Actor, comedian and impressionist who was better known for his improvisation comedy.

Filmography

• 2021Belfast — Joseph Tomelty as Marley
• The Great — Bishop Tarcinkus
• 2019Intrigo: Dear Agnes — Pumpermann
• 2018Balls — Brownlow
• 2018The Town That Floored the World — Presenter
• 2017Finding Your Feet — Mike Abbott
• 2017Loving Vincent — Pere Tanguy
• The Loch — DCI Frank Smilie
• 2016Denial — Prof. Richard Evans
• 2016Florence Foster Jenkins — Dr. Hermann
• 2016Red Top — The Accountant
• 2016The Rack Pack — Ted Lowe
• Upstart Crow — Lord Inquisitor
• Victoria — Lord John Russell
• 2016Whisky Galore — Doctor McLaren
• Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell — John Murray
• 2015Legend — Lord Boothby
• 2015Mr. Holmes — Mycroft Holmes
• 2015Sean Connery: In His Own Words — Narrator
• 2015We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story — Arthur Lowe
• Outlander — Arthur Duncan
• 2014Pudsey the Dog: The Movie — Thorne
• 2014The Silent Storm — Mr. Smith
• Blandings — Lord Didcot
• Father Brown — Reverend Adam Gillespie
• 2013Filth — Toal
• 201230 Years of Comic Strip
• Dead Boss — Sir Humphreys
• Moone Boy
• 2012The Domino Effect — Talk Show Host
• Death in Paradise — Hugh Davenport
• Friday Night Dinner — Mr. Murray
• 2011The Hunt for Tony Blair — Norman Tebbit
• 2011The Iron Lady — Edward Heath
• 2011The Real American: Joe McCarthy — Joe McCarthy
• 2010Made in Dagenham — Harold Wilson
• Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge
• Sherlock — Kenny Prince
• 2010Spies and Lies — Folkes
• 2010The Making of Plus One — Derek - the line producer
• 2009Breaking the Mould — Edward Mellanby
• 2009Margaret — Geoffrey Howe
• 2009Nativity! — Mr. Lore
• 2009The Last Station — Dushan
• 2008Inconceivable — Finbar 'Finn' Darrow
• British Film Forever
• Lewis — Professor Rufus Strickfaden
• Oliver Twist — Mr Sowerberry
• 2007Reichenbach Falls — Professor Bell
• Ronni Ancona & Co
• Skins — Geoff Fitzgerald
• Hotel Babylon — Donovan Credo
• 2006Low Winter Sun — Prof Barry Lennox
• 2006Scoop — Strombel's Co-Worker (uncredited)
• 2006The Good Shepherd — Valentin Mironov #1/Yuri Modin
• Doctor Who — Gus
• 2005Rag Tale — Felix Miles Sty
• 2005The English Harem — Ridley
• 2004Churchill: The Hollywood Years — Additional Dialogue
• 2004Five Children and It — Peasemarsh
• 2004Hawking — Dennis Sciama
• 2004Lighthouse Hill — Mr. Reynard
• New Tricks
• Shameless — Father McGinn
• 2004Stella Street — Writer
• 2004The Legend of the Tamworth Two — Rival Newspaper Editor
• 2004The Merchant of Venice — Salerio
• 2003The Key
• 2002Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time — General Tannis
• 2002Gangs of New York — Harry Watkins / Lincoln
• 2002George Eliot: A Scandalous Life — George Henry Lewes
• 2002One of the Hollywood Ten — Paul Jarrico
• The Inspector Lynley Mysteries — John Corntel
• 2001David Macaulay: Mill Times — Shadrack Moore (voice)
• 2001High Heels and Low Lifes — Director
• Judge John Deed
• Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes — Prof. Rutherford
• 2000Around The World In 80 Days — Jean Passepartout (voice)
• Gormenghast — Dr Alfred Prunesquallor
• Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
• 1999A Midsummer Night's Dream — Philostrate
• 1999Faeries — Chudley (voice)
• 1999The Man — Jerry Barnes
• 1998Cousin Bette — Musical Director
• 1998Faith — Brian
• In the Red — Hercules Fortescue
• 1998Queen's Park Story
• 1998The Scarlet Tunic — Humphrey Gould
• Midsomer Murders — Barrett Filby
• 1997My Night with Reg — Daniel
• Stella Street
• The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling — Henry Fielding
• Dalziel and Pascoe — Charlie Penn
• 1996The Adventures of Pinocchio — Schoolmaster
• 1996The Treasure Seekers — Redman
• 1995In the Bleak Midwinter — Terry Du Bois
• 1994Citizen Locke — John Locke
• 1994David Macaulay: Roman City — Laurens / Acco Bouvaix (voice)
• John Sessions' Likely Stories
• Nice Day at the Office
• 1994Princess Caraboo — Prince Regent
• 1993Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles — James Boswell
• 1992Freddie As F.R.O.7. — Scotty / Additional voices (voice)
• John Sessions' Tall Tales
• Jute City — McMurdo
• Performance — Daniel
• 1991The Pope Must Die — Dino
• One Foot in the Grave
• Plunder
• Rab C. Nesbitt — Chief Inspector Haggerty
• Single Voices — Bobby Buffet, Writer
• 1990Some Enchanted Evening — Bobby Buffet, Writer
• 1990Sweet Revenge — John
• 1989Henry V — Macmorris
• John Sessions On The Spot
• Menace Unseen — Larry Knight
• 1988Spitting Image: Bumbledown – The Life and Times of Ronald Reagan — Various Roles
• 1988Spitting Image: The Ronnie & Nancy Show — Laurence Olivier (Voice)
• 1987Gramsci: Everything that Concerns People — Antonio Gramsci
• Porterhouse Blue — Zipser
• 1987Spitting Image: Election Special '87 — Various Characters
• 1987Spitting Image: The 1987 Movie Awards — Various Roles
• The New Statesman — Lord Penistone
• Boon — Barney Spitz
• 1986Castaway — Man in Pub
• ScreenPlay — James Boswell
• 1986Sky Bandits — Flight
• 1986Spitting Image: Down And Out In The White House — Various Roles
• 1986Whoops Apocalypse — Mr. Sweetzer
• Girls On Top — Rodney
• Happy Families — Dean
• Spitting Image
• 1984The Bounty — John Smith
• 1982The Sender — Patient

Appearances as themselves (11)

• 2019Loving Vincent: The Impossible Dream — Self
• 2015Hiroshima: The Aftermath — Self - Narrator (voice)
• 2010Gerard Kelly: A Celebration — Self
• Celebrity Mastermind — Himself
• QI — Self
• 2000A Profile of 'Brief Encounter' — Self
• 1992Sellers' Best — Self
• Have I Got News for You — Self
• Whose Line Is It Anyway? — Self
• Wogan — Self
• Question Time — Self - Panellist