Mark Williams

He appeared in Doctor Who and Red Dwarf. Since 2013, Williams has portrayed the title character in the long-running BBC series loosely based on the Father Brown short stories by G.

• Name — Mark Williams • Birthplace — Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England • Occupation — * Actor • comedian • presenter • screenwriter • Years Active — 1982–present • Children — 1

Williams was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England and grew up in Sidemoor. He was educated at North Bromsgrove High School and then Brasenose College, Oxford, where he graduated with a degree in English in 1978, and was president of the college's Junior Common Room.

Williams' acting work began in small-scale touring theatre, and he worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. Williams came to wider public attention in the 1990s through the BBC sketch comedy programme The Fast Show, in which he was one of the central performers. He has said that for a while "people seemed to assume I was a comedian, which I've never been". He appeared in several episodes In Bob Naylor's Red Dwarf in the 1990s. He played Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter film series, making his first appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002. Other high-profile appearances include the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Stardust alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro and Claire Danes in 2007 and a 2012 role in Doctor Who as Brian Williams, father of the Doctor's companion, Rory. Since 2013, he has appeared in the lead role in the BBC costume drama Father Brown. Williams also featured in the first series of Blandings, the BBC TV adaptation of the P. G. Wodehouse Blandings Castle stories, broadcast in 2013, in which he played Beach, the Emsworths' tipsy butler. In 2014 and 2015, he presented the BBC daytime game show The Link. The show ran for two series. His other film roles include 101 Dalmatians and The Borrowers, both with Hugh Laurie. Williams has also presented several documentary programmes exploring industrial history which is his passion; Mark Williams' Big Bangs on the history of explosives, a follow-up to the previous series Mark Williams on the Rails, Industrial Revelations and More Industrial Revelations.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1988 — Coppers — Constable Spud Murphy • data-sort-value="Storyteller, The" | The Storyteller — Fearnot's brother — Episode: "Fearnot" • Red Dwarf — Olaf Petersen — Three episodes: "The End", "Balance of Power" and "Stasis Leak" • Alexei Sayle's Stuff — First series, six episodes • Tumbledown — Lumpy • 1990 — Making Out — Manfred — Episodes 1 and 2 • KYTV — Episode: "Launch" • 1991 — Merlin of the Crystal Cave — Cerdic • Bottom — Boris — Episode: "Accident" • 1992 — Kinsey — Danny — Six episodes • 1993 — data-sort-value="Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, The" | The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer — Don Powell — Seven episodes 1993–1995 • 1994 — Health and Efficiency — Steven — Episode: "Cinderella Rockafella" • data-sort-value="Fast Show, The" | The Fast Show — Various characters — 23 episodes 1994–2000 • Chef! — Policeman 2 — Episode: "Masterchef" • 1995 — data-sort-value="Big Game, The" | The Big Game — Tommy Hollis • Searching — Gerald • Peak Practice — Roland Grogan — Episode: "Life and Soul" • 1998 — data-sort-value="Fast Show Live, The" | The Fast Show Live — Various characters • data-sort-value="Canterbury Tales, The" | The Canterbury Tales — Chanticleer — Episode: "Leaving London" – voice • Ted & Ralph — Confirmed Bachelor • 1999 — Hunting Venus — Peter • 2000 — Gormenghast — Professor Perch • data-sort-value="Strangerers, The" | The Strangerers — Cadet Flynn — Nine episodes • 2001 — Fun at the Funeral Parlour — Larry Nazareth — Episode: "The Jaws of Doom" • Industrial Revelations — Himself — Two series (as presenter) • 2002 — Shackleton — Dudley Docker • 2003 — Grass — Ben — Six episodes • 2004 — Mark Williams on the Rails — Himself — Presenter • Carrie and Barry — Kirk — Twelve episodes • 2006 — Mark Williams' Big Bangs — Himself — Presenter • Saxondale — Deggsy — One episode • 2007 — data-sort-value="Room with a View, A" | A Room with a View — Mr Beebe — TV movie • 2008 — Sense and Sensibility (2008 TV series) — Sir John Middleton • 2009 — Inspector George Gently — Joe Bishop — Episode: "Gently into the Night" • Blood in the Water — Jerry Hourihan • Agatha Christie's Marple — Claud Evans — Episode: "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" • New Tricks — David Beaumont — Episode: "The Truth is out There" • 2010 — data-sort-value="Indian Doctor, The" | The Indian Doctor — Richard Sharpe — Five episodes • Merlin — Voice of the Goblin — Episode: "Goblin's Gold" • |2011 — Frankenstein's Wedding — Alphonse Frankenstein • 2012 — Being Human — Regus • Hustle — Dale Ridley • Doctor Who — Brian Williams — Episodes "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" and "The Power of Three" • 2013 — Blandings — Sebastian Beach — Six episodes • Still Open All Hours — Planter's Salesman • 2013–present — Father Brown — Father Brown — Title character, 130 episodes • 2014–2015 — data-sort-value="Link, The" | The Link — Presenter — BBC daytime game show • 2015 — Drunk History — Robert Catesby — Episode: "Episode Four" • 2016 — data-sort-value="Comic Strip Presents..., The" | The Comic Strip Presents... — Chief Constable — Episode: "Redtop" • 2017 — Hospital People — Tony — Episode: "The Local Millionaire" • 2018 — Twirliwoos — Waiter — Episode: This Way, That Way • 2021 — Midsomer Murders — Pat Everett — Episode: "The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy" • data-sort-value="Dumping Ground, The" | The Dumping Ground — Les Vegas — Episode: "Old Friends" • 2022 — Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts — Himself — HBO Max Special • Sister Boniface Mysteries — Father Brown — Cameo; episode: "My Brother's Keeper"

• Year — Title — Role • 2023 — "Weirdo" by Girl Scout (band) — Clown

• Year — Title — Voice role • 2016 — Lego Dimensions — Arthur Weasley (voice)

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2019 — Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure — Arthur Weasley — Face capture & voice only (stunt double used in pre-show)

• Power Rangers Operation Overdrive - Big Mouth Monster (episode: "Both Sides Now") • Merlin - The Goblin (episode: "Goblin's Gold") • Power Rangers Samurai - Eyescar (episode: "The Rescue") • Lego Dimensions - Arthur Weasley • We're Going on a Bear Hunt - Dad • Early Man - Barry