Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author,

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic of all time on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007. In an updated 2010 poll he came 72nd. Much of Sayle's humour is in the tradition of

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...

and

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

, with riffs based on often absurd and

surreal Surreal may refer to: *Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki * ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze *Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor ...

premises. His act is known for its cynicism and political awareness, as well as

physical comedy Physical comedy is a form of comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any ...

Early life

Sayle was born and brought up in the

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...

suburb of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, the son of Molly (Malka) Sayle (née Mendelson), a pools clerk, and Joseph Henry Sayle, a railway guard, both of whom were members of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

. Sayle's mother was of

Lithuanian Jewish Lithuanian Jews or Litvaks () are Jews with roots in the territory of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania (covering present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, the northeastern Suwałki and Białystok regions of Poland, as well as adjacent area ...

descent, and some members of his family were devout Jews. From 1964 to 1969, he attended

Alsop High School Alsop High School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Walton, Liverpool, L4 6SH, England. The school is well known for its white and brown remaining one of the hallmarks of Walton village. History The school was fou ...

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingdo ...

, and was expelled halfway through

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

. After that, Sayle took a

foundation course A foundation course is a preparatory course for university-level art and design education, used particularly in the United Kingdom. Description A foundation course is a one or two-year preparatory course for school-leavers who want to qualify for ...

in art at

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

, before attending

Chelsea College of Art and Design Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation. It offers further education, further ...

in London. He attended

Garnett College Garnett College was a higher education college in London which trained lecturers in further and higher education colleges. Its main focus was on teaching towards post-graduate qualifications awarded by the Council for National Academic Awards (C ...

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...

, a training college for teachers in further education.

Career

Stand-up comedy and theatre

When

The Comedy Store The Comedy Store is an American comedy club opened in April 1972. It is located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. An associated club is located in La Jolla, San Diego, California. History The Comedy ...

opened in London in 1979, Sayle responded to an advert in '' Private Eye'' for would-be comedians and became its first master of ceremonies. In 1980, comedy producer Martin Lewis saw Sayle perform at the

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

and became his manager. Sayle became the leading performer at

The Comic Strip The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The ...

. He appeared on ''The Comic Strip Album'' (1981) and recorded '' Cak!'' (1982). He also appeared in the stage show, film and comedy album of ''

The Secret Policeman's Other Ball The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was the fourth of the benefit shows staged by the British Section of Amnesty International to raise funds for its research and campaign work in the human rights field. It was the second of many shows to bear ...

'' (1981–1982). Sayle's material covered a broad range of topics, but one of his favourite subjects remained politics. His angry persona, coupled with his vociferous delivery, gave immense bite to his material. A typical example of Sayle's humour was his attack on American phrases: "If you travel to the States ... they have a lot of different words than like what we use. For instance: they say 'elevator', we say 'lift'; they say 'drapes', we say 'curtains'; they say 'president', we say 'seriously deranged git!'" In 1988 Sayle played the role of Trinculo the King's jester in Shakespeare's '' The Tempest'', directed by

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 1 ...

the Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

theatre in London. Sixteen years on from his last stand-up comedy tour, Sayle returned in 2011 as an MC, compering the middle section of ''At Last! The 1981 Show'', produced by

Stewart Lee Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian, screenwriter, and television director. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, deadpan delivery, and consistent breaking of the fourth wall. Lee b ...

at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

. Although this was mainly a nostalgia night with comedians such as

Nigel Planer Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, comedian, musician, novelist and playwright. He played Neil in the BBC comedy '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in ''Filthy Rich & Catflap''. He has appeared in many West End mu ...

and

Norman Lovett Norman Lovett (born 31 October 1946) is a British stand-up comedian and actor best known for his portrayal of Holly (Red Dwarf), Holly, the ship's computer in ''Red Dwarf''. Career Lovett became a stand-up comedian in his thirties, initially ...

revisiting their material from the 1980s, Sayle premiered some new material that was more anecdotal than his previous work. Sayle says of his old style, "What I was doing, which I hadn’t realised, was a comic persona. The guy in the tight suit was actually a creation. I thought it was me in a sense but it wasn’t". With artists such as

Isy Suttie Isobel Jane "Isy" Suttie (; born 11 August 1978) is a British musical comedian, actress, and writer. She played Dobby in the British sitcom ''Peep Show'', and in 2013 won the gold Sony Radio Academy Award for her radio show ''Pearl And Dave''. ...

and

Jim Bob James Robert Morrison, known as Jim Bob, is a British musician and author. He was the singer of indie punk band Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine. Biography Jim Bob played in various bands during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Jami ...

, Sayle appeared at the fourth "

Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People ''Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People'' is a Christmas stage show celebrating a view of science. It was first run in 2008 at the '' Bloomsbury Theatre'' and re-run as ''The Return of Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People'' in 2009, t ...

" event at the Bloomsbury Theatre in December 2011. In January and February 2012, he compered four nights of stand-up comedy at the

Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces. The the ...

. He completed a full UK stand-up tour in October and November 2012 and a sixteen-night residency at the Soho Theatre in January and February 2013, where he performed new material. He played a further ten nights at the Soho Theatre in April 2013. He also performed at the 2013

. He has toured extensively in recent years.

Radio

Sayle's early work included several performances for

Capital London Capital London is a radio station owned and operated by the Global media company as part of its national Capital FM Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commercial radio stations. I ...

. In 1979, he wrote and performed the radio series, ''Alexei Sayle and the Fish People'', for which he won a Pye Radio Award (later known as the

Sony Radio Awards The Radio Academy Awards, started in 1983, were the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. For most of their existence, they were run by ZAFER Associates, but in latter years were brought under the control of The Radio Academy ...

). An album based on the show, '' The Fish People Tapes'', again featuring Sayle, was released. This was followed by ''Alexei Sayle and the Dutch Lieutenant's Trousers'' in 1980, the name being a reference to

John Fowles John Robert Fowles (; 31 March 1926 – 5 November 2005) was an English novelist of international renown, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. His work was influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, among others. Aft ...

' ''

The French Lieutenant's Woman ''The French Lieutenant's Woman'' is a 1969 postmodern historical fiction novel by John Fowles. The plot explores the fraught relationship of gentleman and amateur naturalist Charles Smithson and Sarah Woodruff, the former governess and indep ...

''. He also starred in two series of '' Lenin of the Rovers'', a 1988 comedy about Britain's first communist football team. He has since contributed to many other radio shows, including writing the five-part sitcom series, ''Sorry About Last Night'' (1999), in which he also played the leading role. On 3 November 2006 he presented ''Chopwell Soviet'', a 30-minute programme on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

that reviewed the

Chopwell Chopwell is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, west of Rowlands Gill and north of Hamsterley. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 9,395. In 1150, Bishop Pudsey granted the Manor of Chopwell ...

miners 80 years after the village of Chopwell became known as Little Moscow. Sayle returned to Radio 4 in 2016 with ''Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar''. In 2019, he narrated the dramatisation of four of his short stories in the series ''Alexei Sayle's The Absence of Normal'', again on Radio 4. A second series was broadcast in 2021.

Television

Sayle's first high-profile television appearances were on

Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...

's late-night alternative cabaret show '' O.T.T.'' (1982). He left nine weeks into the show's run to tour Australia with the Comic Strip. He played various roles in the situation comedy '' The Young Ones'' (1982–1984), along with

Adrian Edmondson Adrian Charles Edmondson (born 24 January 1957) is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He was part of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and had roles in the television series ''The Young Ones (TV s ...

Rik Mayall Richard Michael Mayall (7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, stand-up comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Ade Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University and was a pioneer of alternative ...

and

Christopher Ryan Christopher Ryan (born Christopher Papazoglou; 25 January 1950) is a British actor best known for his roles as Mike TheCoolPerson in the BBC comedy series '' The Young Ones'', Dave Hedgehog in the BBC comedy series ''Bottom'', Tony Driscoll in t ...

. In the programme Sayle portrayed several members of an

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

an family; the Balowskis. In 1985, he appeared in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' serial ''

Revelation of the Daleks ''Revelation of the Daleks'' is the sixth and final serial of the 22nd season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 and 30 March 1985. This was the final serial t ...

''. In a column for a British tabloid newspaper around the same time, he indicated that he wanted to become the "first Socialist

Doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

." He also appeared in several episodes of ''The Comic Strip Presents...'' between 1985 and 1993, playing the two leading roles in '' Didn't You Kill My Brother?'' which he co-wrote with David Stafford and

Pauline Melville Pauline Melville FRSL (born 1948) is an English/Guyanese-born writer and former actor of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, who is currently based in London, England. Among awards she has received for her writing – which encompasses short ...

. Sayle has co-written and starred in many other programmes, including three series of ''

Alexei Sayle's Stuff ''Alexei Sayle's Stuff'' is a British television comedy sketch show which ran on BBC2 for a total of 18 episodes over 3 series from 1988 to 1991. Cast Alexei Sayle's Stuff stars stand-up comedian Alexei Sayle, with a recurring cast including A ...

'' (1988–1991), two series of ''

The All New Alexei Sayle Show ''The All New Alexei Sayle Show'' was a comedy sketch show broadcast on BBC2 television for a total of twelve episodes, over two series in 1994 and 1995. The title sequence featured Alexei Sayle as an innocent, newly arrived man in London singin ...

'' (1994–1995) and one series of '' Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round'' (1998). In 1989, Sayle was awarded an International

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for ''Stuff''. In conversation with

Mark Thomas Mark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English comedian, presenter, political satirist, and journalist. He first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 comedy show ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' in the late 1980s. He is ...

on BBC Radio 4's informal chat-show ''

Chain Reaction A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events. Chain reactions are one way that sys ...

'', Sayle revealed that the first he knew of the award was when he watched ''

Channel 4 News ''Channel 4 News'' is the main news programme on British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since Channel 4's launch in November 1982. Current productions ''Channel 4 News'' ''Channel 4 News'' ...

'' and saw, to his amazement,

Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor, singer and writer. He is remembered for his television programme ''The Benny Hill Show'', an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double ente ...

collecting the award on his behalf. In 1990, Sayle had a fatwa proclaimed against him by a Muslim cleric from

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

after a joke on his BBC comedy show ''Stuff'', which has never been withdrawn. Sayle was signed in 1992 to a seven-year contract to play an Eastern European chef as a regular character on the American sitcom ''

The Golden Palace ''The Golden Palace'' is an American sitcom television series produced as a sequel to ''The Golden Girls,'' a continuation without Bea Arthur (though she did guest star in a double episode) that originally aired on CBS from September 1992 to M ...

'', the sequel to ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...

'', but was fired and replaced by

Cheech Marin :''The surname'' Marin ''is of Spanish language origin. In Spanish, it is spelled'' Marín'', with an acute accent on the'' í. Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and activist who gained ...

before the pilot was shot. The series was cancelled after one season. In 1994, he presented the miniseries ''Drive'', which gave advice for safe driving through Sayle's signature form of humour interspersed with serious pieces. In 2008, he wrote and presented ''Alexei Sayle's Liverpool'', a three-part television series in which he reconnected with his home town. He stated in the programmes that on first hearing that Liverpool was to be awarded the European Capital of Culture, he received much criticism for describing the city as "philistine". He now feels that he does not know whether or not his original statement was true but as a result of making the series he does now consider Liverpool to be his home, and he has vowed to go back there more often in the future. Sayle also narrated the

Public information film Public information films (PIFs) are a series of government-commissioned short films, shown during television advertising breaks in the United Kingdom. The name is sometimes also applied, ''faute de mieux'', to similar films from other countries, ...

(PIF) ''Moon Lighters'' about two moon creatures, Biblock and Hoblock and the dangers of

lighters A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...

. Sayle replaced

Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (born 30 March 1930) is an Australian entertainer whose career has encompassed work as a musician, singer-songwriter, composer, comedian, actor, painter and television personality. He often used unusual instruments in his performan ...

as the narrator for the Nick Junior and

Milkshake! ''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British children's television programming block on Channel 5 and is currently aimed at children aged 3–7. History The block debuted on Channel 5's first full day on air, at 7.30am on 31 March 19 ...

series ''Olive The Ostrich''. Episodes featuring Sayle's narration commenced broadcasting on 22 July 2013.

Film

Sayle alternates his comedy work with performances as a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

ranging from serious ('' Gorky Park'', 1983) to humorous (''

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action film, action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third installment in the Indiana Jones, ''Indiana ...

'', 1989). He appeared in the 1992

Carry On Carry On may refer to: * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (novel), ...

film, ''

Carry On Columbus ''Carry On Columbus'' is a 1992 British comedy film, the 31st and final release in the ''Carry On'' film series (1958–1992). The film was a belated entry to the series, following 1978's ''Carry On Emmannuelle''. It was produced to coincide ...

'' along with other modern comedians, including Comic Strip founder Peter Richardson, as well as surviving members of the original ''Carry On'' team.

Music

Sayle has released five comedy singles with full musical backing and one live recording from the Comedy Store in London 1981. This was a double A side with Alex Arundel the London-based Scottish songwriter and founding member of Alternative Cabaret with the song "When The Gold Runs Dry", being the other A side. His most successful single was " 'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor?" which achieved Top 20 chart success in the UK upon re-release in 1984. Produced by

Clive Langer Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954 in Hampstead, London, England) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' ...

and

Alan Winstanley Alan Kenneth Winstanley (born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer. His early career during the mid-1970s was as an audio engineer, working on albu ...

(who also produced for Madness and

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

), the record in its 12-inch version achieved notoriety owing to its extensive use of profane language. The two follow up singles, "Didn't You Kill My Brother?", and "Meanwhile", were taken from the album ''

Panic Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reactio ...

'', the cover of which parodies the cover of the

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

album '' Off the Wall''.

Writing

Sayle has written two short story collections, five novels, including a

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

and a radio series spin-off book, as well as columns for various publications. His book ''Great Bus Journeys of the World'', co-written with David Stafford, is mostly a collection of his columns for '' Time Out'' and the '' Sunday Mirror''. He was one of eight contributory authors to the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...

competition ''End of Story'', in which members of the public completed the second half of stories written by established authors. The winning entry to Sayle's story, ''Imitating Katherine Walker'', was written by freelance writer Arthur Allan. Sayle's autobiography ''Stalin Ate My Homework'', which deals with his early life and which he describes as a 'satirical memoir', was published in 2010. In 2012 he joined ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' as a motoring columnist. In early 2015 he toured giving readings from the second volume of his autobiography ''Thatcher Stole My Trousers'', published in 2016.

Internet

In November 2020, Sayle began hosting a monthly podcast, '' The Alexei Sayle Podcast''. Produced/co-hosted by Talal Karkouti, guests have included Josie Long,

and

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...

. He also launched a YouTube channel, showcasing videos of various bike rides.

Personal life

In 1974, Sayle married Linda Rawsthorn. He lives in

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

and is a keen cyclist. He also owns a house near Granada, in southern Spain.

Political views

Around the age of 15, Sayle decided to join the

Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name YCL of XXX (name of country) originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of Y ...

, but only went to a few meetings. In 1968, he joined a

Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...

organisation, the

Communist Party of Britain (Marxist–Leninist) The Communist Party of Britain (Marxist–Leninist), often abbreviated as CPB-ML, is a British Marxist–Leninist political party. It originated in 1968 as an anti-revisionist split from the Communist Party of Great Britain and was chaired by ...

. In 2009, he said that, while no longer active in left politics, "I still would adhere to those philosophical and economic ideas of Marxism that I got when I was sixteen. ... it's seemed to me as true now as it did then". Sayle is a critic of

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

and was among more than 20 high-profile people who signed a letter to Members of Parliament in 2015 to oppose

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Prime Minister David Cameron's plan to amend the

Hunting Act 2004 The Hunting Act 2004 (c 37) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which bans the hunting of most wild mammals (notably foxes, deer, hares and mink) with dogs in England and Wales, subject to some strictly limited exemptions; the ...

. In February 2016, Sayle said of Labour Party leader

: "He's ascetic and morally incorruptible. The propaganda that's thrown against him is disgraceful. Until he appeared, you had to vote for one kind of

Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most famous universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collectively, in contrast to other British universities, and more broadly to de ...

twat or another, people who all go to the same dinner parties, people like the

Ed Balls Edward Michael Balls (born 25 February 1967) is a British broadcaster, writer, economist, professor and former politician who served as Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families from 2007 to 2010, and as Shadow Chancellor of the Ex ...

es and

George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born Gideon Oliver Osborne; 23 May 1971) is a former British politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the ...

s. Jeremy has shown that, within a democratic tradition, other things are possible." In 2016, he wrote a comment piece for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' saying that he was happy to mock

New Labour New Labour was a period in the history of the British Labour Party from the mid to late 1990s until 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The name dates from a conference slogan first used by the party in 1994, later seen ...

in his act but now that Corbyn was about to "reform the party in his own image – ascetic, socialist, kindly and ethical" he would stop making jokes about Labour. In May 2018, regarding the expulsion of

Marc Wadsworth Marc Wadsworth is a British black rights campaigner, broadcast and print journalist and BBC filmmaker. He founded the Anti-Racist Alliance in 1991 and helped set up the justice campaign for murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence two years ...

from the Labour Party, Sayle commented: "The Party should walk over broken glass to beg people of Marc's calibre to work with them – they are very few and Marc is one of the best. There is a battle going on to destroy and reverse the unexpected and amazing gains the left has made in the last three years. Marc is a casualty in that battle and I am joining the fight to see him re-instated to the front line." In November 2019, along with other public figures, Sayle signed a letter supporting Labour Party leader

describing him as "a beacon of hope in the struggle against emergent far-right nationalism, xenophobia and racism in much of the democratic world" and endorsed him in the 2019 UK general election. In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, he signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party under Corbyn's leadership in the 2019 general election. The letter stated that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few." In January 2020, he was condemned by some Jewish groups after being one of thousands to sign an open letter criticising

Rebecca Long-Bailey Rebecca Roseanne Long-Bailey (' Long; born 22 September 1979), is a British politician and former solicitor serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Salford and Eccles since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, Long-Bailey served in the Shadow ...

and other Labour leadership candidates for saying they would sign a ten-point pledge by the Board of Deputies of British Jews intended to combat anti-semitism should they be elected. The letter was organised by

Momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (more specifically linear momentum or translational momentum) is the product of the mass and velocity of an object. It is a vector quantity, possessing a magnitude and a direction. If is an object's mass an ...

activist, Jackie Walker and former Labour MP Chris Williamson, both of whom were expelled from Labour in relation to controversial allegations of anti-semitism. In May 2021, Conservative MP

Matthew Offord Matthew James Offord (born 3 September 1969) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hendon since 2010. He was previously a member of the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa Gov ...

wrote to the BBC's Director General urging, unsuccessfully, that the planned broadcast of ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...

'' on 23 May featuring Sayle be halted on the basis that every broadcaster "should be wary of giving a platform to anyone who is seen to be 'excusing' antisemitism". There was an outcry on social media in response, rejecting the claim that Sayle was doing this, with support for Sayle (who is Jewish) from across the board and the resulting hashtag #IStandWithAlexeiSayle trending on UK Twitter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

Videos

* 1983 ''The Alexei Sayle Pirate Video'' (Springtime) * 1995 ''Alexei Sayle's Stuff'' (Paradox)

DVDs

* 2005 ''Alexei Sayle's Stuff'' Series One (BBC) * 2006 ''Alexei Sayle's Stuff'' Series Two (BBC) * 2006 ''Alexei Sayle's Stuff'' Series Three (BBC)

Discography

Albums

*1980: '' Live at The Comic Strip'' - compiled from mixture of variable quality bootleg private recordings by fans only available as a Tape Cassette (comedy club) *1982: '' Cak!'' - LP/Tape (Springtime/Island) *1984: '' The Fish People Tapes'' - LP/Tape (Island) (#62 UK, 11 March 198
Official Albums Chart Top 100 , Official Charts Company
*1985: ''

'' - LP/Tape (CBS)

Singles

*1981: ''"Pop-Up Toasters"'' (as Alexei's Midnight Runners) (Springtime/Island) *1982: ''"Albania! Albania! (Albanixey! Albanixey!)"'' (as The Albanian World Cup Squad) (Albaniox) *1982: ''" 'Ullo John! Gotta New Motor?"'' (Springtime/Island) (#15 UK,18 March 198
Official Singles Chart Top 100 , Official Charts Company
*1985: ''" Didn't You Kill My Brother?"'' (CBS) (#93 Canada, 18 January 1986) RPM100 Singles Chart 18 January 1986
/ref> *1986: ''"Meanwhile"'' (CBS)

Bibliography

* ''Train To Hell'' (Methuen, 9 February 1984; hardcover , paperback ) – novel co-written by David Stafford * ''Geoffrey The Tube Train And The Fat Comedian'' (Methuen, 1987; paperback) – graphic novel, illustrated by Oscar Zárate * ''Alexei Sayle's Great Bus Journeys Of The World'' (Methuen, October 1989; paperback ) – collected columns from Time Out and the Sunday Mirror * ''Barcelona Plates'' (Sceptre, 17 February 2000; hardcover , paperback ) – short story collection * ''The Dog Catcher'' (Sceptre, 19 July 2001; hardcover , paperback ) – short story collection * ''Overtaken'' (Sceptre, 1 September 2003; hardcover ) – despite ''Train To Hell'', this was publicised as being Sayle's first novel * ''The Weeping Women Hotel'' (Sceptre, 27 February 2006; hardcover ) – novel * ''Mister Roberts'' (Sceptre, 16 October 2008; hardcover , paperback ) – Sayle's latest novel * ''Stalin Ate My Homework'' (Sceptre, 2 September 2010; hardcover , paperback ) – autobiography * ''Thatcher Stole My Trousers'' (

, 10 March 2016; hardcover ) – autobiography (second volume) * ''Alexei Sayle's Imaginary Sandwich Bar'' (Bloomsbury, 19 October 2017; hardcover ) – radio series spin-off

Screenplays

* ''Night Voice'' (1990) * Itch'' (1990) * ''Sorry About Last Night'' (1995) * ''Two Minutes'' (1996) * ''Lose Weight... Ask Me How'' (2001)

Notes

References

External links

* – official site
Alexei Sayle
– podcast * * *
Alexei Sayle
o
''This Week''

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

Alexei Sayle
review of ''The Weeping Women Hotel'' by

Spike Magazine ''Spike Magazine'' is an internet cultural journal which began in 1995, founded by its editor Chris Mitchell in Brighton, England. Updated monthly, its motto is "picking the brains of popular culture", though it has an intellectual inclination. D ...

Alexei Sayle
interview with Aly Stoneman, LeftLion Magazine
Alexei Sayle
at 45cat.com *
Alexei Sayle
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayle, Alexei 1952 births Living people 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English comedians 21st-century English male actors Alumni of Chelsea College of Arts British surrealist artists British surrealist writers British communists Cycling advocates Comedians from Liverpool Communist Party of Britain (Marxist–Leninist) members English Jews English communists English male comedians English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent English podcasters Island Records artists Jewish English comedians Jewish English male actors Jewish surrealist writers Jewish socialists Anti-Zionist Jews Labour Party (UK) people Male actors from Liverpool The Comic Strip