Shaun Williamson

Shaun Williamson (born 4 November 1965) is an English actor, singer, media personality, and occasional presenter, best known for his role as Barry Evans in EastEnders and as a satirical version of himself in the BBC/HBO sitcom Extras.

Career

Television

A former student of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, he is widely known for his portrayal of foolish and hapless Barry Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role that he played from 1994 to 2004. This was Williamson's second role in the hit soap; he previously had a brief role as a paramedic earlier in 1994. In 2009, he stated that he had no regrets about leaving the show.^[1]

Williamson was third in the 2007 series of Comic Relief does Fame Academy. Before Comic Relief he had won a hit New Zealand singing show representing England.

From 2009 Williamson has played the leading role in Scoop, a children's comedy drama series for the BBC.^[2]

In April 2009, Williamson was appearing as Ron Freeman in the Take That musical, Never Forget.^[1]

Other television roles have included parts in the detective series Inspector Morse and the BBC sitcom Waiting for God. In 2005 and 2006 he played a comically unemployable version of himself in Ricky Gervais' and Stephen Merchant's BBC sitcom, Extras. He also took part in the Five programme Gender Swap, where he was dressed as a woman and was given a prosthetic makeover before being sent speed dating in his new persona, and presented the short-lived ITV gameshow 24 Hour Quiz. He also appeared in the BBC Three comedy Funland. Shaun also made a guest appearance in ITV 1 show The Bill. He played gang leader Dave Monks, who comes under scrutiny during an international drugs smuggling investigation. The two episodes were aired in August 2008. In 2009 and 2010 he recorded episodes of children's programme Scoop on CBBC (Children's BBC) with Hacker T Dog. He played Martin Fallon in "The Gentleman vanishes", an episode of New Tricks, in 2011, and he again played a fictionalised version of himself in the Gervais/Merchant series Life's Too Short in a recurring role. The series aired in November–December 2011, with an Easter special airing in 2013 to act as a finale in which Williamson again starred (alongside Les Dennis and Keith Chegwin, both of whom had also previously played versions of themselves in Extras).

In 2013, he made an appearance in a sketch for Russell Howard's Good News. In 2014, he appeared in an episode of Plebs called "The Best Men" as a depressed driving instructor. He also starred in the miniseries Houdini.

Stage

Stage roles have included Monty the DJ in the West End run and UK tour of Saturday Night Fever and appearing at Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre in December 2003–January 2004 in a pantomime production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, alongside Toyah Willcox.^[3] In 2006 he starred in the pantomime Dick Whittington at The Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare. He returned to the Marlowe Theatre December 2007–January 2008, in Aladdin, alongside Stephen Mulhern. During 2008 he played Nathan Detroit in the touring production of Guys and Dolls, having already appeared in the part in the West End. In the 2008–2009 he was again appearing in Aladdin, this time at the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon. In May 2006, Williamson played the lead in the play Road to Nirvana at The King's Head Theatre London and in October 2006, appeared in a sketch as part of the charity benefit The Secret Policeman's Ball which was staged at the Royal Albert Hall.

In 2009, Williamson toured the UK playing "habitual criminal" Norman Stanley Fletcher in a stage version of the classic TV comedy Porridge. The script had been newly written by the series' co-authors, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.

In 2012, he toured in a stage revival of the Ealing Studios film The Ladykillers.

He also played the roles of Baron Bomburst and Lord Scrumptious in the UK tour production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical).^[4]

Film

In 2007, he appeared in the British film Daylight Robbery.

He also appeared, alongside Stephen Merchant, in the 2009 Ricky Gervais film The Invention of Lying.

During a 2012 interview with Mark Boosey of The British Comedy Guide Williamson revealed that he would be working on a new comedy film. He stated "I'm working with Mark Noyce on a film called This Is Jayde: The One Hit Wonder. I'm writing a few of the scenes and appearing as a twisted 'Simon Cowell version' of myself.^[5] A video was later released announcing further information about the films plot and characters.^[6]

In 2016 Williamson appeared in the Mark Noyce film The Blazing Cannons.^[7]

Personal life

Williamson has two children.^[8]

In 2005, Williamson publicly declared that he had undergone cosmetic surgery at the Farjo Medical Centre in order to restore his receding hairline.^[9][10]

References

External links

• Shaun Williamson at the Internet Movie Database
• Shaun Williamson interview
• Shauny's show The Observer interview
• British Comedy Guide interview
• Filming This is Jayde article in The Citizen