The show did not mention that Alex was a fictional character voiced by an actor and – in the manner of Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds radio broadcast – many listeners believed that they were listening to a real banker airing his controversial opinions on national radio (the financial crisis of 2007–2008 was in full swing and bankers were persona non grata at the time). In 2011, the show won a Media Week award and a Sony Award for Best Branded Content. Controversy In 2017 the cartoon introduced a transgender character, Stephanie. She was an old-school, middle-aged boss transitioning to being a woman, but attempting to retain her previous privileges. The character was intended to draw attention to gender disparities. However The New Zealand Herald dropped Alex on 11 April 2019 following complaints from some readers about the character. Stephanie has not appeared in the strip since. References External links "Alex" cartoon website Alex Comic Strip Books Gallery Daily Telegraph business section Wikipedia parodied in Alex British comic strips 1987 comics debuts British comics characters Comics characters introduced in 1987 Gag-a-day comics Satirical comics Comics set in England Comics adapted into radio series Comics adapted into plays Fictional politicians 1987 establishments in the United Kingdom