 Alan with Julia Sawalha in an episode of Jonathan Creek |
Alan Davies is one of the best-known actors on British television.
Born in Essex, he got his first gig in stand-up aged 22 at the Black Cat Cabaret in Stoke Newington.
His best-loved acting role is in the title role of Jonathan Creek, and he has also appeared as a regular in BBC2's comedy quiz show, QI, hosted by Stephen Fry.
Alan spoke to BBC Sport's Oliver Brett while watching Middlesex beat his beloved Essex side in a Twenty20 Cup match in Southgate.
Q. Do you enjoy Twenty20 cricket?
Well it's great for me to come to a ground like this which is just seven stops on the underground from where I live in Highbury! I like the format - it's just a shame we're not enjoying a lovely summer's evening.
Q. I suppose it doesn't help that Essex are losing?
No it doesn't. It was a good catch in the gully to get rid of Ronnie [Irani]. We lost three wickets early on and never really recovered.
Q. Of course, there's such variety of cricket for people to see these days...
That's true and the Twenty20 Cup is fine, but I honestly don't think people really care about the one-day triangular tournament [NatWest Series] much. When the Test matches start against the West Indies then people will start paying attention again.
 Alan Knott is a childhood hero |
Q. Is there anything else about the modern game that you have a view about?
There's far too much importance paid to selecting different teams for one-day internationals. Surely you can either hit it, catch it, bowl it or you can't. Admittedly, some people like David Steele and Mike Brearley probably wouldn't have made it in one-day cricket but you don't change every position in the team. I know [Arsenal manager] Arsene Wenger wouldn't do that.
Q. How about the county game?
Apparently Essex are in Division One of the Totesport League. You can't expect people to be interested in having two divisions of everything. I can't understand why they did it, because there's no penalty if you come bottom of Division Two.
Q. Why can't England beat Australia?
 Stuart Law in 2001, his final season as an Essex player |
The Aussies are just too good. There should be a memorial plaque for Stuart Law at every Essex ground. The Australians could put four or five teams out and they could still beat most Test sides. I don't know what the answer is but one of our problems is that we think it's vaguely impolite to be competitive.
Q. Which player was your childhood hero?
A. Alan Knott, because he has the same name as me, and later on I was also quite taken by Ian Botham. Because I am an Essex fan, the team that won the Championship in 1979 are all childhood heroes of mine, people like Kenny McEwan, JK Lever, even the likes of Keith Pont and Ray East.
Q. Are you an Andrew Flintoff fan?
A. I watched him the other day and thought he was fantastic and then Chris Gayle came in and did even better! But Flintoff is one of those people who everyone think is the natural successor to Botham. He seems to have grown up - he can knuckle down and not just slog - but there is still a youthful flourish to his batting.
MMIX
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