Evan George Patrick Barlow (born 18 March 1947) is an English actor, comedian and playwright. His comedic alter ego, Desmond Olivier Dingle, is the founder, artistic director and chief executive of the two-man National Theatre of Brent, which has performed on stage, on television and on radio. Barlow was born in Leicester.
Career
Radio
Barlow is the scriptwriter, as well as lead performer, in many National Theatre of Brent productions, in particular
All the World's a Globe (1987),
Desmond Olivier Dingle's Compleat Life and Works of William Shakespeare (1995) and
The Arts and How They Was Done (2007). In non-Theatre of Brent performances, he wrote and played in the four-part situation comedy for radio called
The Patrick and Maureen Maybe Music Experience which ran for four weeks from January 1999.
He played the part of Om in the radio adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Small Gods (2006), which was adapted by Robin Brooks.
Television
In
Is It Legal? (1995–1998), Barlow played Bob whose character is besotted with his co-star
Imelda Staunton; he played the part of the vicar in
Jam & Jerusalem. He has also written and directed his National Theatre of Brent material for television, and played the part of Max in series 2 and the 2004 special of
Absolutely Fabulous.
Barlow appeared in Victoria Wood As Seen on TV as well as French & Saunders.
He had a brief but scene-stealing cameo as Maurice Morrison, the wedding caterer/planner for Cully Barnaby's nuptials in Midsomer Murders episode 61 (series 11, ep 2) "Blood Wedding", first shown 2008.
In "Uptown Downstairs Abbey" for Comic Relief 2011 Barlow played the part of Carter, spoofing Jim Carter's character Carson in Downton Abbey.
Stage
Barlow wrote a stage adaptation of
John Buchan's novel
The 39 Steps and
Alfred Hitchcock's film of the same name, based on the novel, which premiered in June 2005 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.
After revision, the play opened at London's
Tricycle Theatre in August 2006,
and after a successful run transferred to the Criterion Theatre in
Piccadilly in September 2006.
The play has also been performed on
Broadway theatre since early 2008, in Australia by the Melbourne Theatre Company in April 2008.
and in Wellington, New Zealand, by
Circa Theatre in July/August 2009 and in Bancroft, Ontario by Blackfly Theatre in July 2011. This play was performed in Ottawa, Ontario, by Seven Thirty Productions 7–24 September 2011, and in Halifax, Nova Scotia, by the Neptune Theatre in January–February 2015.
Selected filmography
Barlow wrote the script for
The Young Visiters sic and had a cameo as the priest. His one-time Theatre of Brent partner
Jim Broadbent co-starred with
Hugh Laurie.
Most of his film work has been in cameo roles, for example:
-
Shakespeare in Love (1998) as William Kempe
-
Notting Hill (1999) as the Savoy Concierge
-
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) as Julian
-
Girl From Rio (2001) as Mr. Strothers
-
Nanny McPhee (2005) as Mr. Jowls
-
The Riot Club (2014) as Don
External links
