Alistair McGowan's London

He's best known for his work impersonating celebrities on the TV show, The Big Impression. Since 2005, Alistair McGowan has returned to dramatic acting on both TV and the stage. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 2006, playing in Merry Wives: The Musical opposite Judi Dench and Simon Callow.

For the last couple of years, Alistair McGowan has appeared in a number of musicals: Little Shop of Horrors (New Ambassadors Theatre), The Mikado (Gielgud Theatre), Cabaret (Lyric Theatre), and They're Playing Our Song (Menier Chocolate Factory). 

In 2008, Alistair appeared in Cinderella at the New Wimbledon Theatre. We caught up with him during a break in rehearsals to talk about his impressions of London.

Interview: December 2008

Q: Where do you live in London?

A: I live in Barnes. I love Barnes, it's a wonderful place. It feels quite rural, because you've got the river, lots of trees, and all the commons around there: Putney Common, Barnes Common. Then Richmond [Park] and Wimbledon [Common] are very close by.

Q: Where did you last eat out in London?

A: Embarrassingly, it was Sheekey's in St Martin's Court. It's The Ivy's sister restaurant. I do like to eat out in Barnes. There are lots of good places to eat in Barnes, but I'd better not single one out, or the others will get upset. 

Koha is another great place to eat out in St Martin's Court. They serve really, really nice food in there.

Q: What's the best play, gig, or comedy act you've been to in London recently?

A: I saw Daniel Kitson performing at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. I haven't seen Daniel perform his stand-up before, and he was just staggeringly good. One of the best improvisers I've seen. And his choice of language is just incredible. And I admire people who use language well.

Q: What's your favourite London icon?

A: St Pancras Station, I like the front of that. There are so many bits of London that just take my breath away. I always like The Mall. I like being on The Mall. And Hammersmith Bridge. You'd have to go a long way to beat Hammersmith Bridge.

Q: What's your favourite shop in London?

A: I do tend to go to John Lewis a lot. I love that sense of service where people come up to you and ask, "What are you looking for?" And if you ask them for something, they can show you how something works, and talk to you about things. I adore that level of service. And you know if something goes wrong, you can just take it back. Although generally it doesn't, because their stuff's really good. It's just a shame, because it's not such a pretty building from the outside!

Q: What are your top tips for visitors?

A: I once went on a river trip down the Thames and was thrilled by the standard of the commentary. It was 10 years ago, but if they still do them, then take a boat. I'd say walk around a lot. People always say the great thing about Paris is that you can walk around it, but you can walk just as easily around London. And if you're here for a few days, I'd say hire a bike, and cycle around.

Q: Do you like cycling in London?

A: It's the best way to get around the city. The last job I had was in Southwark at the [Menier] Chocolate Factory. And I did cycle quite regularly, from Barnes. It was in the summer, which is always nicer. I suppose I was doing about 100 miles a week. I really enjoyed it; it's a lovely route, along the river mostly.

Q: If you were Mayor for the day what would you do?

A: If you'd asked me that a couple of years ago, I would have said thousands of things! But I actually think at the moment, London is improving all the time. The environmental aspect is improving so quickly. 

But, I would plant more trees. There's a charity called Trees for Cities who I'm involved with, who are doing fantastic work planting trees around London, particularly around the Boroughs. 

I would pedestrianise Shaftesbury Avenue, plant lots of trees down it, and really encourage people to go to the theatres.

Q: If you were invisible for the day, where would you go?

A: It's very hard not to be salacious, isn't it? I would probably go and sit in Kelly Brook's dressing room.

Q: What do you miss most when you're away from London?

A: The theatre and the films. Even just being out of London, in other places in England, you're not able to see more than the blockbusters. I hate blockbusters, and I love film. Recently, I saw a film called Elegy, which was a wonderful film. In London, you can see more obscure films, and they stay around for weeks at places like the Prince Charles Cinema.

You can catch Alistair McGowan live at Ealing Comedy Festival on 22 July 2010.