Alex Lowe – Best Days Out

Alex Lowe is an award-winning actor, writer and comedian and the man behind the satirical, psychic character Clinton Baptiste and the grumpy foul mouthed pensioner, Barry from Watford.

Clinton first appeared in the Peter Kay cult sitcom Phoenix Nights, but what was originally less than a 10-minute performance has become a phenomenon and Clinton now has a cult following. Including an award-winning podcast and several live shows which Alex has successfully toured around the UK.

Alex Lowe’s Best Days Out

What was your favourite place to visit as a kid in London, and why?

Alex as a little boy… can I get an “awwwwww”?

As a kid, and probably still now, it’s the RAF Museum in Hendon. All my relatives were cockneys from South East London who fled the Blitz so WW2 was always discussed. Rightly or wrongly, I feel absolutely steeped in that tradition in a way that my wife isn’t. To this day, I find it comforting to go there and see these slightly crappy models from the 1940s and feel a sense of the dust of time on the bakerlite phones the planes are sitting next too. It makes me realise there was a massive history before me. I don’t mean to be jingoistic, but if nothing else you have an appreciation for what that massive struggle must have been like. 

Where’s your favourite place to eat with your family?

Chinese food served at The Rice Bowl, Manchester

Since my son started at Manchester Metropolitan University, we discovered the Rice Bowl behind The Royal Exchange Theatre. It’s a family-run place, the food tastes fresh, it’s not pretentiously expensive and there is alcoved seating so you can hide away.

Where in the UK would you recommend to another family?

Photograph courtesy of Friends of Cassiobury Park

Cassiobury Park in Watford. It’s got it all – a playground for kids with an ocassional miniature railway, a gentle canal (which at my time of life is lovely and leisurely) plus it’s easy accessible via the Metropolitan line or M1 and M25. You can also branch into Whippendell Woods and walk for miles and miles…

Describe a perfect day with your family.

Photograph courtesy of Great British Life

To go somewhere in Hertfordshire. It’s not too far from home so we’d plan to have a lovely walk (whether my kids would do that with me I don’t know), which would hopefully end at a country pub where we could have a drink and some food.

Name somehwere you love going to with your kids…

Molineux Stadium – Home of Wolverhampton Wanderers

I was once a big QPR fan living in North West London. I’m now a season ticket holder at Wolves and and so we often go to the matches at Molineux Stadium –  it’s a real family bonding thing. My son is now eighteen, so we have to wave goodbye after the match as he goes the other way back to uni… it’s bloody heartbreaking.

Alex’s daughter – the singer/songwriter Glowe

Occasionally, Georgia a.k.a Glowe – the successful singer-songwriter ( @glowexx ) and my wife come. As an actor, I love the theatricality of it, you cannot beat football for entertainment. You are surrounded by colour, people cheering and you can spot your heroes and villains – I’ve watched football all my life and it’s still so exciting.

Bus, tube, cycle, walk or taxi?

It’s always gotta be the tube. I go on the overground from Bushey where I live and I’m into town pretty quickly.