Alexei Sayle

Alexei Sayle is an English comedian, actor and writer who has also worked as a television presenter and recording artist, and he was one of the main names in Britain's alternative comedy scene during the 1980s. He grew up in the Anfield district of Liverpool, and when London's Comedy Store opened in 1979 he answered an advert seeking new comedians, becoming the venue's first master of ceremonies. He performed with the Comic Strip and played several members of one family in the sitcom The Young Ones, then wrote and starred in his own programs, among them Alexei Sayle's Stuff, which earned him an International Emmy in 1989. On film he has moved between serious parts such as Gorky Park (1983) and comic ones such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and he appeared in Carry On Columbus (1992). He has also written novels, short story collections and autobiography, and released comedy singles.