Rob Brydon

Brydon was born on 3 May 1965 in Baglan, Glamorgan.^[2][3] His mother, Joy Jones (née Brydon), was a school teacher, and his father, Howard Jones, was a car dealer. He grew up in Baglan, with his younger brother Peter (born 1973).^[4]

Brydon was educated at two private schools: St. John's School in Porthcawl, which Eddie Izzard also attended, and Dumbarton House School in Swansea until the age of 14. This was followed by Porthcawl Comprehensive School, where he met Ruth Jones (with whom he later worked in Gavin & Stacey) and became a member of the school's youth theatre group. While at Dumbarton, he once stole the lunch money of fellow pupil Catherine Zeta-Jones (which he admitted while participating in a series 4 episode of Would I Lie To You?).^[5]

Brydon has said that his primary childhood influences in comedy were Barry Humphries, Frankie Howerd and Woody Allen. He has also said that he used to memorise entire sketches by Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Peter Sellers.^[6][7]

1982–1999: Early radio work

Brydon attended the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff. He left after a year, to join Radio Wales at the age of 20.^[3] His early broadcasts included work as a disc jockey on BBC Radio Wales, when his Saturday morning shows included contributions from stand-up comedian Pete Park-Walker. Between 1992 and 1994, on Radio Wales (where he stayed for six years) he was the main presenter of Rave, one of BBC Radio 5's youth magazine and music programmes, with Alan Thompson. He developed his Marion and Geoff story from this.^[8] In 1994 and 1995 Brydon appeared in numerous episodes of the original Radio Wales version of the cult comedy Satellite City with Boyd Clack. Although he has stayed with radio as a comedy performer on BBC Radio Five Live's The Treatment, Brydon also does occasional stints as a stand-in presenter on BBC Radio 2 including for Ken Bruce before Bruce resigned from the BBC in 2023. Notably on 1 April 2011, Brydon appeared during Bruce's absence, as him, as an April Fools' Day joke, for the entire show.^[9][10]

During an episode of Would I Lie To You?, Brydon admitted that he had pretended on the phone to be his own agent, using one of his repertoire of different voices in the early part of his career. This was done to justify enhancing his freelance work fees.

For a brief period in the early 1990s Brydon was a presenter for the Home Shopping Network.^[11] He began to find small roles in several successful films and television series. Brydon was first known nationally as a voice artist. He provided several voices for the Discworld computer games, radio & television programmes like Eurotrash^[12] and continuity announcements for BBC 1.^[13] He is also known for voice-over work in television advertising, including for Renault, Tango, The Times, Tesco, Abbey National, Sainsbury's, McDonald's, Pot Noodle, Domino's Pizza, Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, The Observer and Fairy Liquid. He voiced the main character, Lewton, in the Discworld computer game Discworld Noir,^[14] and provided voices in animated films such as The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child and Room on the Broom.^[15]

2000–2009: Television roles and acclaim

In 2000 he made his mark in television comedy, with two series which he co-wrote and performed for the BBC: Human Remains, co-written by Julia Davis. From 2000 to 2003 he starred in the BBC television mockumentary Marion and Geoff which was commercially successful. Brydon plays as Keith Barret, a naïve taxi driver going through a messy divorce from his wife, Marion, who, though he fails to realise it, has had a long-standing affair with her colleague, Geoff. Each episode is presented as a monologue, filmed by a fixed camera in the confines of his car. From 2004 to 2005 Brydon starred in The Keith Barret Show which was a fictional spoof of a BBC chat show. In 2006 he parodied comedy panel shows such as QI, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You in the BBC Three series Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive. Ed Potton of The Times found that the series "provides the perfect platform for host Brydon, playing a demonic version of himself, to mimic (often hilariously) and abuse (often brutally) his guests".^[16]

In 2005 he portrayed a version of himself in the British comedy A Cock and Bull Story directed by Michael Winterbottom. Brydon starred opposite Steve Coogan. Dana Stevens of Slate wrote, "Rob Brydon, plays Tristram’s Uncle Toby, a blustering war veteran with a wound in an unspeakable place. In the modern-day scenes, Rob Brydon is, surprise, Rob Brydon, an actor with an ego even more pitifully in need of stroking than Coogan’s. The unscripted-sounding exchanges between these two are the funniest part of the movie".^[17] From 2007 to 2010 Brydon gained prominence for his leading role as Uncle Bryn in the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey starring Matthew Horne, Joanna Page, and James Corden. In the 2009 Brydon was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Comedy Performance as Bryn. Starting in 2009 Brydon has hosted the game show Would I Lie to You?. Since these series Brydon has developed a career path as a character actor, in both comedic and serious roles. He portrayed controversial theatre critic Kenneth Tynan in the BBC Four film Kenneth Tynan: In Praise of Hardcore (2005), opposite Julian Sands as Laurence Olivier.

Also in 2006, Brydon first appeared on the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. His singing voice earned the unprecedented accolade from the former host, Humphrey Lyttelton, of being "not bad".^{[citation needed]} When the team went on a tour of non-broadcast stage shows, Brydon filled in as chairman when Lyttelton was in hospital to repair an aortic aneurysm. Lyttelton died in hospital after surgery. Brydon narrated a two-part programme on BBC Radio 4, The Pain of Laughter: The Last Days of Kenneth Williams. It explored the latter part of Williams's life, featuring many of the performer's friends and contemporaries. In other radio work Brydon sat in for Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 for one day only on 25 August 2008. In addition to this, on 1 April 2011, Brydon impersonated Bruce for the entire two-hour and thirty minutes show. Bruce came on the air at the end of the show to reveal the prank. Brydon has appeared on the TV comedy quiz QI. In his first appearance (Series A, episode 5), his talent for mimicry was displayed with impressions of Alec Guinness, James Dean, and Michael J. Fox. In the 2008 Christmas special, he provided impressions of Richard Burton and Tom Jones.

His character Bryn West in Gavin & Stacey, written by Ruth Jones and James Corden, allowed him to return to his South Wales roots. In this role Brydon performed the 2009 Comic Relief charity single, "(Barry) Islands in the Stream", with Ruth Jones (both actors appearing as their characters from Gavin & Stacey) and singer Tom Jones. It reached No.1 in the UK Singles Chart on 15 March 2009. In February 2009, it was announced that Brydon would be one of three people to replace Lyttelton as chairman of the 51st series of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (the others being Stephen Fry and Jack Dee).^[18][19] Brydon also appeared as guest panellist in the first two episodes of series 52, chaired by Jack Dee. He returned as a guest panellist in the last two episodes of series 54 in January 2011. Additionally, in 2009 he took over as host of Would I Lie To You?, replacing Angus Deayton.^[20] Brydon had also appeared as a guest panellist on the show during the previous season.^[21] Brydon has presented an episode of Have I Got News for You^[22] and has appeared on BBC Radio 4's panel game Just a Minute.^[23][24]

2010–present: The Trip and other roles

Between September and October 2011, Brydon starred alongside Kenneth Branagh in Francis Veber's play The Painkiller at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. He reprised his role with Branagh, in March and April 2016, at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End.^[25] Whilst not calling himself an impressionist Brydon says he "started out as an impressionist" but will "bristle" when described as such.^[26] His impressions include Alec Guinness, James Dean, Michael J. Fox, Richard Burton, Tom Jones, Michael Caine, Mick Jagger and Ronnie Corbett. He is also noted for his "Small Man in A Box" impression.^[27]

In 2010 Brydon starred alongside Steve Coogan in Michael Winterbottom's partially improvised BBC Two sitcom series The Trip, in which both actors played fictionalised versions of their public personas (Brydon, optimistic and always eager to do an impression; and Coogan, misanthropic and bitter that he's not the major international star he believes he should be).^[28] Coogan and Brydon reprised their roles as themselves in the follow up films The Trip to Italy (2014), The Trip to Spain (2017), and The Trip to Greece (2020). The films have been met with critical acclaim with many critics describing them as "hilarious and heartbreaking". Elizabeth Nelson of The Ringer comparing their chemistry to that of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in the Road movies. Nelson also compared the films to Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.^[29]

Brydon's book Small Man in a Book (the title a play on his "small-man-in-a-box" impression) was published in November 2011.^[30] In 2009/10 Brydon had his first stand-up tour in the UK as Rob Brydon (rather than as a differently named character). The resulting DVD of the 2009/10 show, Rob Brydon: Live, was released on 23 November 2009.^[31] Brydon appeared as a host on episode two of series five of the BBC series of Live at the Apollo. In 2010 Brydon took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March. He was one of six compères for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert held outside Buckingham Palace on 4 June 2012. The following year he dubbed the voice of Beto in the computer animated film The Unbeatables for the United Kingdom edition of the film.

In 2015 he had a uncredited role as Master Phineus in the Kenneth Branagh directed romantic fantasy Cinderella for Walt Disney Pictures. The following year he played Gryff in The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016) alongside Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Emily Blunt. That same year he played various roles in the BBC One animated series Revolting Rhymes (2016) which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In 2018 he played Inspector Lestrade in the mystery-parody Holmes & Watson starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Brydon also had roles in the stop-motion animated film Early Man (2018) and the British comedy Swimming with Men (2018). He also portrayed Richard Nixon in the FX series Trust (2018). The following year he had roles in the musical comedy Blinded by the Light (2019) and in the coming-of-age film Days of the Bagnold Summer (2019).

In 2021 he acted in the first episode of the second series of the show McDonald & Dodds.^[32] That same year he narrated The Chasers Road Trip: Trains, Brains and Automobiles, was a contestant on Celebrity Catchphrase, and voiced The Crow in Superworm alongside Olivia Colman and Matt Smith. The following year he voiced the Pied Piper in The Amazing Maurice (2022) alongside Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke, David Thewlis and Hugh Bonneville. In 2023 he had a brief role as Sugar Daddy Ken in Greta Gerwig's comedy Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

In 2022 Brydon appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends revue, including alongside Haydn Gwynne in "The Little Things You Do Together", the marital battle from Company.^[33][34]

Brydon was married to Martina Fitchie from 1992 to 2000.^[35][36] They had two daughters and a son.^[37][38]

On 6 October 2006, Brydon married Clare Holland, a former producer on The South Bank Show, at Windsor church. They live in Strawberry Hill in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. They have two sons.^[39] A keen golfer, Brydon is also a Swansea City fan and is an ambassador to their 1912 foundation.^[40]

In August 2014, Brydon was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.^[41]

Film

Television

Radio

Other appearances

• Rob Brydon's Identity Crisis (March 2008)
• The One Show (December 2009)
• Desert Island Discs (May 2010), his favourite track was "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen^[52]
• TV advertising campaign for P&O Cruises^[53] (2014–)
• Script editor for a season 2 of Little Britain

Brydon was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama where he previously studied.^[54][when?] Brydon was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to comedy and broadcasting, and for charitable services.^[55][56]

Singles

• Official Rob Brydon site Archived 12 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine
• Rob Brydon at IMDb
• BAFTA Interview with Rob Brydon – April 2010

News items

• Scotsman October 2011 article
• Times February 2008 article
• Independent January 2006 article
• Telegraph June 2004 article ^{[dead link]}
• Observer December 2002 article