An Underdog trying to sell out the O2 Arena in less than 5 years.
Let Dave show you a week to week account of what it takes to sell out an Arena from absolutely nothing. With a track record of completing all of his impossible dreams to date, will this be the one dream to go undreamt? Using comedy to giggle his way in to the green room of one of the world's most sought after venues.
Ep.14 - I played Download Festival 2026 - Big Dream Podcast with Smiley Dave
The Biggest BDP of All time. Dave gets interviewed by the BBC days before opening up the Download Festival 2026 with a live version of the Big Dream Podcast with special guests AS December Falls. As this is Dave' favourite place in the world a lot is on the line to deliver an incredible show to open up a festival ready for 85,000 to descend upon.
This is the real' warts n all' account of playing one of the greatest Festivals in the world, so come for the ride of massive highs, debilitating lows and everything in between. This episode is not to be missed
24 Jun 2026
Ep 13: Pre-Download Festival 2026 - Big Dream Podcast with Smiley Dave
Dave is about to play Download Festival 2026 as part of his journey to sell out a night at the O2 Arena in over two years time. Times are stressful as the countdown to the first Live Festival Big Dream Podcast is underway but a forgotten side quest manages to get Dave out of his head as he tells you about canoeing on a 120Ft aqueduct while emails and phonecalls are non stop.
Dave gives his usual funny take of going on a trip to North Wales and Wrexham to do what all good comedians should do. Experience life and report back!
This is the calm before the strom as the next episode is a full account of everything that went right and wrong as dave takes to the stage at Download FEstival 2026.
3 Jun 2026
Two Game Shows, too terrible for TV
In this episode, we catch up on Smiley Dave's journey to selling out the O2 Arena and what's happened in the last week. Some old school marketing comes in clutch and Dave tells you the hilarious 'behind the scenes' stories of two of the worst Gameshows you've never heard of, that he attended, ending in a twist DAve didn't see coming.
27 May 2026
Ep 11 : The Truth Behind the Viral Machine Gun Kelly story - Selling out the O2 Arena
With 29 months left on the clock to sell out the O2 Arena, Dave gets real about the realities of running a solo media production, The anxiety of upcoming gigs, and how a lesson in pottery is changing his approach to content creation. Plus, The best Festival stories you've never heard, the truth behind JaackMaate and the MGK viral story from a first hand experience plus the day 50 Cent came to Reading and Dave's absolute refusal to tolerate spiders or wasps.
20 May 2026
I'm Playing Download Festival 2026 - Selling out the O2 Arena
Episode 10 - Two and a half years left to sell out an arena, and it’s time to pivot. This week, Dave announces his slot opening Download Festival with a chaotic new game show, shares the brutal reality of having a TV concept stolen early in his career, and revisits some wild backstage advice from Michael Starr. Expect rants on overpriced festival food, weird Viking weekend security guards, and why staying nice in a cutthroat industry is harder than it looks.
13 May 2026
Selling out the O2 Arena - Storm before the Storm
In this episode of The Big Dream, Smiley Dave checks in on his progress toward selling out the O2 Arena. He shares updates on his "May Challenge" to secure podcast sponsors and reflects on a busy week in comedy, from the "Netflix is a Joke" festival to his own experiences performing at Comedy Bingo, where he spent ten minutes reading off the wrong bingo card.
Dave also dives into the world of impressions, discussing his favorites like John Mulaney and Mark Heap, while asking listeners for suggestions on who he should learn next. Between stories of questionable school assemblies involving towel-flicking "ninjas" and the financial hurdles of festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe, Dave teases a massive, "game-changing" announcement coming this Friday that has been 14 years in the making.
7 May 2026
Selling out the O2 Arena - My TV journey led me here
In this episode of The Big Dream, Smiley Dave provides a candid update on his journey toward selling out the O2 Arena, including a minor correction to his timeline that places him exactly 30 months away from his goal. He reflects on a busy week at the Brighton Fringe, sharing the highs and lows of the comedy circuit - from the frustration of "Frankensteining" a five-minute competition set to the financial realities that make festivals like Edinburgh a challenge for independent artists.
Dave also takes listeners behind the scenes of a unique comedy game called "Laughter to the Death," where he attempted a James Acaster impression and navigated the precision of hitting a three-minute set. He also sets a new objective for May: securing the podcast’s first advertisements to keep the dream moving forward.
28 Apr 2026
The Niko Omilana Anniversary - What Really Happened That Day | The Big Dream Podcast
Two years ago to the day, Dave bumped into NDL Niko Omilana on the streets of Brighton. What followed was one of the strangest, most chaotic days of his life and ana adventure that changed everything.
In this episode, Dave finally tells the full story. The parts that didn't make Niko's video. The parts that didn't make the stand-up show. What it was actually like driving Niko Omilana across the country in a corroded 2003 Ford Fiesta that probably shouldn't have been on the road. Piggybacking into a Nando's, Doing stand-up at midnight in a rock bar/prison half way house in Nottingham to a crowd that absolutely wanted none of it.
And the honest truth about what happened after. YouTube subscribers that came, the imposter syndrome grew and a missed opportunity. Using the next 2 years to make up for it.
This is the untold version of the Smiley Dave and Niko Omilana story, two years on.
Niko Omilana original video - https://youtu.be/QLwIrsG0E08?si=n0oNVr2gEhpq53S0 (https://youtu.be/QLwIrsG0E08?si=n0oNVr2gEhpq53S0)
Smiley Dave - Stand up - https://youtu.be/aYRv0j636N0?si=hsrbBzcUsu_AMRx2 (https://youtu.be/aYRv0j636N0?si=hsrbBzcUsu_AMRx2)
Smiley Dave and Niko - Trilogy - https://youtu.be/mfO5GNW1VcM?si=cyr58Z32ajp-e5tu (https://youtu.be/mfO5GNW1VcM?si=cyr58Z32ajp-e5tu)
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21 Apr 2026
Selling out the O2 Arens - Big Mile Stones
In this episode, Smiley Dave shares massive updates on the road to selling out the 20,000-seater O2 Arena. With only 29 months left on the clock, the dream is getting real with professional milestones and new industry insights
In This Episode, We Cover:
The "Special Agent": Dave reveals he has secured an agent to help pitch creative sketches and ideas to major brands.
The Rock’s Business Lesson: Why a story about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Vince McMahon changed Dave’s perspective on learning the "nitty-gritty" of the comedy business.
The Solid Ten: The importance of finally capturing a high-quality 10-minute set for booking bigger theaters and comedy clubs.
The Salisbury Escape: Dave discusses the struggle of staying productive while visiting his parents and the "danger" of getting sucked into daytime TV like The Tipping Point.
Listener Feedback: Addressing the "loud ad breaks" and how Dave is tailoring his content based on your YouTube comments.
Support the Journey on Patreon
Get exclusive access to "Joking Around with Dave," where he breaks down the "boring" but essential mechanics of writing comedy and perfecting new material.
Join here: https://patreon.com/c/SmileyDaveUKPro-Tip: Sign up via the website instead of the app to avoid the 30% mobile tax!
Follow Smiley Dave:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf054-GgU5SKt0taRYhvOcw (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf054-GgU5SKt0taRYhvOcw)
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14 Apr 2026
Selling out the O2 Arena - Confidence at an All Time Low
Dave catches you up on where the O2 mission actually stands right now. There's a scam attempt from a suspiciously friendly Instagram blue tick, technical difficulties that lead to unnecessary hatred, and a comedy competition in Kingston that went about as well as you'd expect when the person before you steps on all your premises.
But the real story this week is Beat the Blackout, one of the most brutal comedy competitions in London. Dave did it twice. The first time, barely two and a half minutes before the lights went out. The second time, he came back angry, survived the full five minutes, and still got buzzed by one woman who apparently does the same material. Andrew Mensah was not impressed with her either.
Oh, and someone told him he sounds like Matt Berry. After the week he'd had, he'll take it.
The doubt is real this week. But so is the process.
7 Apr 2026
Selling out the O2 Arena - Nightmare Acting Auditions
In this Episode - Dave gives an update on how much closer he is to selling out the O2 arena, A recent gig goes incredibly well off stage then derails moments after. And we go through the Dave's nightmare acting auditions that would make a great place to start in a therapy session.
Makle sure to follow, leave a rating/review
Join the Patreon here https://www.patreon.com/cw/smileydaveuk (https://www.patreon.com/cw/smileydaveuk)
31 Mar 2026
Selling out the O2 Arena - Name Drop Special
From finding Richard Pryor in a Poundland to making a fool of himself in front of Bill Bailey, this episode is packed with stories, legendary names and moments that shaped Dave into the dillusional man with an obssessive love of comedy you hear before you.
Dave talks about the comedians who changed everything for him growing up, the personal mission to make every teacher laugh before GCSEs were over, and what it actually feels like to accidentally become Bill Bailey's scape goat.
24 Mar 2026
Selling out the O2 Arena - Success or Delusion
Dave talks about his near miss on Saturday Night Live UK and how SNL UK went with something very similar anyway! Plus, we find out if Dave has what it gets to be successful by going over an extremly popular 'Succussful checklist'.
17 Mar 2026
5 Years to Sell Out the O2 Arena - Halfway Point
I gave myself five years to sell out the O2 Arena. We’re now halfway through I'm nowhere near. I’ve somehow managed to complete a bunch of “impossible” dreams before. I got my own radio show, DJ'd my favourite festival, voiced a character in a film, and ended up on TV so this podcast is me figuring out whether I can pull off one more.
Each week, I’ll be documenting what I’m actually doing to make this happen (or failing to do), talking to people who’ve chased big dreams of their own, and generally trying to work out if there’s a smarter way to get there or if the delusional is strong in this one.
In this first episode: Why I set the O2 goal in the first place The moment someone told me I might be too old to be dreaming like this The five “impossible” dreams I’ve already completed (and how they actually happened) How I accidentally ended up on radio, TV, and DJing festivals Why you absolutely cannot speedrun stand-up comedy and how this whole thing is going to work (in theory)
If nothing else, you can watch me try.
New episodes weekly.
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