After graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1989, Alistair began working as a stand-up comic and was soon a regular at London’s Comedy Store and appeared at The Edinburgh Festival and on the 1996 Royal Variety Show.
From 1992-1996, he provided the voices for many of the characters on Spitting Image. He was a regular feature on Radio 4 comedy shows including: Weekending, The Harpoon and he co-wrote and starred in four series of The Game’s Up (a satirical sports show) on Radio Five.
His interest in sport also saw him release two football comedy videos: Football Backchat and The Second Leg.
His theatre work includes : Kafka in Kafka’s Dick and Clov in Endgame (Nottingham Playhouse), Art (Wyndham’s) Khlestakov in The Government Inspector (Chichester), Ford in Merry Wives: The Musical (RSC) and The Dentist in Little Shop of Horrors (Duke of York’s - for which he received an Olivier nomination), the title role in The Mikado (Carl Rosa) the Emcee in Rufus Norris’ Cabaret (Lyric) and Vernon Gersch in They’re Playing Our Song at The Menier Chocolate Factory alongside Connie Fisher.
He has also recently made his directorial debut with Noel Coward’s Semi-Monde at The Guildhall School of Music And Drama.
As an actor, on television, he played Spock in Tim Firth’s Preston Front, Mr Kenge in Bleak House and the title role in the quirky detective show Mayo (co-writing several later episodes). He has hosted Have I Got News For You? and was recently featured on the hugely popular Who Do You Think You Are?
His first film, ‘My Life in Ruins’ is due out later this year.
He is an experienced after-dinner speaker and has hosted the British Environment Media Award for the last four years.
A keen environmentalist, Alistair has never yet owned a car and is an ambassador for WWF-UK.