David Garland Jones
David Garland Jones is a UK-based online comedy drama series. The series began broadcasting on Youtube on the 15th September 2009 and is independently produced by G&T Productions.
David Garland Jones features the eponymous character: a down-on-his-luck Welsh actor and would-be poet attempting to source an audience online after failing to secure one off-line.
The show was created by the writer, Jon Tregenna, and the actor, Russell GOMER, who plays the role of David. Jon Tregenna has written several TV shows (including Belonging for the BBC, and Cowbois ac Injans for S4C), and Russell Gomer has acting credits with the BBC, and both the RSC and the National Theatre.
Format
The episodes appear online on video sharing sites and social networking sites like Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, 93 Studios, Rooftop and Funnyordie. The episodes take the form of Quickies (under 3 minutes) and full-length Episodes (up to 10 minutes). The episodes are mainly filmed by David himself, or when he's away from his desk, by his brother, Jake. The guerilla-vision style means that moments from real life can be accommodated within the show, and the line between reality and fiction is often blurred, e.g. Episode 7, where David is secretly filmed appearing in a real live theatre show; and Episode 9 where he attends a real life arts centre re-opening party.
Episodes
The episodes and quickies can be watched out of sequence, but build towards a major incident in 2010, i.e. David becomes the prime suspect in the [...] of his rival, Jeffrey Love. At that point viewers will be asked to help clear his name. David also interacts with his viewers by asking them to contact him asking for advice, and they can also communicate with him on Facebook and Twitter.
Early episodes saw David mainly sat at his desk in his study where he reminisced on his life as an actor, offering insight into some 'trade' secrets like 'How To Hold A Prop', and 'Smoking On Stage'. David is a classically trained actor, so is not un-educated or untalented, but his reflections often reveal a melancholic persona and suggest a lack of patience and social skills, e.g. it often emerges that he has had some sort of 'contretemps' with those he has previously worked with. However, as the series progresses he moves away from the safety of his study and other characters start to feature, expanding the dramatic opportunites, e.g. his nemesis Jeffrey Love, the Drink Demon (who takes on various guises); his avid fan, Michelle Kawolski; acting tutor Ronald Hopper, and the internationally recognised poet, Iain Tudor Swain.
UK online comedy drama
UK online comedy is still in its infancy. At the time of writing there are only four other such shows with a UK connection - Bebo's Chelsey:OMG!, Hatty Rainbow, Talkback's Toyboize (starring Ewan McIntosh from The Office), and Penelope - Princess Of Pets, starring Kristen Schaal.
Reviews/Publicity
On November 30th 2009 John McGrath, Artistic Director of National Theatre Wales used a clip from Episode 9 of David Garland Jones to open his Keynote address to the delegates at the AMA Digital Marketing Day held at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London.
Also in November 2009 David Garland Jones was described as 'comic genius' by The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama on their Twitter feed, and Chapter Arts Centre also tweeted that they were, '... loving the cultural phenomenon that is David Garland Jones.'
David's channel has also been featured on the Storygas web-site: the premier information source for online dramas in the UK, US and Ireland.
'Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins, David Garland Jones, Ivor Emmanuel, Michael Sheen. What other town ever produced such a quinvirate of acting talent?' Port Talbot Guardian