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Thank God It's Toby: Highlights

Alex Lowe

Season 2021, Ep. 178

Alex Lowe is an actor, comedian and voice artist. He is the creator and performer of the character Barry from Watford on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2 show and Iain Lee's shows, as well as also being the creator and performer behind the character Clinton Baptiste, originally seen in Phoenix Nights, as whom he has since toured.


Lowe began calling the Iain Lee radio show on the London talk radio station LBC 97.3 in May 2005, as Barry from Watford. It was during Lowe's first call that Barry's wife Margaret (later to be played by Catherine Tate in Barry's stage show) would be introduced. Barry became popular amongst LBC listeners, who requested that his calls be repeated on future shows.


'Barry "The" Saint-Michael' has been a popular caller on Iain Lee's radio show, which later moved to the radio station Absolute Radio and Talkradio. Since 2006, Alex has also put on live performances called 'Let's Talk To Barry', a 50-minute show telling about life in Watford, which also features audio clips from Catherine Tate and Iain Lee.


In October 2008 Barry called into Harry Shearer's Le Show radio show to discuss the American Presidential election, he was credited as 'Barry Martin', which Shearer later corrected to 'Barry Saint-Martin'. He called again on 4 January 2009 to discuss the recent holiday celebrations, and corrected his name to be 'Barry Barry Saint-Michael'.


In January 2010 Lowe's "Barry from Watford" podcast released on iTunes by Absolute Radio spent two weeks in the Podcast top ten. In October 2012 he co-wrote "BARRY" with Fraser Steele; a pilot sitcom featuring his BARRY FROM WATFORD character for Sky Atlantic, broadcast on 4 March 2013.

Barry currently has his own show on the new subscription radio comedy channel Fubar Radio which was launched on 20 February 2014. He also runs 'Barry from Watford's Bingo Bonanza' at the 100 Club.


Barry from Watford's weekly podcast with Angelos Epithemiou, "The Angelos and Barry Show" was launched in October 2014. On 24 October 2014 he appeared on Channel 4's The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night in sketches as his Barry character, together with Renton Skinner (as character Angelos Epithemiou). The duo walked the streets being comically rude to members of the public to raise awareness of testicular cancer. In June 2015 he records his BBC Radio 4 series as Barry from Watford, Barry's Lunch Club. From 14 August 2017, the character of Barry appears alongside Noel Edmonds on the Channel 4 show Cheap Cheap Cheap where contestants have to choose the cheapest item from a selection of three.

Highlights from Toby Gribben's Friday afternoon show on Shout Radio. Featuring chat with top showbiz guests.

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