Alan Carr

Alan Carr

Date of birth: 14-07-1976
Alan Carr, the son of football manager Graham was born in Weymouth and grew up in Northampton and Blackpool.

He studied drama and theatre studies at Middlesex University, after which he took on a series of dead-end jobs, from toilet cleaner to call-centre worker, before turning his hand to stand-up.

In 2001, he won the BBC New Comedy Award and the following year made his solo Edinburgh debut, returning in 2003 and 2005, where he came to the attention of Channel 4 executives looking for new presenters for The Friday Night project.

He has co-hosted the show (which later moved to Sundays) with Justin Lee Collins since 2006, and in 2008 landed his own Channel 4 game show, Alan Carr’s Celebrity Ding Dong.

He has also appeared on BBC One's Live At The Apollo, and was in the line up for the 2005 Royal Variety Performance. Guest appearances include FAQ U, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Countdown's dictionary corner and Never Mind The Buzzcocks

In 2007, he embarked on a major UK tour, Tooth Fairy Live, the DVD of which was a Christmas bestseller; and in 2008 his autobiography Look Who It Is! was published by HarperCollins.

Described as 'the spiritual son of Frankie Howerd, Carr was named best live stand-up at the 2007 British Comedy Awards and best comedy entertainment performer the following year. He was named circuit comic of the year in the 2005 North West Comedy Awards and nominated for best theatre tour in the 2008 Chortle awards.

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Alan Carr 'to become a baron'

Title comes with his new Scottish castle

comedyAlan Carr could become a baron after buying a Scottish stately home.

The comedian has just paid a reported £3.25million for Ayton Castle in the Scottish Borders – with his efforts to turn it into a luxury hotel and spa to be documented in a Disney+ series.

But the property also comes with the title The Barony of Ayton title, which dates from 1324 – a fact the comic is said to be delighted with.

The property’s sales brochure says: ‘This is a feudal barony and was associated with the ownership of land and certain historical rights, rather than a title of nobility conferred by the Crown.’

Ayton Castle also links to Mark Twain – who was so impressed with the property when he visited in 1873 that he bought the intricately carved mantelpiece from the dining room and had it shipped to his home in Hartford, Connecticut. 

It was also the centre of a love triangle that scandalised high society in the 1970s and 1980s.

Owner David Liddell-Grainger began an affair with Lady de la Rue, the young Norwegian wife of his elderly neighbour. He divorced his wife – a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II – and moved his lover into the property, fathering two children with her. He later moving her terminally ill by-then ex-husband, Sir Eric, into the castle too until his death in 1989.

In 2014, the Liddell-Grainger family sold the castle on to property tycoon Rich Syred, who has sold it on to Carr. His claim to the barony was reported by The Sun today. 

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Published: 24 Feb 2026

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