Al Roberts (comedian)
English comedian and actor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alastair Roberts (known professionally as Al Roberts) is an English comedian and actor. He is part of the comedy trio Sheeps with Daran Johnson and Liam Williams. He is known for his TV roles including as Al in Stath Lets Flats (2018–23) and Elder Abijah in Everyone Else Burns (2023–24). In 2026, he became part of the writers of the UK version of Saturday Night Live.
Early life and education
Roberts attended the University of Cambridge from 2006 to 2009. He was part of the Footlights, alongside future collaborator Liam Williams and Daran Johnson.[1] He was Membership Secretary from 2006 to 2007, a General Member of the committee from 2007 to 2008, and President from 2008 to 2009. He played in the Footlights 125th anniversary tour show Devils (alongside Johnson) in 2008 and the 2009 tour show Wishful Thinking (alongside Johnson and Williams). Devils received a three-star review from The Skinny, who described Roberts' performance as "hilariously mannered and beautifully timed".[2]
Career
Sheeps
Roberts is part of comedy trio Sheeps, with Daran Johnson and Liam Williams.[3] They have played shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011,[4] 2012,[5][6][7][8] 2014, 2015,[9][10][11] 2018,[12][13] 2024,[14] and 2025.[15]
In 2024, Sheeps released a Christmas album: A Very Sheeps Christmas.[16] It was made over ten years, and featured 20 original tracks. They performed the album at their 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show.[15]
Television
In 2015, Roberts starred in BBC Two comedy sketch show The Javone Prince Show.[17]
In 2015, Roberts participated in the Comedy Feed sketch show pilot, People Time, for BBC Three alongside Daran Johnson, Natasia Demetriou, Claudia O'Doherty, Ellie White and Liam Williams (who had first met at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2010).[18][19][20][21][22] The Guardian urged the BBC to make a series, saying "The material on display here makes me suddenly and unexpectedly excited for the future of the sketch show...they make each subject new and weird, yet accessible and silly."[20] Chortle described it as "this decade's Big Train" and that "If it can find it's [sic] way onto the telly, People Time would be a near-guaranteed cult hit."[21] Comedian Adam Buxton said that it was the "best comedy thing I’ve seen in a long while".[20] Despite its good reviews, it did not get commissioned.[22] Continuing with the cast (minus O'Doherty), he co-created the web series 2016: Year Friends.[22] Each episode was written by a different member of the troupe. The premise of the series is that a group of friends get together and make some new year's resolutions, and they also find out that Al is dying and Tash is pregnant. The show is influenced by British mockumentaries including The Office and That Peter Kay Thing, as well as the nascent reality TV genre.
From 2018 to 2023, Roberts starred as Al in Stath Lets Flats. Jamie Demetriou, who co-wrote the show with Robert Popper, wrote the part for Al, after seeing him perform with Sheeps.[23]
In 2019, Roberts starred in one of Channel 4's Comedy Blaps, Sam Campbell: Get Real Dude.[24] Produced by Blink Industries, it combined a mix of puppetry, 2D and 3D animation. Roberts starred alongside Sam Campbell, Jamie Demetriou, David O'Doherty, Charlotte Ritchie, Neil Edmond, Tanya Moodie, Rob Carter, Arnab Chanda, Shivani Thussu, Terry Bird, Carole Street, Mark Silcox and Aaron Chen.
In 2026, Roberts became part of the writers of the UK edition of Saturday Night Live.[25][26][27]
Reception
Comedian Abi Tedder cites Roberts as an influence and "probably the funniest man I've ever seen on a stage".[28]
Personal life
Sheeps lived together for a period of time.[22] Roberts is married to actress and comedian Emma Sidi, also his on-screen partner in the TV series Starstruck.[29][30]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Intervention | Will | Short film | |
| The Bird | Son | Short film | ||
| 2016 | Three Women Wait for Death | Solicitor | Short film | |
| 2021 | Last Night in Soho | Librarian | ||
| 2024 | And Mrs. | Daniel (paramedic) |
Television
| Year | Title | Channel | Role | Other role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Live at the Electric | BBC Three | Himself | Series 3, Episode 1 | [31] | |
| Parents' Evening | Mr Wilson | Pilot | [31] | |||
| 2015 | The Javone Prince Show | BBC Two | Ensemble actor | Episodes 1–4 | [17] | |
| Comedy Feeds: People Time | BBC Three | Various | Writer | Pilot | [21] | |
| 2016 | Siblings | Ralph | Series 2, Episode 2: "Golden Aunt" | [31] | ||
| Flowers | Channel 4 | Tree Man | Series 1, Episode 6 | [31] | ||
| Comedy Feeds: Limbo | BBC Three | Francis | Pilot | [32] | ||
| Morgana Robinson's The Agency | BBC Two | Journalist | Episode 3 | [33] | ||
| Drifters | Channel 4 | Will Johnson | Series 4, Episode 4: "Homeless" | [31] | ||
| 2016: Year Friends | Vimeo | Al | 12 episodes | [22] | ||
| 2017 | The Windsors | Channel 4 | Richard III | Series 2, Episode 3 | [31] | |
| 2018–2023 | Stath Lets Flats | Al | Series 1–3 | [31] | ||
| 2019 | Sam Campbell: Get Real Dude | Ensemble actor | Pilot (Comedy Blap) | [24] | ||
| Down from London | Vimeo | Martin | 1 episode | [31] | ||
| 2020–2021 | Feel Good | Channel 4 | Jared | Series 1, Episodes 1, 3, 6; Series 2, Episode 3 | [31] | |
| King Gary | BBC One | Robin | Series 1, Episode 3: "The Bunion"; Episode 4 "The Big Schmooze"
Series 2, Episode 3: "Conquerors"; Episode 4: "Fully Dark" |
[34] | ||
| 2020 | Red Dwarf - The Promised Land | BBC Two | Count Ludo | [35][31] | ||
| Ghosts | BBC One | Francis | Series 2, Episode 4: "The Thomas Thorne Affair" | [36] | ||
| Truth Seekers | Amazon Prime | Young Byron, Berkeley | Episode 2: "The Watcher On The Water" | [31] | ||
| 2021 | Dead Pixels | E4 | DVT | Series 2, Episode 3: "Mission"; Episode 6: "Flanks/Yams" | [31] | |
| Intelligence | Sky One | Pavarotti | Series 2, Episode 3 | [31] | ||
| 2021–2023 | Starstruck | BBC Three | Ian | Series 1, Episode 1: "NYE"; Episode 3: "Summer"; Episode 6: "Christmas".
Series 2, Episodes 1–6. Series 3, Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. |
[37] | |
| 2022 | This Is Going To Hurt | BBC One | James | Episode 7 | [38] | |
| What We Do in the Shadows | Freddie | Series 4, Episode 2: "The Lamp", Episode 9: "Freddie" | [31] | |||
| 2023–2024 | Everyone Else Burns | Channel 4 | Elder Abijah | Series 1 and 2 | ||
| 2023 | A Whole Lifetime With Jamie Demetriou | Netflix | Sigmund the City Boy | One episode | ||
| Man Like Mobeen | BBC | Memory Stick | 4 episodes | |||
| 2024 | Industry | BBC | Nicholas St John | 1 episode | ||
| 2025 | Mammoth | BBC Two | Matthew | Series 2, Episode 2 | ||
| Chess Ham | Spy | |||||
| 2026 | Saturday Night Live UK | Sky One | Writer | [25] | ||
| Ann Droid | BBC | Mark | 3 episodes |
Radio
| Year | Title | Station | Role | Other role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Sketchorama | BBC Radio 4 | As "Sheeps" | Writer | Series 2, Episode 2 | |
| 2014 | Newsjack | Writer | Series 11, Episodes 2, 4 | |||
| Script Editor | Series 11, Episode 3 | |||||
| 2015 | Sabotage | BBC Radio 4 Extra | As "Sheeps" | Series 2, Episode 2 | ||
| 2017 | Liam Williams – Ladhood | BBC Radio 4 | Ensemble actor | Series 2 | ||
| 2025 | DMs Are Open | Series 4, Episodes 1–6 | ||||
| Kat Sadler's Screen Time | Series 2, Episodes 1–4 |
Live performance
| Year | Title | Role | Group | Venue | Festival | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Much Ado About Nothing | Dogberry, a Constable | Footlights | ADC Theatre | [39] | |
| Circus | Various | [40][41] | ||||
| The Alchemist | Subtle | [42] | ||||
| Grow Up | Various | [43] | ||||
| Faust: ADC/Footlights Panto 2006 – Cornelius | Cornelius | [44] | ||||
| 2007 | I'll Be Back Before Midnight | Arthur | [45] | |||
| The Comedy of Errors | Antipholus of Ephesus | Queens College | [46] | |||
| Coat | The Man | White Belly, Underbelly | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | [47] | ||
| Motortown | Paul | ADC Theatre | [48] | |||
| Once Upon a Time... The 2007 ADC/ Footlights Panto | Enjolras | [49] | ||||
| 2008 | Romeo and Juliet | Romeo | [50] | |||
| Devils: Footlights 125th Anniversary Tour Show | Writer, Performer | Pembroke New Cellars | [51] | |||
| ADC Theatre | [52] | |||||
| Underbelly | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | |||||
| Theseus and the Minotaur: ADC/Footlights Panto 2008 | King Minos | ADC Theatre | [53] | |||
| 2009 | An Oak Tree | Father | [54] | |||
| Footlights Tour Show 2009 - Wishful Thinking | Writer, Performer | [55] | ||||
| Etcetera Theatre | ||||||
| Canal Cafe | ||||||
| Pleasance | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | |||||
| West Walls Theatre | ||||||
| Royal Northern College of Music | ||||||
| Nottingham Arts Theatre | ||||||
| Old Fire Station | ||||||
| Royal Naval College | ||||||
| Tivoli Theatre, Dorset | ||||||
| Torch Theatre | ||||||
| Gulbenkian Theatre | ||||||
| New Cut Arts | ||||||
| Arena Theatre | ||||||
| Uppingham Theatre | ||||||
| 2010 | Sheeps and You Have Sixty Minutes | Sheeps | ADC Theatre | [56][57] | ||
| 2011 | Sheeps: A Sketch Show | Pleasance Courtyard | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | [3] | ||
| 2012 | Armageddapocalypse: Threat Level Dead | James Moran, Lucien Young, Mark Fiddaman | Udderbelly | [58] | ||
| Sheeps - Dancing With Lisa | Sheeps | Pleasance Courtyard | [5] | |||
| 2014 | Sheeps: Wembley Previews | Bedlam Theatre | [59] | |||
| 2015 | Sheeps Skewer the News | The Cellar Monkey | [60] | |||
| 2018 | Sheeps: Live and Loud Selfie Sex Harry Potter | Pleasance Dome | ||||
| 2021 | Aberystwyth Comedy Festival | |||||
| King of the Table | Moth Club | [61] | ||||
| 2024 | Sheeps: The Giggle Bunch (That's Our Name For You) | Pleasance Courtyard | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | |||
| 2025` | Sheeps: A Very Sheeps Christmas? Live in Concert! In the Summer! |