In 2007 an unassuming UKTV channel shouldered the identity of Dave as the free-to-air ‘home of witty banter’. Within just a month of its launch, it had become the tenth largest television channel in the UK. Today, it’s getting around 20 million views per month. Dave started off as an outsider in a sea of established TV channels but now it’s in a league of its own with multiple awards, an array of home-grown shows and a persona that feels like a friend you’ve known for years. So who is Dave? And why do we like him so much? 

“From the launch the idea was always ‘everybody has a friend named Dave’ but it’s always been a state of mind or a way of looking at life rather than one specific person,” explains Scott Russell, Creative Director at UKTV.