Toby Williams is an award-winning [1] [2] [3] [4] British actor, writer and stand-up comedian [5] [6] performing both as himself and Dr George Ryegold. [7] He is known for a number of appearances on television including regular or recurring roles on Vanity Fair , Porters and Sex Education .
Toby Williams and directing duo Big Red Button were named winners in the Best Video & Film: Weird category at the 29th Annual Webby Awards in New York City on 12th May 2025 [2] [3] for their short film Wet Fish, which Williams co-wrote and performed in. In 2023 he was part of the team that won the BBC Audio Award for Best Scripted Comedy (Sketch Show) as a co-writer and performer on BBC Radio 4's Please Use Other Door. [4]
His stand-up accolades include Dave's 'Top 10 Funniest Jokes of the Fringe' 2012, [8] winner of 'Best Show' at The Leicester Comedy Festival 2011, [1] winner of a Three Weeks Editors' Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 [9] (for 'The Fudge Shop') and a nomination for 'The Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality' for his debut Edinburgh 2009 show as George Ryegold, 'Trample The Weak, Hurdle The Dead'.
He appears in the movies High-Rise, [10] Paddington [11] and The Drowning of Arthur Braxton. [12] He has appeared in Holby City [13] (BBC 1), Morgana Robinson's The Agency [14] (BBC 2) and in the sitcoms Bull [15] (UKTV GOLD), Raised By Wolves [16] (Channel 4), Trying Again [17] (Sky Living), Carters Get Rich [18] (Sky 1) and Benidorm (ITV). He appears in Island Queen [19] – nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Short Film [20] – and is known as the voice of Rumple the Rhino in Iconicles [21] (CBeebies). He also appears in the popular Specsavers TV commercial as the short-sighted vet. [22]
In 2019 he appeared as Tim in the second episode of Sex Education (Netflix), [23] reprising the role in the second series in 2020.
Also in 2019 he appeared as 'Doctor' Davey Scholes in an episode of Doctors (BBC1), and Colin in Eastenders (BBC1), a man delivering a gazebo to Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) at the caravan park where she is staying, who is convinced by Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner) and Martin Fowler (James Bye) to let their daughter Lily Fowler (Aine Garvey) hide in the gazebo box to gain entry to Jean's caravan. He also reprised the role of Terry Grimm in Series 2 of Porters (Dave) whom he originally portrayed in Series 1. [24]
Williams appeared as a panellist on the 2016 pilot episode of ITV show Sorry, I Didn't Know, presented by Jimmy Akingbola, returning for the series in October 2020. [25]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Martian Gothic: Unification | Additional Voices | Video game, voice |
| 2006 | The Ship | Video game, voice | |
| 2007 | Rocket Science! | Jack Hersey | Short film |
| 2009 | IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey | English Voice, American Voices, Russian Voices | Video game, voice |
| 2010 | Grime City P.D. | Jack Hersey | Short film |
| 2011 | Iconicles | Rumple the Rhino | 6 episodes |
| 2012 | Celebrity Bedlam | Fame Simulator Roadie | Episode: "Fame" |
| Step Right Up | Alex the Clown | Short film | |
| Island Queen | Fisherman | Short film | |
| 2013 | The Day They Came to Suck Out Our Brains! | Snake Charmer / Assorted Characters | Web series, 3 episodes |
| Battlecock! | Timothy Dukinson | Short film | |
| Saving Santa | Nutcracker | Voice | |
| 2014 | Trying Again | Shopkeeper | 1 episode |
| Paddington | Geographer (Present Day) | ||
| Agatha Raisin | Postman | Episode: "The Quiche of Death" | |
| Games Night | Steve | TV movie | |
| 2015 | Moody Good: Musicbx (Feat. Eryn Allen Kane) | The Addict | Music video |
| Milk! | Timothy Dukinson | Short film | |
| High-Rise | Bobby | ||
| Bull | Desmond | Episode: "A Faberge Egg (1905)" | |
| S-Band | Mr. Barrett | TV Short | |
| Guy and Doll | Short film | ||
| 2016-2020 | Sorry, I Didn't Know | Panellist | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | Raised by Wolves | Headmaster | Episode: "The Old School" |
| Holby City | Richard 'Dickie' Bliss | Episode: "It Tolls for Thee" | |
| Jack and Dean of All Trades | Bank Manager | Episode: "Baking Bad" | |
| Morgana Robinson's the Agency | Planning Officer | 1 episode | |
| The Baby's Crying | Father | Short film | |
| Elderflower | Patrick | Short film | |
| 2017-2019 | Porters | Terry Grimm | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Benidorm | Wolfgang | 1 episode |
| Carters Get Rich | Mr. Summers | Episode: "The Launch" | |
| The Current War | Fort Worth Investment Banker | ||
| ManDate | Matt | Short film | |
| 2018 | Unspun with Matt Forde | Jonny - Department for Brexit | Episode: "Lord Andrew Adonis" |
| Damned | Dentist | 1 episode | |
| There Are No Dividends | Darren Hobbs | Short film | |
| In the Long Run | Coach | 1 episode | |
| Urban Myths | Mike | Episode: "Johnny Cash and the Ostrich" | |
| Vanity Fair | Hicks | 5 episodes | |
| 2019-2020 | Sex Education | Tim | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | Total War: Warhammer II | Ikit Claw | Video game - The Prophet & The Warlock DLC |
| Doctors | 'Doctor' Davey Scholes | Episode: "Magic Bus" | |
| EastEnders | Colin | 1 episode | |
| Britannia | The Innkeeper | 1 episode | |
| The Mallorca Files | Mike Fowler | Episode: "Mallorca's Most Wanted" | |
| 2020 | Don't Walk | John | Short film |
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | Eadred / The Ash-Spear (Gifle) / Reeve Derby | Video game, voice | |
| 2021 | Dreaming Whilst Black | Tom | Television pilot |
| Please Help | Eddie | Television pilot | |
| The Drowning of Arthur Braxton | Mr. Worrell | [26] | |
| The Emily Atack Show | Various | 2 episodes | |
| 2022 | Babylon's Fall | Galenos / Background Voices | Video game, voice |
| Breeders | Pharmacist 1 | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | Django | Walter Breaver | 1 episode |
| Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria | Bolgagk / Troll King / Gundabad Orc / Red Eye Uruk / Goblin / Red Eye Orc / Deep Orc | Video Game | |
| Borrowed Time | Shane Woodley | Short film | |
| Andy and the Band | Farmer McFellows | Episode: "Ninja Pig" [27] | |
| Immune | Philip | Short film | |
| 2024 | Father Brown | Dr. Geoffrey Fleming | Episode: "The Kembleston Olimpicks" [28] |
| We Are Lady Parts | Dr. Saunders | Episode: "Villain Era" [29] |