Daniel Sloss (born 11 September 1990) is a Scottish comedian, actor, and writer.
Sloss was the youngest comedian to perform a solo season in London's West End, at the age of 19. He has toured internationally, released a stand-up comedy DVD through BBC Worldwide's 2Entertain label when he was 20, and has appeared on U.S. television shows such as Conan and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
In 2018, Sloss simultaneously released two hour-long comedy specials called DARK and Jigsaw via Netflix under the collective title Daniel Sloss – Live Shows, which received critical acclaim.
Early life
Daniel Sloss was born in Kingston upon Thames on 11 September 1990, the oldest of four children. He has two younger brothers, Matthew and Jack.[1] His sister, Josie, was born with cerebral palsy and died at age 7. He moved with his family to Scotland at the age of four, settling in Fife. He attended East Wemyss Primary School and Waid Academy in Anstruther.
He was offered a place at the University of Dundee to study history, but decided to take a gap year to see if he could make comedy work as a full-time career.[2]
Comedy career
Stand up
When Sloss was sixteen, he was put in contact by his mother with comedian Frankie Boyle, who performed at a conference she was attending. After asking him for work experience, Sloss received coaching by Boyle during his run at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and also wrote jokes for Boyle on BBC's Mock the Week. He credits Boyle for his initial success. In October 2007, Sloss performed his first stage gig at The Stand in Edinburgh, which lasted five minutes.[3][2]
He performed his first show called "Life in 2D" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008 alongside fellow comic Davey See, which ran for 10 days as part of the Free Fringe.[4] The same year, aged 17, Sloss reached the final at the comedy competition So You Think You're Funny?, the final of which is hosted by the Gilded Balloon venue during the Edinburgh Fringe.[3][2] In 2009, he sold out his debut full-length Edinburgh Festival Fringe season Daniel Sloss – Teenage Kicks and in October took this show to London to the Soho Theatre to become the youngest comedian to perform a solo season in the venue as well as in London's West End.[5]
In August 2010, Sloss's second solo show Daniel Sloss: My Generation sold out the entire run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[citation needed] The show later transferred to London for a season at the Soho Theatre in September before returning to London during the tour playing at the Bloomsbury Theatre in November. This show became his first ever headline live tour, and went on to tour Scotland throughout the autumn of 2010.[citation needed]
In August 2011, Sloss premiered his new show Daniel Sloss - The Joker at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, selling out a nearly four-week run in the new 400-seat Assembly Theatre venue, still aged just 20. This was followed by a 50-date national tour in the autumn.[6]
In 2012, he performed a 50-date UK tour of Daniel Sloss - The Show.[citation needed]
In August 2013, he launched his new show Daniel Sloss - Stand-Up at the Edinburgh fringe, again with an extended season at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and again followed by a substantial autumn tour throughout the UK. He subsequently performed this show at 2014's Sydney International Comedy Festival and Perth International Comedy Festival.[citation needed]
In August 2014, his new show Daniel Sloss - Really...?! premiered at the Edinburgh fringe, again with an extended season at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, followed by a substantial European tour of 20 shows in 15 countries in the autumn as well as UK dates.[citation needed]
In 2015, Daniel wrote and subsequently performed his 7th show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe DARK. DARK went on to tour for over 80 dates across 15 countries in Europe and throughout the UK. In January, an extended hybrid version of DARK ran for a week at London's Soho Theatre (rebranded DARK REVOIR as DARK had been performed at the London's Royal Albert Hall, Elgar Room in December as part of the UK tour. In February, Daniel transferred the 90 minute version of his solo show (renamed DARK) to New York for a week-long, off-Broadway run at the SoHo Playhouse as well for 2 shows in Los Angeles at the Westside Comedy Theatre. The New York Times featured Daniel on the front page of its Arts section.[7]
He opened for Dave Chappelle's two shows as well as starred in the "Best of Edinburgh" line-up at San Francisco's Sketchfest[8] and returned to New York for the second off-Broadway run of his award-winning show DARK at the SoHo Playhouse.[9]
In February 2018, Sloss taped his comedy special DARK at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.[10] Part of a two-special deal with Netflix, it was announced on 17 May that DARK and its sequel show So? would both be released later in 2018.[11] Netflix released both shows on 11 September 2018, with So? being retitled Jigsaw.[12][13] Sloss has claimed that Jigsaw caused over 120,000 break-ups, over 300 divorces, and hundreds more cancelled engagements.[14][15]
August 2018 saw Sloss premiere his 10th solo show, Daniel Sloss: X during his 11th season at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe season.[16] The subsequent tour again covers 25 European countries, ending with a new season in London's West End.[17] The show received critical acclaim for Sloss' jokes about masculinity as well as its ending segment, a frank analysis of the rape of one his close friends by another friend and societal causes of sexual violence.[18][19]
On 25 October 2023, Sloss opened for The Mighty Nein Reunion: Echoes of the Solstice,Critical Role's live show at OVO Arena Wembley where the cast reprised their characters from their second campaign.[20]
Television
He was the first stand-up comedian to perform on Channel 4's The Paul O'Grady Show (2009) and was commissioned by the BBC in April 2010 for a broadcast sitcom pilot, The Adventures of Daniel, which transmitted on 23 August 2010.[21]
The following year, Sloss featured on the BBC's Stand Up for Sport Relief performing a set as well as coaching heavy weight boxing champion Tyson Fury for the latter's stand-up comedy debut.[24]
In September 2012, he recorded a TEDx Talk in Ealing and performed on Set List: Stand-up Without A Net for Sky Atlantic, alongside an all-star lineup of US and international comedy alumni.[25] In October 2012, Sloss appeared in the seventh series of Russell Howard's Good News.
Along with a number of fellow comedians, including Kai Humphries and Tom Stade, he wrote, co-produced and starred in 6-part internet sitcom M.U.F.F.
Sloss also appeared in Beardyman's One Album Per Hour as part of Beardyman's 2 part YouTube series; other guest producers included Tim Minchin and Jack Black.[28]
In February 2021, Sloss announced he was engaged to Kara Mitchell.[31] They live in Edinburgh. Their first child together, a son, was born in February 2022.[32] They married on 20 May 2023.[33] Their second child, a daughter, was born in July 2024.[34]
Sloss' hobbies include gaming, watching Robot Wars (in which he appeared as a member of the Bot Out of Hell team in 2002) comedy films, and playing football. He is a supporter of English football team Chelsea FC.[35] He has several tattoos such as a portrait of Nikola Tesla, cartoon tigers drawn in the style of Calvin and Hobbes, a picture of Anthony and the Aardvark, and an image of the Joker.[36]
^"Daniel Sloss – Teenage Kicks". Scotsman.com. Johnston Press Digital Publishing. 13 August 2009. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
^"My Generation". Edinburgh Festival Guide. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
