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Peter Moore, 1939 - 2009
A tribute from Alan Myatt
"I was sad to hear the news that Peter had passed away. He was a great character and a dedicated town crier. We often met up at events in London and I'm sure he will be missed by many."
Alan, who is the official town crier for London's Stables Market, joined other criers at Peter's funeral earlier this month.
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Getting Fashion Advice from an Expert
(added July 2009)
The question is... was Gok Wan sharing a few fashion tips with Alan? Or was Alan offering him advice on how to create a new character for every occasion? After all, Alan is the master of disguise and creator of dozens of characters.
Gok Wan presents the popular fashion series on Channel Four, How to Look Good Naked and is a bestselling author on fashion and beauty.
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Towpath Ted
(added June 2009)
If you thought you'd seen all of Alan's characters, think again. Towpath Ted, one of Alan's latest creations, took to the canalside recently to meet and greet visitors to the Camden Lock Village Canal Market... and he certainly proved popular with the crowds.
Alan is pictured here with some local Morris Dancers who were busy entertaining the crowds that had gathered along the canalside to visit the new shops and stalls.
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Camden Lock Village Market
(added May 2009)
Camden Canal Market, closed for a year because of a fire, re-opened earlier this month with a different name - Camden Lock Village - and Alan was on hand to make sure the event went off with a bang.
The market now bustles with more than 100 attractive shops and stalls which fill the open area alongside the Regents Canal towpath. Visit the Camden Lock Village website for more info.
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Alan’s the Real Deal
(added May 2009)
Alan has joined forces with David Dickinson, the flamboyant presenter of ITV’s Dickinson’s Real Deal and Bargain Hunt, to help promote Rex Johnson and Sons, Birmingham’s leading gold merchants.
The special promotion has helped the company to enjoy a real gold rush as owners cash in on the highest price of gold for nearly twenty years.
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St George visits High Wycombe
(added May 2009)
Hundreds of shoppers flocked to the Chilterns Shopping Centre in High Wycombe to collect their free gifts to celebrate St. George’s Day, on April 23rd. Alan was invited along, as St. George, to hand out the gifts which included a St. George’s Day flag and a flashing nose emblazoned with the slogan, Forever England.
Alan commented: "I’ve been incredibly well received by everyone I’ve met here. I think more people are starting to celebrate St. George’s Day now, but it will take a bit of time."
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Real Nappy Week
(added April 2009)
Disposable nappies take at least 500 years to start decomposing, according to estimates - that’s the same length of time since Henry VIII's accession to the throne! And an average 7lb baby will use an astonishing half tonne of nappies.
To mark Real Nappy Week, Alan was commissioned to take part in a programme of events throughout Gloucestershire aimed at giving new parents the opportunity to find out more about real nappies and to help reduce the number of disposable nappies that are deposited in landfill each year.
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A Busy End to 2008
(added December 2008)
December saw several appearances up and down the country of the Deluxe Father Christmas, plus a guest appearance as Henry VIII, performing at Leeds Castle as part of a wedding celebration, and a role in the UK pilot of the US hit, My Sweet Sixteenth Birthday.
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Curtains Up for Moulin Rouge Role
(added October 2008)
Move over Jim Broadbent, here comes Alan Myatt in the role of Zilder, the Moulin Rouge movie’s impresario. Zilder’s character has been described as someone who loves his art; someone who's not afraid to shout and go over the top and be hugely theatrical. Sounds like the role was perfect for you, Alan!
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Sporting Legend Returns to County
(added June 2008)
England sporting legend, WG Grace, caused quite a stir when he turned up to bat at the Gloucester Cricket Festival earlier this summer. Alan Myatt had been asked to dust off his cricket whites and play the role of 'The Doctor' to help promote the city's annual event... although this time, apparently, he failed to score any runs!
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Commander Compost - Heaps of Fun
(added June 2008)
The rumours are true. Alan Myatt has gone green! And no, we're not talking about the Incredible Hulk on this occasion.
As our photo shows, Alan's latest character, Commander Compost, has been entertaining families up and down the country and promoting an important environmental message at the same time.
To book Commander Compost for your shopping centre, family event or conference, call Alan on 07973 - 472896.
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The Name's Myatt, Alan Myatt
(added April 2008)
The crowds turning up to do their weekly shop certainly gave this duo a double take when Alan Myatt joined forces with a Daniel Craig lookalike on a very important mission.
Alan had been commissioned by supermarket firm Londis to promote new store openings and refurbishments in and around the Brighton area. James Bond was one of the many different characters he worked with during this time.
You can find out more about Daniel Craig (aka Steve Wright) on his website.
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Yeoman of the Guard Helps Launch New Microsoft Project (added January 2007)
When global software leader, Microsoft, needed to add a little pizzazz to the official launch of their new operating system, where did they turn?
Yes, you've guessed. Alan’s Yeoman of the Guard character was booked to add colour and interest to the recent UK launch of Windows Vista, the replacement for the Windows XP operating system.
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Alan Brings Cheer to Stranded Airport Crowds (added December 2006)
When Heathrow Airport was hit by the worst fog in years, Alan Myatt was on hand to cheer the stranded passengers and help officials direct the crowds.
Alan had been booked by the News of the World and worked tirelessly alongside airport staff to make the best out of a difficult situation.
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A National Calendar Star (added November 2006)
Our own famous town crier and toastmaster Alan Myatt, has been selected to appear on the Church of England advent calendar this Christmas.
The advent calendar will be online and is the first time that the Church of England has published an advent calendar on the internet. The aim of the calendar is sharing real stories of what Christmas means to people across the country - from our own town crier in Gloucester to an estate agent in Tunbridge Wells.
The launch of the calendar will be Advent Sunday on 3rd December and Alan will appear on Wednesday 20th December, he said: 'Christmas is such a wonderful time of year, and I was happy to be involved in such a great project. I hope everybody logs on to the website and takes a look.'
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Urban Regeneration in Tower Hamlets (added November 2006)
It was a royal visit to remember for residents in London's Tower Hamlets.
No, not the Queen and Prince Philip, or even Prince Charles and Camilla... but Henry VIII himself! Larger than life and twice as loud,
Henry was in town to promote the council's urban regeneration programme and spent the day charming the crowds and threatening to behead any council officials that didn't behave.
Alan is a natural media magnet, so it’s not surprising that all the national newspapers, international TV and radio stations have picked up the following story. He’s even had a mention on the Graham Norton show!
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Aladdin's Genie Hangs Up His Lamp (added November 2006)
The world’s loudest town crier has been forced to resign from a leading role in his local panto because he’s too big to fit through the stage trap door. Alan was set to play the Genie of the Lamp in the theatre’s forthcoming production of Aladdin but now producers have had to search for a replacement.
The trap door at Gloucester's New Olympus Theatre was widened six years ago to accommodate Alan's large frame, but now he's even bigger and simply won't fit. Alan said: 'Although I've been working as a professional for many years now, I still love to take part in local theatre productions. I see it as a kind of pay back for all the stagecraft I acquired in my youth.'
He continued: ‘I'm just too big to be the genie now. Perhaps the time has come to hang up my lamp! My personality is as big as my frame and I guess I was just too big to keep bottled up.’
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Alan Joins Up With Massive Attack (added March 2006)
Fans of the top British band Massive Attack will get more than they bargained for when they watch the group's latest music video... a guest appearance by Alan Myatt, town crier and toastmaster extraordinaire!
Massive Attack has been described as one of the most ipnnovative and influential groups of its generation, playing a fusion of hip-hop, jazz and other forms of electronic music.
The video was directed by Jonathan Glazer who has previously worked with Sir Ben Kingsley, Ray Winstone, Nicole Kidman and Lauren Bacall and for clients such as Stella Artois, Guinness, Levis, Barclays Bank and Volkswagen. In fact, his Guinness surfer television advert was recently voted the best ad of all time by British viewers.
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The Deluxe Father Christmas (added December 2005)
December is a busy month for every Santa… barely enough time to polish the sleigh or groom the reindeer. But when you’re a Deluxe Father Christmas, your feet barely touch the ground!
Alan’s most popular seasonal character has been flying up and down the country, promoting everyone’s favourite time of year. He’s been invited to the switching on of Christmas Lights far and wide this year… from London’s Bond Street and Maidenhead to Hitchin and Letchworth. Our photo shows him giving the reindeer a rest and brushing up on his ice skating techniques.
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Alan Takes to The Stage (added October 2005)
Alan’s talents as a themed character actor rarely go unnoticed and, this month, he’s caught the eye of the editor of one of the UK’s best known publications. The Stage has been the newspaper for the performing arts industry since 1880 and this year is celebrating its 125th anniversary. A review and interview with Alan appears in the issue published on the 13th October.
A copy of the article in a PDF format is available for easy download. To view the article you will need Acrobat Reader, which is available from the Adobe website. (This link opens up in a new window.)
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Festival of the Sea (added July 2005)
The 2005 International Festival of the Sea (IFOS) was a thoroughly exciting celebration this year. Bringing together sailors, musicians, artists, entertainers, ships and boats from all points of the compass, the festival took place in Portsmouth, UK, at the end of June / beginning of July.
There were dynamic displays on land and sea that really captured the imagination and excited the senses, plus visitors were given the chance to go aboard many of the ships that have appeared in the International Fleet Review. Oh, and did anyone notice a battle-hardy old Admiral walking with a seaman's list along the pier? Any guesses who that was?