Simon Farnaby

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Simon Farnaby
Simon Farnaby (January 2018).png
Farnaby in 2018
Born (1973-04-02) 2 April 1973 (age 51)
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian, writer
Years active1994–present
Spouse Claire Keelan
Children1

Simon Farnaby (born 2 April 1973) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his work with the Them There collective where he has written and starred in productions including Horrible Histories, Yonderland , and Ghosts.

Contents

Farnaby earned BAFTA nominations for his co-writing of Paddington 2 , both for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best British Film, [1] and was the winner of the 2023 Television BAFTA for memorable TV moment. [2] In 2023, he co-wrote and appeared in Wonka , a film which serves as a prequel to the Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , exploring Willy Wonka's origins.

Early life

Farnaby was born on 2 April 1973 in Darlington, County Durham [3] and attended Richmond School, North Yorkshire.

Career

Television work

Farnaby was a long-time member of The Mighty Boosh supporting cast, [4] [5] having had roles both in their series and co-starring in the quasi-spinoff film Bunny and the Bull . [6]

Other notable television work includes a recurring role on the sitcom Jam & Jerusalem , [7] and co-starring as eccentric neighbour Sloman on The Midnight Beast's TV series. [4] He previously had a very brief role in one episode of Coronation Street in the 1990s. [7]

Farnaby has presented a number of factual programmes including Richard III: The King in the Car Park in 2013, [8] tracing the discovery and identification of the remains of the last Plantagenet king, the 2014 Channel 4 documentary series entitled Man Vs Weird, in which he travelled the world investigating people who claim superhuman abilities, [9] and as narrator of the Channel 5 docu-series called On the Yorkshire Buses , following East Yorkshire Motor Services. [10]

Farnaby accepted a TV BAFTA in 2023 for memorable TV moment, for a short film broadcast as part of the Platinum Party at the Palace for the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022, in which Farnaby played a butler. [2]

Them There

L-R: Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Mathew Baynton, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond and Jim Howick at the 2011 Children's BAFTAs. The starring cast of TV series Horrible Histories arrives at the Children's BAFTAs, 27 November 2011.jpg
L-R: Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Mathew Baynton, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond and Jim Howick at the 2011 Children's BAFTAs.

He has also worked extensively with the Them There collective of six writers and actors, who started as principal members of the cast of the CBBC live-action series Horrible Histories , where he was well known for his offbeat characters such as Caligula and Death.

Farnaby, along with the five other collective members, co-created, wrote and starred in Yonderland (2013-16), [11] which was broadcast on Sky One for three series.

Farnaby had his first major involvement with the creation of a film with the troupe, on the 2015 historical comedy film Bill , based loosely around the early life of William Shakespeare. [12] [13]

The same collective then went on to create the BBC show Ghosts , which ran for five seasons before the team decided to retire it. [14] Farnaby played the fictitious Conservative politician ghost, Julian Fawcett, [15] who always appeared without trousers. [7]

Books

Along with journalist Scott Murray, in 2011 Farnaby co-wrote The Phantom of the Open , a biography of Maurice Flitcroft, a would-be professional golfer whose unsuccessful attempts to qualify for the Open Championship led to his being described as "the world's worst golfer". [16] [17]

His first children's novel, The Wizard In My Shed, was published in 2020, [18] and this was followed by a sequel titled Warrior in my Wardrobe: More Misadventures with Merdyn the Wild, which was released in 2021. [19] [20]

Farnaby was also a co-author of Ghosts: The Button House Archives, a companion book to the Them There television series for the BBC, Ghosts which he co-wrote and starred in. [21] [22]

Films

Having previously appeared in The Mighty Boosh, Farnaby was in a starring role for the related film Bunny and the Bull in 2009, where he played the eponymous Bunny. [6]

In 2016, Farnaby co-wrote and had a small acting part in Mindhorn with Julian Barratt, a comedy about Richard Thorncroft (Barratt), a faded television actor drawn into negotiations with a criminal who believes his character Detective Mindhorn is real. [5]

He co-wrote the book The Phantom of the Open about golfer Maurice Flitcroft in 2011, and then started work on a film script of the story in 2017, which led to the release of The Phantom of the Open in 2021, starring Mark Rylance.

Also in 2016, Farnaby had a small on-screen role in Rogue One , as an X-Wing pilot. [23]

The biggest film success of Farnaby's career came with the Paddington film franchise. Following on from appearing as an actor in the first film, he went on to co-write Paddington 2 with Paul King, for which he was nominated for two film BAFTAs for best adapted screenplay and Outstanding British Film. He was also the winner of the International Online Cinema Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the Hollywood Critics Association award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2018. [24] Farnaby subsequently appeared alongside Paddington Bear and Queen Elizabeth II in a short film broadcast as a part of the Platinum Party at the Palace for the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022, which won the 2023 BAFTA for memorable TV moment, which Farnaby accepted. [2]

Farnaby is the co-writer of 2023 Christmas release Wonka , along with Paul King, which is a prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. [25] Farnaby also has a small on-screen role, with his Them There collaborator Mathew Baynton in one of the leading roles, and starring Timothée Chalamet.

Personal life

Farnaby is married to actress Claire Keelan (his second wife) with whom he has a daughter, born in 2014. [26]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004 Fat Slags Ventriloquist
Blake's Junction 7TerryShort film
2009 Bunny and the Bull Bunny
2010 Burke & Hare William Wordsworth
2011 Your Highness Manious the Bold
2013 All Stars Foreman
2014 Paddington Barry
2015 Bill Various
2016 Mindhorn Clive ParnevikAlso writer
Rogue One X-wing pilot Farns Monsbee
2017 Paddington 2 BarryAlso writer
2018 Christopher Robin Taxi Driver
2021 The Phantom of the Open Laurent LambertWriter
2023 Wonka BasilAlso writer

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994 The House of Windsor Sean Sutcliffe1 episode
1996 Coronation Street Greg Bamfield1 episode
2004–2007 The Mighty Boosh Various characters3 episodes
2005 The Lenny Henry Show Twyford1 episode
Spoons Various Characters6 episodes
2006 Blunder 6 episodes
2006–2009 Jam & Jerusalem Samuel "Spike" Pike12 episodes
2007 Comedy Cuts Werewolf1 episode
The Yellow HouseHenriTV movie
Strutter Various2 episodes
2008 M.I. High James Blond1 episode
The Golf WarStuart OgilvyFailed pilot
Angelo's Kris6 episodes
LifeSpam: My Child is FrenchVariousFailed pilot
2009–2013 Horrible Histories Various characters65 episodes
2010 The Persuasionists Keaton6 episodes
Comedy Lab Old Man1 episode
2011 Dick and Dom's Funny Business Various characters1 episode
Horrible Histories' Big Prom Party Various charactersOne-off special
2012Dave ShakespeareDave ShakespeareFailed pilot
2012–present The Midnight Beast Sloman10 episodes
2013 Utopia Marcus1 episode
Not Going Out Scott1 episode
Richard III: The King in the Car ParkPresenterDocumentary
Richard III: The Unseen StoryNarratorDocumentary
Crackanory Robert Pickle1 episode
2013–2016 Yonderland Various characters25 episodes
2014 Man Vs Weird Himself3 episodes
On the Yorkshire Buses Narrator8 episodes
Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy George Orwell1 episode
2014–2022 Detectorists Phil12 episodes
2015 House of Fools Health Inspector1 episode
Horrible Histories Various characters12 episodes
Top Coppers Dr Schäfer2 episodes
2017 Quacks Dr Flowers1 episode
2019–2021 This Time with Alan Partridge Sam Chatwin3 episodes
2019–2023 Ghosts Julian Fawcett MPAlso co-creator
2021–present Britbox advertNarrator2 adverts
2022 Platinum Party at the Palace Footman Paddington Bear sketch. Also writer [27]
Tesco Christmas advertNarrator1 advert [28]
2024 Here We Go Boyd1 episode

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References

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  20. Norfolk, Pam (27 October 2021). "Spells, spills and giggles for Halloween by various authors - book reviews". Lancashire Post.
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