Stephen Beckett (born 24 May 1967) is an English

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, known for portraying Dr Matt Ramsden in ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

'' and

Mike Jarvis Michael D. Jarvis (born April 12, 1945) is an American college basketball coach most recently as head men's basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University. He has coached at Boston University, George Washington University and St. John's Univer ...

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 ...

''.

Background

Born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Beckett was brought up in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

and

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

,Smith, Steven. "Stephen Beckett - My Favourite Things", ''

The People The People may refer to: Legal jargon * The People, term used to refer to the people in general, in legal documents * "We the People of the United States", from the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution * In philosophy, economics, and political scienc ...

'', 2001-09-16. and attended

Wilson's School Wilson's School is a state boys' grammar school with academy status in the London Borough of Sutton, England. It was founded as Wilson's Grammar School in Camberwell in 1615 by Edward Wilson, making it one of the country's oldest state schoo ...

in Wallington.Croydon Life: Profiles: Stephen Beckett
Retrieved on 2009-08-04. He has three sisters. Beckett left school at the age of sixteen to become an actor, and began his career in

street theatre Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves, college or universi ...

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

. He later trained at

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 ...

, graduating at the age of twenty three.

Career

Beckett won his first professional roles a week after graduating from drama school, appearing in ''

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, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

'' and ''Callas'' at the

Oldham Coliseum Oldham Coliseum Theatre is a theatre in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Located on Fairbottom Street in the town centre, it opened in 1887 as the Colosseum, a reconstruction of an 1885 wooden circus building, has since been rebuilt as a ma ...

. He went on to work in regional theatre throughout the UK, and with the National Theatre. Beckett played the role of PC Mike Jarvis in ''

'' for five years. He later played Dr Matt Ramsden in ''

'' from 2000 to 2002, reprising the role in 2006. Discussing the character and the possibility of a return, Beckett said: "People were really protective of Ashley, and very anti the child-stealing doctor. I don't know about returning to Corrie again, but as long as Ashley is in the show there is a potential kidnap plot." But as the character of Ashley has now been written out, with the rest of his on-screen family to follow shortly, the return of Dr Ramsden seems unlikely. His other television credits include ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

'', ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

'' and ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

''. In 2006, he guest starred as

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

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 ...

'' audio drama '' The Kingmaker''. Beckett's theatre work includes the original productions of the

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen ...

plays '' Drowning on Dry Land'' and '' Private Fears in Public Places'', ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...

'', '' The Ghost Train'', ''Murder with Love'', ''Walk Hard'', ''The Business of Murder'', ''The Late Edwina Black'' and '' Absurd Person Singular''.Whats On Stage.com - Details for Stephen Beckett
Retrieved on 2009-08-04. He has also appeared in

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 ...

. Beckett played Prospero in The Tempest for the 2017 open air Stafford Festival Shakespeare 22 June – 8 July 2017.

Television

Film

Video games

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckett, Stephen Actors from the London Borough of Southwark Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male stage actors English male soap opera actors English male film actors 1967 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors People educated at Wilson's School, Wallington Male actors from London Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth Actors from the London Borough of Croydon People from Croydon People from Brixton People from Herne Hill