlife shows, including the ITV series Baboons with Bill Bailey.
Quote:
"I'm not a hardcore vegetarian. I'll eat fish. And duck. They're almost a fish."
Trivia:
Bailey supports Queens Park Rangers.
Keith Allen
(Contributor)
Born:
June 02, 1953
in
Gorseinon, near Swansea
Best Known For:
Being the bad boy of TV.
Early-life:
Despite his allegiance to the England football team, Keith Howell Charles Allen was born in Swansea, South Wales, in 1953. He supports Fulham FC. His brother Kevin is an actor, director and comedian. On leaving school, Keith had a variety of jobs, including coal mining (although he only completed three shifts), running the shooting gallery at a funfair and working in a chicken factory. His big showbusiness break came when he went down a storm at the Comedy Store in 1979.
Career:
Allen was in a number of Comic Strip Presents... programmes during the 1980s. He also appeared in an episode of The Young Ones and made his film debut in Crystal Gazing, which he co-wrote. Among his highest profile projects are Scandal, A Very British Coup, Carry On Columbus, The Young Americans, Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, Martin Chuzzlewit, De-Lovely, 24 Hour Party People and The Others. Allen featured in BBC reality show Art School, released football-themed single Vindaloo as part of the band Fat Les, has conducted often-controversial interviews for Channel 4, and was most recently seen playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood. More recently, he has starred in The Body Farm, By Any Means, and My Mad Fat Diary.
Quote:
"I'm similar to Marmite in many respects. People either love me or hate me."
Trivia:
He supports Fulham FC.
Chris Richards
(Series producer)
Mark McQueen
(Series director)
Steve Gowans
(Executive producer)
