James Grout
Encyclopedia
James Grout is an English
actor
of radio
and television
.
Grout was born in London
, the son of Beatrice Anne and William Grout. He attended RADA
where he trained to be an actor.
His radio appearances include Barliman Butterbur
in the 1981 Radio 4 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings
, a major role in all ten series of the BBC Radio 4
comedy series King Street Junior
(1985–1998), the role of Professor Richard Whittingham in Andy Hamilton
's Hell
-based comedy Old Harry's Game
(1995–2005), Rev. Timothy Corswell in The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue
(1991) and Any Other Business
(1995).
Some of his television credits include Jonas Bradlaw in Murder Most English (1977), Div. Supt. Albert Hallam in Juliet Bravo
(1981), The Doctor in Shelley
(1982), Mr McAllister in The Beiderbecke Affair
(1984) Prof. George Bunn in A Very Peculiar Practice
(1986), Granville Bennett in All Creatures Great and Small, Chief Superintendent Strange
in Inspector Morse
and Mr. Justice Ollie Oliphant in Rumpole of the Bailey
as well as the "chief whip" in Yes Minister
. He was nominated for a 1965 Tony Award
for Best Supporting or Featured Actor (musical) for Half a Sixpence
.
One other notable TV role was James Batt in "Mother Love", based on the novel by Laura Black and starring Diana Rigg, David McCallum and James Wilby. This was a supporting role, but superbly played with some pathos by Grout. Older viewers will possibly also recall Grout as the village bobby in the TV adaptation of John Masefield's "Box of Delights".
Grout lives in Malmesbury in Wiltshire
and has in the past contributed a weekly column to his local newspaper, the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
of radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
Grout was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of Beatrice Anne and William Grout. He attended RADA
Rada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
where he trained to be an actor.
His radio appearances include Barliman Butterbur
Barliman Butterbur
Barliman Butterbur is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings.Butterbur was the owner of the Inn of the Prancing Pony in Bree. He was a fat, bald Man, but as Bree was inhabited by both "Big Folk" and "Little Folk", i.e. hobbits, he had two hobbit employees:...
in the 1981 Radio 4 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)
In 1981 the UK radio station BBC Radio 4 broadcast a dramatisation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in 26 half-hour stereo instalments...
, a major role in all ten series of the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
comedy series King Street Junior
King Street Junior
King Street Junior was a Radio Comedy about a junior school aired by the BBC from March 1985 to November 1998. A continuation of the series renamed King Street Junior Revisited started in 2002 and continued until 2005...
(1985–1998), the role of Professor Richard Whittingham in Andy Hamilton
Andy Hamilton
Andrew Neil Hamilton is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter and radio dramatist.-Early life:...
's Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
-based comedy Old Harry's Game
Old Harry's Game
Old Harry's Game is a UK radio comedy written and directed by Andy Hamilton, who also plays the cynical, world-weary Satan. "Old Harry" is one of many names for the devil...
(1995–2005), Rev. Timothy Corswell in The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue
The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue
The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue is a British radio comedy series, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1991. Written by Stephen Sheridan, it starred James Grout, Margaret Courtenay and Jean Heywood and was produced by Lissa Evans...
(1991) and Any Other Business
Any Other Business
Any Other Business was a radio program that aired from May 1995 to July 1995. There were six 35-minute episodes and it was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It starred John Duttine, Jan Ravens, June Whitfield, James Grout, and Toby Longworth. It was written by Lucy Flannery and produced by Liz Ansty.-...
(1995).
Some of his television credits include Jonas Bradlaw in Murder Most English (1977), Div. Supt. Albert Hallam in Juliet Bravo
Juliet Bravo
Juliet Bravo is a British television series, which ran on BBC1 between 1980 and 1985. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over control of a police station in the fictional town of Hartley in Lancashire.-Programme name:...
(1981), The Doctor in Shelley
Shelley (TV series)
Shelley is a British sitcom made by Thames Television and originally broadcast on ITV from 1979 to 1984 and from 1988 to 1992, with occasional hiatuses. Hywel Bennett starred as James Shelley, a sardonic, 28-year-old, anti-establishment postgraduate and career income tax dodger...
(1982), Mr McAllister in The Beiderbecke Affair
The Beiderbecke Affair
The Beiderbecke Affair is a television series produced in the UK by ITV during 1985, written by the prolific Alan Plater, whose lengthy credits to British Television since the 1960s included the preceding 4 part mini series Get Lost! for ITV in 1981...
(1984) Prof. George Bunn in A Very Peculiar Practice
A Very Peculiar Practice
A Very Peculiar Practice is a BBC comedy-drama series, which ran for two series in 1986 and 1988. It was the first major success for screenwriter Andrew Davies, and was inspired by his experiences as a lecturer at the University of Warwick.- Storyline :...
(1986), Granville Bennett in All Creatures Great and Small, Chief Superintendent Strange
Chief Superintendent Strange
Chief Superintendent Strange is a key character in the Inspector Morse television series.Although Strange does not appear in every episode of Inspector Morse, he is present in the whole series from beginning to end. The intervening episodes from which he is absent are few in number...
in Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
and Mr. Justice Ollie Oliphant in Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
as well as the "chief whip" in Yes Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
. He was nominated for a 1965 Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Supporting or Featured Actor (musical) for Half a Sixpence
Half a Sixpence
Half a Sixpence is a musical comedy written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele.It is based on H.G. Wells's novel Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul...
.
One other notable TV role was James Batt in "Mother Love", based on the novel by Laura Black and starring Diana Rigg, David McCallum and James Wilby. This was a supporting role, but superbly played with some pathos by Grout. Older viewers will possibly also recall Grout as the village bobby in the TV adaptation of John Masefield's "Box of Delights".
Grout lives in Malmesbury in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
and has in the past contributed a weekly column to his local newspaper, the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald.
External links
- epguides.com for radio credits
- James Grout in Theatre Archive, University of Bristol