Alex Brooker
| Alex Brooker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alexander James Brooker (1984-05-15) 15 May 1984 Ashford, Kent, England[1] |
| Nationality | English |
| Education | Liverpool John Moores University The Norton Knatchbull School |
| Occupation | Journalist, television presenter, comedian |
| Employer | Press Association, Channel 4 |
| Notable credit(s) | The Last Leg (2012—) The Jump (2014) The Superhumans Show (2016) |
| Children | 1 |
Alexander James Brooker (born 15 May 1984) is an English journalist, presenter and comedian best known for his television work with Channel 4.
Brooker has co-hosted The Last Leg, a Channel 4 panel show with Adam Hills and Josh Widdicombe since 2012, 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. [2]
Contents
1 Career
2 Personal life
2.1 Charity
3 Filmography
4 References
5 External links
Career
Brooker went to the Norton Knatchbull School in Ashford, Kent, before graduating from Liverpool John Moores University in 2006[3] and worked as a sports reporter on the Liverpool Echo.[4] He now works for the Press Association.[4][dead link]
Brooker entered Channel 4's Half a Million Quid Talent Search in 2012,[3][1] 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.[3] 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.[5]
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.[6] 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".[7]
On 1 August 2013, Brooker hosted a one-off documentary about body image on Channel 4, titled Alex Brooker: My Perfect Body.[8]
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 ten nights from a mountainside in Austria.[9] However, Brooker did not return for the second series in 2015. In 2016, he presented The Superhumans Show on Channel 4.
Personal life
Brooker is originally from Ashford, Kent.[1] He was born with hand and arm deformities and a twisted right leg which had to be amputated when he was a baby. He now wears a prosthetic leg. He is a fanatical supporter of Arsenal F.C., regularly appearing on 'Footballistically Arsenal' podcast.[10]
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.[11]
In September 2012, Brooker won The Million Pound Drop Live with Josh Widdicombe playing for Echoes Foundation, Scope Joseph's Goal.[12][13]
Filmography
- Television
Half a Million Quid Talent Search (2012)
The Last Leg (2012—)
Alex Brooker: My Perfect Body (2013)
The Jump (2014)
The Superhumans Show (2016—)- The NHS: A People's History (2018)
- Very British Problems(2018)
- 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) – 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) – Mascot
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)
References
^ abc "Alex Brooker – Half-Million quid talent search video". Youtube. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2012..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/tv-star-alex-signs-up-for-team-1-8997053
^ abc "Graduate lands top TV sports presenting job". JMU Journalism. 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
^ ab Chris Bradley. "C4 Presenters – Alex Brooker". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
^ Ned Boulting (2 September 2012). "Ned Boulting: Alex Brooker deserves a medal for his Paralympic performance". Metro. London: Metro. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
^ Paul Kalina. "Risking laugh and limb pays off". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
^ Rifkind, Hugo (7 February 2015). "How Alex Brooker made political interviews interesting again". spectator.co.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
^ "Alex Brooker: My Perfect Body". Channel 4. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
^ "Channel 4 reveals the famous faces preparing to take The Jump". Channel 4 Press. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
^ "Footballistically Arsenal". podcast.playbackmedia.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
^ Parry, Lizzie (8 May 2014). "Two-thirds of us are uncomfortable talking to disabled people – because we fear we'll appear patronising". Daily Mail. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
^ "Million Pound Charity Drop Benefits Disability Charities". Posability magazine. 14 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
^ Lucy Lyon (14 September 2012). "Million Pound Drop TV win 'saves' Hull's Echoes Foundation". This Is Hull and East Riding. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
External links
Alex Brooker at Independent Talent Group
Alex Brooker on Twitter
