Dave Gorman: Modern Life Is Goodish
A comedy show using PowerPoint to argue modern life is good...ish.
Dave Gorman: Modern Life Is Goodish is a British comedy series that ran for four series from 2013 to 2017 on the channel Dave, hosted by Dave Gorman. It returned for a new series in 2025. The show’s format centres on Gorman delivering stand-up comedy via PowerPoint slides, making the case that modern life isn’t entirely bad or good, but falls somewhere in between—"good...ish."
The first episode aired on 17 September 2013, and the fourth series began on 31 October 2017. On 18 December 2017, Gorman announced the show would end after the final episode of series 4 aired the next night. However, in July 2024, UKTV ordered four new hour-long specials for its rebranded U&Dave channel. The fifth series started on 24 February 2025. Although initially reported to have four episodes, it ended up with three. The fourth recorded episode was dropped because a large part of it focused on Gregg Wallace’s rise to fame—material recorded before allegations of historical misconduct against Wallace became public (which he denies). Two segments from that episode that don’t involve Wallace were released as standalone features on U’s streaming platform.
Each episode follows Gorman performing a stand-up show with PowerPoint, themed around a particular aspect of modern life, such as celebrity culture or social media. A recurring segment is the "Found Poem," where Gorman reads bizarre comments from news websites about a specific story. During this segment, he is lit by a single spotlight, accompanied by the Billroth String Quartet playing the 'Sarabande' from Handel’s Keyboard suite in D minor (HWV 437). The episode titles are taken from lines in the Found Poem.
The show was recorded at the Tabernacle in Notting Hill, with episodes taped in pairs. Before the final recordings, Gorman performed "dry runs" of each episode’s content in small theatres, often rewriting parts afterward. Creating the show was labour-intensive: in the three weeks before taping a pair of episodes, Gorman worked over 100 hours a week. This heavy workload contributed to the decision to end the show in 2017, along with Gorman’s plan to tour in 2018.
The title echoes the 1993 Blur album *Modern Life Is Rubbish*. When asked if this was intentional, Gorman said, "I think it's a Blur reference if you want it to be. The 'rubbish' version, I think, comes to mind anyway. I just l
- field
- Comedy television
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Comedic PowerPoint presentations on modern life
- first_aired
- 17 September 2013
- final_original_series
- 19 December 2017
- revival_series
- 24 February 2025
- number_of_series
- 5
Lore & Background
The series began on 17 September 2013 and ran for four series, with a fourth series starting on 31 October 2017. Gorman announced on 18 December 2017 that the show would conclude after the final episode of series 4 aired the following night. However, in July 2024 it was announced that four brand-new hour-long specials had been ordered by UKTV for their rebranded U&Dave channel. A fifth series began airing on 24 February 2025, but instead of four episodes it consisted of three, with the fourth recorded episode dropped because part of it featured material centring on the rise to fame of Gregg Wallace – the episode was recorded before it was reported that Wallace was under investigation following allegations of historical misconduct, which Wallace denies. Two segments of the fourth
Reader's Guide
Dave Gorman: Modern Life Is Goodish is significant as a distinctive comedy format that blended stand-up with PowerPoint presentations, a style that became a hallmark of Gorman's work. The show's title is similar to the 1993 Blur album Modern Life Is Rubbish; when asked if it was an intentional reference, Gorman said 'I think it's a Blur reference if you want it to be. The "rubbish" version, I think, comes to mind anyway. I just like that.' The series ran for five series from 2013 to 2017, with a revival in 2025. Its legacy includes the innovative 'Found Poem' segment, which turned online comment sections into performance art. The show's cancellation in 2017 was partly due to the intense workload, with Gorman working over 100 hours a week in the final three weeks before taping. The revival in 2025 was notable for the dropping of an episode due to its material on Gregg Wallace, following allegations of historical misconduct. The show remains a reference point for comedy that uses data and observation to critique modern life.
Did You Know?
- The show's title is similar to the 1993 Blur album Modern Life Is Rubbish; Gorman said it is a Blur reference if the viewer wants it to be.
- The 'Found Poem' segment is performed with a lone spotlight and accompanied by the Billroth String Quartet playing 'Sarabande' from Handel's Keyboard suite in D minor.
- A fourth episode of the 2025 series was dropped because it featured material on Gregg Wallace, recorded before allegations of historical misconduct against him became known.
- In the final three weeks before taping a pair of episodes, Gorman would work for over 100 hours a week.
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