Dai Henwood
Dafydd Morgan "Dai" Henwood is a New Zealand stand-up comedian and television host. Henwood first performed comedy when he was studying Theatre and Film at Victoria University of Wellington. His career in television began in 1999 when he appeared on the TV2 comedy show Pulp Comedy. He then went on to tour internationally as a stand-up comedian in 2004 and to host the television show Insert Video Here on C4.
From 2009 until 2022 Henwood was a regular panel guest on the New Zealand comedy show 7 Days as the weekly captain. Henwood continues to perform stand-up comedy as well as host and makes regular appearances on various television shows around New Zealand.
Early life and education
Henwood was born to father Ray and mother Judge Carolyn Henwood. Henwood has stated his great-grandfather was Welsh international rugby player Dick Jones. Henwood went to Wellington College for secondary school. Henwood studied Theatre and Film at Victoria University of Wellington, graduating with a BA in eastern religions, before winning 'Best New Face' on TV2's Pulp Comedy in 1999, the Billy T Award in 2002 and the Fred Award in 2007 and again in 2015.Career
In 2004 and 2005, Henwood toured the shows The Hot Steppa and Champagne Table Tennis, and performed at the Tokyo Comedy Store and in Melbourne and around Britain. He subsequently performed seasons in both Auckland and Wellington during the New Zealand International Comedy Festival including the shows Dai-namic Scenarios, Shabba, Dai Another Day, Ideals vs. Reality, Fonzie Touched Me and Adapt Or Dai. In 2008 he was invited to the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival and recorded a televised gala special.Henwood won the Billy T Award in 2002 for his show The Story of Funk, which he performed as a professional wrestler named "P Funk Chainsaw".
Henwood spent a period on TV3's Sunrise morning show, as the gadget guy, giving humorous reviews of the latest gadgets. He subsequently rose to prominence after featuring on television station C4 hosting Insert Video Here in 2007. Henwood then went on to host two series of comedy travel show Roll The Dai on the same network.
From 2009 until 2022, Henwood was weekly captain of Team Two on TV3's weekly panel comedy show 7 Days, filming over 150 episodes in that time. He now appears occasionally.
Henwood has recorded two DVDs: Dai Another Day, released by EMI in late 2009, and Adapt or Dai, released by Universal Music in 2013.
In 2016, Henwood was presented with the Rielly Comedy Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand.
Henwood released a memoir, The Life of Dai, in June 2024 through HarperCollins.
In the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours, Henwood was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the entertainment industry and charitable fundraising.
Personal life
Henwood is known for being a fan of NRL team the New Zealand Warriors.Henwood is married to art teacher Joanna 'Jo' Kelly. They have two children.
In January 2023, in an interview on The Project, Henwood shared publicly that he was diagnosed with metastatic bowel cancer in 2020. In 2024 he made a three-part docuseries, Live and Let Dai, in which he shared his cancer journey. In 2024 he also released an autobiography, The Life of Dai, which covered his 27 year comedy career and his cancer diagnosis.
Due to his ongoing cancer treatment, Henwood was forced to cancel the latter portion of his New Zealand tour of his show Dai Hard in May 2025.
Live shows
Henwood has performed many comedy shows, including at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival.| Year | Title |
| 2002 | The Story of Funk |
| 2004 | The Hot Steppa |
| 2005 | Champagne Table Tennis |
| 2007 | Dai-namic Scenarios |
| 2009 | Shabba |
| 2009 | Dai Another Day |
| 2010 | Ideals vs. Reality |
| 2010 | Fonzie Touched Me |
| 2013 | Adapt or Dai |
| 2015 | Daigression |
Awards and nominations
Source:| Year | Award | Result |
| 1999 | Dynamic Innovative Video Awards | Winner |
| 1999 | Best New Face Award | Winner |
| 2002 | Billy T James Comedy Award | Winner |
| 2004 | The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards | Winner – Best Male Comedian |
| 2005 | The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards | Winner – Best Male Comedian |
| 2006 | The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards | Winner – Best Television Performance |
| 2006 | The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards | Best MC |
| 2007 | TV Guide Best On The Box Awards Nomination | Winner – Funniest Person On Television |
| 2007 | The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards Nomination | The Kevin Smith Memorial Cup for Best Artist Achievement |
| 2007 | The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards Nomination | Best New Zealand On Screen Comedy Performance |
| 2007 | The New Zealand Comedy Guild Awards Nomination | Best Male Comedian |
| 2007 | Cleo Music Awards | Best Music TV Presenter |
| 2007 | Best New Zealand Comedian | The Fred Award |