Alistair Wallingford was a down-on-his-luck actor who happened to be a look-a-like of the late John Abbott. In 2008, John's son, Jack Abbott, and his wife, Sharon Abbott, met Alistair. They (and Gloria Abbott Bardwell's new husband, Jeffrey Bardwell) hired him to play John's ghost in a plot to evict John's manipulative widow, Gloria, from the Abbott mansion. With some new clothes and a haircut, Al was the spitting image of John! At first, the plan seemed to frighten Glo, but things went awry when Alistair fell for her. Alistair enjoyed his beer and wine and was usually drunk causing problems with Jack and Sharon's plans. They finally fired him and tried to keep him hidden away in a room at the Genoa City Athletic Club, but he escaped and returned to the Abbott mansion to pursue Gloria.