Alan Davies

Alan Roger Davies (/ˈdeɪvɪs/; DAY-vis; born 6 March 1966) is an English actor, presenter, stand-up comedian and writer. He is known for his portrayal of the title role in the BBC mystery drama series Jonathan Creek (1997–2016) and as the only permanent panellist on the BBC panel show QI since its premiere in 2003, outlasting its original host Stephen Fry.

Davies was born on 6 March 1966 in Loughton, Essex, and spent his childhood years in Chingford. When Davies was six, his mother died from leukaemia and he was raised by his father. He was sexually abused by his father from age 8 to 13, as described in his book Just Ignore Him. Davies also wrote that his brother and sister were turned against him, which began his strong desire to please others. This led him to shoplift for schoolmates and play the joker at home.

Davies attended Staples Road School in Loughton and was privately educated at Bancroft's School in Woodford Green, where he gained eight O-Levels. He then moved on to Loughton College of Further Education where he gained four more O-Levels and two A-Levels (Communications & Theatre Studies). He graduated in Drama & Theatre Studies from the University of Kent at Canterbury in 1988, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university in 2003.

In 2016, he pursued a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, which he completed in September 2018.

Davies began performing comedy in 1988 at the Whitstable Labour Club. In 1991, he was named Time Out's Best Young Comic. He continued touring and performing in the UK and Australia, winning the Edinburgh Festival Critics Award for Comedy in 1994. That show was released on video and audio cassette in 1995 as Alan Davies Live at the Lyric recorded at the Lyric Theatre as part of the Perrier Pick of the Fringe season in October 1994.

A version of his show Urban Trauma, which ran in the West End at the Duchess Theatre and toured the UK and Australia, was shown on BBC One in 1998.

In 2012, Davies planned a new tour called Life is Pain. The title for this show came from a story he heard about a six-year-old girl being told off by her mother and responding "Life is pain". Davies said "This really made me laugh". The tour was broadcast on Dave.

In 1994 and 1995, Davies hosted Alan's Big One for three series on Radio 1 before appearing in Channel 4's spoof travel show One for the Road (made by Channel X in 1994/5).