Alan Davies

Infobox Comedian
name = Alan Davies

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imagesize =
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1966|3|6|df=yes
birth_place = Loughton, Essex, England
medium =
nationality = English
height = 5'11"
active =
genre = Stand-up, television, radio
subject =
influences =
influenced =
spouse = Katie Maskell (2007-present)
notable_work = Jonathan Creek in "Jonathan Creek"
Panellist in "QI"

Alan Davies (born 6 March 1966) is an English comedian, writer and actor, best known for starring as Jonathan Creek on the popular TV mystery series of the same name. More recently he has been the permanent panellist on the TV quiz show "QI".

Early life

Davies was born in Loughton, England in 1966. His childhood years were spent in Chingford and Loughton. Alan's mother died when he was six; he was subsequently raised along with an older brother and younger sister by his father, an accountant.

Davies went to Bancroft's School in Woodford Green and by all accounts was frequently in trouble there.Fact|date=February 2008 The deputy head of the school reputedly told him that he would never succeed. When he left aged 16 he gained eight O-Levels. He then moved on to Loughton College of Further Education where he got four more O-Levels and two A-Levels (Communications & Theatre Studies). He graduated from the University of Kent in 1988 and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University in 2003.

Career

tand-up

Davies began performing stand-up comedy in 1988 at the Whitstable Labour Club, and was named "Time Out's" Best Young Comic in 1991. He continued touring and performing in the UK and Canada, 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 DVD of Davies's stand up has been released entitled "Urban Trauma". A version of that show, which ran in the West End at the Duchess Theatre and toured the UK and New Zealand, was shown on BBC1 in 1998.

Radio and television

In 1994/95 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 Jonathan Creek, a trick-deviser for a stage magician with a side interest in solving crimes, between 1996 and 2003. "Jonathan Creek" won a BAFTA for Best Drama and was the show which brought Davies to mainstream attention. 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 & 2000. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/m/manysplinteredth_66602350.shtml BBC - Comedy - Shows A-Z Index ] ] In 2001 he 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 "Bob". He also plays Jack the dog in the radio sitcom "About a Dog".

Davies moved into 'straight acting' in 2004, starring as Henry Farmer, a maverick barrister, in the ITV Sunday night drama "The Brief", but quit after two series. Subsequent drama roles include Superintendent Mallard in "Marple" (ITV 2008), as well as appearances in "The Good Housekeeping Guide" (BBC1 2006), "Roman Road" (ITV 2004) and "Hotel Babylon" (BBC1 2008).

He was invited to champion the case for John Lennon to be the greatest Briton of all time on the BBC's "Great Britons" series in 2002. In 2007, Alan starred in the second episode of ITV1's "You Don't Know You're Born". Alan also recently became a semi-regular on "The Unbelievable Truth".

Film and theatre

Davies had a cameo role in the film "Dog Eat Dog" as a drug-addled pornographer.

His theatre debut was in Morris Panych's "Auntie & Me". The play was previously known as "Vigil" but the producers of Davies's version decided to change the name. The production was a sell-out success at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival before transferring to the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End for a 16 week run in 2003. Davies returned to the stage, this time alongside Bill Bailey as Felix in "The Odd Couple" again at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2005. In 2008, Davies played Bob Nicholson in the film "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging".

"QI"

Davies currently appears as the permanent panellist on the BBC quiz game "QI" hosted by Stephen Fry. He also wrote in the QI book, called "The Book of General Ignorance". However he was only asked to contribute four words (which appear after Stephen Fry's foreword), "Will this do, Stephen?". His initial response "Stephen Fry is a ___(reader to fill in blank)" was rejected.Fact|date=December 2007

Personal life

Davies married writer and former literary agent Katie Maskell on January 13 2007 after a six-month engagement. Friend and comedy partner Bill Bailey was Davies's best man and delivered a speech at the ceremony. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7-2363491_2,00.html News and Views from The Times and Sunday Times | Times Online ] ] When asked about his relationship with his wife, Davies quoted Ruth Badger: "Am I happy in my personal life? Without a doubt."Fact|date=February 2008

Davies is a pescetarian. His "vegetarianism" has been mentioned on several editions of "QI", his stand up "Urban Truma" and in "You Don't Know You're Born" Fact|date=January 2008 While at university Alan was actively involved in campaigning for animal rights, abortion rights and late essay rights. He has narrated an anti-vivisection video called "Wasted Lives". [ [http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/f/CAMPAIGNS/blog//4//?be_id=8 Animal Aid: Wasted Lives ] ]

He is a renowned Arsenal fan and season ticket holder. He wrote a fortnightly football column for "The Times" for two years, and has been occasionally featured in vignettes for "Match of the Day 2". Davies is recorded as being an irregular scuba diver, a fact also mentioned on several editions of "QI". In late 2007 he made UK national news when "The Times" and "Daily Telegraph" reported that Davies was involved in an altercation where Davies bit another individual's ear. [cite news|last=Foster|first=Patrick|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3037185.ece|title=Jonathan Creek actor Alan Davies 'bit tramp's ear' in tussle after friend's funeral|publisher=The Times|date=2007-12-12|accessdate=2008-02-10] [cite news|last=Edwards|first=Richard|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/11/ndavies211.xml|title=Jonathan Creek star Davies bites tramp's ear|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=2007-12-12|accessdate=2008-02-12]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.fansofalandavies.co.uk/ fansofalandavies.co.uk] - Fan site

Persondata
NAME= Davies, Alan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Comedian
DATE OF BIRTH= 1966-3-6
PLACE OF BIRTH= Chingford England
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=