Alice Eva Lowe (born 3 April 1977)[1] is an English actress, writer, director, and comedian. She has appeared as Dr. Haynes in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Madeleine Wool/Liz Asher in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. She wrote, directed, and starred in the 2016 film Prevenge and starred in and co-wrote the 2012 film Sightseers. She also starred in the educational children's television series Horrible Histories.
Lowe was born in Coventry, West Midlands, England.[2] She attended Kenilworth School and graduated from King's College, Cambridge, where she studied classics.[3][4] At university she became involved in theatre and comedy.[4]
Lowe began her career in surreal experimental theatre shows including City Haunts, Snowbound and Progress in Flying Machines[5] co-devising and performed along with colleagues such as Robert Webb and David Mitchell.[6]
Lowe worked under the directorship of Paul King,[7] who has since directed her in The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.[7] She was cast in Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight[7] alongside fellow Cambridge graduates Richard Ayoade and Matt Holness and they were nominated for the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2000.[8] In 2001, she won an award for performing in the sequel to Fright Knight, Garth Marenghi's Netherhead,[7] at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[4]
Her television credits include Channel 4's spoof horror comedy Garth Marenghi's Darkplace,[7] Beth in the BBC comedy series My Life in Film, David Bowie in the BBC series Snuff Box,[7] and a recurring role in Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive.[7] She was part of the all-female comedy show Beehive[7] along with Sarah Kendall, Barunka O'Shaughnessy and Clare Thomson which was aired on E4, and was a regular cast member of the CBBC show Horrible Histories[7] during the second, third and fifth seasons. Her BBC Three pilot "LifeSpam: My Child Is French" was broadcast in 2009,[8] and she co-wrote and starred in Channel 4's Orcadia. In February 2010, she appeared in and script-edited the pilot for a "sort-of-sketch-show" called Missing Scene.[9]
She has also guest starred as Monkey in "The Priest and the Beast" episode of The Mighty Boosh, as Patricia in the "Fifty-Fifty" episode of The IT Crowd,[7] a solicitor in the "Travel Writer" episode of Black Books, Madonna in an episode of Channel 4's Star Stories,[7] and episodes of Little Britain,[7] Come Fly with Me,[7] Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, Beautiful People and This is Jinsy.[7] She appeared in the music video for "Bastardo" by Charlotte Hatherley, directed by Edgar Wright.[7]
Lowe co-wrote and starred in the short film Stiffy, directed by Jacqueline Wright,[7] which premiered at Cannes in 2005 as part of the Kodak Straight 8 competition. Her self-penned short film Sticks and Balls was screened at Cannes in 2007.[7] In 2010 together with Wright she founded the production company Jackal Films,[7] making a short film each month of that year.[10]
Lowe appeared in the action comedy film Hot Fuzz,[8] and took a lead role in the 2012 film Sightseers,[7] the third production from director Ben Wheatley. Sightseers was written by Lowe with Steve Oram, with additional material by Amy Jump.[11] Lowe had a role in the Edgar Wright-directed film The World's End.[12]
On BBC Radio 4 she has written three series of Alice's Wunderland a dark, surreal comedy.[13]
In 2016, she made her directorial debut on the critically acclaimed [14] dark comedy Prevenge, which she directed while pregnant.[15] In 2018, Lowe appeared as Dr Haynes on Netflix's first adult-targeted interactive film, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.[16]
In February 2021, Lowe's film, Timestalker, was announced. The film will "chronicl[e] one woman's unrequited love across several centuries [...] from 1680s Western Scotland to the apocalyptic 22nd Century." Lowe stated that "[t]his film is my homage to the most romantic epics. Lavish, lush and overflowing with emotion."[17] Filming began in late 2022 and the production is working towards a 2024 release. [18]
Lowe was pregnant while filming Prevenge and later gave birth to her daughter Della with partner Paul Synnott.[19]