# Mike Wozniak
**Mike Wozniak** (Michael James Wozniak, born 1979) is a British comedian, writer, actor and podcaster known for playing Brian in the [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) sitcom *Man Down*, for appearing on series 11 of *Taskmaster*, and for co-hosting the [Three Bean Salad](https://www.edgepedia.org/three-bean-salad) podcast[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about). A former junior hospital doctor, he became a full-time comic in 2008, built his stand-up reputation at the [Edinburgh Festival Fringe](https://www.edgepedia.org/edinburgh-festival-fringe), and in 2024 returned to Channel 4 as co-host of *Junior Taskmaster* alongside Rose Matafeo[2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/nov/01/junior-taskmaster-mike-wozniak-interview-channel-4-rose-matafeo) • [1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979, Portsmouth, England; born Michael James Wozniak[3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man) • [4](https://mediagriduk.uk/features/mike-wozniak-doctor-taskmaster-star/) |
| First career | Medical school and work as a junior hospital doctor before turning to comedy full-time in 2008[2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/nov/01/junior-taskmaster-mike-wozniak-interview-channel-4-rose-matafeo) |
| Fringe nominations | Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2008; Best Show, for *Take The Hit*, 2013[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about) |
| *Taskmaster* | Won the original Edinburgh Fringe version in 2010; contestant on televised series 11 (2021), finishing second with 154 points[5](https://taskmaster.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Wozniak) |
| Acting | Brian in Channel 4's *Man Down*, with Greg Davies and Roisin Conaty[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about) |
| Podcasts | Co-host of the Three Bean Salad podcast with Benjamin Partridge and Henry Paker; creator of St Elwick's Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Podcast[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about) |
| Current show | *The Bench*, which he has called his biggest stand-up tour yet, running from January 2026 with an audience-guided investigation format[3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man) |
## Early life and medicine
Wozniak was born in [Portsmouth](https://www.edgepedia.org/portsmouth) in 1979 and grew up there, a town he describes as very military. One side of his family is Welsh and the other Polish, and family material, including a story about a Catholic ancestor supposedly killed by cannibals, appeared in his early stand-up[3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/apr/10/comedian-profile-mike-wozniak-titter-feed). He went to a grammar school, then to medical school and worked as a junior hospital doctor, performing standup alongside that career before giving it up to become a full-time comic in 2008[2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/nov/01/junior-taskmaster-mike-wozniak-interview-channel-4-rose-matafeo). He has a twin sister, with whom he shares an enthusiasm for [The Goon Show](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-goon-show) and [Spike Milligan](https://www.edgepedia.org/spike-milligan)[6](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/apr/10/comedian-profile-mike-wozniak-titter-feed).
## Stand-up career
**Early career.** Wozniak began performing comedy in a medics sketch group that included Adam Kay, and turned to stand-up in 2007[3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man). His Edinburgh Fringe debut the following year drew attention to his large moustache, which he used for self-deprecating jokes, and to a delivery style built on repetition, precise language and tightly scripted storytelling; the *Independent* review of the show at Medina & Negociants compared his structure to that of [Stewart Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/stewart-lee) and called him "cleverly off-beat as well as occasionally off-beam"[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/reviews/mike-wozniak-medina-negociants-edinburgh-festival-901745.html). The debut show was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Fringe, and in 2013 *Take The Hit* was nominated for Best Show[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about).
**A quieter stretch.** Around 2015 Wozniak stepped back from touring stand-up, gigging off the radar while working on *Man Down*, the Radio 4 sketch show *Small Scenes*, and raising young children[3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man). His first proper tour after that period was *Zusa*, a one-man show based on family stories about his Polish grandmother, which he took on a sell-out tour across the UK and Ireland[3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man) • [1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about).
**The Bench.** Wozniak's tour show *The Bench*, which he has called his biggest yet, is framed as a citizen-led inquiry into the apparent arson of a memorial bench in his home community in south-west England. The show has a choose-your-own-adventure element: the audience selects which evidence and leads to pursue in the first half and can contribute questions, theories and comments in the second, so that each performance branches differently[3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man). Critics at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe singled out its detailed portrait of genteel suburban life; Chortle called him "a poet of the parochial", and one five-star review described the show as a work of comic world-building that makes the audience feel like inhabitants of the village[8](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2026/08/14/61294/mike_wozniak%3A_the_bench) • [9](https://one4review.co.uk/2026/08/mike-wozniak-the-bench-5%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85/).
## Taskmaster
Wozniak's connection with *Taskmaster*, the panel show created by [Alex Horne](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-horne), dates to its original form: he was a contestant on, and winner of, the live Edinburgh Festival Fringe version in 2010[5](https://taskmaster.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Wozniak) • [10](https://www.channel4.com/press/news/mike-wozniak). In the televised series 11, which aired in 2021, he finished second with 154 points[5](https://taskmaster.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Wozniak). His performance, built around an unflappably polite and mannered persona, was widely treated as a breakout: press coverage described him as the instant star of the series, and he has credited the show with giving him the audience that made touring feasible again[11](https://www.nme.com/features/taskmaster-mike-wozniak-2911042) • [3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man).
In 2024 he returned to Channel 4 as co-host of *Junior Taskmaster*, playing the task setter's assistant alongside host [Rose Matafeo](https://www.edgepedia.org/rose-matafeo)[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/nov/01/junior-taskmaster-mike-wozniak-interview-channel-4-rose-matafeo).
## Acting and writing
Wozniak is best known on screen for *Man Down*, Greg Davies's Channel 4 sitcom, in which he played Brian, a strait-laced friend of Davies's character; a Guardian feature describes the character as an accountant[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about) • [3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/nov/01/junior-taskmaster-mike-wozniak-interview-channel-4-rose-matafeo). His writing credits include series three and four of *Man Down*, all four series of *Small Scenes* on [BBC Radio 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-radio-4), and the one-off Sky Arts physical comedy *Ruby Robinson*, starring [Kim Cattrall](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-cattrall) with a troupe of acrobats[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about). He wrote and directed the short film *Sump*, starring [Gemma Whelan](https://www.edgepedia.org/gemma-whelan), Daniel Rigby and Jeany Spark, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Amsterdam Film Festival among other awards[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about). Other credits include *Would I Lie To You*, *Horrible Histories*, *It's Kevin*, the Dave pilot *We Are Not Alone*, the Alice Lowe film *Prevenge*, and the Christmas 2025 Adam Kay adaptation *Dexter Procter: The 10-Year-Old Doctor*[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about) • [12](https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/random8/mike-wozniak/).
## Podcasts
Alongside Benjamin Partridge and Henry Paker, Wozniak co-hosts the Three Bean Salad podcast, which won best comedy podcast at the Chortle awards and, after *Taskmaster*, climbed high in Apple's comedy podcast charts[2](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/nov/01/junior-taskmaster-mike-wozniak-interview-channel-4-rose-matafeo) • [3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man). He also created the St Elwick's Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Podcast, a fictional local-newsletter show, to critical acclaim, and is a regular performer on The Beef and Dairy Network Podcast[1](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about).
## Stage persona
His stage persona is a deliberate exaggeration of a mild, institutionalized English middle-aged man. In a 2026 interview he said he is "leaning hard into being a fusty, provincial middle-aged man", describing an upbringing on a grammar school and NHS "travelator" and a life of mortgage, dog and children[3](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man). Reviewers regularly describe the persona in period terms: The Skinny compared his demeanor to a suave father in a 1950s sitcom paired with the physicality of an uptight Mr Bean, and one Fringe review described a man playing "every upstanding, waffling, friendly, over-informed, village-council-attending middle-aged man you've ever known"[13](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh-fringe/comedy/mike-wozniak-assembly-hall) • [9](https://one4review.co.uk/2026/08/mike-wozniak-the-bench-5%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85/). The moustache has been a running joke in his act since his earliest reviews, when he was repeatedly likened to the 118 118 advertising characters[7](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/reviews/mike-wozniak-medina-negociants-edinburgh-festival-901745.html).
## References
1. [About — Mike Wozniak (official site)](https://mrmikewozniak.com/about)
2. ["The kids didn't subject me to violence ... largely speaking": inside the super-sassy world of Junior Taskmaster, The Guardian, 1 November 2024](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/nov/01/junior-taskmaster-mike-wozniak-interview-channel-4-rose-matafeo)
3. ["I'm leaning hard into being a fusty, provincial middle-aged man", Chortle interview, 20 February 2026](https://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2026/02/20/59978/im_leaning_hard_into_being_a_fusty%2C_provincial_middle-aged_man)
4. [Mike Wozniak: Doctor Turned Taskmaster Star, Media Grid UK](https://mediagriduk.uk/features/mike-wozniak-doctor-taskmaster-star/)
5. [Mike Wozniak, Taskmaster Wiki](https://taskmaster.fandom.com/wiki/Mike_Wozniak)
6. [Comedian profile: Mike Wozniak, The Guardian, 10 April 2009](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/apr/10/comedian-profile-mike-wozniak-titter-feed)
7. [Mike Wozniak, Medina & Negociants, Edinburgh Festival, The Independent, 19 August 2008](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/reviews/mike-wozniak-medina-negociants-edinburgh-festival-901745.html)
8. [Mike Wozniak: The Bench, Chortle review, 14 August 2026](https://www.chortle.co.uk/review/2026/08/14/61294/mike_wozniak%3A_the_bench)
9. [Mike Wozniak: The Bench, One4Review, 11 August 2026](https://one4review.co.uk/2026/08/mike-wozniak-the-bench-5%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85/)
10. [Mike Wozniak, Channel 4 press pack interview, 3 March 2021](https://www.channel4.com/press/news/mike-wozniak)
11. [Why Mike Wozniak on 'Taskmaster' will see you through the rest of lockdown, NME](https://www.nme.com/features/taskmaster-mike-wozniak-2911042)
12. [Mike Wozniak, Random 8, British Comedy Guide, 6 January 2026](https://www.comedy.co.uk/live/random8/mike-wozniak/)
13. [Mike Wozniak @ Assembly Hall: Edinburgh Fringe review, The Skinny, 13 August 2026](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh-fringe/comedy/mike-wozniak-assembly-hall)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Theater and dance › Stand-up comedy and comedians › British and Irish comedians › Alternative comedy generation*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license