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

KNOWN FOR

Midsomer Murders
2003
Doctor Who
2014
Death in Paradise
2018
Outlander
2014
Have I Got News for You
1992
QI
2003
Father Brown
2017
Wogan
1989
Lewis
2010
Question Time
2008
Shameless
2012
Skins
2011

FILMOGRAPHY

All
Movies
TV
Acting
145
Writing
3
Crew
1
2021
Belfast
as Joseph Tomelty as Marley
2020
The Great
as Bishop Tarcinkus
2019
Intrigo: Dear Agnes
as Pumpermann
2019
Loving Vincent: The Impossible Dream
as Self
2019
Victoria
as Lord John Russell
2018
Balls
as Brownlow
2018
The Town That Floored the World
as Presenter
2018
Death in Paradise
as Hugh Davenport
2017
Loving Vincent
as Pere Tanguy
2017
Finding Your Feet
as Mike Abbott
2017
Father Brown
as Reverend Adam Gillespie
2017
The Loch
as DCI Frank Smilie
2016
Red Top
as The Accountant
2016
Florence Foster Jenkins
as Dr. Hermann
2016
The Rack Pack
as Ted Lowe
2016
Whisky Galore
as Doctor McLaren
2016
Denial
as Prof. Richard Evans
2016
Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge
2016
Friday Night Dinner
as Mr. Murray
2016
Upstart Crow
as Lord Inquisitor
2015
Sean Connery: In His Own Words
as Narrator
2015
Legend
as Lord Boothby
2015
We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story
as Arthur Lowe
2015
Mr. Holmes
as Mycroft Holmes
2015
Hiroshima: The Aftermath
as Self - Narrator (voice)
2015
Moone Boy
2015
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
as John Murray
2014
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie
as Thorne
2014
The Silent Storm
as Mr. Smith
2014
Doctor Who
as Gus
2014
Outlander
as Arthur Duncan
2014
Blandings
as Lord Didcot
2013
Filth
as Toal
2012
30 Years of Comic Strip
2012
The Domino Effect
as Talk Show Host
2012
Dead Boss
as Sir Humphreys
2012
Shameless
as Father McGinn
2011
The Real American: Joe McCarthy
as Joe McCarthy
2011
The Hunt for Tony Blair
as Tebbit
2011
The Hunt for Tony Blair
as Norman Tebbit
2011
The Iron Lady
as Edward Heath
2011
Skins
as Geoff Fitzgerald
2011
Rab C. Nesbitt
as Chief Inspector Haggerty
2010
Spies and Lies
as Folkes
2010
Made in Dagenham
as Harold Wilson
2010
The Making of Plus One
as Derek - the line producer
2010
Gerard Kelly: A Celebration
as Self
2010
Sherlock
as Kenny Prince
2010
Lewis
as Professor Rufus Strickfaden
2009
The Last Station
as Dushan
2009
Nativity!
as Mr. Lore
2009
Breaking the Mould
as Edward Mellanby
2009
Margaret
as Geoffrey Howe
2008
Inconceivable
as Finbar 'Finn' Darrow
2008
Celebrity Mastermind
as Himself
2008
Question Time
as Self - Panellist
2007
Reichenbach Falls
as Professor Bell
2007
Hotel Babylon
as Donovan Credo
2007
Ronni Ancona & Co
2007
New Tricks
2007
Oliver Twist
as Mr Sowerberry
2007
British Film Forever
2006
Scoop
as Strombel's Co-Worker (uncredited)
2006
Low Winter Sun
as Prof Barry Lennox
2006
The Good Shepherd
as Valentin Mironov #1/Yuri Modin
2005
The English Harem
as Ridley
2005
Rag Tale
as Felix Miles Sty
2004
Five Children and It
as Peasemarsh
2004
Lighthouse Hill
as Mr. Reynard
2004
The Merchant of Venice
as Salerio
2004
Hawking
as Dennis Sciama
2004
Stella Street
2004
The Legend of the Tamworth Two
as Rival Newspaper Editor
2003
The Key
2003
Midsomer Murders
as Barrett Filby
2003
QI
as Self
2002
George Eliot: A Scandalous Life
as George Henry Lewes
2002
One of the Hollywood Ten
as Paul Jarrico
2002
Gangs of New York
as Harry Watkins / Lincoln
2002
Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time
as General Tannis
2002
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
as John Corntel
2002
Judge John Deed
2002
Dalziel and Pascoe
as Charlie Penn
2001
High Heels and Low Lifes
as Director
2001
David Macaulay: Mill Times
as Shadrack Moore (voice)
2001
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
2001
Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes
as Prof. Rutherford
2000
Around The World In 80 Days
as Jean Passepartout (voice)
2000
A Profile of 'Brief Encounter'
as Self
2000
Gormenghast
as Dr Alfred Prunesquallor
1999
A Midsummer Night's Dream
as Philostrate
1999
Faeries
as Chudley (voice)
1999
The Man
as Jerry Barnes
1998
Faith
as Brian
1998
The Scarlet Tunic
as Humphrey Gould
1998
Cousin Bette
as Musical Director
1998
Queen's Park Story
1998
In the Red
as Hercules Fortescue
1997
My Night with Reg
as Daniel
1997
The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling
as Henry Fielding
1997
Stella Street
1997
Performance
as Daniel
1996
The Adventures of Pinocchio
as Schoolmaster
1996
The Treasure Seekers
as Redman
1995
In the Bleak Midwinter
as Terry Du Bois
1994
Citizen Locke
as John Locke
1994
David Macaulay: Roman City
as Laurens / Acco Bouvaix (voice)
1994
Princess Caraboo
as Prince Regent
1994
Nice Day at the Office
1994
John Sessions' Likely Stories
1993
Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles
as James Boswell
1993
ScreenPlay
as James Boswell
1992
Sellers' Best
as Self
1992
Freddie As F.R.O.7.
as Scotty / Additional voices (voice)
1992
Have I Got News for You
as Self
1991
The Pope Must Die
as Dino
1991
John Sessions' Tall Tales
1991
The New Statesman
as Lord Penistone
1991
Jute City
as McMurdo
1990
Sweet Revenge
as John
1990
Some Enchanted Evening
as Bobby Buffet
1990
One Foot in the Grave
1990
Plunder
1990
Single Voices
as Bobby Buffet
1989
Henry V
as Macmorris
1989
Wogan
as Self
1989
John Sessions On The Spot
1988
Spitting Image: The Ronnie & Nancy Show
as Laurence Olivier (Voice)
1988
Spitting Image: Bumbledown – The Life and Times of Ronald Reagan
as Various Roles
1988
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
as Self
1988
Menace Unseen
as Larry Knight
1987
Gramsci: Everything that Concerns People
as Antonio Gramsci
1987
Spitting Image: The 1987 Movie Awards
as Various Roles
1987
Spitting Image: Election Special '87
as Various Characters
1987
Porterhouse Blue
as Zipser
1986
Castaway
as Man in Pub
1986
Whoops Apocalypse
as Mr. Sweetzer
1986
Sky Bandits
as Flight
1986
Spitting Image: Down And Out In The White House
as Various Roles
1986
Girls On Top
as Rodney
1986
Boon
as Barney Spitz
1985
Happy Families
as Dean
1984
The Bounty
as John Smith
1984
Spitting Image
1982
The Sender
as Patient