Dai Henwood

Dafydd Morgan "Dai" Henwood;^[2] born 7 February 1978)^[3] is a New Zealand stand-up comedian and television host.^[4] Henwood started performing comedy when he was studying Theatre and Film at Victoria University of Wellington. His career in television began in 1999 when he appeared on the TV2 comedy show Pulp Comedy. Henwood then went on to began touring internationally as a stand-up comedian in 2004 to then hosting the television show Insert Video Here on C4.

Dai Henwood
Henwood in 2018
Born	Dafydd Morgan Henwood (1978-02-07) February 7, 1978 (age 46) Wellington, New Zealand[1]
Alma mater	Victoria University of Wellington
Years active	1999–present
Spouse	Joanna Kelly
Children	2
Parent(s)	Ray Henwood (father) Carolyn Henwood (mother)
Relatives	Dick Jones (great-grandfather)
Awards	Billy T Award (2002) Fred Award (2007, 2015)

From 2009 until 2022 Henwood was a regular panel guest on the New Zealand comedy show 7 Days as the weekly captain. Henwood continues to perform stand-up comedy as well as host and makes regular appearances on various television shows around New Zealand.^[5][6]

Early life and education

Henwood was born to father Ray and mother Judge Carolyn Henwood. Henwood has stated his great-grandfather was Welsh international rugby player Dick Jones.^[7][8] Henwood went to Wellington College for secondary school. Henwood studied Theatre and Film at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a BA in eastern religions,^[9] before winning 'Best New Face' on TV2's Pulp Comedy in 1999,^[10] the Billy T Award in 2002^[11] and the Fred Award in 2007.^[12]

Career

In 2004 and 2005, Henwood toured the shows The Hot Stepper and Champagne Table Tennis, and performed at the Tokyo Comedy Store and in Melbourne and around Britain.^[13] He subsequently performed seasons in both Auckland and Wellington during the New Zealand International Comedy Festival including the shows Dai-namic Scenarios (2007 & 2008),^[14] Shabba (2009),^[15] Dai Another Day (2009),^[16] Ideals vs. Reality (2010),^[17] Fonzie Touched Me (2011)^[18] and Adapt Or Dai (2013).^[19] In 2008 he was invited to the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival and recorded a televised gala special.^[20]

Henwood spent a period on TV3's Sunrise morning show, as the gadget guy, giving humorous reviews of the latest gadgets.^[21][22] He subsequently rose to prominence after featuring on television station C4 hosting Insert Video Here in 2007.^[23][24] Henwood then went on to host two series of comedy travel show Roll The Dai on the same network.^[25]

From 2009 until 2022, Henwood was weekly captain of Team Two on TV3's weekly panel comedy show 7 Days, filming over 150 episodes in that time.^[26][27] He now appears occasionally.

Henwood has recorded two DVDs: Dai Another Day, released by EMI in late 2009, and Adapt or Dai, released by Universal Music in 2013.^[28]

In 2016, Henwood was presented with the Rielly Comedy Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand.^[29]

Henwood released a memoir, The Life of Dai, in June 2024 through HarperCollins.^[30]

Personal life

Henwood is known for being a fan of NRL team the New Zealand Warriors.^[31]

Henwood is married to art teacher Joanna 'Jo' Kelly. They have two children.^[32][33]

In January 2023, in an interview on The Project, Henwood shared publicly that he was diagnosed with metastatic bowel cancer in 2020.^[34][35]

Filmography

Film

Title	Year	Role	Notes
Derby Dogs	2012	Mr. Lumsden
A Kiwi Legend	2013	Himself	Short film

Television

Title	Year	Role	Notes
The Tribe	1999	Boy / Youth No.1	2 episodes
Xena: Warrior Princess	2001	Siki	Episode: "Old Ares Had a Farm"
Revelations – The Initial Journey	2003	Carlos	Episode: "David and Mr. G"
Insert Video Here	2007	Host
Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards	2007–09	Host
Roll the Dai	2007–08	Host
Jono's New Show	2008	Himself
Dai's Protege	2009	Host
7 Days	2009–present	Team 1 Leader / Team 2 Leader
Stand Up	2010		Documentary
The Jono Project	2010	Himself
7 Days of Sport	2015	Forwards Leader / Team Member
Family Feud	2016–17	Host
The Moe Show	2017	Himself	2 episodes
The Project	2017-	Backup Host
Dancing with the Stars	2018	Host
LEGO Masters NZ	2022-	Host
Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee	2023	Himself
Taskmaster NZ	2023	Himself	Season 4

Awards and nominations

Source:^[36]

Year	Award	Result
1999	Dynamic Innovative Video Awards	Winner
1999	Best New Face Award	Winner
2002	Billy T James Comedy Award	Winner
2004	The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards	Winner - Best Male Comedian
2005	The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards	Winner - Best Male Comedian
2006	The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards	Winner - Best Television Performance
2006	The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards	Best MC
2007	TV Guide Best On The Box Awards Nomination	Winner - Funniest Person On Television
2007	The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards Nomination	The Kevin Smith Memorial Cup for Best Artist Achievement
2007	The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards Nomination	Best New Zealand On Screen Comedy Performance
2007	The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards Nomination	Best Male Comedian
2007	Cleo Music Awards	Best Music TV Presenter
2007	Best New Zealand Comedian	The Fred Award

Bibliography

• Henwood, Dai (1 June 2024). The Life of Dai. HarperCollins. ISBN 9781775492863.

See also

• List of New Zealand television personalities

References

1. "Dai Henwood Biography". Retrieved 9 November 2010.
2. Dai Henwood Explains Himself to PJ Taylor of The Times. 2007 WCOBA Lampstand, p. 41. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
3. "TaskMaster.Info - Dai Henwood". taskmaster.info. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
4. Moore, Rachel (31 July 2023). "Dai Henwood hid cancer diagnosis for almost two years, now hosting comedy show fundraiser". Stuff. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
5. "Dai Henwood". New Zealand Comedy Trust. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
6. Screen, NZ On. "Dai Henwood | NZ On Screen". www.nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
7. "'The Times Interview - Dai Henwood, Explain Yourself to PJ Taylor'". times.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
8. Jones, Harry (23 January 2014). "Smith versus Jones: rugby's surname face-off". The Roar. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
9. Nippert, Matt (5–11 May 2007). "Upfront: Dai Henwood". New Zealand Listener. 208 (3495). Retrieved 13 April 2008.
10. "Dai Henwood opens up about cancer battle, from 'so much crying' to 'loving tomorrow'". Newshub. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
11. "Billy T Award". NZ International Comedy Festival. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
12. "The Fred Award". NZ International Comedy Festival. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
13. Cowan, John. "Comedian Dai Henwood tells John Cowan about living sober and his exploration of spirituality". ZB. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
14. "Dai Henwood – Dai-namic Scenarios". Theatreview. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
15. "Keeping New Zealand Awesome Since 1978 | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
16. "Dai Henwood". New Zealand Comedy Trust. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
17. "What I Pack: Dai Henwood - Travel News". The New Zealand Herald. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
18. "Comedy Festival: Dai Henwood - Entertainment News". The New Zealand Herald. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
19. "Dai Henwood: Adapt or Dai review". Newshub. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
20. "Dai Henwood". TEDxChristchurch. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
21. "SUNRISE. 03/12/2008". www.ngataonga.org.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
22. FEA, SUE (2 July 2009). "Float like a Conchord, sting like a bumble bee". Stuff. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
23. "INSERT VIDEO HERE. 26/07/2006". www.ngataonga.org.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
24. "Comedy.co.nz - The home of live NZ comedy. Comedians, News, Reviews , Video, Venues. The Classic Comedy Bar and Classic Studio - DAI HENWOOD". www.comedy.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
25. "TV Review: Roll the Dai". The New Zealand Herald. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
26. Smithies, Grant (16 October 2021). "Dai Henwood on quitting alcohol, meditation and being buried alive". Stuff. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
27. "Spy: 7 Days shock: Rejig for popular team captains". The New Zealand Herald. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
28. "New Zealand Comedic Genius Returns to Dai-VD | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
29. "VAC Awards - Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc". 13 May 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
30. "The Life of Dai". HarperCollins. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
31. "Dai Henwood shares cancer update, reveals love of the Warriors and fans help him 'forget about cancer'". New Zealand Herald. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
32. "Dai Henwood's new direction: 'I'm living in the moment'". The New Zealand Herald. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
33. "Dai Henwood welcomes baby girl". Now To Love. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
34. "Dai Henwood reveals he has stage 4 bowel cancer". Newshub. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
35. "Dai Henwood reveals special lesson in his brave cancer battle". The New Zealand Herald. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
36. "Presenter biography" (PDF). johnsonlaird.com. Retrieved 21 April 2023.

External links

• Dai Henwood on Myspace (archive.org) at the Wayback Machine (archived 4 June 2010)