Alexei Sayle | |
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![]() Sayle at a literary festival in the Cambridge Union building in 2016 | |
Birth name | Alexei David Sayle |
Born | Anfield, Liverpool, England | 7 August 1952
Medium | Film, stand up, print, radio, television |
Years active | 1979–present |
Genres | Alternative comedy, black comedy, character comedy, physical comedy, surreal humour, parody |
Spouse |
Linda Rawsthorn (m. 1974) |
Notable works and roles | Alexei Sayle's Stuff The Comic Strip Presents... The Young Ones Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Gorky Park |
Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, 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's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in 2007.[2] In an updated 2010 poll he came 72nd.[3]
Much of Sayle's humour is in the tradition of Spike Milligan and Monty Python, with riffs based on often absurd and surreal premises.[4] His act is known for its cynicism and political awareness, as well as physical comedy.[5]