Alan trained at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre. Before his television break in The Bill (1984), Alan appeared in the movie shorts, "At The Risk Of Blindness" and "In Tandem" (the latter with his The Bill (1984) co-star Andrea Mason). Alan spent two and a half years playing PC Nick Slater in The Bill (1984). In 1997, he starred in the video for "Another Night In", by the indie rock band Strangelove. He is also a writer, working with co-writer James Allen. They have several projects in development, including the feature film, "Lovesick" with "Working Title Films". Alan has also directed two short films, "The Good Cop", adapted from a short story by Magnus Mills, and "The Run".