Shane Richie | |
|---|---|
 Richie in 2005 | |
| Born | Shane Patrick Paul Roche (1964-03-11)11 March 1964 (age 61) Kensington,London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, presenter, singer |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Known for | Role ofAlfie Moon inEastEnders |
| Notable work | EastEnders (2002–2005, 2010–2016, 2018–2019, 2022–present) Kat and Alfie: Redwater (2017) Flushed Away (2006) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5, includingJake Roche |
Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964),[1] known asShane Richie, is an English actor, comedian, presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the characterAlfie Moon in theBBC One soap operaEastEnders (appearing 2002–2005, 2010–2016, 2018–2019, 2022–present) and then in itsspin-offRTÉ DramaRedwater in 2017. In 2020, he appeared on thetwentieth series ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here and finished in fourth place.[2]
Richie has presented a number ofBBC game shows includingReflex,Win Your Wish List andDecimate.
He also regularly appears inpantomime and has repeatedly starred asRobin Hood. He first took the role appearing at the Mayflower Theatre,Southampton in 2016, then repeated it in 2017 at the New Victoria Theatre,Woking. He then reprised the role once again in 2018 at theMilton Keynes Theatre. In 2019 he starred alongside Jennie Dale as the title character in Dick Whittington at theBristol Hippodrome inBristol.[3]
Richie was born on 11 March 1964 atSt Mary Abbots Hospital inKensington,London[4] toIrish parents.[5] He attendedWillesden High School[6] and was a member of a youth theatre as a child, and began his professional career in adolescence as a bluecoat entertainer at aPontinsholiday camp Little Canada, on theIsle of Wight. He progressed to the live stand up circuit, receiving a nomination for best new stand-up at the inauguralBritish Comedy Awards.
In 1989, Richie made nightly appearances forSky TV's chat show seriesJameson Tonight, which was hosted byDerek Jameson and Richie and recorded at theWindmill Theatre, London. In 1990, Richie made his first terrestrial television appearances as one of the comics on theBBC One sketch showUp to Something! withSuzy Aitchison,David Schneider, Frances Dodge,Mike Hayley andLewis MacLeod; however, the show was axed after one series. Richie was one of five comics, along with Maddi Cryer, Annette Law, George Marshall andBilly Pearce.
Richie later branched out into hosting game shows after proving successful as host of the children's quiz showRun the Risk, which was played during theBBC Saturday morning showGoing Live!. He moved into mainstream presenting withCaught in the Act,Win, Lose or Draw,The Shane Richie Experience (later revamped asLove Me Do) andLucky Numbers. He also replacedDanny Baker in the 'doorstep challenge' TV ads forDazdetergent; he had previously replaced Baker as host ofWin, Lose or Draw. In the 2012 Christmas episode ofThe Sarah Millican Television Programme, Richie said that Daz gave him so much money for doing the adverts that he would have "snorted the stuff" if they had asked him.[citation needed]
Richie has had success inmusicals, appearing in such musicals asBoogie Nights and the 1993 London revival production ofGrease. He released two albums,The Album in 1997, andOnce Around the Sun in 2000, to limited commercial response. Richie had a number 2hit in theUK Singles Chart in 2003, with hisChildren in Needcover version ofWham!'s "I'm Your Man".
Over Christmas 2005, Richie appeared in a touring run ofScrooge: The Musical.
In 2009, Richie was reportedly scheduled as theopening act forMichael Jackson's concerts atThe O2 Arena.[7] The concerts were cancelled followingJackson's death.
During Christmas 2009, 2013 and 2014, Richie appeared as Aladdin, Buttons and Dick Whittington, in the pantomimesAladdin,Cinderella andDick Whittington at theWycombe Swan Theatre inHigh Wycombe.
In 2017, Richie signed withEast West Records and released his debutcountry music album,A Country Soul on 10 November 2017, which featured songs co-written by his son,Rixton memberJake Roche.[8][9]
Richie was a regular co-host alongsideDerek Jameson on "Jameson Tonight", an earlySky One talk show in 1990.
In 1995, Richie began hosting the game showLucky Numbers and starred inThe Shane Richie Experience (1995–1996).
From 2002 to 2003, Richie played the villainous Danny Dexter onNight and Day. He won supporting roles in low-profile British films, beginning withChris Barfoot's award-winning short comedy movieDead Clean and then laterDistant Shadow. In 2003, Richie was executive producer for the British filmShoreditch, in which he also appeared in a lead role. He invested a six-figure sum into the budget of the film, which ultimately made little profit.
In 2007, Richie starred inITV dramaThe Good Samaritan, andFather Frank forBBC One. He also starred in the second series ofSkins onChannel 4 asBruce Gelcart, a lecherous college drama lecturer.
On 11 May 2008, Richie hosted a quiz show onSky One calledDon't Forget the Lyrics!, whereby contestants must finish off the lyrics to lines of popular songs in order to win money.
On 25 April 2008, he was due to be a guest onThe Paul O'Grady Show, but due toPaul O'Grady falling ill, Richie stood in as host.
In February 2009, Richie starred in a revamp of the seriesMinder onChannel 5. Rather than a remake of the original, Richie starred as Archie Daley, the nephew of the character Arthur Daley from the original series, which ran from 1979 to 1994 onITV.[10]
On 26 July 2009, Richie appeared in a one-off television drama calledWhatever It Takes playing a character called JJ Merrick who comes to the aid of a girl who wins a radio competition – and catapults her into stardom, thus giving her a new lease of life.
The BBC announced on 14 November 2011 that followingJimmy Savile's recent death,Jim'll Fix It would return for a one-off Christmas Special in December 2011, with Richie as host.[11]
In January 2014, Richie presented one series of theBBC One game showReflex, made byObjective Productions. In December 2014, Richie began hostingThe National Lottery: Win Your Wish List, a new Saturday night game show. A second series began airing in February 2016.[12]
Richie has guest-hosted numerous episodes ofThe One Show. Between 2015 and 2016, Richie presented theBBC One daytime game showDecimate.
In June 2015, it was announced that he would be appearing in an episode ofBenidorm.[13]
In 2019, Richie filmedCaravanning With Shane Richie forChannel 5.
In November 2020, it was announced that Richie would appear on thetwentieth series ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here. He finished in fourth place.[2]
In 2002, Richie joined the cast ofEastEnders asAlfie Moon, a humorous character in a programme which had been criticised for being too depressing. The role won him numerous awards, including the award for Best Male European Actor at theRose d'Or festival andNational Television Awards for Most Popular Actor in 2005, shortly before he and co-starJessie Wallace left the programme on Christmas Day in 2005.
On 8 May 2008, he said in an interview withDigital Spy that he would love to return toEastEnders.[14]
On 23 July 2009, Richie announced onThe One Show that his characterAlfie Moon would return toEastEnders.[15] Following an absence of almost five years, Richie made his on-screen return toEastEnders on 21 September 2010.
As well as appearing inEastEnders, Richie also narrated three episodes for the documentary seriesEastEnders Revealed, a series that goes behind the scenes to explore characters and storylines; the episodes were "The Secret Mitchell" (2009) aboutRonnie Mitchell andDanielle Jones, "Peggy Mitchell – Queen of the Vic" (2010) aboutPeggy Mitchell, and "Farewell Pat" (2012) aboutPat Evans.
On 4 April 2015, it was announced that Richie would appear alongside Jessie Wallace in a six-partBBC One drama series,Redwater. In the spin-off,Kat and Alfie Moon visited Ireland as they put their past behind them. Speaking about the series, Richie commented: "Both Jessie and I are absolutely thrilled to be given this amazing opportunity. To have a whole drama focussed around Kat and Alfie is a huge honour for us both and we just can't wait to start filming.[16]
Richie briefly reprised the role in 2018,[17] with the character leaving once again in early 2019.[18]
In July 2022, it was announced that Richie would reprise the role of Alfie again, returning to the soap in the autumn.[19]
In 2003, Richie produced and starred in the filmShoreditch, into which he had reportedly invested half a million pounds of his own money. The film received negative reviews and was not widely seen.[20]
In 2006, Richie played a rat named Sid in theAardman Animation filmFlushed Away. He was subsequently seen in the UK stage tour ofOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest asRandle McMurphy, and heard as a presenter onVirgin Radio, where he interviewedTony Hadley ofSpandau Ballet.
In July 2015, it was announced that Richie would star alongside hisEastEnders co-star Jessie Wallace inThe Perfect Murder at theTheatre Royal in February 2016.[21]
Since 2016, Richie has appeared in pantomime asRobin Hood.[22][23][24]
In 2019, Richie starred as retired drag queen Hugo Battersby/Loco Chanelle in the hit musicalEverybody's Talking About Jamie at theApollo Theatre. He then reprised the role for the 2020 UK tour, running until 2022, despite someCovid interruptions.
Richie marriedColeen Nolan in 1990. Together, they had two sons, Shane Roche Jr. (born 1988) andJake Roche (born 1992). The couple divorced in 1999.[25] Richie has three children with wife Christie.[26]
In 2003, Richie released his autobiographyRags to Richie.[27] In the book, he claims to have had sex with six girls in a chalet during his time as a Pontins Bluecoat, and says that he broke the law by orchestratingticket touts outside the theatre where he was appearing inGrease. Richie also claims to have given free tickets to the touts, who went on to sell them at a large profit for Richie.
Richie is patron of Shinfield Players Theatre, an amateurlittle theatre inReading,Berkshire, taking the role fromAnton Rodgers who died in 2007.[28] He made his first appearance in the audience on 11 July 2009 for the Youth Group production ofDisco Inferno.
Richie is patron of the UK'sHuntington's Disease Association.[29] He is also a patron of a charity called Cherry Trees, which provides respite care for children with disabilities.[30]
In 2019, Richie admitted that he had tolive in a squat when a job failed to happen. After the squat was raided by police, he ended up homeless and was cautioned by the police forvagrancy. Of the experience, Richie said "What I learnt almost 40 years ago has had, and will always have, a lasting effect on me."[31]
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Dead Clean | Nicos Malmatakis |
| 1999 | Distant Shadow | Paul |
| 2001 | Silent Soul | Chippy |
| 2003 | Shoreditch | Thomas Hickman / Executive producer |
| 2006 | Flushed Away | Sid (voice) |
| What we did on our Holiday | ||
| 2010 | Risen | Mike Barrett |
| 2011 | The Reverend | Prince |
| 2013 | Prisoners of the Sun | Kalfhani |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Grange Hill | Schoolboy | Episode #1.1 (uncredited) |
| 1985 | Bergerac | Henry Hoffman's Bodyguard | Episode: "Sins of the Fathers" (uncredited) |
| 1989 | Jameson Tonight | Himself | Co-presenter |
| 1992 | Caught in the Act | 12 episodes[32] | |
| 1992–1994 | Run the Risk | ||
| 1994 | Win, Lose or Draw[33] | Presenter | |
| 1995–1997 | Lucky Numbers | ||
| The Shane Richie experience | |||
| 2000 | Burnside | Tony Shotton | Recurring role |
| 2002–2005, 2010–2016, 2018–2019, 2022–present | EastEnders | Alfie Moon | Series regular: 1,060 episodes |
| 2003 | Night and Day | Danny Dexter | Recurring role |
| 2007 | Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind | Trooper No.1 | Voiceover role |
| 2008 | Skins | Bruce Gelcart | 1 episode |
| The Paul O'Grady Show | Himself | Guest presenter: 1 episode | |
| 2009 | Minder | Archie Daley | Series regular |
| New Tricks | Johnny Tevis | 1 episode | |
| 2010 | 71 Degrees North | Himself | Contestant |
| 2011 | Jim'll Fix It | Presenter | |
| 2013–2015 | Children in Need | Co-presenter | |
| 2014 | Reflex | Presenter | |
| 2014–2016 | The National Lottery: Win Your Wish List | ||
| 2015 | We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story | Main cast | |
| 2015–2016 | Decimate | Presenter | |
| 2015–2020 | The One Show | Guest presenter | |
| 2016 | Moving On | Terry | Main cast: 5 episodes |
| 2016, 2018 | Benidorm | Sammy Valentino | Guest (2016); Supporting (2018) |
| 2017 | Kat & Alfie: Redwater | Alfie Moon | Main cast: 6 episodes |
| 2018 | Star Boot Sale | Narrator | |
| 2019 | Caravanning With Shane Richie | Himself | Presenter |
Shane plays Archie Daley, with Royal Shakespeare Company actor Lex Shrapnel taking on the role of his minder, Jamie Cartwright...The show will be screened on Five, and those behind it emphasised it was not a re-make...The new six-part series of Minder is due to begin airing next month
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |