Hugo Speer

• Name — Hugo Speer • Birth Name — Hugo Alexander Speer • Born — 17 March 1968 • Birthplace — Harrogate, West Riding of Yorkshire, England • Occupation — Actor, director • Years Active — 1992–present • Education — Harrogate Grammar School Arts Educational Schools, London

Hugo Speer was born in Harrogate in the then West Riding of Yorkshire and educated at Harrogate Grammar School. He studied acting at the Arts Educational Schools, London.

Speer began his acting career appearing in the TV series McCallum, The Bill, and Heartbeat. He played a minor role in the film Bhaji on the Beach before his first notable appearance as Guy in the film The Full Monty. Following this film's worldwide success he went on to appear in Swing (1999), Deathwatch and The Interpreter (playing Nicole Kidman's brother). However, most of his work has been on TV, including sitcom Men Behaving Badly, dramas Clocking Off, The Last Detective, Boudica (2003), and The Rotters' Club (2005), as well as the 2005 BBC adaptation of Dickens' Bleak House. In 2006, he appeared in the postal worker drama Sorted. In 2008, he starred alongside Martine McCutcheon in Echo Beach. In 2011 he played a repairman whose repairs "come to life" in the supernatural drama Haven, based on a Stephen King story. Speer also provides narration for ITV series, Cops with Cameras, Channel 5's The Bachelor, Channel 4 series 999: What's Your Emergency? and the BBC series Seaside Rescue. He appears as John Foster in the penultimate and final episodes of the fourth series of Skins. Hugo Speer also narrated a factual programme on Discovery HD called Gold Divers, and Alaska: The Last Frontier. Since 2010 he has played the lead character of DCI John Stone in eight series of the BBC Radio 4 police drama Stone. From 2013 to 2014 he starred as Inspector Valentine in the new version of Father Brown on BBC TV in the first series and the first episode of the second series. He made a return appearance in the 2020 episode 8.10 "The Tower of Lost Souls" Starting in 2014, Speer appeared as Captain Treville in The Musketeers. The series concluded in 2016. Since 2018 he has played the character Lucius in the historical fantasy drama series Britannia, which is produced by Sky Atlantic and Amazon Prime.

In 2010 Hugo Speer made his directorial début with the short film MAM starring Josie Lawrence, Paul Barber and Ronan Carter. The family drama about a 12-year-old boy was scripted by Vivienne Harvey. It was produced by Vigo Films and shot mostly in Sheffield.

On 19 February 2015, Speer married Glaswegian actress, writer and director Vivienne Harvey. In 2009, Speer was involved in a car accident when his BMW crashed into a traffic island while driving after drinking over the legal limit. He was returning from a wake. No one was hurt in the incident and Speer was banned from driving for eighteen months. Speer moved to London after his success in The Full Monty and lived there for fifteen years but moved back to his native North Yorkshire. His pastimes include falconry, walking and music. He is a supporter of Leeds United. He is friends with fellow actor Andrew Scarborough, whom he worked with in the Hearts and Bones for two series. Speer and Scarborough have known each other since they were children.

In July 2022, Speer was sacked from a planned follow-up television version of The Full Monty made by Disney+ following allegations of "inappropriate conduct". A spokesperson for the actor said Speer denied the allegations and would challenge them. In June 2023, Speer elaborated his side of the story to The Daily Mail. He stated that a female runner had walked in on him in his trailer whilst he was naked.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1992–1996 — The Bill — Dave Williamson (1992) /Sean Tranter (1996) — 2 episodes • 1993 — Woof! — Nick Bailey — 1 episode • 1993–2009 — Heartbeat — Chris Rawlings (1993) / Vic Needham (2009) — “Wall of Silence” (1993), “Deadlier Than The Male” (2009) • 1994 — So Haunt Me — Terry — 1 episode • 1996 — Sharman — Mayles — 1 episode • 1997 — McCallum — Dr. Aidan Petit — 3 episodes • Men Behaving Badly — Tony 2 — 1 episode • The Drew Carey Show — Himself — 1 episode • 1998 — An Englishman in New York — Davey — Television film • 1999 — Shockers: Ibiza – £99 Return — Alex — Television film • 2000–2001 — Hearts and Bones — Richard Rose — 12 episodes • 2001 — Do or Die — Nicholas — Miniseries, 2 episodes • 2002 — Green-Eyed Monster — Ray — Television film • An Angel for May — Bob Harris — Television film • 2003 — The Debt — DS Edward 'Ed' Foster — Television film • 40 — Robert / Rob — Miniseries, 3 episodes • Clocking Off — Stuart Savage — 1 episode • Sons & Lovers — Walter Morel — Television film • 2005 — Bleak House — Sergeant George — Miniseries, 10 episodes • Messiah: The Harrowing — DI Jack Price — Miniseries, 3 episodes • The Last Detective — Sergeant Stephen Kay — Episode: "Towpaths of Glory" • The Rotters' Club — Bill Anderton — Miniseries, 3 episodes • 2006 — Sorted — Charlie King — 6 episodes • Love Lies Bleeding — Stuart Milburn — Television film • 2007 — Fanny Hill — Mr. H — Miniseries, 2 episodes • Silent Witness — DI Dan Jennings — “Double Dare: Part 1 & 2” • 2008 — Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple — James Abbot — “Murder Is Easy” • Echo Beach — Mark Penwarden — 12 episodes • Moving Wallpaper — Hugo Speer as himself — Episode: #1.6, #1.12 • Moving Wallpaper: The Mole — Hugo Speer as himself — Episode: #1.9 • 2009 — Taggart — Ron Cassidy — “So Long Baby” • 2010 — Moving On — Dave — “Losing My Religion” • Skins — John Foster — “Effy”, “Everyone” • Five Days — Supt. James Carpenter — 4 episodes • 2011 — Death in Paradise — DI Charlie Hulme — 1 episode • Haven — Louis Pufahl — 1 episode • Vera — Keith Mantel — Episode: “Telling Tales” • Midsomer Murders — Geoff Rogers — “Not in My Backyard” • 2011–2012 — Bedlam — Warren Bettany / Warren — 12 episode • 2012 — Watson & Oliver — Various sketch show characters — 3 episodes • 2013 — Common Ground — Jack — Television short, 1 episode • 2013–2014, 2020 — Father Brown — Inspector Valentine / Chief Inspector Valentine — 12 episodes • 2014–2016 — The Musketeers — Treville / Minister Treville — 28 episodes • 2017–2019 — Britannia — Lucius — 13 episodes • 2018–2020 — Marcella — Frank Young — 9 episodes • 2019– — London Kills — DI David Bradford — 4 series, 20 episodes • 2021 — Shadow and Bone — Lieutenant Bohdan — 4 episodes • 2023 — The Full Monty — Guy — 4 episodes

Hugo Alexander Speer is a British actor and film director who was born in Harrogate in North Yorkshire. Biographical sources record conflicting documentation regarding his exact date of birth. He holds citizenship of the United Kingdom, and his recorded primary working language is English. Speer received his secondary education at Harrogate Grammar School in North Yorkshire. Following his schooling, he undertook formal dramatic training in acting at the Arts Educational Schools in London. After establishing his performance career following initial film success, Speer lived in London for fifteen years before returning to reside in North Yorkshire. English Wikipedia notes his personal pastimes as including falconry, walking, and music, alongside his support for Leeds United Football Club and his long-standing friendship with fellow actor Andrew Scarborough, whom he knew from childhood and later worked alongside in the television series Hearts and Bones.

Speer began his professional acting career with television appearances in series including McCallum, The Bill, and Heartbeat, as well as a minor film role in Bhaji on the Beach, as recorded in English Wikipedia. His major breakthrough occurred in 1997 when he played the role of Guy in the feature film The Full Monty. Following the global success of the film, he appeared in feature films such as Swing in 1999, Deathwatch, and The Interpreter, in which he portrayed the brother of the character played by Nicole Kidman.

The personal and public records concerning Hugo Speer document his residential history, artistic partnerships, and broadcast proceedings. Following the commercial success of the 1997 film The Full Monty, Speer lived in London for fifteen years before returning to reside in North Yorkshire. On 19 February 2015, he married the Glaswegian actress, writer, and director Vivienne Harvey, who had previously written the script for his 2010 directorial debut short film MAM, produced by Vigo Films. English Wikipedia notes his personal interests in falconry, walking, music, and his support for Leeds United Football Club, alongside a lifelong friendship with fellow actor Andrew Scarborough, whom he knew from childhood and with whom he appeared in two series of Hearts and Bones. In 2009, Speer was involved in a road traffic accident when his motor vehicle struck a traffic island while driving above the legal alcohol limit following a wake; English Wikipedia records that no persons were injured and that Speer received an eighteen-month driving disqualification. In July 2022, Speer was dismissed from a planned television continuation of The Full Monty produced by Disney+ following allegations of inappropriate conduct. A spokesperson for Speer stated that he denied the allegations and intended to challenge them. In June 2023, Speer provided further details regarding the event to The Daily Mail, stating that a female runner had unexpectedly entered his trailer while he was naked.