Alan Davies

Alan Roger Davies (/ˈdeɪvɪs/;[3] born 6 March 1966)[1] is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actor and TV presenter. He has played the title role in the BBC mystery drama series Jonathan Creek since 1997, and has been the only permanent panellist on the BBC panel show QI since 2003, outlasting original host Stephen Fry (2003–16), who was replaced by Sandi Toksvig upon his departure.

For other people named Alan Davies, see Alan Davies (disambiguation).

Alan Davies
Alan Davies in 2007
Birth nameAlan Roger Davies
Born (1966-03-06) 6 March 1966[1]
Loughton, Essex, England
MediumStand up, television, film, podcast
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Kent
Years active1988–present
GenresObservational comedy, Improvisational comedy, Surreal humour
Spouse
Katie Maskell
​
(m. 2007)​
Children3[2]
Notable works and rolesJonathan Creek
QI
Alan Davies Après-Ski
The Dog Rescuers
As Yet Untitled

Early life

Davies was born in Loughton, Essex, and spent his childhood years in Chingford.[4] When Davies was six, his mother died from leukaemia and he was raised by his father.[5] He was sexually abused by his father from age 8 to 13, as described in his book Just Ignore Him. Davies wrote that his brother and sister were turned against him.[6] Davies identified this as making him strongly want to please others, which led him to shoplift for schoolmates, and play the joker at home.[6]

Davies attended Staples Road School in Loughton and was privately educated at the independent Bancroft's School in Woodford Green, where he gained eight O-Levels. He then moved on to Loughton College of Further Education where he gained four more O-Levels and two A-Levels (Communications & Theatre Studies). He graduated in Drama & Theatre Studies from the University of Kent[7] in 1988, and was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the university in 2003.[8]

Career

Stand-up

Davies began performing comedy in 1988 at the Whitstable Labour Club. In 1991, he was named Time Out's Best Young Comic. He continued touring and performing in the UK and Australia, winning the Edinburgh Festival Critics Award for Comedy in 1994. That show was released on video and audio cassette in 1995 as Alan Davies Live at the Lyric recorded at the Lyric Theatre as part of the Perrier Pick of the Fringe season in October 1994.

A version of his show 'Urban Trauma', which ran in the West End at the Duchess Theatre and toured the UK and Australia, was shown on BBC One in 1998.

In 2012, Davies planned a new tour called "Life is Pain".[9] The title for this show came from a story he heard about a six-year-old girl being told off by her mother and responding "Life is pain". Davies said "This really made me laugh". The tour was broadcast on Dave.[10]

Radio and television
Alan Davies in 2000

In 1994 and 1995, Davies hosted Alan's Big One for three series on Radio 1 before appearing in Channel 4's spoof travel show One for the Road (made by Channel X in 1994/5). He later played the title role in Jonathan Creek, as a trick-deviser for a stage magician with a side interest in solving crimes, between 1997 and 2004. Jonathan Creek won a BAFTA for Best Drama and was the show which brought Davies to mainstream attention.

On New Year's Day 2009, a special episode of Jonathan Creek, "The Grinning Man", was broadcast on the BBC. Davies returned to Creek at Easter 2010 for a one-off episode, "The Judas Tree". However, the programme did return in Easter 2013 for the episode of "The Clue of the Savant's Thumb". Davies has confirmed in an interview that there will be at least three further specials.

Davies co-wrote and starred in his own radio sitcom, The Alan Davies Show, in 1998. Cassettes of the show were produced and released by the BBC, with episodes broadcast on the digital radio station BBC7. He played Russell Boyd in the BBC comedy A Many Splintered Thing, also in 1998 and 2000.[11]

In 2001 Davies played Robert Gossage in Bob and Rose, a comedy drama about a gay man falling for a woman. He won the Best Actor award at the Monte Carlo TV Festival for his performance. He also played Jack the dog in the radio sitcom About a Dog. In 2003, Davies appeared as a Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car on Top Gear with a time of 1:54 in wet conditions. He returned in Series 8 with 1:50.3 in dry conditions. During a period from the mid-1990s to 2002, Davies advertised for Abbey National.

Davies took on a less comedic role in 2004, starring as Henry Farmer, a maverick barrister, in ITV Sunday night drama The Brief, for two series. Subsequent drama roles include Superintendent Mallard in Agatha Christie's Marple (ITV, 2008), as well as appearances in The Good Housekeeping Guide (BBC One, 2006), Roman Road (ITV 2004) and Hotel Babylon (BBC One, 2008).

He argued the case for John Lennon as the greatest Briton of all time on the BBC's Great Britons series in 2002. In 2007, Davies starred in the second episode of ITV's You Don't Know You're Born and on The Unbelievable Truth.

He has appeared in an episode of the BBC science programme Horizon in which Professor Marcus du Sautoy attempted to introduce him to elements of mathematical thought which was broadcast on BBC Two on 31 March 2009. He went on to appear in Horizon for a second time in November 2009, this time leading the episode — du Sautoy also returned as a guest speaker.

On 16 May 2010, Davies appeared in "Your Sudden Death Question", an episode of the ITV detective series Lewis, as Marcus Richard, a scamming quizmaster at a competition held in an Oxford college, at which some of the contestants are murdered. In September 2010, he began a three-part documentary series Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution (Channel 4), partly based on his autobiographical book My Favourite People and Me, 1978–88.[12]

In September 2010, a BBC comedy series entitled Whites starring Davies as a chef premiered.[13] It was however cancelled after this first series. It is believed to have been a victim of the cuts at the BBC subsequent to the reduced licence fee settlement.[14]

In April 2011, Davies appeared as the guest on the return of the ABC TV conversation program A Quiet Word With ....[15] In 2011 Davies was also one of the judges on the ITV programme Show Me The Funny, a talent contest for new and aspiring stand-up comedy performers.

In September 2012, Davies made his first appearance on Channel 4's Big Fat Quiz series, winning The Big Fat Quiz of the '90s alongside Phill Jupitus.

The Bantams Banter presenters with Alan Davies for ITV's Brazilian Banter

In February 2014, Davies presented a chat show Alan Davies Après-Ski on BBC Two, which looked at some of the highlights of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. He also co-hosted the Brazilian Banter podcast for ITV with Tom & Dom from Bantams Banter. The show was a satirical look at the 2014 FIFA World Cup hosted by Brazil.[16]

Since 2014, he has hosted The Dog Rescuers for Channel 5 and the chat show Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled for Dave.

He has been approached by Disney to provide the voice of Bob Godfrey for an animated biopic on the life of the celebrated animator.

QI
Main article: QI

Davies appears as the only permanent panellist on the BBC Two comedy quiz game QI, which was hosted by Stephen Fry from 2003 to 2015, and then by Sandi Toksvig. He also contributed "four words" to the QI book The Book of General Ignorance (which appear after Stephen Fry's foreword), "Will this do, Stephen?". Davies has appeared in almost every regular episode of the show, though in one episode (Episode 10 of Series D, "Divination") he appeared, pre-recorded, in only the first few minutes, as he was in Paris attending the UEFA Champions League Final between Barcelona and his beloved Arsenal during the recording. His chair was empty for the rest of the episode, although his voice was heard during "General Ignorance". He also did not appear in the 2011 Comic Relief episode, when his seat was taken by David Walliams. During the filming of the QI Christmas episode 2020, Davies set the new Guinness World Record for the most Christmas crackers pulled by an individual in 30 seconds, with 35 crackers pulled.[17]

Personal life

Davies married writer Katie Maskell on 13 January 2007 after a six-month engagement. The couple first met backstage at QI in 2005. Friend and comedy partner Bill Bailey was Davies's best man.[18] Davies and his wife have three children.[2]

Davies became a vegetarian when he was a student and participated in animal rights organisations.[19] In the 2000s he stated several times that he eats fish, however.[20][21][22] In 2016, Davies said he eats seafood only when there "isn't a good vegetarian option."[23] He narrated an anti-vivisection video for Animal Aid called Wasted Lives in 2006.[24]

In late 2007 The Times and The Daily Telegraph both reported that Davies bit the ear of a homeless man.[25][26] Davies had just left a wake at the nearby Groucho Club. He told The Times in 2009, "He wasn't a tramp. He was a raging, horrendous arsehole. He called me a cunt several times. Or if it wasn't him, it was his mate. And, yes, I went for him and, yes, I did it in what turned out to be an amusing way." Following the incident, Davies was banned from the Groucho Club.[27]

Davies is a lifelong fan and season ticket holder of Arsenal F.C.. Davies also used to host the podcast "It's Up For Grabs Now"[28] which took a light-hearted look at goings on at the club. On 18 January 2011, he began hosting the new Arsenal Podcast "The Tuesday Club" with Ian Stone, Keith Dover, Tayo Popoola and Skint Records founder Damian Harris. Releases of the podcast ceased in August 2018, but returned in April 2020 on a (mostly) weekly basis. His support of Arsenal has been used as a recurring source of humour on QI in various ways, such as by assigning him a buzzer sound of a chant by fans of rival club Manchester United.

He is a supporter of the Labour Party, saying to Saga magazine in 2013: "Social injustice is important to me. Life isn't about every man for himself. Life should be about co-operation and collaboration."[29] Despite initially voting for Jeremy Corbyn to be party leader, when being interviewed by Radio Times alongside fellow comedian Jo Brand regarding the broadcast of his Channel 4 sitcom Damned (which coincided with the 2016 Labour leadership election), Davies supported Owen Smith's leadership bid, saying Corbyn was an ineffective Leader of the Opposition.[30]

He pursued a Masters of Arts degree in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College,[5] which was completed in September 2018.

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Channel Notes
1997–2016 Jonathan Creek Jonathan Creek BBC One 5 series
2000 A Many Splintered Thing Russel Boyd BBC One 1 series
2001 Bob & Rose Robert Gossage ITV 1 series
2003– QI Permanent panellist BBC Two 16 series
2004–2005 The Brief Henry Farmer ITV 2 series
2006 The Good Housekeeping Guide Raymond Fox BBC One 1 episode
2007 Agatha Christie's Marple Mallard ITV 1 episode
2008 Hotel Babylon Otto Clark BBC One 2 episodes
2010 Whites Roland White BBC Two 1 series
Lewis Marcus Richards ITV 1 episode
2011 Little Crackers Comedian / Alan Sky1 2 episodes
Show Me the Funny Himself, Judge ITV 1 series
2014 Alan Davies Après-Ski Presenter BBC Two 1 series
Playhouse Presents Al Sky Arts 1 Episode: Damned
2014– Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled Presenter Dave 5 series
The Dog Rescuers Presenter Channel 5 6 series
2016 All Over the Workplace[31] Himself CBBC 1 episode
2016–2018 Damned Al Channel 4 2 series
2018 Frankie Drake Mysteries Jonny Cork CBC Television 1 episode

Film
Year Title Role Note(s)
2001 Dog Eat Dog Phil
2004 Roman Road Vince Television film
2008 Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging Bob Nicolson Georgia's dad[32]
2018 The Bromley Boys[33] Donald Roberts

Books

Davies's first book, the autobiographical My Favourite People and Me, 1978–88 was published by Michael Joseph (Penguin Books) in September 2009.[34] Of the memoir, Davies said he wished to "attempt to remember what I liked as a boy/youth/idiot and to work out why". The favourite people referred to in the title include Anton Chekhov, John Belushi, Barry Sheene, Margaret Thatcher ("only for a few days" the author allows), John McEnroe and Starsky and Hutch. The book also mentions Arsenal F.C., the football team supported by Davies; he recalls as a child his mother sewing their club badge and captain's number onto his shirt, done only a year or so before she died. The paperback was published under the title Rebel Without A Clue: How the 80s Made Me.

His second memoir and autobiography, Just Ignore Him was published in September 2020.[35] The book details the sexual abuse that he suffered as a boy from his father between the ages of 8 and 13. In adulthood both the police and the CPS accepted Davies abuse accusations but declined to prosecute his father Roy Davies, due to his Alzheimer's disease and his by then advancing years.[35] Davies promoted the book during a BBC Radio 5 Live interview, first broadcast on 9 December 2020.[36]

Stand-up VHS and DVDs
  • Urban Trauma (1998)
  • Life is Pain: Live in London (18 November 2013)
  • Little Victories (28 November 2016)

References
  1. "Davies, Alan Roger, (born 6 March 1966), comedian, actor and presenter". Who's Who. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.10000328.
  2. Doughty, Eleanor (24 October 2015). "QI star Alan Davies: How we got rid of the rats, and the plants our kids love". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  3. "How To Pronounce Alan Davies". SoundCloud. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  4. Pearce, Garth (27 July 2008). "On the move: Alan Davies". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  5. Jude Rogers (23 August 2020). "Alan Davies: 'I've become a huge enemy of silence and secrecy'". The Guardian.
  6. Fiona Sturges (12 September 2020). "Just Ignore Him by Alan Davies review – a life derailed by abuse". The Guardian.
  7. "Kent Alumni: Alan Davies". University of Kent. 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  8. "How Long is a Piece of String?". University of Kent Faculty of Sciences. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  9. The Graham Norton Show, BBC One, 27 January 2012.
  10. Tufnell, Nicholas (1 November 2012). "Exclusive Interview: Alan Davies talks about Jonathan Creek, QI and his latest stand up tour". The Cambridge Student. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  11. "A Many Splintered Thing". BBC Comedy Guide. Archived from the original on 28 June 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  12. Mangan, Lucy (10 September 2010). "TV review: Alan Davies' Teenage Revolution". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  13. "Whites". BBC Two. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  14. "BBC cancels 'Whites', the sitcom starring Alan Davies". Comedy.co.uk. 1 March 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  15. "A Quiet Word With Alan Davies". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  16. "Podcasts – Alan Davies' Brazilian Banter by ITV Sport". iTunes Store. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  17. "Most Christmas crackers pulled by an individual in 30 seconds". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  18. Hoggard, Liz (1 March 2010). "Katie Davies: My life married to Alan Davies, London's funniest man". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  19. "Network TV BBC Week 39 – Whites feature – interview with Alan Davies". BBC Press Office. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010.
  20. Fleckney, Paul (19 February 2015). "Alan Davies: 'As a comedian, you aim to do a show that nobody else could do'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2018. I had a lovely fish-and-chip supper and a fizzy drink before I went on, [...]
  21. Crompton, Helen (22 September 2011). "Davies more than QI". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2018. he only eats fish and veg [...]
  22. Davies, Alan (9 September 2010). Teenage Revolution. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-0141964515. I really like fish, I eat it all the time
  23. Daniel, Alex (2 October 2016). "On my radar: Alan Davies's cultural highlights". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. I don't eat meat – I do eat seafood sometimes, but usually because there isn't a good vegetarian option.
  24. "Wasted Lives". Animal Aid. 3 July 2006. Archived from the original on 17 September 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  25. Foster, Patrick (12 December 2007). "Jonathan Creek actor Alan Davies 'bit tramp's ear' in tussle after friend's funeral". The Times. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  26. Edwards, Richard (12 December 2007). "Jonathan Creek star Davies bites tramp's ear". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  27. Rifkind, Hugo (22 August 2009). "Alan Davies on QI, being attacked and that tramp". The Times. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  28. "It's Up For Grabs Now". arsenalupforgrabs.com. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  29. Riley, Amanda (22 October 2013). "Why things are looking up for Alan Davies". Saga. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  30. "Can Damned co-stars Jo Brand and Alan Davies be fair to social workers – and funny?". Radio Times. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2018. I've been a Labour Party member for a long time. I voted for Jeremy Corbyn the first time. This time I voted for Owen Smith – I don't think Corbyn's been a good leader of the opposition.
  31. "All Over the Workplace". TV Guide.co.uk. 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016.
  32. "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (2008)". The Internet Movie Database. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  33. "The Bromley Boys (2018)". The Internet Movie Database. 1 June 2018.
  34. "Michael Joseph". Penguin Catalogues. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014.
  35. "Just Ignore Him by Alan Davies review – a life derailed by abuse". the Guardian. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  36. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000q3yv
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