U&Dave orders Silence is Golden; Gorman returns
July 4, 2024
By Nik Roseveare
Dermot O’Leary is set to host U&Dave’s Silence is Golden, a new entertainment show created by Richard Bacon, whose Yes Yes Media is set to produce the series for UKTV.
At the start of each episode, the network gives £250,000 to the studio audience and all they need to do to keep it is remain silent. With every audience member mic’ed up, all hell breaks loose as a green room of 30 acts, led by three returning comedian captains, headed up by Katherine Ryan, wage war on the audience, with every sound forced out of them bringing the total prize money down. It’s entertainers vs audience – they’re not on the same side. If the entertainers get the prize pot to zero, they get to give money to charity.
O’Leary commented: “I’m so looking forward to Silence is Golden. When a show like this falls into your lap, you can’t quite believe your luck. Looking forward to having lots of fun with the audience, our comedians and assorted cast of regulars, all trying to make the audience laugh, gasp and giggle”.
Silence is Golden is commissioned for UKTV by Mark Iddon, senior commissioning editor, comedy and entertainment, and Jason Dawson, commissioning executive. The series is ordered by Cherie Hall, channel director and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Silence is Golden is produced by Yes Yes Media, with Tim Dean (fresh off Channel 4’s Late Night Lycett) to series produce, and executive produced by Bacon and Yes Yes Media’s Head of Entertainment Mark Sidaway (former showrunner of The X-Factor). The series is distributed by BBC Studios
Iddon said “We’re really excited to bring Silence is Golden to U&Dave. Dermot is the perfect host to hold this chaotically ambitious show together and we think our U&Dave audiences are going to embrace this subversive and unpredictable format. Silence is Golden is the only show where staying silent is worth its weight in gold. It’s the quietest way to lose a fortune you’ll ever see and it’s time for our studio audience to put their money where their mouth isn’t.”
Richard Bacon, founder of Yes Yes Media, added: “You know the feeling when you’re not allowed to laugh at a funeral? Well, it’s that: the Game Show. And I commend U&Dave for boldly commissioning a show that will cost them a quarter million a week – if the audience is better at playing the game than we are.”
Silence is Golden will air on U&Dave and stream on U in 2025, following the launch of U this summer.
Additionally, comedian Dave Gorman will return to UKTV after a seven-year hiatus with four brand-new specials for the critically acclaimed and ratings hit, Dave Gorman Modern Life Is Goodish.
Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish sees Gorman cast an eye over modern life in his own unique style combining stand-up, visual storytelling, and real-world experimentation.
Gorman said: “I’m delighted to be getting back in the Goodish saddle. It’s been seven years since I hung up my Modern Life Is Goodish clicker and in that time, life has definitely got seven years moderner – so there should be plenty to get my teeth into.”
Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish is produced by Avalon, commissioned for UKTV by Mark Iddon, senior commissioning executive, comedy and entertainment, and ordered by Cherie Hall, Dave channel director and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. It is directed by Paul Wheeler and series produced by James Fidler. The executive producers are Jamie Issacs and Gorman.
Iddon added “I’m massively thrilled to announce the return of Modern Life Is Goodish to the U&Dave audience. Dave Gorman’s unique comedic insights and witty PowerPoint presentations have always resonated with our audience. His ability to dissect the quirks of modern life with humour and intelligence is unmatched. I can’t wait to dive back into the joyous and thought-provoking observations that make modern life not just good, but goodish. In a world where everything’s ‘meh’, we could use a dose of ‘ish’. It’s great to have you back, Dave!
Dave Gorman Modern Life Is Goodish will air on U&Dave and stream on U later this year, following the launch of U.