Jon_Gadsby

Jon Gadsby

Jon Gadsby QSO (born 1 November 1953) is a New Zealand television comedian and writer, most well known for his role in the comedy series McPhail and Gadsby co-starring alongside David McPhail. Currently he is the editor of Christchurch magazine Avenues.

Biography

Gadsby was born in Derbyshire, England; after his family moved to New Zealand he went to school in Invercargill. He studied law at the University of Otago, leaving in his final year to work at Radio Dunedin. He entered television with David McPhail in the comedy A Week of It, before the pair went on to the successful and long-running political satire McPhail and Gadsby.

Gadsby has appeared in numerous television programs, several films, and has written over 20 books, mainly children's. He has also written for the New Zealand Herald, Metro and The Listener, and performs corporate speaking. In 2008, he received a conviction for drink-driving, after being stopped at a checkpoint in December 2006.

Work

Television

1977 A Week of It
1980-1985 McPhail and Gadsby
1991 Issues
1992 More Issues
1996-1997 Letter to Blanchy
2000 Xena: Warrior Princess
2004 Intrepid Journeys - Myanmar

Film

1980 Nutcase
1984 Second Time Lucky
1984 The Bounty
2008 Sisterhood

Writing

1984 Book of Beasts
1998 Dave and the Giant Pickle (Illustrator)
1989 The Dictionary of Wimps with Alan Grant and David McPhail
1995 Martin's Gang and the Ogre (Tui turbo)
1995 Griselda Marmalade Forsythe
1997 The Fantail and the Weka
1998 The song of Nelson Mandela : the freedom to be
2000 The Trough
2001 Toi Toi Valley: The Big Black Boulder
2001 Toi Toi Valley: The Scary Scaly Visitor
2004 Bumblebee Pie
2005 Zoo, The: Feeding
2005 Zoo, The: Babies

Theatre

2008 Letter to Blanchy : Stir Crazy (with David McPhail)

Recognition

McPhail and Gadsby won the "Best Television Entertainment Programme" Award in 1981, David McPhail and Gadsby were jointly voted the "Best Television Entertainer".
Queen's Service Order, for Public Services to Broadcasting, New Years Honours List 1992.
Best Writers, with David McPhail and A K Grant, at The TV Guide Film and Television Awards in 1996, for the series Letter to Blanchy.