Christopher Douglas (British actor)

Last updated

Christopher Douglas (born c.1955 [1] ) is a British actor and writer.

Contents

He is the voice of Ed Reardon in BBC Radio 4's long-running sitcom Ed Reardon's Week , which he co-wrote with Andrew Nickolds. Ed Reardon's Week has completed fifteen series and was the winner of the Broadcasting Press Guild's "Best Radio Programme" award in 2005 and again in 2010. Douglas is also the voice and co-creator of the world's most disappointing cricketer Dave Podmore, a Radio 4 regular since 2001.

Other radio credits include a two-part adaptation of George Gissing's New Grub Street , two series of Mastering The Universe, co-written with Nick Newman and starring Dawn French. With Nicola Sanderson, he co-wrote three series of the radio comedy, Beauty Of Britain, starring Jocelyn Jee Esien. [2]

Douglas wrote and directed the improbably long-running career of uber-thesp Nicholas Craig (Nigel Planer), whose autobiography I, An Actor was first published in 1988, and who has continued to appear on TV and on stage ever since.

Background

Douglas was the son of actor, director and TV producer Douglas Neill and of Carol Howard-Eady, an actress and stage manager. Douglas's step-father Derek Clark was briefly an actor before becoming a director and producer, retiring in 1992 as Director of Programmes for HTV.

Douglas was educated at Downs Preparatory School and Clifton College. He left school at 15 to work as an assistant stage manager in various regional theatres, such as Porthcawl, Ilfracombe, Bristol Old Vic, Worcester and the Wyvern, Swindon, where he made his performing debut as the back end of Alfred the Horse. In 1972, he joined the Young Vic company as an acting assistant stage manager. He took up writing in 1979 but continued to work as an actor. He is secretary of the Weekenders Cricket Club.

Writing credits

THEATRE

RADIO

TV

BOOKS

JOURNALISM

DIRECTING

Presenting

Acting credits

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Charles</span> English actor, comedian and DJ (born 1964)

Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, comedian, DJ, and television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera Coronation Street (2005–2015). He presented the gladiator-style game show Robot Wars from 1998 to 2004, and narrated the comedy endurance show Takeshi's Castle. As a DJ, he appears on BBC Radio 6 Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Planer</span> British actor, comedian and writer (born 1953)

Nigel George Planer is a British actor, writer and musician. He played Neil in the BBC comedy The Young Ones and Ralph Filthy in Filthy Rich & Catflap. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including original casts of Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He has also appeared in Hairspray. He won a BRIT award in 1984 and has been nominated for Olivier, TMA, WhatsOnStage and BAFTA awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Allam</span> British actor (born 1953)

Roger William Allam is a British actor who has performed on stage, in film, on television and radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Heap</span> British actor and comedian (born 1957)

Mark Heap is a British actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in television comedies, including Brass Eye, Big Train, Spaced, Jam, Green Wing, Friday Night Dinner, Upstart Crow, and Benidorm.

Baby Cow Productions Limited is a British comedy television production company based in London and Manchester, founded by Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. Since its establishment it has diversified into radio, animation and film. According to their website, Baby Cow "produces bold, high-quality scripted entertainment across all genres for television, film and radio." The company's name is a reference to Coogan's early characters Paul and Pauline Calf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reece Shearsmith</span> British actor, comedian, writer and magician (born 1969)

Reeson Wayne Shearsmith is an English actor, comedian, writer and magician. He was a member of The League of Gentlemen, with Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson. Jointly with Pemberton, created, wrote, and starred in the sitcom Psychoville and the dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9. He had notable roles in Spaced and The World's End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Pemberton</span> British actor and comedian (born 1967)

Steven James Pemberton is a British actor, comedian, director and writer. He was a writer and actor for BBC's The League of Gentlemen with Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. Pemberton and Shearsmith also co-wrote and starred in the black comedy Psychoville and the anthology series Inside No. 9. His other notable television performance credits include Doctor Who, Benidorm, Blackpool, Shameless, Whitechapel, Happy Valley and Mapp & Lucia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waen Shepherd</span> Comedy song writer, electronic music composer

Waen Origen Shepherd is an English composer, actor and comedian. He is best known for his role in The Inbetweeners as Mr Kennedy. He is Originally from Yorkshire, England, he now lives in London.

Ed Reardon's Week is a sitcom on BBC Radio 4 recorded semi-naturalistically in the style of a radio drama. It concerns the story of a curmudgeonly middle-aged writer described in the show's publicity material as an "author, pipesmoker, consummate fare-dodger and master of the abusive email". The names of two central characters, Ed Reardon and Jaz Milvane, are references to the characters Edwin Reardon and Jasper Milvain, who appear in George Gissing's 1891 novel New Grub Street, which is set in the hack-literary London of the late 19th century, although Edward was revealed to be Ed's given name in the second episode of the third series and Milvain is referred to as Jaz Milvane.

Philip Jackson is an English actor. He appeared as Chief Inspector Japp in both the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot and in BBC Radio dramatisations of Poirot stories; as Melvin "Dylan" Bottomley in Porridge; and as Abbot Hugo, one of the recurring adversaries in the 1980s series Robin of Sherwood.

Amelia Mary Bullmore is an English actress, screenwriter and playwright. She is known for her roles in Coronation Street, I'm Alan Partridge (2002), Ashes to Ashes (2008–2009), Twenty Twelve (2011–2012) and Scott & Bailey (2011–2014). Bullmore began writing in 1994. Her writing credits include episodes of This Life, Attachments, Black Cab, and Scott & Bailey.

Craig Hill is a Scottish comedian, TV presenter and actor known for his cheeky, irreverent and camp act.

Dave Podmore is a fictional English cricketer. Co-written by the English actor and writer Christopher Douglas, Andrew Nickolds and Nick Newman, his column appears in The Guardian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Newman</span> British cartoonist

Nick Newman is a satirical British cartoonist and comedy scriptwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Nicholls</span>

Simon Nicholls is a radio and TV comedy producer at the BBC.

<i>Bodyline</i> (miniseries) 1984 film

Bodyline is an Australian 1984 television miniseries which dramatised the events of the 1932–1933 English Ashes cricket tour of Australia. The title refers to the bodyline cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team during their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia.

Andre Vincent is a comedian, writer, actor and comedy historian. A situational comic, Vincent is known for his observations about health matters, including his experiences with diabetes, cancer and kidney surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Warner</span> American dramatist

Craig Warner is a multiple award-winning playwright and screenwriter who lives and works in Suffolk, England.

<i>Cabin Pressure</i> (radio series) BBC Radio show

Cabin Pressure is a radio sitcom written and created by John Finnemore and directed and produced by David Tyler. It follows the exploits of the eccentric crew of the single aeroplane owned by "MJN Air" as they are chartered to take all manner of items, people or animals across the world. The show stars Finnemore, Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Christine Mary Kavanagh is an English actress.

References

  1. Dominic Maxwell "Re-opening the grouse season", The Times, 11 December 2006
  2. "Beauty of Britain". BBC Radio 4. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  3. "Christopher Douglas". DHA. Retrieved 2024-08-11.