Alex Zane

Alex was born in Leeds, England in 1979.

At school he was something of a geek, a studious young man who carried his books around in a briefcase, which was a source of constant amusement to school bullies.

During a stint as the lead singer of a student band while studying for his A-Levels, Alex discovered that he preferred talking to the audience and telling jokes in between the songs more than actually singing them. It was this that lead him to try out Stand Up Comedy. He soon found success, earning a place in the finals of the So You Think You're Funny competition at the Edinburgh Festival in 1998.

Meanwhile, Alex had earned a place to study medicine at London's UCL (his parents were keen on him fulfilling his potential and becoming a Doctor). He moved to London, and lived in the Halls of Residence in Camden for a while, still gigging on the comedy circuit, and dj-ing on student radio stations.

Alex's demo tape was picked up by London indie music radio station XFM, and he was given a graveyard shift. He decided to take a gamble and give up his studies and dedicate all of his time and energy into a career as a performer.

Alex was signed up in 2002 as a new presenter of MTV:UK. He fronted their flagship show TRL as well as having the opportunity to use his knowledge and love of film to present MTV's movie show Screenplay.

Alex currently hosts Popworld on Channel 4.