Phil Cornwell

{{Infobox person

|name = Phil Cornwell

|image =

|caption =

|birthname = Philip Cornwell

|birth_date =

|birth_place = Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England

|occupation = {{hlist|Actor|comedian|impressionist|writer}}

|years_active = 1980–present

|notable_works = Spitting Image
Get Fresh
Dead Ringers
Stella Street

|spouse =

|children =

}}

Philip Cornwell is an English actor, comedian, impressionist and writer. He is part of the Dead Ringers television and radio series, and is the voice of Murdoc Niccals in the virtual band Gorillaz. Cornwell has co-written and performed principal roles in The Glam Metal Detectives and Stella Street. He also portrayed DJ Dave Clifton from I'm Alan Partridge and the movie, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

Early life and career

Cornwell was born in Leigh-on-Sea, in the County of Essex. He first appeared on TV in 1980 in the BBC youth programme Something Else - Southend as an episode presenter.

He is popularly known for voicing Murdoc Niccals in the virtual band, Gorillaz.

He provided the voices of Mick Jagger and David Bowie for the Steve Wright in the Afternoon show on BBC Radio 1 in the late-1980s and early-1990s. These impersonations - augmented by many others, including the series narrator, Michael Caine - formed the backbone of the BBC TV series Stella Street, written and performed with John Sessions.

In 1996, he performed in a comedy spoof sketch TV advert to The Professionals imitating Martin Shaw's character of Doyle (with the actor Ray Trickett playing Lewis Collins' Bodie) for the release of the Nissan Almera.{{Citation |title=Nissan Almera GTi advert - spoof of "The Professionals" - full version | date=24 October 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwcb_D2Xm-w |language=en |access-date=2022-11-09}} In 1997 as part of the same advertising campaign he performed another spoof sketch of the 1970s television series The Sweeney.{{Citation |title=Nissan Almera Advert - Sweeney Spoof | date=18 October 2006 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9K_EkU9KZE |language=en |access-date=2022-11-09}}{{Cite web |date=1997-03-16 |title=Cries & whispers |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/cries-whispers-5387506.html |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=The Independent |language=en}}

He played the part of Harry Noakes, Captain of the cockleboat Renown in the TV mini-series Dunkirk.

Cornwell has appeared in several films made by the Comic Strip, including the role as Dave Spanker in Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown. He also played Dave Clifton, a local radio DJ on Radio Norwich - a fictional radio station in both series of I'm Alan Partridge. In 2013, he reprised the role for the movie Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

Cornwell was the voice of Gilbert the Alien in the 1980s TV series Get Fresh, which later span off into Gilbert's Fridge, a series starring the character.{{cite web

| title = Gilbert's Fridge

| work = Film & TV Database

| publisher = BFI

| url = http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/16936

| access-date = 2007-09-19

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131019072115/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/16936

| archive-date = 19 October 2013

| url-status = dead

}}

Cornwell also voiced Sir Lancelot and Robin Hood in the animated children's television series King Arthur's Disasters. He played King Stupid in the CBBC series Stupid!, having replaced Marcus Brigstocke, because the latter was involved in Excuse My French on BBC Two. Cornwell also appeared in the Doctor Who episode, "The Fires of Pompeii". In 2010 he presented/hosted the Friday night EuroMillions lottery draw show on BBC One. In 2011 he did several stand-up comedy gigs as character Switzerland McNaughtiehorse. Cornwell is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C.[http://homepage.mac.com/elliottday/worldofpub/cornwell.html web of pub | Phil Cornwell: Not just a Tottenham fan…] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060418071141/http://homepage.mac.com/elliottday/worldofpub/cornwell.html |date=18 April 2006 }} and presents the weekly podcast The Spurs Show[http://podcast.playbackmedia.co.uk/spurs.xml, Download Phil Cornwell Mp3 and Phil Cornwell Music at Playbackmedia] with Mike Leigh.

In January 2013, he appeared in the ITV comedy drama series Great Night Out as Tonky.

Cornwell played Sanson 'The Bourreau' in the 2023 movie Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott.

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable" ! scope="col" width="80" \| Year ! scope="col" width="300" \| Title ! scope="col" width="200" \| Character
2000	Blood	Doug
2001	Large	Barry Blaze Mouseley
rowspan="2" \| 2004	Churchill: The Hollywood Years	Martin Bormann
Stella Street: The Movie	Mick Jagger
rowspan="2" \| 2007	I Could Never Be Your Woman	Cameraman
Lady Godiva: Back in the Saddle	Mayor Osborne
2010	Made in Dagenham	Dave
2013	Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa	Dave Clifton
2023	Napoleon	Sanson 'The Bourreau'

=Television=

class="wikitable" ! scope="col" width="80" \| Year ! scope="col" width="300" \| Title ! scope="col" width="200" \| Character ! scope="col" width="300" \| Production ! scope="col" width="300" \| Notes
1980	Something Else	Various impressions	BBC Television	1 episode
1986–1996	Spitting Image	Jamie Spencer-Churchill (voice)	Central Independent Television	19 episodes
1987	The Corner House	Harry		2 episodes
1987–1988	Get Fresh	Gilbert the Alien (voice)	ITV	80 episodes
1988	On the Waterfront	Gilbert the Alien (voice)	BBC	1 episode
1991	Remote Control	Various Characters	Channel 4	UK version
1992	Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show	PC Cornwell		1 episode
1992–2012	The Comic Strip Presents...	Various Characters	Channel 4	8 episodes
rowspan="2" \| 1994	The Bill	Jeff Price	ITV	Episode: "Settling The Score"
Lovejoy	Syd Bishop	BBC1	1 episode
1996	Only Fools And Horses	Drunken man in Hospital	BBC	Episode: "Modern Men"
1997–2002	I'm Alan Partridge	Dave Clifton	BBC	Series 1 and 2
2002	The Bill	Shane Pellow	ITV	In 8 episodes from Episode 023 to Episode 071
2002–2006	Dead Ringers	Various Characters	BBC
2003-2010	Meg and Mog	Mog	CITV and Tiny Pop
2004	Stella Street	Various Characters	BBC
rowspan="2" \|2005 \|Twisted Tales \|Doc \|BBC Three \|Episode: "Whacked"
Stupid! \|King Stupid \|CBBC \|Season 2 (replaced Marcus Brigstocke)
2005–2006	King Arthur's Disasters	Sir Lancelot, Robin Hood (voices)	CITV
rowspan="3" \| 2008	Doctor Who	Stallholder	BBC One	Series 4 Episode 2 "The Fires of Pompeii"
Harry and Paul	Various Characters	BBC	Series 2
Headcases	Robert Mugabe, Morgan Freeman, Steven Spielberg (voices)	ITV, STV, UTV
2011	Skins	Diesel	E4	Series 5
2012	Mrs Biggs	DS Jack Slipper	ITV	TV miniseries - Episodes 1x2 and 1x5
rowspan="2" \| 2013	Great Night Out	Tonky	ITV	Series 1
Misfits	Geoff	E4
rowspan="2" \| 2014	Not Going Out	Police Officer	BBC One	Series 7 Episode 10 'The Wedding'
Midsomer Murders	Eddie Rayner	ITV	Episode: "The Flying Club"
2015	Holby City	Sean Cronin	BBC One	Series 17 Episode 14 'Wages of Sin'
2016	Jericho	Joe Capstick	ITV
2018	Damned	'Animal' Hames	Channel 4	1 Episode
rowspan="3" \| 2022 \| Man Vs Bee \| Armstrong \| Netflix \| TV mini series
Mrs Brown's Boys	Boris	BBC One	2 Episodes
Call the Midwife \|Bernard \|BBC One \|1 Episode
2023	Vera	Philip Robson	ITV	Series 12 Episode 5 'The Rising Tide'

=Direct-to-video=

class="wikitable"

! scope="col" width="80" | Year

! scope="col" width="300" | Title

! scope="col" width="200" | Character

! scope="col" width="300" | Notes

2002

Phase One: Celebrity Take Down

Murdoc Niccals (voice)

Direct-to-video movie

2006

Phase Two: Slowboat to Hades

Murdoc Niccals (voice)

Direct-to-video movie

=Web series=

class="wikitable"

! scope="col" width="80" | Year

! scope="col" width="300" | Title

! scope="col" width="200" | Character

! scope="col" width="300" | Notes

2020

|Song Machine

| Murdoc Niccals (voice)

| Web series by Gorillaz

=Video games=

class="wikitable"

! scope="col" width="80" | Year

! scope="col" width="300" | Title

! scope="col" width="200" | Character

! scope="col" width="300" | Notes

2001

The Italian Job

Charlie Croker

Michael Caine impersonation{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=David |title=Postmortem: Pixelogic's The Italian Job |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/postmortem-pixelogic-s-i-the-italian-job-i- |website=Gamasutra |publisher=UBM |access-date=26 September 2018 |language=en |date=14 August 2002}}