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Mark Heap

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Mark Heap
Born (1957-05-13) 13 May 1957 (age 67)[1]
Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India
NationalityBritish
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active1983-Present

Mark Heap (born 13 May 1957) is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in television comedies, including, Brass Eye, Big Train, Spaced, Jam, Green Wing, Friday Night Dinner, Upstart Crow and Benidorm.

Early life

Heap was born in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, to an English father and American mother, the youngest of four boys. He began his acting career in the 1980s as a member of the Medieval Players, a touring company performing medieval and early modern theatre, and featuring stilt-walking, juggling and puppetry. His brother, Carl Heap who is also an actor, was the artistic director of the company.[2] After its demise, he became part of the street theatre duo The Two Marks (with Mark Saban)[3] who appeared on television shows Ghost Train, Saturday Live and 3-2-1.

Television

Heap has appeared in a variety of television comedy roles, often playing eccentric and self-deluded characters and drama including struggling artist Brian Topp in Spaced, the pompous Dr. Alan Statham in Green Wing, and various roles in the sketch show Big Train, many scenes of which he improvised, most notably performing a barefoot gymnastics routine to Montagues and Capulets.

He has worked in a number of ventures with Chris Morris, appearing in Jam, its radio predecessor Blue Jam, and the documentary parody series Brass Eye. He voiced the lead character of Eric Feeble in the animated comedy Stressed Eric. Other recurring roles included Terry Roche in Paul Whitehouse's comedy-drama Happiness and Derek Few in How Do You Want Me?. He played Harry in the short-lived Rob Grant TV series The Strangerers, aired in 2000. He also guested in the second series of the BBC comedy Look Around You as Leonard Hatred.

He appeared in the 2007 BBC One drama Hotel Babylon as an unsuccessful businessman who became a bellboy. Between 2008 and 2010 he appeared in 32 episodes of the BBC period drama Lark Rise to Candleford as head postman Thomas Brown, as well as super villain Lightkiller in an episode of the sitcom No Heroics. He also appears as the father of Chris Miles in the Channel 4 programme Skins. Heap played the love interest of the main character in the second series of the BBC comedy Love Soup. He played the role of Charles Dickens in the 2009 BBC Two drama Desperate Romantics. He also played Jessica Hynes' husband in the one-off comedy Lizzie & Sarah, written by Hynes and Julia Davis.

In 2010, Heap appeared as Bob Stevens, the leader of a rambling group in the BBC4 series The Great Outdoors. He also appeared as a psychiatrist in Miranda Hart's comedy Miranda on BBC2. In October 2010, he appeared as Robin in the four-part BBC drama Single Father. Heap played Jim Bell in the Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner alongside Simon Bird, Paul Ritter, Tom Rosenthal and Tamsin Greig. He also played Andrew Thorogood in the BBC Four comedy Holy Flying Circus and Jonas in the 8th episode of E4's sci-fi comedy-drama Misfits series 3. He also appeared as a misguided church minister in the BBC Series The Indian Doctor during an outbreak of smallpox. He joined the cast of the Sky1 original series Spy for its second series commencing in October 2012, replacing Tom Goodman-Hill as Philip Quil, Judith's partner and Marcus' headteacher. He appeared in the spin-off episode of Outnumbered, the Christmas special episode, aired on 24 December 2012 in which he portrayed Norris, for this single episode. He played the owner of a pet crematorium in Sue Perkins's 2013 comedy Heading Out. Mark also had a leading role in BBC Radio 4's adaptation of Gogol's 'Dead Souls.' He starred as Robert Greene in three series of Upstart Crow (2016–2018), a BBC 2 sitcom about Shakespeare, written by Ben Elton. His co-stars included David Mitchell, Harry Enfield, Rob Rouse, Gemma Whelan and Liza Tarbuck. He also appeared as Dr. John Hall in the stage show based on the programme.

Heap also starred in recent series of the sitcom Benidorm, in which he played the character Malcolm Barrett, the controlling and manipulative boyfriend of Pauline Maltby. Heap's 2020 roles continued, playing headmaster and husband in ITV's The Trouble with Maggie Cole alongside Dawn French.

Film

In 1983, Heap made a brief appearance as a torch-juggler in the James Bond film Octopussy. He played Duncan, Rik Mayall's hapless personal assistant, in Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis (1997). He played a school teacher in the 2002 film About a Boy. He made a cameo appearance with Kevin Eldon in Tim Burton's 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He played supporting roles in Confetti (2006), Tunnel of Love (2004), Stardust (2007), and The World's End (2013). In 2008 he co-starred in the surreal science fiction film Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth.

Filmography

Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1983 Octopussy Torch juggler
1997 Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis Duncan
2002 About A Boy Maths teacher
2004 The Calcium Kid Sebastian Gore-Brown
2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Man with Dog
2007 Stardust Prince Tertius
2008 Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth Scrutty Baker
2013 The World's End Publican 7
2016 The Comedian's Guide to Survival Pick up Driver
2018 The Midnight Gang Sir Quentin TV Movie
2022 The House Mr. Thomas
The School for Good and Evil Professor Manley

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1987 The Les Dennis Laughter Show The Two Marks 1 episode
1990 Up Yer News Film Assistant 1 episode
1992 Packing Them In Fire eating stiltwalker 1 episode
1993 Viva Cabaret The Two Marks 1 episode
1994 The Bill Chris Boxer 1 episode
Seaforth Capt. Karl Von Berner 2 episodes
How High the Moon
1995 The World of Lee Evans Platform Guard 1 episode
1997 Hospital Dr. Ralph Crosby
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman DS Maskell 1 episode
1997–1998 Smith and Jones 2 episodes
1997–2001 Brass Eye Various roles
1998 Kiss Me Kate Peter 3 episodes
1998–1999 How Do You Want Me? Derek Few
1998–2000 Stressed Eric Eric Feeble
1998–2002 Big Train Various roles
1999 All Along the Watchtower Mr. Carter 1 episode
People Like Us Graham Atkinson 1 episode
1999–2001 Spaced Brian Topp
2000 The Strangerers Harry
Jam Various roles
2001 The Ultimate Stress Show: Managing Stress
Doc Martin Mitch
2001–2003 Happiness Terry Roche
2003 Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie Mitch
Spine Chillers Balfus 1 episode
2004 Dalziel and Pascoe Julian Finch 1 episode: "The Price of Fame"
Swiss Toni Terry Fragment 1 episode
Tunnel of Love Gibson
Out of Time Charlie
2004–2007 Green Wing Alan Statham 17 episodes & 1 special
2005 Blake's Junction 7 Avon Short
Look Around You Leonard Hatred 2 episodes
Casanova Doctor Gozzi 1 episode
Animal Hugo Getner
2006 Confetti Registrar
Scoop MC
Alpha Male Darwen
2007 Hotel Babylon Robert Kane 1 episode
Marple: At Bertram's Hotel Mr. Humfries
2007–2008 Skins Graham Miles 2 episodes
2008–2011 Lark Rise to Candleford Thomas Brown
2008 Love Soup Douglas McVitie
No Heroics Lightkiller 1 episode
The Pro Short
2009 Desperate Romantics Charles Dickens
Cast Offs Darren 1 episode
2010 Lizzie and Sarah Michael
The Great Outdoors Bob
Fable III Brian Video game
Single Father Robin
2010, 2015 Miranda Anthony 2 episodes
2011 Holy Flying Circus Andrew Thorogood
Misfits Jonas 1 episode
Miso Soup Shash Short
2011–2020 Friday Night Dinner Jim Bell Main role, 37 episodes
2012 The Indian Doctor Rev Herbert Todd Series 2, 5 episodes
A Moody Christmas Heathrow Passenger 1 episode
Outnumbered Norris 1 episode
Spy Philip
Is This a Joke? Short
2012–2016 The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret Lord Mountford 4 episodes
2013 Heading Out Brian 1 episode
All Stars Simon Tarrington
Midsomer Murders Simon Fergus-Johnson 1 episode (series 16 episode 1)
2014 Death in Paradise Alec Burton 1 episode (series 3 episode 6)
2015 We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story Clive Dunn
2016–present Upstart Crow Robert Greene
2016 The Comedian's Guide to Survival Pick Up Driver
Endeavour Felix Lorimer 1 episode (series 3, episode 4)
Maigret Doctor Moers
2017 Murder on the Blackpool Express Graham
2017-2018 Benidorm Denis Walker (Malcolm Barrett) 3 episodes (series 9, episodes 7 and 8 and series 10, episode 7)
2018 Zapped[4] Dragon spotter
2019 Queens of Mystery Kurt Lee 2 episodes "Death by Vinyl"
2020 Intelligence Barnaby Bailer
The Trouble with Maggie Cole Peter Cole

Advertising work

In 2009 he appeared as a car salesman in a SEAT television advert.

Heap voices the fox in the Old Speckled Hen adverts sponsoring comedy on Dave.[5]

Other acting

In 2008 Heap played the role of Widmerpool in a Radio 4 serialisation of Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time. He played Eliza's husband in 2006 Radio 4 play The Eliza Stories and appeared as Marmite the Dwarf in the short-lived Radio 4 sitcom The Sofa of Time. He starred in the music video for Four Tet's single "Smile Around the Face" in 2005, contributed a multitude of character voices in the audiobook "Do Ants Have Arseholes?". In 2012 he starred as Martin in the Radio 4 play Cordite for Breakfast, a comedy about Napoleonic-era battle re-enactments.[6] In March 2013, he appeared as Rincewind in a 4-part Radio 4 adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Eric. He also played the angel Aziraphale in the 2014 BBC radio adaption of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Mark Heap - Biography". Hello!. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  2. ^ Heap, Carl (12 June 2014). "Finding the method in medieval theatre's madness". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  3. ^ Love, Catherine (2 April 2014). "Mark Heap: Mr Zany buttons up". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Zapped Series 3 Guest Stars". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  5. ^ Wilmore, James (7 May 2010). "Old Speckled Hen renews sponsorship of Channel Dave". The Publican. Retrieved 15 April 2011.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Cordite for Breakfast". BBC Radio 4. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  7. ^ Brown, Brigid (5 September 2014). "BBC Radio Brings Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens to Life". BBC America (Press release). Archived from the original on 25 January 2021.
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