Alan Carr has shared his favourite spot to visit in Merseyside, telling the ECHO he loves Formby beach. Speaking on the red carpet at the National Television Awards 2026, the comedian said: "I love Formby too, I went along the beach there, it’s bloody gorgeous."
Special Recognition win at the NTAs
The annual ceremony took place on Tuesday, September 8 at London's O2 Arena. Alan scooped up the Special Recognition award for his services to comedy and television, after friends Amanda Holden and Paloma Faith gave a standout performance before he was invited onto the stage.
Ahead of the ceremony, Alan spoke to the ECHO about his excitement at being nominated. The 50-year-old said: "I'm super excited. I'm up for three awards, for Last One Laughing, Celebrity Traitors and my sitcom Changing Ends. I want one of them to win, please. I want to be on that stage saying 'thank you'."
He got his wish, ending up on stage to accept the award for Celebrity Traitors, having triumphed against Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga in a tense finale. Despite being unfamiliar with the concept of a "poker face", Alan was crowned the winner of the first ever series of the show.
Love for Liverpool and The Curzon Club
During the interview, Alan also shared his experiences of visiting the city over the years, having previously brought his comedy tours to the Empire Theatre and Philharmonic Hall. He said: "I love Liverpool, I’m good friends with John Bishop. I used to go to a gay bar called The Curzon." He joked: "I'm old, so it’s probably a vape shop now."
The Curzon Club, which used to be on Temple Street, was known to be the city’s oldest gay bar. After 28 successful years, the venue closed its doors in 2016.
Alan is set to return to Merseyside next year to perform his "Have I Said Too Much?" tour at the Empire.
Margo Oakley represents Liverpool
Alan wasn't the only star to share his love for Liverpool on the red carpet. Childwall's Margo Oakley, 60, took part in the latest series of Race Across the World along with Kush Burman and Jo Diop, best friends from Toxteth. She said: "I’m so proud to represent Liverpool, it’s the best city. Me, Jo and Kush, we really felt we wanted to do Liverpool proud and I hope we have."
She added: "We’ve kept in touch since the show. You’ll find me and Kush walking around Sefton Park having a natter. He’s an old soul and I'm a young soul so I think we meet in the middle."
There were 15 awards up for grabs at the ceremony, including best TV presenter, best comedy, best drama performance and best authored documentary. Sir David Attenborough triumphed in the TV presenter category, and Emmerdale won best serial drama.
