Simon Farnaby
| Simon Farnaby | |
|---|---|
 L-R: Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Mathew Baynton, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond and Jim Howick at 2011 Children's BAFTAs. | |
| Born |
2 April 1973 Darlington, County Durham, England |
| Occupation | Actor, writer, comedian |
| Years active | 1996–present |
Simon Alexander Farnaby (born 2 April 1973) is an English actor, writer, and comedian.
Early life
Farnaby was born in Darlington, County Durham.[1]
Career
Farnaby is a long-time member of The Mighty Boosh supporting cast, having had roles both in their series and co-starring in the quasi-spinoff film Bunny and the Bull. He is also well known for his similarly offbeat characters in the CBBC live-action series of Horrible Histories, such as Caligula and the Grim Reaper. Other notable television work includes a recurring role on the sitcom Jam & Jerusalem and co-starring as eccentric neighbour Sloman on The Midnight Beast's TV series. He previously had a very brief role in Coronation Street in the 1990s.
Along with the five other principal members of the cast of Horrible Histories, Farnaby is also the co-creator, writer and star of Yonderland, an eight-part family fantasy comedy series that premiered on SkyOne on 10 November 2013.[2] He co-starred with the same troupe in Bill, a 2015 BBC comedy film based loosely around the early life of William Shakespeare.[3][4]
In 2013, Farnaby presented a documentary entitled Richard III: The King in the Car Park, tracing the discovery and identification of the remains of the last Plantagenet king. The next year, Farnaby presented another Channel 4 documentary series entitled Man Vs Weird, in which he travelled the world investigating people who claim superhuman abilities.
In mid-2014, Farnaby narrated a series on Channel Five called On the Yorkshire Buses, following East Yorkshire Motor Services.[5]
Personal life
Farnaby is married. On 10 November 2013, a Radio Times article about Yonderland, it was revealed that Farnaby was about to become a father.[6]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Fat Slags | Ventriloquist | |
| Blake's Junction 7 | Terry | Short film | |
| 2009 | Bunny and the Bull | Bunny | |
| 2010 | Burke and Hare | William Wordsworth | |
| 2011 | Your Highness | Manious the Bold | |
| 2013 | All Stars | Foreman | |
| Richard III: The King in the Car Park | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2014 | Paddington | Barry the security guard | |
| 2015 | Bill | Various | |
| 2016 | Mindhorn | Clive Parnevik | Also writer |
| 2017 | Paddington 2 | Writer[7] |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The House of Windsor | Sean Sutcliffe | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Coronation Street | Greg Bamfield | 1 episode |
| 2004–2007 | The Mighty Boosh | Various characters | 3 episodes |
| 2005 | The Lenny Henry Show | Twyford | 1 episode |
| 2005 | Spoons | Various Characters | 6 episodes |
| 2006 | Blunder | Various Characters | 6 episodes |
| 2006–2009 | Jam & Jerusalem | Samuel "Spike" Pike | 12 episodes |
| 2007 | Comedy Cuts | Werewolf | 1 episode |
| 2007 | The Yellow House | Henri | TV movie |
| 2007 | Strutter | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2008 | M.I. High | James Blond | 1 episode |
| 2008 | The Golf War | Stuart Ogilvy | Failed pilot |
| 2008 | Angelo's | Kris | 6 episodes |
| 2008 | LifeSpam: My Child is French | Various | Failed pilot |
| 2009–2013 | Horrible Histories | Various characters | 65 episodes |
| 2010 | The Persuasionists | Keaton | 6 episodes |
| 2010 | Comedy Lab | Old Man | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Dick and Dom's Funny Business | Various characters | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Horrible Histories' Big Prom Party | Various characters | One-off special |
| 2012 | Dave Shakespeare | Dave Shakespeare | Failed pilot |
| 2012–present | The Midnight Beast | Sloman | 10 episodes |
| 2013 | Utopia | Marcus | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Not Going Out | Scott | 1 episode |
| 2013-present | Yonderland | Various characters | 16 episodes |
| 2013 | Crackanory | Robert Pickle | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Man Vs Weird | Self | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | On the Yorkshire Buses | Narrator | 8 episodes |
| 2014 | Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy | George Orwell | 1 episode |
| 2014-15 | Detectorists | Art | 7 episodes |
| 2015 | House of Fools | Health Inspector | 1 episode |
| 2015–present | Horrible Histories | Various characters | 12 episodes |
| 2015 | Top Coppers | Dr Schäfer | 2 episodes |
References
- ↑ Simon Farnaby at the Internet Movie Database
- ↑ "Sky1 to visit Yonderland". Sky1 website. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ↑ "Stars of Horrible Histories to make Shakespeare film". BBC Media Centre. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ↑ "Bill: production details". British Comedy Guide. comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ↑ "On The Yorkshire Buses". Ear ache voices. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ↑ Armstrong, Stephen. "Yonderland: We wanted to raid the dressing up box and speak in silly voices". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company Limited. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
- ↑ http://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/cannes-studiocanal-david-heyman-produced-paddington2-1201770225/