Meet Alan Myatt, Gloucester's professional Henry VIII

Gloucester

Tudor Day runs from 10am – 4pm on Saturday the 12th of April

Venue: The Folk of Gloucester, 99-103 Westgate Street

Ahead of his appearance at Tudor Day on the 19th of April at The Folk of Gloucester, we interviewed local icon Alan Myatt about what it’s like to work as a professional Henry VIII.

It’s summer in a field in Cambridge, and Alan Myatt is going out of his mind. Only two days before, his agent had told him that, instead of meeting and greeting visitors to the Medieval Tournament at St. John’s College as he had expected, he was in fact booked on to perform monologues from the Shakespeare play, Henry VIII. Walking towards the marquee, his panic increases when he sees an enormous sign outside the tent advertising his performance, his name emblazoned across it in huge letters.

We should probably mention at this point that Alan is dressed as Henry VIII. In fact, it’s his job to dress as Henry VIII. In his £1,500 replica costume made from authentic materials including real pearls and gold, he’s greeted visitors at The Tower of London, The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn and countless Medieval fayres like this one. But he’s never in his life had to perform Shakespeare before.

In his costume, Gloucester resident Alan Myatt is almost indistinguishable from Hans Holbein’s iconic painting of Henry VIII. The outfit was made more than 35 years ago by Julie Mitchell, a textiles graduate, who scrutinised paintings of the time to capture every detail. Alan sprinkles turmeric in his beard to get that fiery Henry VIII tint, and his ensemble used to include a hollow codpiece which he kept his phone in – until it had to be removed because it kept ringing in public.

But his beginnings were far more everyday. Gloucester born and bred, Alan had worked as a groundworker, a hod carrier and a doorman at the Bristol Hotel before joining Gloucester Amateur Dramatics Society.

“I broke the mould when I joined,” he says, explaining that the group had previously consisted of more well-spoken, middle-class people.

His first brush with fame came when he appeared as an extra in the 1987 film Napolean and Josephine: A Love Story, filmed in Gloucester Royal Docks. Bitten by the performing bug, he decided to take the leap into professional acting, starting out as a kissogram and singing telegram in the guise of a caveman called Ugg.

This is far from the most unusual character Alan has played. He estimates that he’s played as many as 40 parts over the decades at innumerable events, including Father Christmas, Hagrid, Humpty Dumpty, Captain Hook, a Victorian policeman, a Yeoman of the Guard, and an Admiral at battle of Trafalgar. He prides himself on his attention to detail, to the extent of doing all his own makeup.

“I’ve spent thousands of pounds on costumes,” he says.

His most famous persona, one that is still instantly recognisable around Gloucester and across the country, is that of the Town Crier. In this guise, Alan won two world records in 1991: one for the loudest Town Crier, and one for the longest stint of Town Crying. These feats landed him on the Record Breakers TV show presented by Roy Castle, alongside other winners including the world’s longest-eared rabbit.

Despite this honour, the highlight of this Town Crying career came when he was elected as toastmaster to the Queen in the royal court, as well as three prime ministers in twelve months (this was in 2022, in case you hadn’t guessed).

“I didn’t think I’d get the role, because I’m quite a comical character and not serious enough. But they loved me!” Alan confides.

When he was the Town Crier, clients started asking him if he could come back again, but in a different costume. It was from this that his Henry VIII career was born.

But back in that field in Cambridge, Alan is beginning to wish he’d never agreed to any of it. As the marquee begins to fill in anticipation of his Shakespeare recitation, he realises that the only way he can cope is to adopt yet another persona: that of a great Shakespearian actor. Inspired, he puts everything into his performance and ends up getting a standing ovation, with some of the same audience members returning for his second show.

The only mishap comes when he misses his train home and has to sleep in the marquee he was performing in. Falling asleep surrounded by Tudor props and hangings, it almost feels as if he really is the great 16th-century king. But the morning brings him back to earth with a bump. He awakes to find that the tent and props have been silently taken down around him, leaving him sleeping on a canvas groundsheet in the middle of an empty field.

There’s no more sleeping on groundsheets for Alan Myatt these days, but he tells us: “I’m not slowing down, I’m just being more selective.”

On Saturday the 19th of April, he will be holding court as Henry VIII at Tudor Day at The Folk of Gloucester – a set of historic 16th-century townhouses on Westgate Street. Alongside live music, reenactment, food and drink and children’s activities, visitors will get the chance to be knighted by Henry VIII himself in a formal ceremony.

Alan Myatt recalls children’s reactions when they first see him. “It’s like meeting Father Christmas,” he says. “They love to come up and talk to me.”

At first, some children are taken aback, possibly believing he really is the ferocious king Henry VIII. But once he starts joking with them, they relax. Alan believes it’s important to be playful, friendly and fun, not harsh and superior like the real king was likely to have been. He stresses the importance of being approachable and giving visitors a positive experience above all. “I’m not a reenactor: I’m an entertainer,” he says.

Tudor Day runs from 10am – 4pm on Saturday the 12th of April at The Folk of Gloucester, 99-103 Westgate Street, GL1 2PG. Entry is free with a suggested donation of £4 per adult to support the upkeep of the historic building.

The programme includes authentic Tudor music from The Bygonez and The Bristol Waites, demonstrations of Tudor wood carving, sewing and willow weaving with Vidor the Benedictine Monk, the chance to try Tudor costumes and games, and a demonstration of Tudor weapons in action. The café and bar will be open for the duration of the event, serving a special Tudor-inspired menu alongside more familiar offerings.

Visitors can also book onto a workshop to learn the Medieval instruments of the Pipe and Tabor, which includes a free pipe to take home. Find out more on The Folk of Gloucester web page.

 

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