David Elms
Who David Elms is
David Elms is an English actor, improviser, writer and stand-up comedian who began in the Edinburgh University improv troupe The Improverts, was named Edinburgh University Stand Up of the Year in 2011 and reached the final of the Chortle Student Comedy Award in 2012. Elms won the Musical Comedy Awards in 2014, the year of a first solo Edinburgh Fringe hour, Nurture Boy, a show of quiet, tender songs and chat, followed by Mister Boy (2015) and Goody Boy (2016).
In 2025 the improvised one-man show David Elms Describes a Room, built with the audience as a comedy mind palace, went from a sell-out run at Soho Theatre to the Edinburgh Fringe, where it drew four- and five-star reviews, and it has played monthly at the Free Association Theatre in London. On screen Elms played Clive in Channel 5's semi-improvised sitcom Borderline and appeared in Harry Hill's Clubnite, plays Mr Swallow's director Goldsworth on stage, and wrote, directed and scored the Channel 4 short Regular, starring Tim Key and Laura Marling (2017).
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David Elms online
At a glance
- Podcasts and radio
- Machynlleth stand-up show and The Sink: A Sleep Aid
- On screen
- Borderline, Harry Hill's Clubnite and Regular
Is David Elms on tour?
No upcoming dates on record No upcoming dates are on record right now. That doesn't mean David Elms has stopped touring; follow David Elms to hear when the next ones are booked.
Last checked 11 October 2026.
Is David Elms coming to my town?
No dates are on record right now (checked 11 October 2026), so no town is confirmed yet. Follow David Elms and your town to hear when one is booked.
Want David Elms in your town?
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Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →
Specials, shows and podcasts
On screen
- Borderline Clive, Channel 5
- Harry Hill's Clubnite Mr Goldsworth, Channel 4, 2019
- Regular short film; writer, director and composer, Channel 4, 2017
Podcasts and radio
- Machynlleth stand-up show Radio 4 Extra and BBC Wales, 2014
- The Sink: A Sleep Aid voice, BBC, 2020
Comedians like David Elms
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Chris Cantrill also in Harry Hill's Clubnite
- Huge Davies also in Harry Hill's Clubnite
- Mat Ewins also in Harry Hill's Clubnite
- Mawaan Rizwan also in Harry Hill's Clubnite
- Victoria Blunt also in Borderline
Career timeline
- 2014Machynlleth stand-up show (Radio 4 Extra and BBC Wales, 2014) Podcast or book
- 2017Regular (short film; writer, director and composer, Channel 4, 2017) On screen
- 2019Harry Hill's Clubnite (Mr Goldsworth, Channel 4, 2019) On screen
- 2020The Sink: A Sleep Aid (voice, BBC, 2020) Podcast or book
Questions and answers
Where is David Elms performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now.
What podcasts and radio shows have they been on?
Machynlleth stand-up show and The Sink: A Sleep Aid.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Borderline (Clive, Channel 5), Harry Hill's Clubnite (Mr Goldsworth, Channel 4, 2019) and Regular (short film; writer, director and composer, Channel 4, 2017).
Who are some comedians like them?
Chris Cantrill (also in Harry Hill's Clubnite), Huge Davies (also in Harry Hill's Clubnite), Mat Ewins (also in Harry Hill's Clubnite), Mawaan Rizwan (also in Harry Hill's Clubnite) and Victoria Blunt (also in Borderline).
Are you David Elms?
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Your short address, for your bio: disciplesofcomedy.com/david-elms
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- PBJ Management · pbjmanagement.co.uk ↗ An actor, improviser, writer and stand-up comedian; David Elms Describes A Room monthly at the Free Association Theatre; Mr Swallow's director Goldsworth at Soho Theatre (Christmas 2022); the short film Regular with Tim Key and Laura Marling (Channel 4, 2017); three solo Fringe shows; Clive in Channel 5's…
- British Comedy Guide ↗ An English actor, writer, composer and musical comedian; Musical Comedy Awards 2014, main prize; Chortle Student Comedy Awards 2012 nominee; Borderline (2016 to 2017); the Machynlleth Comedy Festival (2014 to 2026) (as of 11 October 2026)
- Chortle · chortle.co.uk ↗ Started in the improv troupe The Improverts at Edinburgh University; Edinburgh University Stand Up of the Year 2011; the Chortle Student Comedy Awards final in 2012; Edinburgh Fringe shows from 2013 to 2026 (as of 11 October 2026)
- Chortle — Nurture Boy (Edinburgh Fringe 2014) ↗ His debut show; Chortle finalist 2012 and Musical Comedy Awards winner 2014 (as of 11 October 2026)
- Chortle — Review: David Elms: Nurture Boy (3 August 2014) ↗ Songs and spoken comedy at the Pleasance Courtyard; quiet, tender, almost ethereal tunes, a welcome departure from the musical comedy norm (as of 11 October 2026)
- Chortle — David Elms Describes a Room (Edinburgh Fringe 2025) ↗ Following its sell-out Soho Theatre run, the show comes to Edinburgh; Elms builds a comedy mind palace with the audience (as of 11 October 2026)
- Musical Comedy Awards — About ↗ In the awards' sixth year (2014), David Elms won the main competition (as of 11 October 2026)
Updated 11 October 2026 · the record checked 11 October 2026