Alistair McGowan

Early life

McGowan was born in Evesham, Worcestershire, in 1964, to his mother Marian, a talented pianist, and his father George, a school-teacher who was born in India. He studied English at the University of Leeds, later attending the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1989. He went straight into comedy, performing live at The Comedy Store and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Career

McGowan's television career began when he performed some of the voices for the ITV television series Spitting Image. Later he took over from Stephen Tompkinson playing Spock in the Tim Firth comedy drama, Preston Front.

From 2 June to 7 July 2012, McGowan has hosted and written the ITV comedy series, You Cannot Be Serious!, Impressions include England manager Roy Hodgson, television presenter Harry Hill, Eurovision duo Jedward, and footballer David Beckham.

McGowan is patron of the Ludlow Fringe Festival, where he first performed live in 2013. At the town's St Laurence's Church during the 2021 festival, he performed The Piano Show combining classical pieces played on a Steinway Grand Piano with stand-up comedy and impressions.

''The Big Impression''

McGowan starred in the TV show The Big Impression, formerly Alistair McGowan's Big Impression, with Ronni Ancona. His celebrity impressions include David Beckham, Sven-Göran Eriksson, Gary Lineker, Nicky Campbell, Richard Madeley, Tony Blair, Prince Charles, Robert Kilroy-Silk, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Angus Deayton, Terry Wogan and the fictional characters Ross Geller (from Friends) and Dot Cotton (from EastEnders). McGowan and Ancona impersonated Posh and Becks, with McGowan as David Beckham and Ancona in the role of Victoria Beckham.

Return to acting and radio work (2005)

He made a return to dramatic acting in 2005, appearing in the BBC's adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel Bleak House. In 2006, he starred in the detective series Mayo. He also presented an episode of Have I Got News for You on 20 October 2006.

He has re-voiced video footage of BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Match of the Day.

In 2008 he made his directing debut at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (where he studied) with Noël Coward's classic comedy Semi-Monde.

In March 2009, McGowan starred as the Duke in the stage version of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.

In 2010, McGowan appeared as a host on one episode of the fifth series of Live at the Apollo (2010).

In 2011, McGowan appeared playing Nick's coach in the fifth episode of Skins (2011), On 12 March 2011, he played the part of the Pirate King in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, at the Barbican Centre, London.

Also in 2011, he co-starred as Piero di Cosimo de' Medici in season one of the CBBC series Leonardo.

In 2013, McGowan embarked on a fifty-date stand-up tour in his show Not Just A Pretty Voice. He also took part, with Eddie Izzard, in the first ever stand-up show performed by two English comics totally in French in Sheffield.

In 2014, he teamed up with comedy great Jasper Carrott To present comedy shows where they shared 50% of the show with comedy stand up routines and impressions; They did over 100 shows together.

From 10 June to 11 July 2015, McGowan starred as Jimmy Savile in An Audience with Jimmy Savile, a play written by Jonathan Maitland, at the Park Theatre in London. McGowan was praised for his performance. The show was transferred to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. He made another cameo as Savile in the movie Creation Stories about Creation Records owner Alan McGee.

In 2018, McGowan was a voice-artist, writer, and producer on the topical re-voicing show The Week That Wasn't on Sky One. In 2022, he narrated the documentary film My Name is Alfred Hitchcock as Alfred Hitchcock.

Music

In 2013 McGowan explained in a piece for The Guardian that he had "... hero-worshipped the French composer Erik Satie for many years. Not only was he a hugely innovative and visionary composer – but he was also a man with a passion for all forms of art." In 2014 McGowan narrated, in the guise of Satie, a concert of surrealist ballet music from Paris in the 1920s, given by the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and broadcast live by BBC Radio 3. In 2017 he released a debut album on Sony Classical featuring piano performances of classical music. Having previously had a very limited repertoire, McGowan practised intensively for nine months to complete the recording.

Environmental work

In 2004 he launched 'the BIG recycle' national recycling campaign.

In January 2009 it was announced that McGowan in partnership with three other Greenpeace activists, including actress Emma Thompson, had bought land near Sipson, Middlesex, a village under threat from the proposed third runway for Heathrow Airport. It is hoped that the area of ground, half the size of a football pitch, will prevent the government from carrying through its plan to expand Heathrow. The field, bought for an undisclosed sum from a local land owner, will be split into small squares and sold across the globe. When interviewed Mr McGowan said: "BAA were so confident of getting the Government's go ahead, but we have cunningly bought the land they need to build their runway."

In June 2011 it was announced that McGowan had become a Patron of the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery, where over 30 members of his extended family are interred.

Other work

• In October 2009, A Matter of Life and Death: How to Wean a Man Off Football, by McGowan and former comedy partner Ronni Ancona, was published by Faber & Faber.
• Alistair's first poetry collection, Not What We Were Expecting, was published in 2024 by Flapjack Press.

Awards

The Big Impression (formerly Alistair McGowan's Big Impression). He received the Best Comedy Entertainment Award at the British Comedy Awards in 2000, also Best Entertainment Programme at the Broadcast Awards the following year, and latterly the Variety Club Comedy Award a year later.

He has also worked in theatre and appeared in the West End, for which he received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination in 2008.

He wrote the stage play Timing which was nominated as Best New Comedy at the 2009 whatsonstage.com awards.).

Personal life

McGowan was in a relationship for seven years with fellow television comedian Ronni Ancona. In August 2013 McGowan married his girlfriend Charlotte Page alongside whom he had performed in The Mikado.

McGowan is a supporter of Leeds United, even claiming that he decided to study at Leeds partly because of its proximity to Elland Road, and Coventry City, the team closest to the area where he spent his late teens, and his interest in football forms the basis of his 2009 book A Matter of Life and Death.

Since 2020 McGowan has lived in Ludlow, Shropshire.

References

References

1. "Alastair McGowan". rottentomatoes.com.
2. (4 October 2007). "From Evesham to India: Alistair McGowan’s Surprising Family Journey". thegenealogist.co.uk.
3. John Anson. (25 March 2022). "Alistair McGowan on his 'new life' as a classical pianist". lancashiretelegraph.co.uk.
4. "Off The Kerb Productions, Alistair McGowan". www.offthekerb.com.
5. Steven MacKenzie. (Jun 21, 2012). "Alistair McGowan on channelling Roy Hodgson, Harry Hill and Jedward for his new comedic sports show, You Cannot Be Serious!". bigissue.com.
6. Rory Smith. (19 July 2021). "Star's show in new home town". Shropshire Star.
7. Rory Smith. (19 July 2021). "Alistair McGowan brings Ludlow Fringe to a close one year after moving to Shropshire". Shropshire Star.
8. (29 March 2007). "Dave: Who's on Dave: Alistair McGowan". Uktv.co.uk.
9. (29 March 2007). "Dave: Who's on Dave: Alistair McGowan". Uktv.co.uk.
10. (24 October 2008). "McGown's directorial debut photo and link to press release". Julianpindar.com.
11. (27 March 2009). "Measure for Measure at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre". Express & Star.
12. "The Pirates of Penzance". Barbican.
13. "Alastair McGowan Credits". TV Guide.
14. "» Alistair Mcgowan – Not Just A Pretty Voice Available To Download Now". Offthekerb.co.uk.
15. Daniel Morris. (January 31, 2025). "Alistair McGowan hoping to make an impression on Wolverhampton and Ludlow". shropshirestar.com.
16. Masters, Tim. (2015-06-07). "Jimmy Savile: critics hail Alistair McGowan's role as 'revolting' DJ - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk.
17. Lawrence, Ben. (2015-06-11). "An Audience with Jimmy Savile, Park Theatre, review: 'merely depressing'". The Telegraph.
18. (2015-06-04). "Comic Alistair McGowan praised for Jimmy Savile portrayal". The Yorkshire Post.
19. Conlan, Tara. (2015-07-10). "An Audience with Jimmy Savile goes to Edinburgh Festival Fringe". The Guardian.
20. Harvey, Amelia. (2022-03-11). "'Creation Stories' Is An Underwhelming Biopic Of The Great Music Producer Alan McGee". Screen Queens.
21. "The Week That Wasn't (2018)". IMDb.
22. "My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock (2022)". IMDb.
23. (2013-07-12). "Erik and Me: Alistair McGowan on Satie". The Guardian.
24. (2014-10-02). "BBC Radio 3 - Radio 3 Live in Concert, BBC Concert Orchestra - Milhaud, Satie, Porter, Le groupe des Six". Bbc.co.uk.
25. (2017-08-08). "Alistair McGowan releases debut solo piano album".
26. (14 January 2007). "Alistair McGowan {{!}} Observer ethical awards {{!}} The Observer".
27. (13 January 2009). "UK | England | London | Protesters buy up Heathrow land". BBC News.
28. (13 January 2009). "Celebs buy Heathrow expansion land".
29. (14 June 2011). "Alistair McGowan becomes a Patron of the Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery". Friends of Brandwood End Cemetery.
30. (2009). "A Matter of Life and Death". Faber.
31. (7 July 2005). "Television Awards Categories – Television – Awards – The BAFTA site". Static.bafta.org.
32. "Olivier Winners 2008 | The Official London Theatre Guide". Officiallondontheatre.co.uk.
33. "Whatsonstage.com Awards – Theatregoers' Choice Awards". Awards.whatsonstage.com.
34. "Flashback: Ronni Ancona and Alistair McGowan look back".
35. Walker, Tim. (2013-08-03). "Alistair McGowan secretly marries his girlfriend". The Telegraph.
36. Jeffries, Stuart. (23 September 2009). "Alistair McGowan: 'Football cost me my partner, Ronnie Ancona'". The Guardian.
37. (2017-10-04). "Alistair McGowan – your questions answered". The Guardian.