At 60, Alan Davies is less of a hell-raiser than he once was – but a great deal happier. The comedian and actor talks about the excesses of the 1990s, the sexual abuse that made him such an 'angry boy', his recent bladder cancer, and fatherhood.
Davies is promoting his new memoir, 'White Male Stand-Up', which focuses on the comedy circuit of the 1990s. He describes the era as brilliant, full of camaraderie and famous friends, but also warns of the dangers of ego and alcohol. 'You can develop quite an ego, if you're young, in your 20s, getting up on stage like that,' he says. Booze was trickier: 'It can be a very destructive thing, so there were some bad moments and some bad behaviour.' At times he was downing two bottles of wine a night.
His previous autobiography, 'Just Ignore Him' (2020), detailed the sexual abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his father. Davies says the reaction to that book has been gratifying: 'People have contacted me, messaged me, talked about similar experiences... Some have even said they've been able to take that next step in part because they read the book.' He adds that revealing the abuse was 'necessary work' that helped him address 'a sort of latent anxiety'.
Davies also discusses his recent bladder cancer diagnosis, which he has recovered from, and his role as a father to three children. He reflects on how family has become a central theme in his latest writing, though he didn't realise it when he started.
