Alan Carr was born 14 June 1976 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. He is the elder son of Graham Carr, a former football manager and scout, and Christine Carr. Carr grew up mainly in Northampton alongside his younger brother Gary.

He attended Weston Favell Upper School in Northampton before studying Drama and Theatre Studies at Middlesex University, graduating with a BA (Hons). After university he moved to Manchester to pursue comedy while working in a call centre for several years.

Carr’s big breakthrough came in 2001, when he won the City Life Best Newcomer Award and the BBC New Comedy Awards, which launched his career on the UK comedy circuit. His popularity grew through appearances on panel shows and his role as co-host of The Friday Night Project on Channel 4.

He later hosted several television programmes including Alan Carr: Celebrity Ding Dong and the long-running Channel 4 chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man (2009–2016). More recently, he has appeared in programmes such as Interior Design Masters and Amanda and Alan’s Spanish Job. He is the current host of  the witty quiz show, Picture Slam.