Phil Cornwell

Last updated

Phil Cornwell
Born
Philip Cornwell

(1957-10-05) 5 October 1957 (age 66)
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • impressionist
  • writer
Years active1980–present

Philip Cornwell (born 5 October 1957) is an English actor, comedian, impressionist and writer. He is part of the Dead Ringers television and radio series, and is the voice of Murdoc Niccals in the virtual band Gorillaz. Cornwell has co-written and performed principal roles in The Glam Metal Detectives and Stella Street . He also portrayed DJ Dave Clifton from I'm Alan Partridge and the movie, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa .

Contents

Early life and career

Cornwell was born in Leigh-on-Sea, in the County of Essex. He first appeared on TV in 1980 in the BBC youth programme Something Else - Southend as an episode presenter.

He is popularly known for voicing Murdoc Niccals in the virtual band, Gorillaz. He provided the voices of Mick Jagger and David Bowie for the Steve Wright in the Afternoon show on BBC Radio 1 in the late-1980s and early-1990s. These impersonations - augmented by many others, including the series narrator, Michael Caine - formed the backbone of the BBC TV series Stella Street , written and performed with John Sessions.

In 1996, he performed in a comedy spoof sketch TV advert to The Professionals imitating Martin Shaw's character of Doyle (with the actor Ray Trickett playing Lewis Collins' Bodie) for the release of the Nissan Almera . [1] In 1997 as part of the same advertising campaign he performed another spoof sketch of the 1970s television series The Sweeney . [2] [3]

He played the part of Harry Noakes, Captain of the cockleboat Renown in the TV mini-series Dunkirk.

Cornwell has appeared in several films made by the Comic Strip, including the role as Dave Spanker in Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown . He also played Dave Clifton, a local radio DJ on Radio Norwich - a fictional radio station in both series of I'm Alan Partridge . In 2013, he reprised the role for the movie Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa .

Cornwell was the voice of Gilbert the Alien in the 1980s TV series Get Fresh , which later span off into Gilbert's Fridge , a series starring the character. [4]

Cornwell also voiced Sir Lancelot and Robin Hood in the animated children's television series King Arthur's Disasters . He played King Stupid in the CBBC series Stupid! , having replaced Marcus Brigstocke, because the latter was involved in Excuse My French on BBC Two. Cornwell also appeared in the Doctor Who episode, "The Fires of Pompeii". In 2010 he presented/hosted the Friday night EuroMillions lottery draw show on BBC One. In 2011 he did several stand-up comedy gigs as character Switzerland McNaughtiehorse. Cornwell is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. [5] and presents the weekly podcast The Spurs Show [6] with Mike Leigh.

In January 2013, he appeared in the ITV comedy drama series Great Night Out as Tonky.

Cornwell played Sanson 'The Bourreau' in the 2023 movie Napoleon , directed by Ridley Scott.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleCharacter
2000 Blood Doug
2001 Large Barry Blaze Mouseley
2004 Churchill: The Hollywood Years Martin Bormann
Stella Street: The Movie Mick Jagger
2007 I Could Never Be Your Woman Cameraman
Lady Godiva: Back in the Saddle Mayor Osborne
2010 Made in Dagenham Dave
2013 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Dave Clifton
2023 Napoleon Sanson 'The Bourreau'

Television

YearTitleCharacterProductionNotes
1980 Something Else Various impressions BBC Television 1 episode
1986–1996 Spitting Image Jamie Spencer-Churchill (voice) Central Independent Television 19 episodes
1987The Corner HouseHarry2 episodes
1987–1988 Get Fresh Gilbert the Alien (voice) ITV 80 episodes
1988 On the Waterfront Gilbert the Alien (voice) BBC 1 episode
1991 Remote Control Various Characters Channel 4 UK version
1992 Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show PC Cornwell1 episode
1992–2012 The Comic Strip Presents...Various CharactersChannel 48 episodes
1994 The Bill Jeff Price ITV Episode: "Settling The Score"
Lovejoy Syd Bishop BBC1 1 episode
1996 Only Fools And Horses Drunken man in Hospital BBC Episode: "Modern Men"
1997–2002 I'm Alan Partridge Dave Clifton BBC Series 1 and 2
2002 The Bill Shane Pellow ITV In 8 episodes from Episode 023 to Episode 071
2002–2006 Dead Ringers Various CharactersBBC
2003-2010 Meg and Mog Mog CITV and Tiny Pop
2004 Stella Street Various CharactersBBC
2005 Twisted Tales Doc BBC Three Episode: "Whacked"
Stupid! King Stupid CBBC Season 2 (replaced Marcus Brigstocke)
2005–2006 King Arthur's Disasters Sir Lancelot, Robin Hood (voices) CITV
2008 Doctor Who Stallholder BBC One Series 4 Episode 2 "The Fires of Pompeii"
Harry and Paul Various Characters BBC Series 2
Headcases Robert Mugabe, Morgan Freeman, Steven Spielberg (voices) ITV, STV, UTV
2011 Skins Diesel E4 Series 5
2012 Mrs Biggs DS Jack Slipper ITV TV miniseries - Episodes 1x2 and 1x5
2013 Great Night Out Tonky ITV Series 1
Misfits Geoff E4
2014 Not Going Out Police Officer BBC One Series 7 Episode 10 'The Wedding'
Midsomer Murders Eddie Rayner ITV Episode: "The Flying Club"
2015 Holby City Sean Cronin BBC One Series 17 Episode 14 'Wages of Sin'
2016 Jericho Joe Capstick ITV
2018 Damned 'Animal' Hames Channel 4 1 Episode
2022Man Vs BeeArmstrongNetflixTV mini series
Mrs Brown's Boys Boris BBC One 2 Episodes
Call the Midwife Bernard BBC One 1 Episode
2023 Vera Philip Robson ITV Series 12 Episode 5 'The Rising Tide'

Direct-to-video

YearTitleCharacterNotes
2002 Phase One: Celebrity Take Down Murdoc Niccals (voice)Direct-to-video movie
2006 Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades Murdoc Niccals (voice)Direct-to-video movie

Web series

YearTitleCharacterNotes
2020 Song Machine Murdoc Niccals (voice)Web series by Gorillaz

Video games

YearTitleCharacterNotes
2001 The Italian Job Charlie Croker Michael Caine impersonation [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Partridge</span> British comedy character

Alan Gordon Partridge is a comedy character portrayed by the English actor Steve Coogan. A parody of British television personalities, Partridge is a tactless and inept broadcaster with an inflated sense of celebrity. Since his debut in 1991, he has appeared in media including radio and television series, books, podcasts and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Coogan</span> English actor and comedian (born 1965)

Stephen John Coogan is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for creating and portraying Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which he developed while working with Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris on On the Hour and The Day Today. Partridge has featured in several television series such as I'm Alan Partridge (1997–2002) and the film Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013). Coogan has earned accolades such as four BAFTA Awards and three British Comedy Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<i>The Day Today</i> 1994 British television comedy show

The Day Today is a British comedy television show that parodies television news and current affairs programmes, broadcast from 19 January to 23 February 1994 on BBC2. It was created by Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris and is an adaptation of the radio programme On the Hour, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 9 August 1991 and 28 May 1992 and was also written by Morris, Iannucci, Steven Wells, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring, David Quantick, and the cast. For The Day Today, Peter Baynham joined the writing team, and Lee and Herring were replaced by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews. The principal cast of On the Hour was retained for The Day Today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rik Mayall</span> English comedian (1958–2014)

Richard Michael Mayall, known professionally as Rik Mayall, was an English comedian, actor and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and was a pioneer of alternative comedy in the 1980s.

<i>Im Alan Partridge</i> British sitcom (1997–2002)

I'm Alan Partridge is a British sitcom created by Steve Coogan, Peter Baynham and Armando Iannucci. Coogan stars as Alan Partridge, a tactless and inept broadcaster. The first series, broadcast in 1997, has Coogan living in a roadside hotel after having been left by his wife and dropped by the BBC. The second, broadcast in 2002, sees Partridge living in a static caravan after recovering from an mental breakdown. Iannucci said the writers used the sitcom as "a kind of social X-ray of male middle-aged Middle England".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio Norwich</span> Fictional radio station

Radio Norwich is a fictional radio station in Norwich, England, in the television series I'm Alan Partridge. It parodies elements from both BBC Local Radio and Independent Local Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Eldon</span> British actor and comedian

Kevin Eldon is an English actor and comedian. He featured in British comedy television shows of the 1990s including Fist of Fun, This Morning with Richard Not Judy, Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge, I'm Alan Partridge, Big Train, Brass Eye and Jam. In 2013, Eldon appeared in his own BBC sketch series It's Kevin. He has also appeared in minor speaking roles in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Schneider (actor)</span> English actor (born 1963)

David Schneider is an English actor, comedian, and director. His acting roles include the role of Tony Hayers, in the Alan Partridge franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Berry</span> English actor (born 1974)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Bishop</span> English actor, comedian, and writer

Kevin Brian Bishop is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his roles as Jim Hawkins in Muppet Treasure Island, Stupid Brian in My Family, and Nigel Norman Fletcher in the 2016 revival of Porridge, and as star of The Kevin Bishop Show, which he co-wrote with Lee Hupfield.

Bernie Clifton is a British comedian and entertainer, known for his work with his orange ostrich puppet costume Oswald the Ostrich.

John Eccleston is an English puppeteer, writer and presenter known for his work as lead puppeteer of Rygel on Farscape, Groove on The Hoobs, and his many roles on British children's television alongside Don Austen. He was also behind the character Gilbert the Alien on Get Fresh. He also performed Worth the Dog in the Woolworths adverts, Mervin J Minky on MTV's Fur TV and Rattus Rattus on the CBBC Horrible Histories series and Gory Games.

Cass Browne is an English musician and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stylo (song)</span> 2010 single by Gorillaz featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def

"Stylo" is the first single from British virtual band Gorillaz's third studio album Plastic Beach. The song features guest vocals from Bobby Womack and Mos Def. The single was released on 26 January 2010.

Andy Heath is a British puppeteer. He is most noted for working as the head puppeteer for the BBC Three situation comedy Mongrels, where he controls the main character, Nelson the metrosexual fox. He also puppeteered Hacker T Dog in CBBC's Scoop, who is currently performed by Phil Fletcher. He has also worked on television show Fur TV and on the film version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005).

<i>Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa</i> 2013 British comedy film

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa is a 2013 British comedy film starring Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge, a fictional presenter he has played on various BBC radio and television shows since 1991. It was directed by Declan Lowney and written by Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham and Neil and Rob Gibbons. Colm Meaney co-starred as Pat Farrell, a DJ who takes hostages after he is fired from Partridge's radio station; Partridge is enlisted as a negotiator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturnz Barz</span> 2017 single by Gorillaz featuring Popcaan

"Saturnz Barz" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring Jamaican dancehall artist Popcaan. The song was released on 23 March 2017. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album Humanz. The song marks the group's comeback since 2012's "DoYaThing", although 2017 had seen the non-single release of the song "Hallelujah Money" which features English singer Benjamin Clementine. "Saturnz Barz" was produced by frontman Damon Albarn, Remi Kabaka Jr. and producer The Twilite Tone, and marks the group's first collaboration with Popcaan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strobelite</span> 2017 single by Gorillaz featuring Peven Everett

"Strobelite" is a single by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on their fifth studio album Humanz. It features guest vocals by Peven Everett. The single was released on 4 August 2017, with an accompanying music video released three days later.

<i>This Time with Alan Partridge</i> BBC comedy series

This Time with Alan Partridge is a British sitcom first broadcast in 2019 on BBC One. It stars Steve Coogan as the inept broadcaster Alan Partridge in a spoof of day-time magazine programmes such as The One Show and Good Morning Britain.

<i>Song Machine</i> Gorillaz web series

Song Machine is an audiovisual project by British virtual band Gorillaz. It is a music video web series consisting of a collection of music videos and singles that are released monthly by the band as episodes of the series, with each episode featuring additional guests. Each episode is released with accompanying interludes called "Machine Bitez", a series of skits consisting of short conversations and interviews with Song Machine's guests from Gorillaz' virtual band members. The project was officially launched on 30 January 2020. Season one of Song Machine consists of 9 episodes and was released as an album titled Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez on 23 October 2020. A second season was announced in 2020, though it was later scrapped in favor of Cracker Island.

References

  1. Nissan Almera GTi advert - spoof of "The Professionals" - full version , retrieved 9 November 2022
  2. Nissan Almera Advert - Sweeney Spoof , retrieved 9 November 2022
  3. "Cries & whispers". The Independent. 16 March 1997. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  4. "Gilbert's Fridge". Film & TV Database. BFI. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
  5. web of pub | Phil Cornwell: Not just a Tottenham fan… Archived 18 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Download Phil Cornwell Mp3 and Phil Cornwell Music at Playbackmedia
  7. Li, David (14 August 2002). "Postmortem: Pixelogic's The Italian Job". Gamasutra. UBM . Retrieved 26 September 2018.