Alistair McGowan

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.

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).

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 ) 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 made his debut broadcast as a tennis commentator.

He also hosted and starred in a sporting impressions show on Radio 5 live called The Game's Up in the late 1990s.

McGowan also appeared in the Scottish football sketch show Only an Excuse? from 1996 to 1998.

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).

He made a return to dramatic acting in 2005, appearing in the BBC's adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel Bleak House.

He also appeared at the Chichester Festival Theatre in two plays; the first was a new translation of Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector by Alistair Beaton, the second was a new play called 5/11, which was produced to mark the 400-year anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot.

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 joined the Royal Shakespeare Company for the Christmas 2006 season playing Mr Page in Merry Wives: the Musical (a version of The Merry Wives of Windsor) opposite Judi Dench, Simon Callow and Haydn Gwynne.

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.

In 2007, McGowan starred as Orin Scrivello (and other, smaller characters) in the West End transfer of the Menier Chocolate Factory's revival of Little Shop of Horrors, and filmed My Life in Ruins, an American comedy film set in the ruins of ancient Greece.

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 January and February 2008, McGowan starred as the eponymous protagonist of The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan, in a revival by the Carl Rosa Opera Company.

On 21 April 2008, he took over the role of Emcee in Cabaret at London's Lyric Theatre.

In July of that year, he appeared in a revival of They're Playing Our Song at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

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.

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.

Later he took over from Stephen Tompkinson playing Spock in the Tim Firth comedy drama, Preston Front.

In his early career, McGowan had minor roles in shows such as Children's Ward, and in the pilot episode of Jonathan Creek.

He also was a series regular in the first season of Dead Ringers.

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

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.

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 2012, McGowan wrote and hosted the ITV comedy sports show You Cannot Be Serious!, in which his impressions included Roy Hodgson, Jedward and Louie Spence.

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.

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.

McGowan is best known for 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 are probably best known for their portrayal of Posh and Becks, with McGowan as David Beckham and Ancona in the role of Victoria Beckham.