Alistair McDowall grew up in the North East of England. Brilliant Adventures was awarded a Bruntwood Prize in 2011, and was developed as part of the Young Writers Festival 2012 at the Royal Court. He has been a writer-on-attachment with the Royal Court, Paines Plough, and the National Theatre Studio, and his play Talk Show was produced at the Royal Court Downstairs from 16 - 20 July 2013.

My dad is a superhero. No one else knows 'cos it has to stay a secret.
Alistair McDowall's play is a funny and poignant one-man show that thrusts us into the life of Britain's only part-time superhero.
Struggling to balance his family responsibilities and more conventional job with defeating super-villains and rescuing families from burning buildings, Captain Amazing represents how all parents strive to be heroes in the eyes of their children. Discover this man's origins, his family life, and how even the invincible aren't immune to tragedy.
Captain Amazing received its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013, starring Mark Weinman, and directed by Clive Judd. It was revived for a national tour from March 2014.
'[He] is the kind of man you wouldn't look twice at in the street: balding; stooped; tentative. He's skating over the surface of life, marking time with his job at B&Q, barely acquiring possessions, not speaking to his alcoholic father. And then he meets a woman who does look twice at him; who gives birth to their daughter, Emily, and suddenly Emily is convinced that her beloved father is a superhero.' Daily Telegraph