Alistair Charles McGowan (born 24 November 1964) is an English impressionist, comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression (formerly Alistair McGowan's Big Impression), which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes – winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003.[1] He has also worked extensively in theatre and appeared in the West End in Art, Cabaret, The Mikado and Little Shop of Horrors (for which he received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination).[2] As a television actor, he played the lead role in BBC1's Mayo. He wrote the play Timing (nominated as Best New Comedy at the whatsonstage.com awards[3]) and the book A Matter of Life and Death or How to Wean Your Man off Football with former comedy partner Ronni Ancona. He also provided voices for Spitting Image.
He has written and starred in three plays for BBC Radio 4 about Erik Satie (Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear), John Field (The Peregrinations of a Most Musical Irishman) and George Bernard Shaw (The 'B' Word). He devised stage shows showcasing the music and verse of Noël Coward (Sincerely Noel), and the music and writings of Erik Satie (Erik Satie's-faction). He wrote the stage play Timing (nominated as Best New Comedy at the 2009 whatsonstage.com awards[4]).
Career
McGowan found work as a comedian, and performed some of the voices for the ITV television series Spitting Image. His sporting impressions were showcased on the BBC 2 football magazine programme Sick as a Parrot. He also appeared as the recycling man in the BBC show Think about Science.
McGowan also appeared in the Scottish football sketch show Only an Excuse? from 1996 to 1998. He also hosted and starred in a sporting impressions show on BBC Radio 5 Live called The Game's Up in the late 1990s.
In 1998, McGowan provided all of the voice characterisation in the 1998 revival of James the Cat for Channel 5 and later in the 2000s, McGowan went on to provide guest voices for Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! and Planet Sketch both for CITV (Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! later went onto air on both the BBC and CBeebies in 2008).
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, Eurovision duo Jedward, and TV personality Louie Spence.
McGowan is patron of the Ludlow Fringe Festival, where he first performed live in 2013.[5] 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.[6]
Despite his acting commitments, he continued to appear on BBC Radio and television as an announcer and as an impersonator. He has re-voiced video footage of BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Match of the Day.[7]
In March 2009, McGowan starred as the Duke in the stage version of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure.[9]
McGowan appeared as a host on one episode of the fifth series of Live at the Apollo, which aired on 1 January 2010.
McGowan appeared in Skins in February 2011, playing Nick's coach in the fifth episode of the new series. On 12 March, he played the part of the Pirate King in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, at the Barbican Centre, London.[10] and, later in the year, took over from Rupert Everett in the part of Henry Higgins in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre, opposite Kara Tointon as Eliza Doolittle. In April 2011, he took to the stage at the Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts Centre at the University of Nottingham in David Mamet's controversial drama Oleanna. On 9 June 2011 he was unveiled as the newest addition to the BBC Wimbledon commentary team.
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.[11] His voice appeared in the film The Unbeatables.
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."[18] 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.[19] 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.[20]
Environmental work
McGowan serves as an ambassador to WWF-UK, part of the global World Wide Fund for Nature, and campaigns on a number of environmental issues. He is a patron of the urban tree-planting charity Trees for Cities.
In 2004 he launched 'the BIG recycle' national recycling campaign.[21] In August 2006 he appeared on Steve Wright'sBBC Radio 2 show to appeal to listeners to be more energy aware. In June 2007 he appeared on the James Whale Show on Talksport to also talk this issue.
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.[22] 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."[23]
In 2009 he attended the Bromley Environmental Awards and was the celebrity guest at Bromley Civic Centre where the awards were presented to various schools in the borough.
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.[24]
He has written the book A Matter of Life and Death (2009) with his former comedy partner Ronni Ancona.[citation needed]
Personal life
McGowan was in a relationship for seven years with fellow television comedian Ronni Ancona. [citation needed] In August 2013 McGowan married his girlfriend Charlotte Page alongside whom he had performed in The Mikado.[25]
McGowan is a supporter of Leeds United, even claiming that he decided to study at Leeds partly because of its proximity to Elland Road,[26] and Coventry City, the team closest to the area where he spent his late teens,[27] and his interest in football forms the basis of his 2009 book A Matter of Life and Death.[28] On the 17 December 2012 edition of Countdown, Susie Dent revealed that McGowan neither owns a car nor drives.
Since 2020 McGowan has lived in Ludlow, Shropshire.[5]
