Jason Peter Watkins (born 28 October 1962) is an English stage, film and television actor. He played the lead role in the two-part drama ''

The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies ''The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies'' is a 2014 British television film. It tells the real-life story of retired schoolteacher Christopher Jefferies, who was questioned by police as a suspect in the murder of Joanna Yeates. He was vilifie ...

'', for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He has also played William Herrick in '' Being Human'', Gavin Strong in ''

Trollied ''Trollied'' is a British television sitcom about employees in a fictional supermarket named "Valco", which debuted on Sky One on 4 August 2011 and ended on 23 December 2018. The series was filmed in a purpose-built replica supermarket in the B ...

'', Simon Harwood in '' W1A,'' Gordon Shakespeare in the film series '' Nativity'', British Prime Minister

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx (11 March 1916 – 23 May 1995) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1964 to 1970 and again from 197 ...

in Season 3 of ''

The Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

'' and Detective Sergeant Dodds in ''

McDonald & Dodds ''McDonald & Dodds'' is a British television crime drama series created and principally written by screenwriter Robert Murphy. It stars Tala Gouveia as DCI Lauren McDonald, a streetwise former Metropolitan Police investigator who arrives in Ba ...

''.

Early life

Watkins was born in 1962, in Windsor Road, Albrighton,

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, where he lived until the age of seven, when his parents moved to

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

. His father Alan was a

metallurgist Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the ...

at Marston in Wolverhampton and his mother a teacher at Albrighton's primary school. He credits his introduction to entertainment to taking lessons in clowning at

Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the United Kingd ...

from

mime artist A mime artist, or simply mime (from Greek language, Greek , , "imitator, actor"), is a person who uses ''mime'' (also called ''pantomime'' outside of Britain), the acting out of a story through body motions without the use of speech, as a the ...

Ben Benison, also a presenter on TV programme ''

Vision On ''Vision On'' was a British children's television programme, shown on BBC1 from 1964 to 1976 and designed specifically for children with hearing impairment. Concept and production ''Vision On'' was conceived and developed by BBC producers Ursu ...

''. Being dyslexic, Watkins enjoyed drama as a subject least affected by this issue. He furthered his acting skills as a student of the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

in London, graduating in 1985 with an Acting (RADA Diploma).

Career

Stage

Following his graduation from

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central Lond ...

, Watkins established himself as a stage actor, joining the National Theatre company. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 (2000 season) for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''A Servant For Two Masters'' at the (

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Nadia Fall has been artistic director since 2025, succeeding ...

, subsequently transferred to New Ambassadors Theatre). His other theatre work includes ''

Rafts and Dreams ''Rafts and Dreams'' is a play by English playwright Robert Holman that was first performed in 1990, and published in 1991. Plot Beginning as a seeming domestic drama, ''Rafts and Dreams'' shows the relationship between obsessive-compulsive my ...

'' at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

, ''Philistines'' and ''Landscape with Weapon'' (by

Joe Penhall Joe Scott Penhall (born 1967) is an English-Australian playwright and screenwriter, best known for his award-winning stage play '' Blue/Orange'', the award-winning West End musical ''Sunny Afternoon'' and creating the Netflix original series ' ...

) at the National Theatre, London (2007) and ''A Laughing Matter'' (by April De Angelis) at the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

in 2003. In 2018, he played the predatory serial killer Ralph in a revival of

Bryony Lavery Bryony Lavery (born 1947) is a British dramatist, known for her successful and award-winning 1998 play '' Frozen''. In addition to her work in theatre, she has also written for television and radio. She has written books including the biography ...

's play '' Frozen'' at the

Theatre Royal Haymarket The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

Television

In 1987, Watkins debut appearance on television was in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' as estate agent Gerry Fairweather, a role he played for 11 episodes. Watkins's more prominent television roles have included the vampire leader William Herrick in '' Being Human''; the crime suspect Jason Buliegh in ''

Conviction In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is Guilty (law), guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a ...

''; Bradley Stainer in '' Funland''; and the dog-walking crime witness Francis Cross in '' Five Days''. He also played Oswald Cooper in "The Great and the Good", an episode of ''

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

''; Plornish in the 2008

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

production of ''

Little Dorrit ''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published in Serial (literature), serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea pris ...

''; and Cabbage Patterson in the BBC adaptation of ''

Lark Rise to Candleford ''Lark Rise to Candleford'' is a trilogy of autobiographical novel, semi-autobiographical novels by Flora Thompson about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. The stories were ...

''. He had a cameo as

Gene Hunt DCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama ''Life on Mars'' and its sequel, '' Ashes to Ashes''. The character is portrayed by Philip Glenister in both shows. His younger self, also known as the ...

's dissolute lawyer Colin Merric, in episode seven of the second series of ''

Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no conclusive evidence of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that ...

''. In 2006, he played the pioneering radiologist Ernest Wilson in a BBC pilot, ''

Casualty 1906 ''Casualty 1900s'', broadcast in the U.S. as ''London Hospital'', is a British hospital drama inspired by but otherwise unrelated to BBC One drama ''Casualty''. It places the viewer in the Receiving Room of the London Hospital, in London's ...

''. Also in 2006 he played the part of Sir Christopher Hatton in '' The Virgin Queen'', a four-part BBC drama. He then featured in the second series of the BBC's comedy ''

Psychoville ''Psychoville'' is a British psychological horror- thriller black comedy mystery television series created and written by and starring ''The League of Gentlemen'' members Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton for the BBC. It debuted on BBC Two ...

'', as Peter Bishop, owner of Hoyti Toyti, an antique shop specialising in toys. Additionally he appeared as Doctor Roger Brierley in

Victoria Wood Victoria Wood (19 May 1953 – 20 April 2016) was an English comedian, actress, musician, screenwriter, and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over several decades, and her live comedy act ...

's television film ''

Housewife, 49 ''Housewife, 49'' is a 2006 television film based on the wartime diaries of Nella Last. Written by and starring English actress and comedian Victoria Wood, it follows the experiences of an ordinary housewife and mother in the northern English ...

''. Since 2011, he has also appeared in the

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

sitcom ''

'' as the store manager Gavin. In early 2012 he joined the cast of the BBC drama ''

Prisoners' Wives ''Prisoners' Wives'' is a BBC drama series, created and written by Julie Gearey and starring Polly Walker, Pippa Haywood, Emma Rigby, Natalie Gavin, Sally Carman and Karla Crome, with supporting cast including Iain Glen, Adam Gillen, Jonas A ...

'', appeared as Detective Gilks in ''

Dirk Gently Dirk Gently (born Svlad Cjelli, also known as Dirk Cjelli) is a fictional character created by English writer Douglas Adams and featured in the books ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'', '' The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul'' and '' Th ...

'' and portrayed a smooth

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

PR man in ''

Twenty Twelve ''Twenty Twelve'' is a BBC television comedy series written and directed by John Morton. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Hynes and Amelia Bullmore, the programme is a spoof on-location mockumentary following the organisation of the 2012 Summe ...

''. On 11 May 2013, he appeared in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' story ''

Nightmare in Silver "Nightmare in Silver" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the seventh series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and was first broadcast on BBC One on 11 May 2013. It was written by Neil Gaiman and directed by ...

'', written by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

, featuring the

Cybermen The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

. Also in 2013 he played an anaesthetist in ''

The Wrong Mans ''The Wrong Mans'' is a British comedy drama television series, produced by BBC Television and Hulu. It premiered on BBC Two on 24 September 2013 and in the United States on 11 November 2013. Considered a critical and ratings success, it was c ...

''. In 2014, he appeared as Simon Harwood in the BBC comedy series '' W1A''. In 2014, he played the leading role in a two-part ITV drama entitled ''

'', about the innocent initial suspect in the 2010 murder of Joanna Yeates. He won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for this role. In 2016, Watkins played the role of Pastor Hansford in the four-part ITV drama '' The Secret''. Watkins appeared in two episodes of ''

The Hollow Crown ''The Hollow Crown'' may refer to: * a passage in Shakespeare's play ''Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward ...

'' and played the role of Malcolm Turner in the BBC sitcom series ''

Love, Nina ''Love, Nina'' is a 2016 British comedy drama starring Faye Marsay and Helena Bonham Carter. Adapted by Nick Hornby from Nina Stibbe's book, ''Love, Nina: Despatches from Family Life,'' the series received its debut on BBC One on 20 May 2016 ...

''. He narrated the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

documentary series ''The Job Interview'', appeared as Tony Michaels in an episode of ''

Friday Night Dinner ''Friday Night Dinner'' is a British sitcom created by Robert Popper that aired on Channel 4 from 25 February 2011 to 1 May 2020. Starring Tamsin Greig, Paul Ritter, Simon Bird, Tom Rosenthal, and Mark Heap, it follows the regular Friday ...

'' and was cast as Mr Humphries in the BBC revival of ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was created and written by David Croft (TV producer), David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd. Croft also served as executive producer and television directo ...

''. In 2017, Watkins played Solomon Coop, private secretary to the Prince Regent (later George IV), in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

series ''

Taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

''. Also on BBC One, Watkins performed as Wilfred Lucas-Dockery, the governor of the prison in the third episode of the BBC's adaptation of the

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

novel ''

Decline and Fall ''Decline and Fall'' is the first novel by the English author Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1928. It was Waugh's first published novel; an earlier attempt, titled '' The Temple at Thatch'', was destroyed by Waugh while still in manuscript fo ...

''. He played Simon in the second series of the ITV drama ''

Safe House A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is a dwelling place or building whose unassuming appearance makes it an inconspicuous location where one can hide out, take shelter, or conduct clandestine activities. Historical usage It may also refer to ...

'' in 2017, as well as playing Tim Ifield in the fourth series of

Line of Duty ''Line of Duty'' is a British police procedural and serial drama television programme created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It began broadcasting on BBC Two on 26 June 2012. ...

. In 2018 he played Roger in the BBC sitcom ''

Hold the Sunset ''Hold the Sunset'' is a British television sitcom first broadcast on BBC One on 18 February 2018. When first announced, it had the working title ''Edith''. Premise The plot revolves around two retired neighbours, Phil (Cleese) and Edith (Steadm ...

'' and

Emlyn Hooson Hugh Emlyn Hooson, Baron Hooson, (26 March 1925 – 21 February 2012) was a Welsh Liberal and then Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Montgomeryshire from 1962 until 1979. Early life Hooson was born at Colom ...

in the

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies ( ; born 27 April 1963), known professionally as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for being the original showrunner and head writer of the revival of the BBC sci-fi seri ...

miniseries '' A Very English Scandal'', and he provided the voice of Captain Orchis in the BBC adaptation of ''

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Hampshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natur ...

''. In 2018, Watkins narrated the Channel 5 historical documentary ''Inside the Tower of London'' which focused the history of the iconic landmark and the daily lives of London's

Yeoman Warders The Yeomen Warders of His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary, popularly known as the Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. I ...

, known as Beefeaters. In 2019, Watkins played Prime Minister

in the third series of the Netflix drama ''

''. Between 2020 and 2024 he appeared in a leading role as DS Dodds in the Bath-set ITV crime drama series ''

'' alongside

Tala Gouveia Tala Helen Gouveia (born 13 February 1988) is a British actress, best known for playing DCI Lauren McDonald in the ITV crime drama '' McDonald & Dodds'' (2020–2024). Early life Gouveia was born in Nottingham. The daughter of two theatre act ...

as mismatched detectives over four series. In 2022, Watkins appeared as Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the series '' SAS: Rogue Heroes''. In 2023, Watkins starred as Ed Collier in the Channel 5 series ''

The Catch The Catch may refer to: Film and television *The Catch (American TV series), ''The Catch'' (American TV series), a 2016–2017 American mystery series *The Catch (British TV series), ''The Catch'' (British TV series), a 2023 British family drama ...

'', alongside

Aneurin Barnard Aneurin Barnard (; ; born 8 May 1987) is a Welsh actor. He is known for playing Davey in '' Hunky Dory'', Claude in '' The Truth About Emanuel'', Bobby Willis in '' Cilla'', Tim in '' Thirteen'', King Richard III in '' The White Queen'', Will ...

and Poppy Gilbert. The same year, it was confirmed that Watkins would be a contestant on the third series of the ITV show ''

Cooking with the Stars Cooking, also known as cookery or professionally as the culinary arts, is the art, science and craft of using heat to make food more palatable, digestible, nutritious, or safe. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling foo ...

'', alongside other celebrities including

Joanna Page Joanna Louise Page is a Welsh actress and presenter, known for portraying List of Gavin & Stacey characters, Stacey Shipman in the BAFTA-winning television series ''Gavin & Stacey''. She played Dora Spenlow in the David Copperfield (1999 film), ...

Matt Willis Matt Willis (born 8 May 1983) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and co-vocalist of the pop-punk band Busted (band), Busted. Willis released his debut solo album ''Do ...

and

Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea; 27 February 1973) is a British-Australian singer, songwriter, and media personality. Born in England to Cypriot parents and raised in Australia, Andre achieved success in the mid-1990s as a singer, topping ...

. Watkins voices

Alfred Pennyworth Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth, originally Alfred Beagle and commonly known simply as Alfred, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Alfred is ...

in the

Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

animated series '' Batman: Caped Crusader''.

Film

Watkins's film roles include character parts in ''

Confetti Confetti are small pieces or streamers of paper, mylar or metallic material, usually thrown at celebrations, especially parades and weddings. The origins are from the Latin ''confectum'', with ''confetti'' the plural of Italian ''confetto'', ...

'', '' High Hopes'', '' Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason'', ''

Tomorrow Never Dies ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay ...

'', '' The Golden Compass'' and '' Wild Child''. He played Gordon Shakespeare in the first three films in the ''Nativity'' series.

Personal life

Watkins is married to jewellery and fashion designer Clara Francis. On New Year's Day 2011, their 2-year-old daughter died of

sepsis Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...

. He dedicated his 2015 BAFTA award to her and campaigns for greater awareness of sepsis. He is
Patron of Child Bereavement UK
a charity that supports children, young people and families when a child grieves or when a child dies. He and his wife have two other children. He also has two sons from his first marriage to actress

Awards

Filmography

Television

Film

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Jason 1962 births Living people Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Male actors from Shropshire 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners