{{Short description|Irish comedian, writer and actor}} {{Use British English|date=December 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}} {{Infobox comedian <!-- for individuals - see Template:Infobox comedian for usage --> | pre-nominals = | name = | post-nominals = | image = Alison Spittle at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe-14 (cropped).jpg | alt = | caption = Spittle at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe | pseudonym = | birth_name = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|14 June 1989}}<ref name="WMExaminer" /><!-- was 22 in September, 2011 --> | birth_place = Harrow, London, United Kingdom | education = | alma_mater = | years_active = | genre = | subject = }}
'''Alison Spittle''' (born 14 June 1989) is an Irish comedian, comedy writer, radio producer and actor.<ref name="Anxiety"/><ref name="WMExaminer">{{cite news |url-status= dead |archive-date=4 October 2011 |date=9 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004001427/http://www.westmeathexaminer.ie/news/people/articles/2011/09/09/4006468-i-dont-want-9-to-5/ |title='I don't want 9 to 5!' |work=Westmeath Examiner |url=http://www.westmeathexaminer.ie:80/news/people/articles/2011/09/09/4006468-i-dont-want-9-to-5/ |accessdate=29 November 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="loves"/> She has worked for iRadio,<ref name="WMExaminer"/> RTÉ Radio 1<ref name="WMExaminer"/> and Newstalk<ref name="sparks"/> and created sketches for ''Republic of Telly'' and has written and starred in her RTÉ Two sit-com ''Nowhere Fast'' in 2017.<ref name="Anxiety"/><ref name="cross"/><ref name="Joe"/><ref name="Edge"/>
==Early life== Spittle was born in Harrow, London.<ref name="abseiling"/><ref name="WMExaminer"/> Spittle's father was a builder.<ref name="WMExaminer"/><ref name="abseiling"/><ref name="cross"/> The family moved frequently, including to Dresden, Germany, before moving to Spittle's mother's ancestral home of County Westmeath, Tyrrellspass, Mullingar and finally Ballymore at age eight.<ref name="WMExaminer"/><ref name="abseiling"/><ref name="shocked"/><ref name="cross"/><ref name="Crawl"/> She attended secondary school in Moate.<ref name="Crawl"/>
==Career== Graduating from college in Dublin,<ref name="Anxiety"/> Spittle moved back to Westmeath, where she worked as a researcher for iRadio with comedian Bernard O'Shea.<ref name="WMExaminer"/><ref name="abseiling"/><ref name="cross"/> She began working in comedy, supporting PJ Gallagher.<ref name="abseiling"/> This led to her participation in So You Think You're Funny?'s Irish heats, qualifying for rounds in Edinburgh.<ref name="WMExaminer"/><ref name="Crawl"/> She got a guest spot on the ''Happy Hour'' section of the ''John Murray Show'' RTÉ Radio 1 from this success.<ref name="WMExaminer"/>
Her comedy shows have included ''Alison Spittle Needs an Agent'', ''Alison Spittle Discovers Hawaii'' (2015),<ref name="abseiling"/><ref name="Crawl"/> and ''Worrier Princess'' (2017).<ref name="Anxiety"/><ref name="abseiling">{{cite news |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/alison-spittle-i-just-tried-stand-up-like-you-would-try-abseiling-1.2592097 |title=Alison Spittle: 'I just tried stand-up like you would try abseiling' |date=4 April 2016 |first=Aoife |last=Valentine |accessdate=29 November 2017}}{{Subscription required}}</ref> She has performed at the Edinburgh and Dublin fringe festivals,<ref name="abseiling"/> as well as The Forbidden Fruit and Cork Comedy festivals.<ref name="shocked">{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-news/you-can-get-on-with-him-and-you-can-be-shocked-with-what-he-said-comedian-alison-spittle-on-george-hook-36303700.html |work=Evening Herald |title='You can get on with him and you can be shocked with what he said' – Comedian Alison Spittle on George Hook |first=Sean |last=O'Grady |date=9 November 2017 |accessdate=29 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="Anxiety">{{cite web |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911034908/http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/how-alison-spittle-deals-with-her-anxiety-through-stand-up-comedy-458307.html |date=5 September 2017 |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/how-alison-spittle-deals-with-her-anxiety-through-stand-up-comedy-458307.html |title=How Alison Spittle deals with her anxiety through stand-up comedy |first=Ellie |last=O'Byrne |archive-date=11 September 2017 |work=Irish Examiner |accessdate=29 November 2017}}</ref>
Spittle wrote and starred in web comedy shorts for RTÉ Two, and in sketches for ''Republic of Telly'' with Kevin McGahern.<ref name="Anxiety"/><ref name="Crawl">{{cite news |date=3 May 2013 |via=InfoTrac Newsstand |url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A328462368/GPS?sid=wikipedia |title=Crawl to the Front – Camden weekend takes centre stage |work=Irish Daily Mirror |page=2 |first=James |last=Ward |accessdate=29 November 2017}}{{free access}}</ref>
She was a regular contributor to ''The Right Hook'' with George Hook on Newstalk.<ref name="Anxiety"/><ref name="sparks">{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/all-in-the-chemistry-as-irish-radio-hopes-for-sparks-1.2741562 |newspaper=The Irish Times |title=All in the chemistry as Irish radio hopes for sparks |date=2 August 2016 |first=Laura |last=Slattery |accessdate=29 November 2017}}{{Subscription required}}</ref> She is also a regular co-host of The Guilty Feminist podcast with Deborah Francis-White.
In 2016 she created the ''Alison Spittle Show'' podcast hosted by HeadStuff.org, which she hosted until the podcast's end in 2020.<ref name="loves">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.independent.ie/life/the-loves-of-my-life-comedian-alison-spittle-35352247.html |magazine=Life |title=The loves of my life: Comedian Alison Spittle |date=16 January 2017 |accessdate=29 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Irish Times |first=Erin |last=McGuire |date=1 February 2016 |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/sharon-horgan-the-divorce-industry-feeds-off-people-at-the-worst-time-of-their-lives-1.2516799 |title=Sharon Horgan: The divorce industry feeds off people at the worst time of their lives |accessdate=29 November 2017}}{{Subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407141249/http://www.broadsheet.ie/2016/04/07/the-alison-spittle-show/ |url=http://www.broadsheet.ie/2016/04/07/the-alison-spittle-show/ |author=Bodger |date=7 April 2016 |website=Broadsheet.ie |archive-date=7 April 2016 |title=The Alison Spittle Show |url-status=live |accessdate=29 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="cross"/><ref name="Anxiety"/><ref name="bestPodcasts">{{cite news |newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/ireland-now-nine-of-the-best-irish-podcasts-1.3004035 |title=Ireland Now: nine of the best Irish podcasts There has never been a better time to tune in to this growing community of talented people |date=16 March 2017 |first=Sarah Maria |last=Griffin |accessdate=29 November 2017}}{{Subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://headstuffpodcasts.com/show/the-alison-spittle-show/ |website=HeadStuff Podcasts |title=The Alison Spittle Show |url-status=live |accessdate=2026-04-06}}</ref>
She appeared in the 2019 comedy film ''Extra Ordinary''.
In 2020, she and fellow comedian Fern Brady started a podcast for the BBC called ''Wheel of Misfortune''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08m3z73|title=Wheel of Misfortune on BBC|website=bbc.co.uk|publisher=BBC}}</ref> Brady left the podcast in early 2021 and Spittle hosted the show with guests until Kerry Katona became permanent co-host in November 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kerry Katona joins Wheel of Misfortune |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/other-news/2022/11/08/52048/kerry_katona_joins_wheel_of_misfortune |website=Chortle |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> The podcast ended in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/audio/brand/p08m3z73 |title=Wheel of Misfortune |accessdate=2026-04-06 |website=BBC Audio |url-status=live}}</ref>
In November 2023, she appeared on game show ''Richard Osman's House of Games''.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
===''Nowhere Fast''=== In 2017, she co-wrote a six-part sitcom ''Nowhere Fast'' with her boyfriend Simon Mulholland.<ref name="Anxiety"/><ref name="Crawl"/><ref name="cross">{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/alison-spittle-if-you-re-friends-with-a-mad-bastard-that-s-your-cross-to-bear-1.3283179 |title=Alison Spittle: 'If you're friends with a mad bastard, that's your cross to bear' |date=11 November 2017 |first=Patrick |last=Freyne |newspaper=The Irish Times |accessdate=29 November 2017}}{{Subscription required}}</ref> The series was directed by Simon Gibney.<ref name="cross"/> The show sees Angela (played by Spittle) moving back down to Ballybeag in the Midlands, having lost her job on a radio show in Dublin following a high-profile libel case.<ref>{{cite web |accessdate=29 November 2017 |url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514914951/GPS?sid=wikipedia |title=Platinum couple; |date=19 November 2017 |work=Sunday Times |page=56 |via=Academic OneFile}}{{Free access}}</ref> The series began in November 2017, and was generally well received by critics and viewers.<ref name="cross"/><ref name="Joe">{{cite web |url=https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/nowhere-fast-reaction-606430 |archive-date=14 November 2017 |date=13 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114021115/https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/nowhere-fast-reaction-606430 |title=It seemed like everyone tuned in for RTÉ's new comedy Nowhere Fast, and everyone loved it |first=Rory |last=Cashin |website=Joe.ie |url-status=live |accessdate=29 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="Edge">{{cite web |url=http://www.dailyedge.ie/mary-alison-spittles-nowhere-fast-3695443-Nov2017/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114191233/http://www.dailyedge.ie/mary-alison-spittles-nowhere-fast-3695443-Nov2017/ |archive-date=14 November 2017 |title=Everyone fell in love with the outrageous Mary on Alison Spittle's Nowhere Fast last night |date=14 November 2017|accessdate=29 November 2017 |website=DailyEdge.ie}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/a/34492/alison_spittle/tour Profile on Chortle] including tour dates * [https://www.headstuff.org/the-alison-spittle-show/ The Alison Spittle Show] podcast *{{Twitter|AlisonSpittle}} *{{Instagram|alisonspittle}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spittle, Alison}} Category:Irish women comedians Category:Irish stand-up comedians Category:Living people Category:People from County Westmeath Category:Irish comedy writers Category:Irish television writers Category:Irish women television writers Category:Irish expatriates in England Category:People from Harrow, London Category:1989 births Category:21st-century Irish comedians Category:Irish women screenwriters Category:21st-century Irish screenwriters Category:Irish sketch comedians Category:Comedians from the London Borough of Harrow