Alex Lowe (actor)
Encyclopedia
Alex Lowe is an English
actor
and comedian
, who is best known as the creator and voice behind the character 'Barry from Watford' on Steve Wright
's BBC Radio 2
show and Absolute Radio's Iain Lee
Show
radio show on the London
talk radio
station LBC 97.3
in May 2005, as Barry from Watford. It was during Lowe's first call that Barry's wife Margaret (later to be voiced played by Catherine Tate
in Barry's stage show) would be introduced. Barry became popular amongst LBC listeners, who requested that his calls be repeated on future shows.
'Barry "The" Saint-Michael' has been a popular caller on Iain Lee
's radio show, which later moved to the radio station Absolute Radio. Since 2006, Alex has also put on live performances called 'Let's Talk To Barry', a 50 minute show telling about life in Watford, which also features audio clips from Catherine Tate
and Iain Lee
.
In October 2008 Barry called into Harry Shearer's Le Show
radio show to discuss the American Presidential election, he was credited as 'Barry Martin', which Shearer later corrected to 'Barry Saint-Martin'. He called again on 4 January 2009 to discuss the recent holiday celebrations, and corrected his name to be 'Barry Barry Saint-Michael'.
In January 2010 Lowe's "Barry from Watford" podcast released on iTunes
by Absolute Radio spent two weeks in the Podcast top ten.
" at the Queen's Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London. In 1983 he played Young Edmond Bertram in BBC 1's "Mansfield Park". His career has included diverse roles from serious drama to character comedy. Working as both writer and actor in many different areas of media.
In 1991, having trained at The Studio School in North London and Leicester School of Performing Arts, he played PC Corman in Minder alongside George Cole (actor). Lowe has appeared in a variety of different television programmes, including, Three Men in A Boat, The Rise and Fall of Rome, The Fast Show
, Fun at the Funeral Parlour
, The Big Impression
Christmas Special, and Bremner, Bird and Fortune
. He appeared in four episodes of Simon Day's comedy series Grass
as precocious child star Crispin Wintervilles father Roland. He played Clinton Baptiste in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights
and Sparky in That Peter Kay Thing
. He starred with Lee on The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel Four in the late 1990s, normally appearing as a reporter. In 2007, he wrote and performed for Ronni Ancona
and Co for BBC
1 and performed in The Peter Serafinowicz Show on BBC 2.
In the cinema, Lowe played Paul in Peter's Friends
, The Messenger in Much Ado About Nothing
and Simon Merriel in Haunted.
With regard to radio, Lowe has appeared on shows including Absolute Power, 15 Minute Musical
, Not Today, Thank You
, The Laxian Key, The Scarifyers
and he plays Brian in Clare in the Community
for BBC Radio 4
. Lowe has also appeared twice on Loose Ends
on BBC Radio 4 with Iain Lee, Big Brother's Big Mouth and Sam Delaney's Stupid Telly (as Barry from Watford). From 2001-2003 he hosted Download This for XFM London
on Sunday mornings 10am-12pm.
On 12 October 2008, he reprised his role as Clinton Baptiste in Peter Kay
's Britain's Got The Pop Factor ... And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice, a spoof on the talent show genre of programmes.
On 22 May 2009, he appeared on BBC Radio 2
's Steve Wright In The Afternoon
show, talking about his life. He also talked about him being a lifestyle guru. He is now a regular weekly contributor to the programme.
In April 2010 he recorded a comedy pilot for BBC Radio 2
The Alex Lowe Double Act with impressionist Alistair McGowan
. It was broadcast on 15th May 2010.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, who is best known as the creator and voice behind the character 'Barry from Watford' on Steve Wright
Steve Wright
Stephen Richard "Steve" Wright is an English radio presenter. He presents the afternoon show on BBC Radio 2. He rose to prominence in the early 1980s while working with Peter Dickson on BBC Radio 1.-Early career:...
's BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
show and Absolute Radio's Iain Lee
Iain Lee
Iain Lee is a British comedian, and a television and radio presenter. His career began when he performed stand-up comedy gigs across venues in London. He subsequently became co-presenter of the comedy current affairs show The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 and RI:SE...
Show
Barry from Watford
Lowe began calling the Iain LeeIain Lee
Iain Lee is a British comedian, and a television and radio presenter. His career began when he performed stand-up comedy gigs across venues in London. He subsequently became co-presenter of the comedy current affairs show The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 and RI:SE...
radio show on the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3
LBC 97.3 is a London-based talk and phone-in radio station. It is one half of the latest incarnation of LBC, the news and speech service which was Britain's first commercial radio station when it went on air in October 1973...
in May 2005, as Barry from Watford. It was during Lowe's first call that Barry's wife Margaret (later to be voiced played by Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
in Barry's stage show) would be introduced. Barry became popular amongst LBC listeners, who requested that his calls be repeated on future shows.
'Barry "The" Saint-Michael' has been a popular caller on Iain Lee
Iain Lee
Iain Lee is a British comedian, and a television and radio presenter. His career began when he performed stand-up comedy gigs across venues in London. He subsequently became co-presenter of the comedy current affairs show The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 and RI:SE...
's radio show, which later moved to the radio station Absolute Radio. Since 2006, Alex has also put on live performances called 'Let's Talk To Barry', a 50 minute show telling about life in Watford, which also features audio clips from Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate
Catherine Tate is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She has won numerous awards for her work on the sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and four BAFTA Awards...
and Iain Lee
Iain Lee
Iain Lee is a British comedian, and a television and radio presenter. His career began when he performed stand-up comedy gigs across venues in London. He subsequently became co-presenter of the comedy current affairs show The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel 4 and RI:SE...
.
In October 2008 Barry called into Harry Shearer's Le Show
Le Show
Le Show is a weekly syndicated public radio show hosted by satirist Harry Shearer.The program is a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and sketch comedy...
radio show to discuss the American Presidential election, he was credited as 'Barry Martin', which Shearer later corrected to 'Barry Saint-Martin'. He called again on 4 January 2009 to discuss the recent holiday celebrations, and corrected his name to be 'Barry Barry Saint-Michael'.
In January 2010 Lowe's "Barry from Watford" podcast released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
by Absolute Radio spent two weeks in the Podcast top ten.
Television, radio and theatre
Lowe made his TV debut in 1981 in Thames Television's "Theatre Box". On stage he played Wharton in "Another CountryAnother Country (play)
Another Country is a play written by English playwright Julian Mitchell that premiered in 1981 at the Greenwich Theatre in south-east London and later transferred to the West End in March 1982. In the summer of 2000 the play was revived at The Oxford Playhouse. From 4 September 2000 until 28...
" at the Queen's Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London. In 1983 he played Young Edmond Bertram in BBC 1's "Mansfield Park". His career has included diverse roles from serious drama to character comedy. Working as both writer and actor in many different areas of media.
In 1991, having trained at The Studio School in North London and Leicester School of Performing Arts, he played PC Corman in Minder alongside George Cole (actor). Lowe has appeared in a variety of different television programmes, including, Three Men in A Boat, The Rise and Fall of Rome, The Fast Show
The Fast Show
The Fast Show, known as Brilliant in the US, was a BBC comedy sketch show programme that ran for three series from 1994 to 1997 with a special Last Fast Show Ever in 2000. The show's central performers were Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and...
, Fun at the Funeral Parlour
Fun at the Funeral Parlour
Fun at the Funeral Parlour was a comedy series broadcast on BBC Choice for two series in 2001 and 2002. It was set in a Welsh funeral directors called Thomas, Thomas, Thomas and Thomas....
, The Big Impression
Big Impression
The Big Impression, known as Alistair McGowan's Big Impression for the first three series, is a British comedy sketch show. It features Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona impersonating personalities from entertainment and sport...
Christmas Special, and Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Bremner, Bird and Fortune is an award-winning satirical British television programme produced by Vera Productions for Channel Four, uniting the longstanding satirical team of John Bird and John Fortune with the satirical impressionist Rory Bremner.The show started in 1999. The fourteenth series...
. He appeared in four episodes of Simon Day's comedy series Grass
Grass (TV series)
Grass is a sitcom starring Simon Day which originally aired in 2003 on BBC Three. Day plays Billy Bleach, a Londoner who is relocated to rural England under a witness protection program after he witnesses a gangland killing...
as precocious child star Crispin Wintervilles father Roland. He played Clinton Baptiste in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights
Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights
Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights was a BAFTA-nominated English sitcom about The Phoenix Club, a working men's club in the northern English town of Farnworth, Greater Manchester. The show was written by Neil Fitzmaurice, Peter Kay and Dave Spikey, produced by Goodnight Vienna Productions and Ovation...
and Sparky in That Peter Kay Thing
That Peter Kay Thing
That Peter Kay Thing was a series of six spoof documentaries shown on Channel 4 in January 2000. Set in and around Bolton, these followed the lives of different characters and starred Peter Kay as the subject of each documentary. All of the episodes displayed Kay's penchant for nostalgic humour and...
. He starred with Lee on The 11 O'Clock Show on Channel Four in the late 1990s, normally appearing as a reporter. In 2007, he wrote and performed for Ronni Ancona
Ronni Ancona
Ronni Ancona is a Scottish actress, impressionist and author. Ancona won the Best TV Comedy Actress award at the 2003 British Comedy Awards for her work in Big Impression.- Career :...
and Co for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
1 and performed in The Peter Serafinowicz Show on BBC 2.
In the cinema, Lowe played Paul in Peter's Friends
Peter's Friends
Peter's Friends is a 1992 British comedy-drama film written by Rita Rudner and her husband Martin Bergman, and directed and produced by Kenneth Branagh....
, The Messenger in Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing (film)
Much Ado About Nothing is a 1993 British/American romantic comedy film based on William Shakespeare's play. It was adapted for the screen and directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also played the role of Benedick....
and Simon Merriel in Haunted.
With regard to radio, Lowe has appeared on shows including Absolute Power, 15 Minute Musical
15 Minute Musical
15 Minute Musical is a comedy series on BBC Radio 4 written by Richie Webb, David Quantick and Dave Cohen. Each episode is in a different musical style with a story featuring current celebrities and politicians...
, Not Today, Thank You
Not Today, Thank You
Not Today, Thank You is a British radio comedy featured on BBC Radio 4. It stars Harry Shearer as Nostrils, a man convinced that he is extremely unattractive, and Brian Hayes as Brian Hughes, an aging radio presenter who tries to broadcast his radio show from his grandmother's basement before...
, The Laxian Key, The Scarifyers
The Scarifyers
The Scarifyers is an audio adventure series produced by Cosmic Hobo Productions and based on stories written by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris. Set in 1936 and 1937, it follows the exploits of DI Lionheart and ghost-story writer Professor Dunning, as played by Nicholas Courtney and Terry Molloy.Each...
and he plays Brian in Clare in the Community
Clare in the Community
Clare in the Community is a British comic strip in The Guardian newspaper, written by Harry Venning. The title is a pun on care in the community. The strip has been successfully adapted for radio on BBC Radio 4....
for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. Lowe has also appeared twice on Loose Ends
Loose Ends (radio)
Loose Ends is a British radio programme originally broadcast on Saturday mornings, and then transmitted early Saturday evenings from 1998 by BBC Radio 4. It was hosted by Ned Sherrin until he became ill in late 2006 with a reported throat infection, and later throat cancer...
on BBC Radio 4 with Iain Lee, Big Brother's Big Mouth and Sam Delaney's Stupid Telly (as Barry from Watford). From 2001-2003 he hosted Download This for XFM London
Xfm London
Xfm London is a commercial radio station in the United Kingdom owned by Global Radio and broadcasts on 104.9 FM in London, on digital radio via 30 DAB multiplexes across the country, Sky, TalkTalk TV and Virgin Media....
on Sunday mornings 10am-12pm.
On 12 October 2008, he reprised his role as Clinton Baptiste in Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
's Britain's Got The Pop Factor ... And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice, a spoof on the talent show genre of programmes.
On 22 May 2009, he appeared on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's Steve Wright In The Afternoon
Steve Wright In The Afternoon
Steve Wright in the Afternoon is the name of the current afternoon show on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Steve Wright. The show is one of the most popular on the station, and is often referred to as The Big Show...
show, talking about his life. He also talked about him being a lifestyle guru. He is now a regular weekly contributor to the programme.
In April 2010 he recorded a comedy pilot for BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
The Alex Lowe Double Act with impressionist Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
. It was broadcast on 15th May 2010.