Alan Fletcher
Encyclopedia
Alan Fletcher is an Australian actor and musician, best known for his role as Karl Kennedy
in long-running soap opera Neighbours
. Fletcher was educated at Wesley College, Perth
.
from 1982 until production ceased the following year. He followed this with an appearance in US series The Love Boat
(1981) and various Australian feature films, TV movies, and miniseries. He briefly acted in Neighbours in 1987 as Greg Cooper, a run-down, dishonest boxer working in Jim Robinson
's (Alan Dale
) garage. In 1994, Fletcher successfully auditioned for the role of Karl Kennedy in the soap, a role which he continues to play.
In 2005, Fletcher starred as Henry Higgins
in a production of My Fair Lady
at the Melbourne Comedy Theatre. He is also a prominent member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
, a role which saw him become a vocal critic of the 2004 US-Australia Free Trade Agreement, including an appearance on the political talk-show Meet the Press
.
In 2008, Fletcher starred as Frank McGee in the workshop performance season of Call Girl the Musical
and as Captain Hook in the Pantomime
Peter Pan
at His Majesty's Theatre
, Aberdeen
.
, with other members including Tommy Rando, Chris Hawker and drummer Jeff Consi. They have toured the United Kingdom several times. With a handful of their own songs they incorporate a selection of cover versions into their set. Fletcher also covers Smokie's
"Living Next Door to Alice", substituting Alice, for "Susan", his on-screen wife (Jackie Woodburne
). Their single, So Wrong, was released on iTunes
on the 26 November 2007, followed by their new album, Live at the Elephant, on the 17 December 2007. On the 30 November 2007 Fletcher performed a cover of Oasis
' "Wonderwall
" for BBC Radio 1
's Live Lounge
.
In December 2008 Fletcher played a solo gig in Aberdeen
, playing a mixture of covers and Waiting Room
, material. He followed this with a second gig in the city on the 3 January 2009 at The Lemon Tree.
On the 15 May 2009 Fletcher announced via his official website that he was to tour the UK with a new band, The X-Rays due to the economic situation of bringing Waiting Room with him. The tour took place in September and October 2009 and featured some original Waiting Room
material. The X-Rays are UK based musicians Johnny Lucas, Chris Hanby and Martin Stewart. Fletcher continues to perform each week in Melbourne with Waiting Room
.
In September 2010, Fletcher announced on his official website that he will be touring the UK with Tommy Rando in November and December of that year. On 28 November 2010, during his UK tour, Fletcher appeared on the The Xtra Factor to discuss the potential winners of the show.
Fletcher was a contestant on the UK TV show Soapstar Superstar
, in January 2007 finishing in sixth place. He performed the following songs:
Melbourne newsreader Jennifer Hansen
and they have two children, Veronica and Tom. Fletcher supports Liverpool Football Club
.
Fletcher is an ambassador for Blue September, a charity that raises awareness of all cancers that can affect men. In 2011, Fletcher helped launch the charity in Britain.
Karl Kennedy
Karl Raymond Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Fletcher. The character and his family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Karl made his first on-screen appearance on 20 September 1994 along with his...
in long-running soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
. Fletcher was educated at Wesley College, Perth
Wesley College, Perth
Wesley College, informally known as Wesley, is an independent, day and boarding school for boys and girls , situated in South Perth, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia....
.
Career
Fletcher's first widely seen role was in police drama Cop ShopCop Shop
Cop Shop was an Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday operations of both the uniformed police officers and the plain-clothes detectives of the fictional Riverside Police Station....
from 1982 until production ceased the following year. He followed this with an appearance in US series The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
(1981) and various Australian feature films, TV movies, and miniseries. He briefly acted in Neighbours in 1987 as Greg Cooper, a run-down, dishonest boxer working in Jim Robinson
Jim Robinson (Neighbours)
James "Jim" Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Dale. He made his first on-screen appearance on 18 March 1985, which was the shows first episode. Jim was the patriarch of the Robinson family. Dale departed the show in 1993 after...
's (Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale developed a love of theatre and also became a rugby player. After retiring from the sport he took on a number of professions to support his family, before deciding to become a professional actor at the age of 27. With work limited in New...
) garage. In 1994, Fletcher successfully auditioned for the role of Karl Kennedy in the soap, a role which he continues to play.
In 2005, Fletcher starred as Henry Higgins
Henry Higgins
Henry Higgins may refer to:*The fictional character: see Pygmalion or My Fair Lady*The Australian politician and judge H. B. Higgins* Henry Higgins -See also:*Harry Higgins, English cricketer*Henry Huggins, fictional character...
in a production of My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
at the Melbourne Comedy Theatre. He is also a prominent member of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance is the Australian trade union and professional organisation which covers the media, entertainment, sports and arts industries...
, a role which saw him become a vocal critic of the 2004 US-Australia Free Trade Agreement, including an appearance on the political talk-show Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
.
In 2008, Fletcher starred as Frank McGee in the workshop performance season of Call Girl the Musical
Call Girl the Musical
Call Girl the Musical is a musical conceived by Australian TV comedian and writer Tracy Harvey and Doug MacLeod, with musical arrangements from Jack Howard and direction from Bryce Ives. - Background :...
and as Captain Hook in the Pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
at His Majesty's Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen is the largest theatre in north-east Scotland, seating more than 1400. The theatre is sited on Rosemount Viaduct, opposite the city's Union Terrace Gardens. It was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1906...
, Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
.
Musical career
Fletcher is also the lead singer in a band called Waiting RoomWaiting Room (band)
Waiting Room is an Australian band with Alan Fletcher as lead vocalist. The band also consists of Chris Hawker, Tommy Rando and Jeff Consi...
, with other members including Tommy Rando, Chris Hawker and drummer Jeff Consi. They have toured the United Kingdom several times. With a handful of their own songs they incorporate a selection of cover versions into their set. Fletcher also covers Smokie's
Smokie (band)
Smokie is an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire who found success in Europe in the 1970s.-Early years:Originally called The Yen, then The Sphynx and later Essence, the band was formed in 1964 at St. Bede's Grammar School in Heaton, Bradford as The Yen. The Yen's first gig was at Birkenshaw...
"Living Next Door to Alice", substituting Alice, for "Susan", his on-screen wife (Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne is a Northern Irish-born Australian actress.-Personal life:Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Her father was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. She has two older siblings: John and Stephen. At age three she emigrated with her family to...
). Their single, So Wrong, was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on the 26 November 2007, followed by their new album, Live at the Elephant, on the 17 December 2007. On the 30 November 2007 Fletcher performed a cover of Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
' "Wonderwall
Wonderwall (song)
"Wonderwall" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Owen Morris and Gallagher for their second album, Morning Glory?...
" for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
.
In December 2008 Fletcher played a solo gig in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, playing a mixture of covers and Waiting Room
Waiting Room (band)
Waiting Room is an Australian band with Alan Fletcher as lead vocalist. The band also consists of Chris Hawker, Tommy Rando and Jeff Consi...
, material. He followed this with a second gig in the city on the 3 January 2009 at The Lemon Tree.
On the 15 May 2009 Fletcher announced via his official website that he was to tour the UK with a new band, The X-Rays due to the economic situation of bringing Waiting Room with him. The tour took place in September and October 2009 and featured some original Waiting Room
Waiting Room (band)
Waiting Room is an Australian band with Alan Fletcher as lead vocalist. The band also consists of Chris Hawker, Tommy Rando and Jeff Consi...
material. The X-Rays are UK based musicians Johnny Lucas, Chris Hanby and Martin Stewart. Fletcher continues to perform each week in Melbourne with Waiting Room
Waiting Room (band)
Waiting Room is an Australian band with Alan Fletcher as lead vocalist. The band also consists of Chris Hawker, Tommy Rando and Jeff Consi...
.
In September 2010, Fletcher announced on his official website that he will be touring the UK with Tommy Rando in November and December of that year. On 28 November 2010, during his UK tour, Fletcher appeared on the The Xtra Factor to discuss the potential winners of the show.
Fletcher was a contestant on the UK TV show Soapstar Superstar
Soapstar Superstar
Soapstar Superstar was a reality singing competition produced by Granada Television which first aired on British television station ITV in 2006. In the competition, ten soap opera actors perform in front of a celebrity panel, which included Cilla Black, Billy Sammeth and Chris Cowey...
, in January 2007 finishing in sixth place. He performed the following songs:
- Day 1: FaithFaith (George Michael song)"Faith" is a #1 song, written and performed by George Michael, released as a single on Columbia Records, from his 1987 Faith album. According to Billboard magazine, it was the top-selling single of the year in the United States in 1988....
(George MichaelGeorge MichaelGeorge Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
) - Day 2: Bridge Over Troubled WaterBridge over Troubled WaterBridge Over Troubled Water is the fifth and final studio album by Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 26, 1970 on both Quadraphonic and Stereo formats, it reached No. 1 on Billboard Music Charts pop albums list...
(Simon & Garfunkel) - Day 3: Tears in HeavenTears in Heaven"Tears in Heaven" is a ballad written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings about the pain and loss Clapton felt following the death of his four-year-old son, Conor. Conor fell from a window of the 53rd-floor New York apartment of his mother's friend on March 20, 1991. Clapton, who arrived at the...
(Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
) - Day 4: Can't Take My Eyes Off YouCan't Take My Eyes off You"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. The song was among Valli's biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold record. It was Valli's biggest "solo" hit until he hit #1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You"...
(Andy WilliamsAndy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
) - Day 5: Don't Let the Sun Go Down on MeDon't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is the first single from British musician Elton John's 1974 album Caribou; it was released that year during the latter half of May in the United Kingdom, and on 10 June in the United States.-Lyrics and music:...
(Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
)
Personal life
Fletcher's wife is former Network TenNetwork Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
Melbourne newsreader Jennifer Hansen
Jennifer Hansen
Jennifer Hansen is a former news presenter on Australia's Network Ten and former news presenter on Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Hansen was born in Orbost, Victoria.-Biography:Jennifer attended Firbank Girls' Grammar School, in Brighton, Victoria...
and they have two children, Veronica and Tom. Fletcher supports Liverpool Football Club
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
.
Fletcher is an ambassador for Blue September, a charity that raises awareness of all cancers that can affect men. In 2011, Fletcher helped launch the charity in Britain.