By Laura Carreno
Famous comedian Alan Carr faced his share of bullying while in school - but he is convinced kids today are "going through hell."
The comedian, one of the biggest names in British comedy, is back on BBC One this Tuesday (April 23, 2024) as he gears up for the semi-final of Interior Design Masters, due to air at 8pm. Meanwhile, fans are waiting for the second season of his biographical show Changing Ends, after it was commissioned in November, 2023.
In the latter show, viewers were given a glimpse into Alan's life before fame, alongside his parents Graham and Christine. But while his outgoing and bubbly disposition made him Britain's favourite "Chatty Man", along with his distinctive voice, he struggled to find his place in the East Midlands of Margaret Thatcher's Britain. Unable to fit in, young Alan was bullied by his peers.
Alan had already spoken about his troubled times in school, referring to his bullies as "losers" on BBC Radio Four's Desert Island Discs, in 2018. During the chat, Alan claimed that his "trapped seagull voice" made him an easy target for his peers.
"I had the most awful thing when I was about 12 or 13", he had then explained. "I did drama and we said, 'Let's watch the playback' … I was like, 'What's that voice?' My voice soared like a seagull with its wing trapped somewhere."
He had then assured: "I am smiling now, but it was like a punch in the stomach. Why didn't anyone tell me? But, of course, they were. The bullies were telling me every day. It was just awful." And while he doesn't feel like a victim, the 47-year-old admitted that the bullying left him lonely.
But with time, Alan grew to accept the way he sounds, telling Lauren Laverne: "I am stuck with this voice." Yet there are still adjustments to be made. "It is weird when I do stand-up. I am a bit like Mariah Carey, I have to protect it. If I don't reach those high notes people complain."
However, in his eyes, "kids today go through hell" in comparison as Alan refers to the use of social media, which can often contribute to their bullying torment, as recently seen in Coronation Street with Liam Connor. "The bullying doesn't just finish [after school], it's all online now. There's kids going into school with knives", Alan lamented.
Alan turned years of bullying into his badge of humour, becoming known for being the first to poke fun at himself. And while his voice led to intense backlash in the school corridors, his homosexuality was also targeted.
"You sort of don't want to be gay", he told Corrie's Claire Sweeney in November 2022 on BBC Radio Merseyside. "I definitely didn't want to be gay. I was fat, goofy, glasses and then I started fancying boys. I was like: 'oh no, no, no, give me a break." But years later, it's all water under the bridge for Alan: "I'll say I was bullied but, to be fair, I was quite annoying."
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