Dan Mazer

Dan Mazer’s the kind of guy who’s quietly helped shape British comedy into the weird, sharp-edged beast it is today. Born out in Hillingdon, London—so, y’know, classic suburban roots—he’s not just some behind-the-scenes name. This is the dude who co-wrote Borat, the one with the lime-green mankini and the lines that left half the world gasping and the other half cringing. That Borat. And don’t even get me started on Da Ali G Show. If you survived the early 2000s, you probably caught at least one of Sacha Baron Cohen’s alter egos ambushing politicians, all under Mazer’s gleefully unhinged creative direction. But he’s not just about shock value and prankster chaos. Mazer’s got range. He wrote and directed I Give It a Year, which is this rom-com that’s equal parts cringey and hilarious—if you’ve ever been to a wedding and thought, “There’s no way they’re gonna make it a year,” yeah, that’s the vibe. And if you’re wondering about his personal life, he’s been married to Daisy Donovan (yep, the British TV presenter and comedy writer herself) since 2005, which is basically a century in showbiz time. So, yeah—Dan Mazer’s fingerprints are all over some of the edgiest, most quotable, and occasionally most uncomfortable comedy this side of the millennium. He’s not the loudest guy in the room, but you can bet he’s the one making everybody else laugh their heads off.