Alexei Sayle

Acting

Alexei Sayle

Born 1952-08-07 · Anfield, Liverpool, England, UK

Alexei David Sayle is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic of all time on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007. In an updated 2010 poll he came 72nd. Much of Sayle's humour is in the tradition of Spike Milligan and Monty Python, with riffs based on often absurd and surreal premises. His act is known for its cynicism and political awareness, as well as physical comedy.

Acting credits

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade poster
7.9

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1989

Gorky Park poster
6.3

Police Inspector Renko tries to solve the case of three bodies found in Moscow's Gorky Park but finds his attempts to solve the crime impeded by his superiors. Working on his own, Renko seeks out more information and stumbles across a conspiracy involving the highest levels of the government.

Gorky Park

1983

The Bride poster
5.4

Doctor Frankenstein creates a mate for his monster, a woman called Eva, who promptly rejects the male creature. In turn, the doctor becomes obsessed with Eva, and tries to make her a perfect Victorian woman.

The Bride

1985

How to Build a Girl poster
5.8

The journey of Midlands teenager Johanna Morrigan, who reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde: fast-talking, lady sex-adventurer, moves to London, and gets a job as music critic in the hope of saving her poverty stricken family in Wolverhampton. Based on Caitlin Moran's bestselling semi-autobiographical novel.

How to Build a Girl

2020

The Thief Lord poster
6.0

A tale about two young boys, Prosper and Bo, who flee to Venice after being orphaned and dumped in the care of a cruel auntie. Hiding in the canals and alleyways of the city, the boys are befriended by a gang of young urchins and their enigmatic leader, the Thief Lord. From their home base of an old cinema theater, the children steal from the rich to support themselves and soon capture the interest of a bumbling detective. However, a greater threat to the children is something from a forgotten past - a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself

The Thief Lord

2006

Repeater poster
NR

A deconstructed crime thriller, inspired by the French new wave, in which a woman’s confession of murder is not as simple as it seems.

Repeater

1979

Red Top poster
5.3

Comic fantasy telling the story of Rebekah, an innocent and beguiling Northern girl who accidentally becomes Chief Executive of News International and gets caught up in a seventies Watergate-style scandal.

Red Top

2016

Sometimes Always Never poster
6.4

Alan is a stylish tailor with moves as sharp as his suits. He has spent years searching tirelessly for his missing son Michael who stormed out over a game of Scrabble. With a body to identify and his family torn apart, Alan must repair the relationship with his youngest son and solve the mystery of an online player who he thinks could be Michael, so he can finally move on and reunite his family.

Sometimes Always Never

2019

Carry On Columbus poster
3.9

Christopher Columbus believes he can find an alternative route to the far East and persuades the King and Queen of Spain to finance his expedition...

Carry On Columbus

1992

Solarbabies poster
5.3

In a future in which most water has disappeared from the Earth, we find a group of children, mostly teenagers, who are living at an orphanage, run by the despotic rulers of the new Earth. The group in question plays a hockey based game on roller skates and is quite good. It has given them a unity that transcends the attempts to bring them to heel by the government. Finding an orb of special power, they find it has unusual effects on them. They escape from the orphanage (on skates) and try to cross the wasteland looking for a place they can live free as the storm-troopers search for them and the orb.

Solarbabies

1986

Reckless Kelly poster
4.6

A satirical take on a modern day Ned Kelly who is forced to Hollywood in order to make enough money to save his family's land. As it goes against his belief, he cannot simply rob banks for his own benefit (all money goes to the poor). Ned is forced to find another way to come up with the $1 million required to save his family island.

Reckless Kelly

1993

Two Minutes poster
9.0

An hilariously funny one-off comic sitcom in which some mates attempt to rob a pub of its takings.

Two Minutes

1997

'Itch poster
NR

A lone hitch hiker, marooned near a housing estate, has a dramatic effect on the lives of those around him.

'Itch

1991

Up Line poster
NR

Three alternative comedians get involved in a pyramid-selling organization, Pathway, in order to finance their act. They gain great success by deploying their skills as entertainers, only to eventually discover the sinister purpose behind the Pathway organization.

Up Line

1987

Whoops Apocalypse poster
5.7

When a small British owned island in the Caribbean is invaded and the world's most dangerous terrorist kidnaps a member of the Royal family, the countdown to World War 3 begins. If anyone can prevent the oncoming apocalypse it's the American President, but her closest ally the British Prime Minister appears to have gone stark raving mad.

Whoops Apocalypse

1986

Robin Williams: Laugh Until You Cry poster
9.5

Robin Williams. The comic genius with an electric mind, with a range of talent that left us breathless. The one who amazed and kept us entertained until the very end, and whose sole purpose in life was to make people laugh. Living life to the fullest, he went from one memorable film role to the other. But behind the upbeat, frenzied facade of Robin Williams was a sensitive and vulnerable man, deeply plagued by depression and haunted by his demons. Few comedians have ever been as beloved as Robin Williams. His story is full of tragic moments. It inspires us to look past the mask of those people who seem to have a perfect life. His legacy, reaching way beyond his body of work, lives on. We look back at the journey and tragic loss of a unique comic legend...and one of the greatest comedians of all time.

Robin Williams: Laugh Until You Cry

2022

Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke poster
9.0

For over 40 years, the iconic John Clarke tickled the funny bones of Australian and New Zealand audiences. Now, in this intimately produced documentary, hear his story in his own words. In a remarkable series of recorded conversations between John and his daughter, writer/director Lorin Clarke, he traces his steadfast resistance to authority back to his childhood and offers delightful insights into his four decades in the entertainment industry.

Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke

2025

Amnesty International's Big 30 poster
4.0

In the tradition of the acclaimed series of British concerts known as The Secret Policemen's Ball, Amnesty International celebrates its 50th Anniversary live at Radio City Music Hall.

Amnesty International's Big 30

1991

Tapping the Wire poster
8.0

Long-time Wire fan Charlie Brooker takes a journey to the mean streets of Baltimore to meet the cast and crew of the series, and undertakes a mission to explain what makes The Wire the best cop show ever made.

Tapping the Wire

2007

What's a Carry On? poster
7.7

Documentary commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 'Carry On' comedy film series. Archive clips and out-takes are mixed with interviews with the cast.

What's a Carry On?

1998

The Supergrass poster
6.1

While taking a holiday in the country with his mother, Dennis hits on a scheme to impress a girl so that she'll go away on a trip with him as his girlfriend. Although he fails to gain any interest from the girl, the police take a great interest in his story. From this point on, Dennis digs a deeper hole for himself at every turn

The Supergrass

1985

The Secret Policeman's Other Ball poster
6.3

Following the success of the 1979 show and the financial benefits accruing to Amnesty from the spin-off movie, TV special and record albums – Cleese, Lewis and Walker planned the next show to be a more spectacular event. Cleese focused on broadening the comedic talent to be presented at the show. In addition to the Amnesty show stalwarts drawn from the Oxbridge/Monty Python/Beyond The Fringe orbit, he invited newcomers such as Rowan Atkinson’s colleagues from the BBC TV show Not the Nine O'Clock News including Pamela Stephenson and Griff Rhys Jones; comedian Victoria Wood and regional comic Jasper Carrott. Lewis secured a return appearance by Billy Connolly and a debut appearance by "alternative" comedian Alexei Sayle who Lewis had recently discovered and was managing. Building on the success of Pete Townshend's 1979 appearance Lewis recruited other rock musicians to perform at the 1981 show including Sting, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Donovan and Bob Geldof.

The Secret Policeman's Other Ball

1982

No artwork available
NR

Produced by award-winning Platform Films, this documentary examines how the truth is being censored in the mainstream and social media, in education and education and entertainment and how terrorism law is being used to silence dissent. With contributions from Ken Loach, Peter Oborne and Sarah Wilkinson.

Censoring Palestine

2024

Mr. Corbett's Ghost poster
6.3

Mr Corbett is a cruel employer to Ben Partridge. One night on New Years Eve Ben is sent out to deliver some medicine. Along the way he wishes his master was dead, little knowing that the man he is delivering to is the Collector of Souls.

Mr. Corbett's Ghost

1987

Behind the camera