Alex Brooker
{{short description|British television presenter and sports journalist}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Alex Brooker
| image = Alex Brooker in 2022.jpg
| caption = Brooker in 2022
| birthname = Alexander James Brooker
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1984|5|15}}
| birth_place = Croydon, Greater London, England{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/alex_brooker/status/363064123325956096|title=Twitter posts from Alex Brooker|access-date=2021-01-05}}
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = {{plainlist|
| occupation = Journalist, television presenter, comedian
| employer = Press Association, Channel 4
| alias =
| title =
| parents =
| spouse = Lynsey Brooker
| children = 2
| relatives =
| years_active =
| credits = {{plainlist|
- The Last Leg (2012—present)
- The Jump (2014)
- The Superhumans Show (2016)}}
| website =
}}
Alexander James Brooker (born 15 May 1984) is an English journalist and presenter best known for his television work with Channel 4.
Since 2012, Brooker has co-hosted The Last Leg, a Channel 4 panel show with Adam Hills and Josh Widdicombe as well as co-presenting Channel 4 ski jumping show The Jump with Davina McCall in 2014. In 2016, he began presenting The Superhumans Show for Channel 4 daytime.
In February 2018 Brooker signed with Leeds Rhinos' Foundation PDRL (Physical Disability Rugby League) team.{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/tv-star-alex-signs-up-for-team-1-8997053|title=TV star Alex signs up for team|work=Yorkshire Evening Post|date=2 February 2018|access-date = 26 January 2022}}
Career
Brooker went to the Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford, Kent, before graduating from Liverpool John Moores University in 2006{{cite web | url = http://www.archive-jmu-journalism.org.uk/#/alumni-12/4545756054| title = Graduate lands top TV sports presenting job | publisher = JMU Journalism| year = 2012 | access-date = 30 September 2012}} and worked as a sports reporter on the Liverpool Echo. He now works for the Press Association.
Brooker entered Channel 4's Half a Million Quid Talent Search in 2012,{{cite web | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GyF7oIRUq0| title = Alex Brooker – Half-Million quid talent search video | publisher = YouTube| date = 9 September 2010 | access-date = 30 September 2012}} which aimed to find disabled talent for coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games and beyond. He first appeared as a trackside reporter on Channel 4's coverage of the 2011 BT Paralympic World Cup. Brooker interviewed the likes of Boris Johnson and David Cameron during the 2012 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony and was a co-host on The Last Leg with Adam Hills, a nightly alternative look at the Games.{{Cite news
|title=Ned Boulting: Alex Brooker deserves a medal for his Paralympic performance
|work=Metro
|author=Ned Boulting
|author-link1=Ned Boulting
|publisher=London: Metro
|date=2 September 2012
|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/910525-ned-boulting-alex-brooker-deserves-a-medal-for-his-paralympic-performance
|access-date=19 September 2012
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908052255/http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/910525-ned-boulting-alex-brooker-deserves-a-medal-for-his-paralympic-performance
|archive-date=8 September 2012
|df=dmy
}}
Brooker was also on The Last Leg of the Year, an end of year special with Adam Hills and Josh Widdicombe.
Since 25 January 2013, Brooker has been a co-host on The Last Leg on Channel 4.{{cite web|author=Paul Kalina |url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/risking-laugh-and-limb-pays-off-20130220-2eq3f.html |title=Risking laugh and limb pays off |work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=20 February 2013 |access-date=31 December 2013}} In February 2015 Brooker interviewed Nick Clegg for the programme: his performance was described by political journalist Hugo Rifkind as "a model of how to talk normally to a politician – and make them talk normally back".{{cite web |url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/02/the-magic-button-that-makes-political-interviews-worth-watching/ |title=How Alex Brooker made political interviews interesting again |last=Rifkind |first=Hugo|author-link=Hugo Rifkind |date=7 February 2015 |website=spectator.co.uk|access-date=16 September 2016}}
On 1 August 2013, Brooker hosted a one-off documentary about body image on Channel 4, titled Alex Brooker: My Perfect Body.{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/alex-brooker-my-perfect-body/ |title=Alex Brooker: My Perfect Body |publisher=Channel 4 |access-date=31 December 2013}}
In January and February 2014, Brooker co-presented the first series of celebrity reality show The Jump on Channel 4 opposite Davina McCall. The series was broadcast live over 10 nights from a mountainside in Austria.{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/channel-4-reveals-the-famous-faces-preparing-to-take-the-jump |title=Channel 4 reveals the famous faces preparing to take The Jump |publisher=Channel 4 Press |access-date=11 December 2013}} However, Brooker did not return for the second series in 2015. In 2016, he presented The Superhumans Show on Channel 4.
From 2020 to 2021, he co-presented One Night In with Josh Widdicombe.{{cite web | url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/one-night-in/ | title=One Night In... - C4 Comedy | website=British Comedy Guide }}{{cite web | url=https://tellymix.co.uk/tv/592883-one-night-in-to-return-with-alex-brooker-and-josh-widdicombe.html | title=One Night In... Returns with Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe | date=23 December 2021 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-tw4gpz/one-night-in/ | title=One Night in (TV Series) }}
In May 2022, the BBC announced that Brooker would be one of the guest presenters to take over Richard Osman's role on Pointless.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/pointless-guest-host-line-up|title=Guest host line-up for BBC One's Pointless revealed|date=27 May 2022|accessdate=1 November 2022|work=BBC}}
In 2024, Brooker participated as "Bigfoot" on the fifth series of The Masked Singer and finished in second place.{{cite web |title=Masked Singer 2024: Who won? Was it Bigfoot, Cricket or Piranha? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/68331051 |website=BBC Newsround |access-date=8 September 2024 |date=18 February 2024}}
Personal life
Brooker was born in Croydon. He was born with congenital abnormalities of his hands and arm, and a twisted right leg which had to be amputated when he was a baby. He now wears a prosthetic leg.{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Reanna |title=Alex Brooker feared his kids would be 'scared' of him because of his disability |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/alex-brookers-disability-what-happened-27780462 |access-date=22 February 2023 |work=mirror |date=19 August 2022 |language=en}}
In 2014 Brooker married accountant Lynsey, and the couple have two daughters.
Brooker is a supporter of Arsenal F.C., appearing regularly on the Footballistically Arsenal podcast.{{cite web|url=http://podcast.playbackmedia.co.uk/footballistically.xml|title=Footballistically Arsenal|website=podcast.playbackmedia.co.uk|access-date=12 August 2017}}
=Charity=
In May 2014, Brooker fronted a campaign called "End The Awkward" by disability charity Scope, which used comedy to shine a light on the awkwardness that many people feel about disability. Brooker appeared in three advertisements guiding viewers through awkward situations that they may encounter with a disabled person.{{cite news |last1=Tovey |first1=Alan |title=Campaign to 'End the Awkwardness' of dealing with disabled |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/10906279/Campaign-to-End-the-Awkwardness-of-dealing-with-disabled.html |access-date=8 February 2024 |work=The Telegraph |date=21 June 2014}}
In September 2012, Brooker won The Million Pound Drop Live with Josh Widdicombe playing for Echoes Foundation, Scope Joseph's Goal.{{cite magazine|url=http://posabilitymagazine.co.uk/2012/09/14/million-pound-charity-drop-benefits-disability-charities/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019164854/http://posabilitymagazine.co.uk/2012/09/14/million-pound-charity-drop-benefits-disability-charities/|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 October 2013|title= Million Pound Charity Drop Benefits Disability Charities|magazine= Posability |date= 14 September 2012|access-date = 30 September 2012}}{{Cite news|title = Million Pound Drop TV win 'saves' Hull's Echoes Foundation| author= Lucy Lyon| publisher = This Is Hull and East Riding| date = 14 September 2012| url = http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Echoes-charity-celebrates-Million-Pound-Drop-cash/story-16904687-detail/story.html| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130505083809/http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Echoes-charity-celebrates-Million-Pound-Drop-cash/story-16904687-detail/story.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 5 May 2013| access-date = 30 September 2012}}
Brooker is the official ambassador of UK-based charity Legs4Africa.{{cite web | url=https://www.legs4africa.org/alex-brooker-ambassador/ | title=Comedian Alex Brooker becomes Legs4Africa ambassador | date=29 September 2020 | access-date = 26 January 2022|website=Legs4Africa}}
Filmography
Television
- Half a Million Quid Talent Search (2012)
- The Last Leg (2012–present)
- Alex Brooker: My Perfect Body (2013)
- The Jump (2014)
- The Superhumans Show (2016)
- The NHS: A People's History (2018)
- Very British Problems (2018)
- Alex Brooker: Disability and Me (2020)
- One Night In (2020–21)
- Hobby Man (2022){{cite web|url=https://www.channel4.com/press/news/alex-brooker-hobby-man|title=Alex Brooker is… Hobby Man|website=channel4.com/press|access-date=14 August 2022}}
Guest appearances
- The Million Pound Drop Live (September 2012) – Contestant with Josh Widdicombe
- Alan Carr's Grand National Specstacular (19 March 2013) – Guest
- Sunday Brunch (28 July 2013) – Guest
- Celebrity Fifteen to One (20 September 2013, 13 June 2014) – Contestant
- 8 Out of 10 Cats (18 October 2013, 8 November 2013, 14 April 2014, 4 November 2014, 27 June 2017, 15 April 2019) – Panellist
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks (18 November 2013, 14 October 2014) – Guest
- Fake Reaction (23 January 2014) – Panellist
- Virtually Famous (4 August 2014) – Panellist
- Celebrity Juice (11 September 2014) – Guest
- The Chase: Celebrity Special (20 September 2014) – Contestant
- Celebrity Squares (15 October 2014) – Guest
- The Apprentice: You're Fired! (5 November 2014) – Panellist
- Britain's Got More Talent (28 May 2015) – Panellist
- 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (28 August 2015) – Panellist
- Celebrity Benchmark (23 October 2015) – Contestant, won £6,000 for charity
- All Star Mr & Mrs (25 November 2015) – Contestant
- Would I Lie to You? (13 January 2016) – Contestant
- Sunday Brunch (6 March 2016)
- Duck Quacks Don't Echo
- Very British Problems (2015–2016) – Interviewee
- John Bishop: In Conversation With... (2016) – Interviewee (Series 1 Episode 4)
- Alex Brooker: Disability and Me (2020) – Presenter
- Tipping Point: Lucky Stars (11 October 2020) – Contestant
- Richard Osman's House of Games (11–15 January 2021, 12–16 February 2024) – Contestant
- Redknapp's Big Night Out (27 May 2021) – Guest
- Big Zuu's Big Eats (25 July 2022) – Guest{{cite web|url=https://uktvplay.co.uk/shows/big-zuus-big-eats/watch-online/6308731232112|title=Big Zuu's Big Eats|website=uktvplay.co.uk|access-date=14 August 2022}}
- Pointless (7–21 February 2023) – Guest co-host
- The Masked Singer (December 2023 - February 2024) – Bigfoot, runner up
- Bluey (December 2024) - Chef Harlow (minisode "Butlers")
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=5441406|name=Alex Brooker}}
- {{twitter|alex_brooker}}
- {{British Comedy Guide|people|alex_brooker}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooker, Alex}}
Category:Alumni of Liverpool John Moores University
Category:Comedians from the London Borough of Croydon
Category:Television presenters with disabilities
Category:English male comedians
Category:English writers with disabilities
Category:English television presenters