Dara Ó Briain to Front New Gaming Series on Dave

LONDON: UKTV’s Dave has bolstered its entertainment slate with the commission of Dara Ó Briain’s Go 8 Bit, based on the live Edinburgh show Go 8 Bit.

Each week the show will see two celebrity guests compete to be crowned ‘8 Bit Champion’. Ó Briain, a comedian and gaming enthusiast, will lead the show. The team captains are Steve McNeil, a self-confessed gaming geek, and Sam Pamphilon, a cynical amateur, who both devised and hosted the original Edinburgh show. Gaming expert Ellie Gibson will be on hand to commentate and wind up the contestants. The series will be recorded in front of a live studio audience, which will decide the winner of each round.

The new series is developed and produced by DLT Entertainment. Dara Ó Briain’s Go 8 Bit will air on Dave in fall 2016.

Ó Briain said: “Put a video game controller in the hands of a nun and she’ll turn into a trash-talking bloodthirsty monster. Give a controller to a comedian and they’ll do that too, but be funny. In video games veritas, my friends. This show is a raucous, back-biting, properly competitive celebration of the world’s favorite pastime. Let’s Go 8 Bit!”

Iain Coyle, UKTV’s senior commissioning editor, said, “As someone who barely knows his Wii U from his ZX Spectrum, I was a huge fan of the live show. Add Dara to that mix and I think you’ve got yourself the potential to join gaming and comedy audiences in a completely unique way.”

Steve North, Dave’s general manager, said, “Go 8 Bit is a very funny stage show with a cult following. We love working with the comedy community to bring successful stage shows to the Dave audience, as we did with Alex Horne’s Taskmaster. Having Dara on board makes it a perfect fit for Dave.”

Don Taffner Jr., executive producer and president at DLT Entertainment, said, “Dara Ó Briain’s Go 8 Bit is unlike anything else on TV. It is a completely new type of gaming show with its mix of gaming experts, comedians, guest stars and nostalgia to create an unmissable entertainment series. The show will combine our love for retro games with the latest technology and audience interaction that all viewers—young, old, male, female, and most importantly gamers and non-gamers—will love. We are looking forward to working with UKTV and Dave to bring this exciting new concept to life.”