Christopher Timothy
Encyclopedia
Christopher Timothy is a Welsh actor
, television director
and writer
. Timothy is possibly best known today for his role as James Herriot
in All Creatures Great and Small
; more recently he has starred as Dr. Brendan 'Mac' McGuire in the British
television drama
Doctors. In 2011, he played himself in the audio drama 'We are not the BBC' written by Susan Casanove and produced by the Wireless Theatre Company
.
in the 1950s, appearing in a number of school plays. On leaving school he worked at Frank Newton's Gentleman's Outfitters in Shrewsbury - now the location of Marks & Spencers in the town.
In the 1960s Timothy was part of Laurence Olivier
's National Theatre
company and appeared in such productions as The Master Builder
, Juno and the Paycock
and Olivier's Othello
.
After appearing in the film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, Timothy's television career started with the 1969 series Take Three Girls
. He went on to appear in Doctor at Large in 1971, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
in 1973 and Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle in 1977 before winning the role of Herriot. He played the role from 1978 until 1980 and again between 1988 and 1990.
In 1980 he played Jesus Christ in the York Mystery Plays
. In 2000 he was cast as Dr. Brendan "Mac" McGuire in the TV series Doctors
staying with the show for six years, directing
some of the episodes, and leaving in May 2006. In 2005 he made an appearance in Casualty
as the murderer of long-standing character Finlay Newton. Recently, he appeared as a special guest on ITV1 drama, The Bill
, which was aired on New Years Day 2009. More recently he has appeared in Lewis (ITV1), The Grapes of Wrath, All the Fun of the Fair and Haunting Julia.
He is the son of BBC announcer Andrew Timothy
, and has done regular voice work himself including taking his father's place as the Announcer for the Goon Again Show in 2001 marking the 50th anniversary of the Goon Show (Andrew had been the announcer for the show back in the early 1950s). He played the Announcer role on the Kinks
' 1974 double album, "Preservation Act 2". He voiced and appeared in numerous television commercials for The Sun
newspaper in the 1970s (which were extremely unusual for the time in the level of energy and even aggression evident in Timothy's delivery) and he has also read Herriot's works for CD release. He appeared in BBC Radio's Just a Minute
in 1988 and 1989.
He is also used in the marketing material for Dignity plc
, primarily for their prepaid funeral plans.
He is married to Annie Veronica Swatton, and they have one daughter, Grace. He was previously married to Susan Boys, with whom he had four sons and two daughters - Simon, Nicholas, Robin, David, Tabitha, and Kate. He has three grandchildren - Ellen, Jack and Tyri.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. Timothy is possibly best known today for his role as James Herriot
James Herriot
James Herriot was the pen name of James Alfred Wight, OBE, FRCVS also known as Alf Wight , an English veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinarian to write a series of books of stories about animals and their owners...
in All Creatures Great and Small
All Creatures Great and Small (TV serial)
All Creatures Great and Small is a popular British television series, based on the books of the British veterinary surgeon Alf Wight, who wrote under the pseudonym James Herriot.-Background:...
; more recently he has starred as Dr. Brendan 'Mac' McGuire in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
Doctors. In 2011, he played himself in the audio drama 'We are not the BBC' written by Susan Casanove and produced by the Wireless Theatre Company
Wireless Theatre Company
The Wireless Theatre Company is a not-for-profit online audio theatre company, founded in July 2007 by Mariele Runacre Temple, daughter of actress Jenny Runacre, the company produces radio plays, audio comedy and short stories for free download...
.
Biography
He was born in Bala, Merionethshire, Wales, and lived in the town up to the age of five, when his parents moved to London. He attended the Priory Grammar School in ShrewsburyShrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
in the 1950s, appearing in a number of school plays. On leaving school he worked at Frank Newton's Gentleman's Outfitters in Shrewsbury - now the location of Marks & Spencers in the town.
In the 1960s Timothy was part of Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
's National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
company and appeared in such productions as The Master Builder
The Master Builder
The Master Builder is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's most significant and revealing works.-Performance:...
, Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock
Juno and the Paycock is a play by Sean O'Casey, and one of the most highly regarded and oft-performed plays in Ireland. It was first staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1924...
and Olivier's Othello
Othello (1965 film)
Othello is a 1965 film based on the National Theatre's staging of Shakespeare's Othello staged by John Dexter. Directed by Stuart Burge, the film starred Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Frank Finlay, and Joyce Redman, providing film debuts for both Derek Jacobi and Michael...
.
After appearing in the film Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, Timothy's television career started with the 1969 series Take Three Girls
Take Three Girls
Take Three Girls is a drama series on BBC1 which ran between 1969 and 1971 about the lives of three girls sharing a flat in 'Swinging' London....
. He went on to appear in Doctor at Large in 1971, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice.The series followed the accident-prone Frank Spencer and his tolerant wife Betty through Frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in...
in 1973 and Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle in 1977 before winning the role of Herriot. He played the role from 1978 until 1980 and again between 1988 and 1990.
In 1980 he played Jesus Christ in the York Mystery Plays
York Mystery Plays
The York Mystery Plays, more properly called the York Corpus Christi Plays, are a Middle English cycle of forty-eight mystery plays, or pageants, which cover sacred history from the creation to the Last Judgement. These were traditionally presented on the feast day of Corpus Christi...
. In 2000 he was cast as Dr. Brendan "Mac" McGuire in the TV series Doctors
Doctors (BBC Soap Opera)
Doctors is a British daytime television soap opera, set in the fictional Midland town of Letherbridge, defined as being close to the City of Birmingham. It was created by Chris Murray; Mal Young drove its development, and Carson Black was the original producer. The first episode was broadcast on...
staying with the show for six years, directing
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
some of the episodes, and leaving in May 2006. In 2005 he made an appearance in Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
as the murderer of long-standing character Finlay Newton. Recently, he appeared as a special guest on ITV1 drama, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, which was aired on New Years Day 2009. More recently he has appeared in Lewis (ITV1), The Grapes of Wrath, All the Fun of the Fair and Haunting Julia.
He is the son of BBC announcer Andrew Timothy
Andrew Timothy
Andrew Timothy was an Anglican priest and BBC Radio announcer, who is best remembered for being the original announcer of the comedy series The Goon Show. Timothy announced for the BBC Home Service from 1947 to 1959. Later he became one of the first BBC television newsreaders from July to...
, and has done regular voice work himself including taking his father's place as the Announcer for the Goon Again Show in 2001 marking the 50th anniversary of the Goon Show (Andrew had been the announcer for the show back in the early 1950s). He played the Announcer role on the Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' 1974 double album, "Preservation Act 2". He voiced and appeared in numerous television commercials for The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper in the 1970s (which were extremely unusual for the time in the level of energy and even aggression evident in Timothy's delivery) and he has also read Herriot's works for CD release. He appeared in BBC Radio's Just a Minute
Just a Minute
Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons. Its first transmission on Radio 4 was on 22 December 1967, three months after the station's launch. The Radio 4 programme won a Gold Sony Radio Academy Award in 2003....
in 1988 and 1989.
He is also used in the marketing material for Dignity plc
Dignity plc
Dignity plc is the largest provider of funeral services in the United Kingdom. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
, primarily for their prepaid funeral plans.
He is married to Annie Veronica Swatton, and they have one daughter, Grace. He was previously married to Susan Boys, with whom he had four sons and two daughters - Simon, Nicholas, Robin, David, Tabitha, and Kate. He has three grandchildren - Ellen, Jack and Tyri.