Alexander James Brooker (born 15 May 1984) is an English journalist and presenter best known for his television work with Channel 4.
Alex Brooker | |
|---|---|
 Brooker in 2022 | |
| Born | Alexander James Brooker 15 May 1984 |
| Education | |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, television presenter, comedian |
| Employer(s) | Press Association, Channel 4 |
| Notable credits |
|
| Spouse | Lynsey Brooker |
| Children | 2 |
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.[2]
Career
editBrooker 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. He now works for the Press Association.
Brooker entered Channel 4's Half a Million Quid Talent Search in 2012,[3][4] 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 10 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.
From 2020 to 2021, he co-presented One Night In with Josh Widdicombe.[10][11][12]
In May 2022, the BBC announced that Brooker would be one of the guest presenters to take over Richard Osman's role on Pointless.[13]
In 2024, Brooker participated as "Bigfoot" on the fifth series of The Masked Singer and finished in second place.[14]
Personal life
editBrooker was born in Croydon. He now lives in Huddersfield[1] 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.[15]
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.[16]
Charity
editIn 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.[17]
In September 2012, Brooker won The Million Pound Drop Live with Josh Widdicombe playing for Echoes Foundation, Scope Joseph's Goal.[18][19]
Brooker is the official ambassador of UK-based charity Legs4Africa.[20]
Filmography
editTelevision
- 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)[21]
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[22]
- Pointless (7–21 February 2023) – Guest co-host
- The Masked Singer (December 2023 - February 2024) – Bigfoot, runner up
References
edit- ^ a b "Twitter posts from Alex Brooker". Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ "TV star Alex signs up for team". Yorkshire Evening Post. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Graduate lands top TV sports presenting job". JMU Journalism. 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ "Alex Brooker – Half-Million quid talent search video". YouTube. 9 September 2010. 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 (20 February 2013). "Risking laugh and limb pays off". The Sydney Morning Herald. 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.
- ^ "One Night In... - C4 Comedy". British Comedy Guide.
- ^ "One Night In... Returns with Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe". 23 December 2021.
- ^ "One Night in (TV Series)".
- ^ "Guest host line-up for BBC One's Pointless revealed". BBC. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Masked Singer 2024: Who won? Was it Bigfoot, Cricket or Piranha?". BBC Newsround. 18 February 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ Smith, Reanna (19 August 2022). "Alex Brooker feared his kids would be 'scared' of him because of his disability". mirror. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Footballistically Arsenal". podcast.playbackmedia.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ Tovey, Alan (21 June 2014). "Campaign to 'End the Awkwardness' of dealing with disabled". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Million Pound Charity Drop Benefits Disability Charities". Posability. 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.
- ^ "Comedian Alex Brooker becomes Legs4Africa ambassador". Legs4Africa. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "Alex Brooker is… Hobby Man". channel4.com/press. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ^ "Big Zuu's Big Eats". uktvplay.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2022.