Alice Lowe | |
|---|---|
 Alice Lowe at Sightseers premiere DIFF 2012 | |
| Born | Alice Eva Lowe 3 April 1977 Coventry, West Midlands, England |
| Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Comedian, actress, writer |
| Children | 2 |
Alice Eva Lowe (born 3 April 1977)[1] is an English actress, writer, and comedian. She is best known for her roles 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 in a number of television shows including 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] as well as 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 next 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 the production is working towards a 2024 release. [18]
Lowe was pregnant while filming Prevenge and later gave birth to her daughter Della with partner Paul Synnott.[19] Della portrayed Ruth's newborn in Prevenge when she was ten days old.
| 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 |
| 2025 | Rogue Trooper | Post-production | |
| TBA | Timestalker | Also writer and director |
| 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 |
| 2004 | Black Books | Solicitor | Episode: "Travel Writer" |
| 2004 | My Life in Film | Beth | 6 episodes |
| 2005 | The Mighty Boosh | Monkey | Episode: "The Priest & the Beast" |
| 2005 | Little Britain | Mother on Bench / Woman on Bench | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | The IT Crowd | Patricia | Episode: "Fifty-Fifty" |
| 2006 | Snuff Box | David Bowie | Episode: "Matt's Diary" |
| 2006 | Star Stories | Madonna | Episode: "The Wife's Life" |
| 2006 | Man to Man with Dean Learner | Various roles | Episode: "Merriman Weir" |
| 2006 | 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 |
| 2009 | 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 |
| 2018 | Hang Ups | Celia Cain | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | Back | Joanna | Episode #2.6 |
| 2023 | Lockwood & Co. | Adelaide Winkman | Two episodes |
| Partygate | Shelley Williams-Walker | [21] |
