# Oliver Savell
**Oliver Savell** (born 2009) is an English child actor known for playing Young Alan Carr in the ITVX autobiographical sitcom *Changing Ends*, a performance that has won a Royal Television Society Award and twice been nominated for BAFTA Television Awards.[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/oliver-savell.html) • [2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/) He has also appeared in [Kenneth Branagh](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenneth-branagh)'s film *[Belfast](https://www.edgepedia.org/belfast-film)* (2021) and Erlingur Thoroddsen's film *The Piper* (2023), and on stage at the Donmar Warehouse.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12478927/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2009, England[1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/oliver-savell.html) |
| Signature role | Young Alan Carr in *Changing Ends* (ITVX, 2023–present)[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/) |
| Film debut | Ronnie Boyd in Kenneth Branagh's *Belfast* (2021)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12478927/) |
| Other film | Colin in *The Piper* (2023)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12478927/) |
| Stage | Ainsley in *Appropriate* (2019, professional debut); Harry in *Force Majeure* at the Donmar Warehouse[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) |
| Awards | RTS Award 2025 Comedy Performance (Male), winner; BAFTA Television Award nominations in 2025 and 2026; Edinburgh TV Festival Award 2026 Best TV Actor - Comedy, winner[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/) |
| Announced lead | Adrian Mole in the BBC's *The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾*, listed for 2027[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/) |
## Changing Ends
*Changing Ends* is a quasi-autobiographical comedy based on the comedian [Alan Carr](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-carr)'s childhood in 1980s Northampton, where his father Graham managed Northampton Football Club. Savell plays the young Alan, carrying the childhood scenes while the adult Carr appears as narrator.[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) The show premiered on ITVX on 1 June 2023, with [Shaun Dooley](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaun-dooley) as [Graham Carr](https://www.edgepedia.org/graham-carr), Nancy Sullivan as Christine Carr, and Taylor Fay as Gary Carr.[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) According to IMDb production notes summarized in a 2026 profile, the role followed a search involving around 450 child actors; Savell learned he had the part when Carr came to his house to tell him in person.[5](https://civicpost.co.uk/local/oliver-savell-changing-ends-adrian-mole/) • [4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/)
Savell prepared by watching Carr's shows, working with a voice coach, and, with director Dave Lambert, avoiding a caricature of Carr's voice; he has said the false teeth helped him find the character.[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) Reviewing the second series, critic Bruce Dessau wrote that Savell "delivers every line with absolute aplomb, a 12-year-old going on 50," and that the show is set in 1987 in [Northampton](https://www.edgepedia.org/northampton).[6](https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/15078/review-changing-ends) Series 1 aired in 2023 and Series 2 in 2024, each with six episodes.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/)
## Film and stage work
**Screen roles.** Savell's first film role was as Ronnie Boyd in *Belfast* (2021), Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical film, in which he appeared alongside [Jude Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/jude-hill).[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) • [1](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/oliver-savell.html) He then played Colin in the horror film *The Piper* (2023), directed by Erlingur Thoroddsen, which was filmed in Bulgaria over six weeks.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12478927/) • [4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) In 2023 he also contributed additional voices to the video game *[Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragon-quest-monsters-the-dark-prince)*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12478927/) IMDb lists a completed upcoming film credit as Anton Krutzfeld in *Kristallnacht*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12478927/)
**Stage.** His professional stage debut came in 2019 at about age nine, as Ainsley in *Appropriate*, directed by Ola Ince.[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) He later played Harry in *Force Majeure* at the Donmar Warehouse, a comedy set on a ski slope with fake snow, and the IMDb biography counts both Donmar appearances, *Appropriate* and *Force Majeure*, among his stage credits.[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12478927/)
## Recognition
For *Changing Ends*, Savell won the RTS Award for Comedy Performance (Male) in 2025 and was nominated again in 2026; he was nominated for BAFTA Television Awards in 2025 (Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme) and 2026 (Best Actor in a Comedy), and won the Edinburgh TV Festival Award for Best TV Actor - Comedy in 2026 after a 2025 nomination. He was also nominated for Edinburgh TV Festival Breakthrough Talent in 2024.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/) In 2023, he presented the Best Storyline award at the British Soap Awards alongside his on-screen father Shaun Dooley.[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/)
## Upcoming work
In April 2026 the BBC confirmed Savell as the title character in a nine-part adaptation of Sue Townsend's novel *The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾*, adapted by David Nicholls and produced by Big Talk Studios, filming in the North East of England with [Lisa McGrillis](https://www.edgepedia.org/lisa-mcgrillis) as Pauline Mole and Colin Hoult as George Mole; it will air on [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) and [BBC iPlayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-iplayer).[7](https://www.culturednortheast.co.uk/p/casting-confirmed-for-north-east) British Comedy Guide lists the production for 2027.[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/) Savell's acting began with Stagecoach classes; at age nine his teacher suggested to his parents that he sign with an agent. He is represented by Charlene McManus at Curtis Brown.[4](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/) • [2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/)
## References
1. [Oliver Savell - Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/oliver-savell.html)
2. [Oliver Savell - British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/oliver-savell/)
3. [Oliver Savell - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12478927/)
4. [Oliver Savell - TresA, interview by Danielle Bayliss, 30 June 2023](https://tresamagazine.com/2023/06/30/oliver-savell/)
5. [Oliver Savell: Changing Ends Actor and Adrian Mole Lead - CivicPost](https://civicpost.co.uk/local/oliver-savell-changing-ends-adrian-mole/)
6. [TV Review: Changing Ends, ITV1/ITVX - Beyond The Joke, Bruce Dessau, 24 July 2024](https://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/15078/review-changing-ends)
7. [Casting confirmed for North East shot Adrian Mole reboot - Cultured Northeast, 16 April 2026](https://www.culturednortheast.co.uk/p/casting-confirmed-for-north-east)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 2001 to 2010 › Performers born 2006 to 2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license