Alice Lowe | |
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Born | Alice Eva Lowe 3 April 1977 Coventry, West Midlands, England |
Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge |
Occupations |
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Children | 2 |
Alice Eva Lowe (born 3 April 1977) [1] is an English actress, writer, director, and comedian. She has appeared as Dr. Haynes in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Madeleine Wool/Liz Asher in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace . She wrote, directed, and starred in the 2016 film Prevenge and starred in and co-wrote the 2012 film Sightseers . She also starred in the educational children's television series Horrible Histories .
Lowe was born in Coventry, West Midlands, England. [2] She attended Kenilworth School and graduated from King's College, Cambridge, where she studied classics. [3] [4] At university she became involved in theatre and comedy. [4]
Lowe began her career in surreal experimental theatre shows including City Haunts, Snowbound and Progress in Flying Machines [5] co-devising and performed along with colleagues such as Robert Webb and David Mitchell. [6]
Lowe worked under the directorship of Paul King, [7] who has since directed her in The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace . [7] She was cast in Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight [7] alongside fellow Cambridge graduates Richard Ayoade and Matt Holness and they were nominated for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2000. [8] In 2001, she won an award for performing in the sequel to Fright Knight, Garth Marenghi's Netherhead , [7] at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. [4]
Her television credits include Channel 4's spoof horror comedy Garth Marenghi's Darkplace , [7] Beth in the BBC comedy series My Life in Film , David Bowie in the BBC series Snuff Box , [7] and a recurring role in Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive . [7] She was part of the all-female comedy show Beehive [7] along with Sarah Kendall, Barunka O'Shaughnessy and Clare Thomson which was aired on E4, and was a regular cast member of the CBBC show Horrible Histories [7] during the second, third and fifth seasons. Her BBC Three pilot "LifeSpam: My Child Is French" was broadcast in 2009, [8] and she co-wrote and starred in Channel 4's Orcadia . In February 2010, she appeared in and script-edited the pilot for a "sort-of-sketch-show" called Missing Scene. [9]
She has also guest starred as Monkey in "The Priest and the Beast" episode of The Mighty Boosh , as Patricia in the "Fifty-Fifty" episode of The IT Crowd , [7] a solicitor in the "Travel Writer" episode of Black Books , Madonna in an episode of Channel 4's Star Stories , [7] and episodes of Little Britain , [7] Come Fly with Me , [7] Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul , Beautiful People and This is Jinsy . [7] She appeared in the music video for "Bastardo" by Charlotte Hatherley, directed by Edgar Wright. [7]
Lowe co-wrote and starred in the short film Stiffy, directed by Jacqueline Wright, [7] which premiered at Cannes in 2005 as part of the Kodak Straight 8 competition. Her self-penned short film Sticks and Balls was screened at Cannes in 2007. [7] In 2010 together with Wright she founded the production company Jackal Films, [7] making a short film each month of that year. [10]
Lowe appeared in the action comedy film Hot Fuzz , [8] and took a lead role in the 2012 film Sightseers , [7] the third production from director Ben Wheatley. Sightseers was written by Lowe with Steve Oram, with additional material by Amy Jump. [11] Lowe had a role in the Edgar Wright-directed film The World's End . [12]
On BBC Radio 4, she has written three series of Alice's Wunderland a dark, surreal comedy. [13]
In 2016, she made her directorial debut on the critically acclaimed [14] dark comedy Prevenge , which she directed while pregnant. [15] In 2018, Lowe appeared as Dr Haynes on Netflix's first adult-targeted interactive film, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch . [16]
In February 2021, Lowe's film Timestalker , was announced. The film will "chronicl[e] one woman's unrequited love across several centuries [...] from 1680s Western Scotland to the apocalyptic 22nd Century." Lowe stated that "[t]his film is my homage to the most romantic epics. Lavish, lush and overflowing with emotion." [17] Filming began in late 2022 and was released October 2024. [18]
Lowe was pregnant while filming Prevenge and later gave birth to her daughter Della with partner Paul Synnott. [19]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Hot Fuzz | Tina | |
2011 | Kill List | Radio Reporter | |
2012 | Sightseers | Tina | Also writer |
2013 | The World's End | Young Lady | |
2014 | Locke | Sister Margaret | Voice |
Paddington | Geographer's Receptionist | ||
Electricity | Sylvia | ||
2015 | Aaaaaaaah! | Sitcom Eudora | |
Burn Burn Burn | Davina | ||
Black Mountain Poets | Lisa Walker | ||
2016 | Adult Life Skills | Alice | |
Stoner Express | Roxy | ||
Prevenge | Ruth | Also writer and director | |
Chubby Funny | Susan | ||
The Ghoul | Kathleen | ||
2018 | Wild Honey Pie | Gerry | |
Solis | Commander Roberts | Voice | |
Sometimes Always Never | Sue | ||
The Fight | Heather | ||
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch | Dr. Haynes | ||
2019 | Eternal Beauty | ||
Dark Encounter | Arlene | ||
Days of the Bagnold Summer | Carol | ||
2022 | Paso Doble [20] | Karen | Short film |
2024 | Timestalker | Agnes | Also writer and director |
2025 | Rogue Trooper | Post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001–2002 2006 | Comedy Lab | Various characters | 3 episodes; also writer of Orcadia |
2004 | Garth Marenghi's Darkplace | Liz Asher / Madeleine Wool | 6 episodes |
Black Books | Solicitor | Episode: "Travel Writer" | |
My Life in Film | Beth | 6 episodes | |
2005 | The Mighty Boosh | Monkey | Episode: "The Priest & the Beast" |
Little Britain | Mother on Bench / Woman on Bench | 2 episodes | |
2006 | The IT Crowd | Patricia | Episode: "Fifty-Fifty" |
Snuff Box | David Bowie | Episode: "Matt's Diary" | |
Star Stories | Madonna | Episode: "The Wife's Life" | |
Man to Man with Dean Learner | Various roles | Episode: "Merriman Weir" | |
Pulling | Alice | Episode #1.6 | |
2006–2007 | Annually Retentive | Various roles | 3 episodes |
2007 | Angelo's | Alicia | 6 episodes |
2008 | Beehive | Various roles | 5 episodes; also writer |
2008–2012 | Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul | Various characters | 12 episodes |
2009 | LifeSpam: My Child Is French | Various characters | Television film; also writer |
Beautiful People | Stacey Bile | Episode: "How I Got My Turner" | |
2010 | Come Fly with Me | Young Mum | Episode #1.1 |
2010–2011, 2013 | Horrible Histories | Various characters | 12 episodes |
2011, 2014 | This is Jinsy | Soosan Noop | 16 episodes |
2012 | Skins | Jemima | Episode: "Franky" |
2014 | Sherlock | Tessa | Episode: "The Sign of Three" |
2015 | Inside No. 9 | Amanda | Episode: "Séance Time" |
2017 | Carters Get Rich | Sue Golding | Episode: "Co-Creator" |
2018 | Flowers | Paula | Episode #2.4 |
Hang Ups | Celia Cain | 3 episodes | |
2021 | Back | Joanna | Episode #2.6 |
2023 | Lockwood & Co. | Adelaide Winkman | Two episodes |
Partygate | Shelley Williams-Walker | [21] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011-2015 | Alice's Wunderland | Various | Writer and creator, BBC Radio 4 [22] |
2021 | The Sink: A Sleep Aid | Narrator | |
2024 | The Mysterious Affair at Styles | Director, Audible original [23] |
Garth Marenghi is a fictional horror author created by English comedian Matthew Holness. He is depicted as a conceited hack writer, who remains blissfully unaware of his lack of talent.
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace is a British horror parody television series created by Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness for Channel 4. The show focuses on fictional horror author Garth Marenghi and his publisher Dean Learner, characters who originated in the stage show Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight.
Noel Fielding is an English comedian and actor. He was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside Julian Barratt in the 2000s, and has been a co-presenter of The Great British Bake Off since 2017. He is known for his dark and surreal comedic style.
Julian Barratt Pettifer is an English comedian, actor and musician. As a comedian and comic actor, he is known for his use of surreal humour and black comedy. During the 2000s he was part of The Mighty Boosh comedy troupe alongside comedy partner Noel Fielding.
Matthew James Holness is an English comedian, director, author, plus actor. He is known for creating and portraying the fictional horror author Garth Marenghi.
Richard Ayoade is a British comedian, actor, writer, director and presenter. He played the role of socially awkward IT technician Maurice Moss in Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd (2006–2013), for which he won the 2014 BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance.
Garth Marenghi's Netherhead was a low-budget comedy horror stage show written by Matthew Holness and Richard Ayoade, and starring Holness, Ayoade and Alice Lowe. It was performed at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it won the Perrier Award.
Dean Learner is a fictional character performed by British comedian Richard Ayoade in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, a horror parody television series, as well as in Man to Man with Dean Learner, a parody talk show. Learner, a mix between Donald Trump and Hugh Hefner is a self-proclaimed club-owner, entrepreneur and publisher of high-class gentlemen magazines. He is also Garth Marenghi's publisher, played by Matthew Holness.
Matthew Charles Berry is an English actor, comedian, musician, and writer. He has appeared in comedy television roles in The IT Crowd, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, The Mighty Boosh, Snuff Box, What We Do in the Shadows, and Toast of London, the last of which he also co-created. The series earned him the 2015 BAFTA Award for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme. As a musician, he has released ten studio albums.
Man to Man with Dean Learner is a British comedy chat show that was first broadcast on Channel 4 on 20 October 2006 and released on DVD on 3 September 2007. It features comedians Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness.
Paul Thomas King is an English writer and director. He works in television, film and theatre, and specialises in comedy. He directed all 20 episodes of the BBC surreal comedy series The Mighty Boosh (2004–2007), and in 2005 he earned a British Academy Television Award nomination for Best New Director.
Stephen John Oram is an English actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. He is known for his role in the multi-award winning 2012 film Sightseers, which he also co-wrote. His other credits include People Like Us (2001), It's All Gone Pete Tong (2004), Tittybangbang (2006–2007), Suburban Shootout (2006), The Mighty Boosh (2007), Connections (2008), The World's End (2013), Wipers Times (2013), The Secrets (2014), The Canal (2014), Altar (2014), Paddington (2014), Glue (2014), Aaaaaaaah! (2015), The Living and the Dead (2016), A Dark Song (2016), The End of the F***ing World (2017–2019), Ghosts (2019), Doctor Who (2021), Killing Eve (2022), and D.I Ray (2022–2023).
Charlie Hanson is a British producer and director. His award-winning work includes television shows such as Desmond's, Chef!, The Big Impression, The Sketch Show and Whites, and the 2003 feature film A Way of Life.
Kim Noble is a comedian and artist, and was one half of the BAFTA-nominated comedy duo Noble and Silver, who won the 2000 Perrier Award for Best Newcomer. Kim has featured in shows such as The Mighty Boosh, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, and Man to Man with Dean Learner, as well as appearing onstage in his own one-man shows and exhibitions. His stage work, by himself and with Stuart Silver, had an emphasis on performance art, as well as surreal comedy.
Bunny and the Bull is a 2009 British comedy film written and directed by Paul King. It stars Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby in a surreal recreation of a road trip. King has previously worked on British television comedies The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace; the film is made in a similar style and has cameo appearances from stars of those series.
Stuart Silver is a screenwriter, television writer, actor and director. He works solo and collaboratively and is co-founder of the BAFTA-nominated, performance duo Noble and Silver, who won the 2000 Perrier Award for Best Newcomer. Stuart has since appeared on stage in his own one-man show, You Look Like Ants and in shorter pieces. He has also featured in television shows such as Get Off Me, The Mighty Boosh, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, and Man to Man with Dean Learner.
Sightseers is a 2012 British black comedy film directed by Ben Wheatley and written by and starring Alice Lowe and Steve Oram.
Tom Meeten is an English comedian, actor and writer.
Prevenge is a 2016 British comedy slasher film written by, directed by and starring Alice Lowe in her directorial debut. The film also stars Kate Dickie, Kayvan Novak, Jo Hartley, Mike Wozniak, Gemma Whelan and Tom Davis. The plot follows a pregnant widow who is convinced her foetus is compelling her to embark on a killing spree as revenge for the death of her husband.
Timestalker is a 2024 British historical science fiction romantic comedy film written, directed by, and starring Alice Lowe.