Jonathan Watson (born 23 November 1957) is a Scottish actor best known for his comedy sketch show ''

Only an Excuse? ''Only an Excuse?'' is an annual Scottish comedy sketch show that was broadcast on BBC One Scotland on Hogmanay from 1993 to 2020. It starred the actor and comedian Jonathan Watson and featured impressions of some of Scottish football's great ...

'', which parodied people and events from the world of Scottish football, as well as roles in the BBC comedies ''Bob Servant Independent'' in which he appears with Brian Cox, and as Colin in the acclaimed '' Two Doors Down'' (2013–present). In the 1980s he was also a regular cast member of the Scottish sitcom ''

City Lights ''City Lights'' is a 1931 American synchronized sound film, sound romance film, romantic comedy drama, comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a ...

'' and the sketch show '' Naked Video''.

Early life and education

Watson was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and was educated at Hillhead Primary and Hillhead High School. He trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and graduated in 1979. He joined the TAG Theatre Company then followed this with a season with the 7:84 company.

Career

Television and film

He had a part in

Bill Forsyth William David Forsyth (born 29 July 1946) is a Scottish film director and writer known for his films '' Gregory's Girl'' (1981), '' Local Hero'' (1983) and '' Comfort and Joy'' (1984) as well as his adaptation of the Marilynne Robinson novel ...

's 1983 film '' Local Hero'', and moved to London in 1986 before returning to Scotland two years later. Watson appeared in all five seasons of '' Naked Video'' that were broadcast on BBC Scotland between 1986 and 1991, He was also in ''

'', '' Rab C. Nesbitt'' and ''

''. In 2013, Watson appeared in Rob Drummond's ''Quiz Show'' at the Traverse Theatre in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. In 2014 he played Archie in John Byrne's adaptation of Chekhov's '' The Three Sisters'' for The Tron, Glasgow. He was also in The National Theatre of Scotland's production of ''Yer Granny'', which toured Scotland & Northern Ireland. He appeared in the horror film '' Let Us Prey'' which was released in 2015. Early television appearances included minor parts in ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' and '' Casualty''. In ''Bob Servant'' which sees him playing opposite Brian Cox, as Bob's trusty sidekick - Frank. He was acted as Clice Bagshawe in Fried. Following the success of a one-hour pilot, a six-part comedy series ''Two Doors Down'' was made which screened on BBC2 beginning in March 2016. From December 2019 to January 2020, Watson played King Hector in the

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

Jack and the Beanstalk at the King's Theatre, Glasgow In 2021 he appeared in ''

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 ...

Flux Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications in physics. For transport phe ...

'' as Sontarans 'Commander Riskaw' and 'Skaak'.

Comedy impressions

''Watson's Wind Up'' was a

political satire Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satir ...

show that was aired on

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish national radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 N ...

. The show was recorded on Fridays at the Glasgow Film Theatre.

''Bob Servant Independent''

Watson's appeared as Frank (Francis) the campaign manager of local cheeseburger magnate in the cult

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

Neil Forsyth Neil Forsyth (born 1978) is a Scottish author, television writer and journalist. He has written and created a number of British television shows including '' The Gold'', '' Guilt'', and '' Bob Servant Independent'', and has won numerous televisio ...

comedy ''Bob Servant Independent''. This show was first broadcast in the UK in January/February 2013; with a move planned to BBC2 later in the year.

Personal life

Watson is a supporter of Rangers F.C.

Theatre

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Jonathan Scottish male television actors Living people People educated at Hillhead High School Comedians from Glasgow Male actors from Glasgow 1957 births Scottish male stage actors Scottish male film actors Scottish impressionists (entertainers) Scottish sketch comedians