Gilbert got into professional comedy in 2002, after taking a comedy workshop course, but only "thanks to a girlfriend’s constant nagging".[4] Within 18 months, Gilbert had already won several different talent competitions.[3][5] and was nominated for the Perrier Newcomer award for his first solo show in 2005 at Edinburgh Fringe entitled 1984.[3] He has since performed worldwide, and was the first western comedian ever to perform in Taiwan.[6]
Many of Gilbert's stories are based around real life events, and his life in the wholly fictionalised village of Llanbobl. Originally invented to ensure an English heckler had nothing real to grasp on to,[7] it has since been geographically defined as being situated between "Wrexham and Holyhead, just north of Newtown, Powys," and a sort of "grown-up Thomas the Tank Engine" location.[2] Gilbert has described the number of audience members that come up to him at the end of shows, and say they have been to Llanbobl for holidays, and even that an English rugby union team "hammered" the Llanbobl team. Gilbert also admitted that he "may have accidentally sent the rugby player that told him on a 7 hour goose-chase" to come back to Llanbobl and meet him. In 2008, Gilbert wrote a sitcom around life in Llanbobl, which featured on BBC Radio 2. [7][8]
In his 2006 Edinburgh Fringe show Knocking on Heaven's Door, Gilbert told stories from his life, weighing up whether he would be admitted to heaven. His 2007 show, Who's Eaten Gilbert's Grape? saw Gilbert return to Llanbobl and pick up the story following the 1984 show narrative. His 2008 show, Rhod Gilbert and the Award-Winning Mince Pie, saw Gilbert question his sanity, his career and his life after suffering a mental breakdown brought on by the award-winning mince pie at a motorway services.
On 17 December 2008 he appeared at the 80th Royal Variety Performance.[9]
Gilbert's 2009/10 show, entitled Rhod Gilbert And The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst, was announced on 5 April. Titled so that it would stop an obsessive fan in Kent, ironically named Alex Gilbert (no relation), bringing him presents. The show previewed around the UK in small venues, before being performed at the Edinburgh Festival. The show toured UK theatres from September 2009.[10]
On 18-19 June 2009, Gilbert made the last performances of Rhod Gilbert And The Award-Winning Mince Pie show at the Bloomsbury Theatre, which was recorded and released as a DVD on 16 November, 2009. [11] The DVD also contains several special features, including his infamous rant about lost luggage, outtakes from the performance and a mockumentary called Back To Llanbobl in which Gilbert shows the viewer around his fictional home town.
Since September 2009 Gilbert has been touring a new show titled Rhod Gilbert and the Cat that Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst. The UK-wide tour, which continues until April 2010, includes dates at many prestigious theatres such as London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo.
Rhod Gilbert is the only mainstream stand-up comedian to play the Bedworth Civic Hall.
Gilbert's second DVD, Rhod Gilbert And The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst is due for release, although no date has yet been announced.Direct Download or Watch It Online
