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Taken from the official DOND site there is an interview with the warm-up guy for DOND, Mark Olver.
Introduce yourself to people who don’t know who you are?
My name is Mark Olver and I am the warm up act for Deal or No Deal (DOND), have been for nearly three years, and as well as doing Deal and quite a few other shows I am also a stand up comedian, touring all over the UK, working every weekend in clubs and theatres up and down the country.
You say you are the warm up for DOND, what does that entail?
I kind of see myself as the host of DOND before Noel comes on the studio floor. As soon as he arrives he takes over, but before then I tend to do all sorts of jobs to prepare the audience and contestants for the filming. I introduce the contestants; find out what they have been up to, what mood they are in.
I make the audience feel comfortable; get them making lots of noise. Most people have never been in a TV studio before so I try and make them feel at ease, but also show them how we need them to behave to make the show as good as it can be. I encourage them to cheer in the right places and I keep them up to date with how the shows have been going and what the characters are like behind the boxes.
The job has evolved since we began filming, and I am sure it will continue to change, finding new ways to keep the show fresh, to keep the audience involved as much as possible, and to help make the show as good as it can be.
Do you have any amusing stories from your time at DOND?
I have loads of stories from my time at DOND, mainly from our five-a-side football matches and the occasional parties we have. None of those stories can be repeated though. I am forbidden from giving away the location of The Banker, and I am forbidden from spreading gossip about crew scandal.
We all get on very well. I sit in a little corner behind the set with Greg and Eddie and Chivers, floor manager, assistant floor manager, and prefect respectively, and we have a great time, huddled together for eight hours every day. Our personal hygiene has to be top notch.
There are also many stitch ups that happen on set while we are recording. The screen is often used to give the audience a sneaky look at the odd embarrassing video or photograph of a member of the crew or production team. The tip is to never allow anything you want to keep private into the hands or ears of anyone else, because it will find its way to me, or the director, or someone else and quite quickly become public property.
We have had cameramen singing the theme tune to Dallas, Chivers demonstrating his victory dance, a video of Eddie on a reality show when he was 19, and even a picture of me in a thong. There are many others, and I am sure this will continue for a very long time.
Do you have favourite shows you have worked on?
I loved being there when Laura won the big one. After waiting so long for it to happen, when it did we were all shocked, stunned, chuffed and emotional. We all get totally drawn in to what is happening.
Apart from Laura, I think my favourite could be PJ's. Click here to see a clip of Pj’s show. I love the fact that one of the regular audience members got involved and it was an amazing end to the show.
How did you get into comedy?
I have always loved comedy. A few years ago I had a friend who had started trying stand up, I went to see some gigs with him, loved it, tried it, and gradually did more and more, and then got paid more and more until eventually I was able to make it my real job.
It is brilliant to be able to have a job that is also your hobby, and I am lucky that most of my friends are comedians. At places like DOND where I do so much work I am able to work with friends and meet great people.
What has been your greatest gig?
Not sure what my greatest gig is, hopefully it has not happened yet. The most memorable was doing something for Children in Need a few years ago, on stage in front of 20,000 people at an air force base, introducing Girls Aloud and Status Quo. It was incredible.
What makes you laugh?
I love stand up comedy. Mainly in clubs, but also on CD and DVD. My friends Russell Howard and Jon Richardson make me laugh. As do people like Daniel Kitson, John Oliver and Flight of the Conchords.
I also really like some of the comedians who are secret DOND fans, such as Richard Herring and Emma Kennedy. I meet so many comedians who love the show and want to know every little thing about it. Some of them have even been to the studio to watch it.
Tell us the details for your planned charity walk.
During the summer, starting on the 9th of June, I am walking from Bristol, where I live and where we record DOND, to Edinburgh where I do a show every August for the Fringe Festival. I really want to explore the country I live in, and the show will be the story of the walk.
It is about 400 miles long, and I will be performing comedy gigs right up through the country, raising money for a national charity called Help the Hospices, and local hospices on route. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I am going to try not to pay for any accommodation and stay with strangers. Scary stuff.
All the details can be found on www.justgiving.com/markolver That will also be the link to click to read the diary I will be writing during the walk.
I’m sure your fans will want to know, are you coming back to DOND?
I do sometimes think about leaving, and sometimes I miss a few days because of other work, but I think I like it too much to leave for good.
I think that I need to move on sometimes, but then I think that I want to stay for the 1000th show, and to see the next quarter of a million won, and to see if I can outlive the banker, and then the fifth year birthday, and all the other things that might, and will happen.
I am very attached to everyone who works on the show, even that nasty banker man. Even when I am doing my own shows, and travelling around the world doing comedy, and whatever happens to me, I can never imagine not having any connection to what happens on DOND.
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FAQ
Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 3:13 pm Author: Michael DeVere Post subject: Interview with Mark Olver the warm-up guy for the show
