Patrick Kielty – Keynote Speaker

Patrick Kielty showed promise as a comedian already in his early years. His school held an annual holiday concert and Kielty featured annually with impersonations of local politicians, media personalities, and sportsmen.

Patrick’s career started while he was still a student at Queen’s University of Belfast. He became well known locally for his stand-up comedy routines at The Empire pub comedy nights – The Empire Laughs Back.

Patrick’s Irish break was hosting his own live show PK Tonight, which attracted a 60% audience share on BBC N.I. and it won him an RTS Award for Best Regional Presenter.

His first network prime time show followed, hosting After The Break on BBC1, but it was the Channel 4 show Last Chance Lottery, that made him a household name, which he followed with The National Lottery Big Ticket on BBC1.

Patrick has fronted a new quiz show Stupid Punts, which aired on BBC Choice and BBC2. His extremely successful chat show Patrick Kielty Almost Live returned for its fourth series on BBC1.

Patrick was co-presenter on BBC1’s Fame Academy with Cat Dealey and is now a recognised face and household name in the UK.

In 2010, Patrick was the host of the Saturday morning show in BBC Radio 2, which ran for 10 weeks, and Channel 4’s Stand Up For The Week which ran for 6.
Channel 4’s “Last Chance Lottery”, saw Kielty make the move to network television and he was soon a household name with shows such as “Fame Academy”. His chat show “Patrick Kielty Almost Live” hit the screens in 2002 and ran for 6 seasons on BBC1.

In 2006 he returned to stand up. A sell out UK tour and a best selling DVD “Patrick Kielty Live” confirmed him as one of Ireland’s most successful comedy exports. His return to the top of the stand up tree was completed the following year headlining “Live at The Apollo” with Joan Rivers for BBC1.

A straight acting debut in “A Night in November” at Belfast’s Opera House saw things come full circle – back on the stage of the theatre that launched his Comic Relief stand up debut, a dozen years earlier.
It was a role that charmed both critics and audiences and a transfer to London’s West end quickly followed in 2008.

More recently he has become a regular voice on BBC Radio 2 as well as fronting both their BBC New Comedy Awards and live New Years Eve Special “Stomping at The Savoy”

The last 2 years has also saw him return to CH4 hosting “Stand Up for the Week” and appearing regularly on their Comedy Roasts. The end of 2011 saw him back on stage, topping the bill on BBC1’s Live at the Apollo.