As Alan Carr graces our screens in the BBC series Celebrity Traitors, we're reminded of his complex relationship with his father, a man who couldn't be more different from him.
The 49-year-old funnyman has made numerous remarks about his dad during his early stand-up days, comments he now admits he regrets. He's since channelled much of his past into the autobiographical TV sitcom 'Changing Ends', which delves into his upbringing in Northampton in the 1980s as the son of a professional football manager.
The ITV show, which reflects on his childhood in Northampton, has resonated with many viewers, offering plenty of laughs along the way. Set in the East Midlands during Thatcher's era, it portrays this crucial period through the lens of an aspiring comedian whose family were obsessed with football while he was more interested in showbiz.
Alan takes centre stage in the series, portraying an older and wiser version of himself, alongside Shaun Dooley, who plays his dad, Graham Carr. The young and flamboyant Alan is brought to life by Oliver Savell, whose performance earned him a BAFTA nomination.
"Growing up, I think a lot of gay men have odd relationships with their dad," Alan admitted to The Mirror. "My dad was the best dad in the world, but I was like an alien in the house.", reports the Express.
"I do feel bad because when I started out in stand-up, I talked about Dad in my act. My dad's not an a*******; he's just an 80s northern football manager who wanted his son to play football."
At 80, Alan Carr's father, Graham Carr, who was a professional football manager, player and scout, had hoped his son would follow in his sporting footsteps. However, it became clear early on in Alan's life that this wasn't going to be the case.
The comedian has often made light of his sexuality, humorously suggesting his father is responsible for his flamboyant nature during an appearance on the podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. He quipped: "My dad was a football manager. You know what they say about gays, the evolution, if you have a really masculine dad, they have a gay son.
"I do know a lot of gay men whose dads are. I high-kick out of my mum's vagina; there's been like a mix-up at the hospital, and there's some hairdresser looking at his son playing rugby going, 'What's happened?'".
In the same podcast, Carr addressed the criticism he sometimes faces for being labelled as a "stereotype" due to his camp persona.
He responded to the critics, saying: "The thing is with camp, if I put it on, then have a go at me.
"On the outside I am probably a stereotype, but my brain's not; if it was, everyone would have a podcast or a hit chat show. If it was easy to be me, everyone would be doing it."