Tudástár

>

Christopher Ryan (born Christopher Papazoglou; 25 January 1950) is a British actor best known for his roles as Mike in the BBC comedy series The Young Ones, Dave Hedgehog in the BBC comedy series Bottom, Tony Driscoll in the BBC comedy series Only Fools and Horses, and as Edina Monsoon's ex-husband Marshall Turtle in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. He has also appeared as the McKendrick twins in One Foot in the Grave, and played Sontaran General Staal in Doctor Who in 2008.

Early life

Ryan was born Christopher Papazoglou in Bayswater, London to an English mother and a Greek father. He trained at East 15 Acting School from 1968 to 1971, then began his professional acting career with Glasgow Citizens' Theatre.

Career

The Young Ones

Nigel Planer

Ryan was the only Young Ones cast member who was not already well known in British comedy circles, the other principal parts being taken by The Comic Strip members Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, and Alexei Sayle. He was a last-minute replacement for Peter Richardson, for whom the "straight man" role of "Mike" was originally intended.

Cliff Richard

In 1986, Ryan reunited with the rest of the cast for the comedic charity single and music video for Cliff Richard's hit song "Living Doll", with Richard himself, for Comic Relief.

Later career

Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot

Samuel Beckett: Waiting for Godot

In 1987, he starred in the short-lived BBC sitcom A Small Problem. He played Lucky in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the Queen's Theatre in the West End in 1991, alongside Mayall and Edmondson. He later played Dave Hedgehog in Bottom, and Marshall Turtle, one of Edina's unloved ex-husbands, on Absolutely Fabulous. He has also appeared in two major sitcoms: he played one of the Driscoll brothers in an episode of Only Fools And Horses and spin-off The Green Green Grass, a pair of identical twin builders in the One Foot in the Grave episode "Hole in the Sky", and a plumber in the episode "The Valley of Fear". He appeared in Back to School Mr. Bean, My Family and Saxondale. He joined up again with Jennifer Saunders for two episodes of The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle.

In 1986, he appeared in the science fiction series Doctor Who as the alien creature Lord Kiv in the serial The Trial of a Time Lord: Mindwarp, and as one of the rose-painting playing cards in the 1999 TV version of Alice in Wonderland. In 2008, he again guest-starred in Doctor Who in the episodes "The Sontaran Stratagem" and "The Poison Sky", as the Sontaran leader "General Staal", and in the 2010 episode "The Pandorica Opens", playing another Sontaran character, "Commander Stark". In 2012 he appeared in the role of Marshall in Episode 3 "Olympics" of the Absolutely Fabulous 20th-anniversary specials.

Although his film appearances were few, he played small roles in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) and the film Dirty Weekend (1993), directed by Michael Winner.

Ryan starred as Baron Hardup in the pantomime of Cinderella at the Theatre Royal, Norwich from 17 December 2013 to 19 January 2014.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1985 Santa Claus: The Movie Vout
1993 Dirty Weekend Small One
1997 Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Not! Marshall Direct-to-video
2009 Dead Man Running Bookie at the Dogs Uncredited
2012 City Slacker Frank
2016 Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie Marshall
2019 Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor Kiv Direct-to-video

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1978 Target Jock Episode: "A Good and Faithful Woman"
1979 Angels Harry Episodes 5.13 & 5.15
Premiere Clive Episode: "Deasey"
1980 Fox East Episode: "Stick or Twist"
1981 BBC2 Playhouse Tony Episode: "Days at the Beach"
Play for Today Hound Dog Episode: "A Turn for the Worse"
The Olympian Way Mickey Farr Episode: "Slim Chance"
1982–1984 The Young Ones Mike
1984 The Tempest, Act IV Ferdinand TV movie
1985 Inside Out Tommy Episodes 1.1, 1.2 & 1.3
Summer Season Twerp Episode: "Rachel and the Roarettes"
The Lenny Henry Show N/A Episode 2.2
Happy Families Mell Episode: "Cassie"
1986 Doctor Who Kiv Episode: "Mindwarp"
1987 A Small Problem Howard
1989 Only Fools and Horses Tony Driscoll Episode: "Little Problems"
The Russ Abbot Show N/A Episode 4.12
1990, 1995 One Foot in the Grave Plumber McKendrick Twins Episodes: "The Valley of Fear" "Hole in the Sky"
1991–1995 Bottom Dave Hedgehog Episodes: "Accident" "Parade" "Holy" "Terror" "Dough"
1992 The New Statesman Ioannis Douvalopoulos Episode: "Speaking in Tongues"
1992–2012 Absolutely Fabulous Marshall Credited as Chris Ryan
1993 Maigret Basie Episode: "Maigret and the Maid"
Newman and Baddiel in Pieces N/A Episode: "Guilty"
1994 Requiem Apache Club Barman TV movie Credited as Chris Ryan
Mr. Bean Karate Student Episode: "Back to School Mr. Bean" Credited as Chris Ryan
1995 Health and Efficiency Peter Hudson Episode: "The Old Dope Peddler"
1997 Melissa Les Maurice TV mini-series
1998 Mike and Angelo Brad Schnauzer Episode: "Out of the Wardrobe"
1999 Alice in Wonderland Royal Gardener 3 TV movie Credited as Chris Ryan
2001, 2003 My Family Mr. Hilliard Rod Baxter Episodes: "Parisian Beauty" "Canary Cage"
2002 Fun at the Funeral Parlour Rocky Episode: "Dog Dago Afternoon"
2005–2006, 2009 The Green Green Grass Tony Driscoll Episodes: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock" "Brothers and Sisters" "Home Brew"
2006 SpongeBob SquarePants Professor Percy Voice role Episode: "Chimps Ahoy" Uncredited
2007 Saxondale Ticket Inspector Episode 2.5
2007 The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle Miriam Episodes 1.2 & 1.6
2008, 2010 Doctor Who General Staal Commander Stark Episodes: "The Sontaran Stratagem" "The Poison Sky" "The Pandorica Opens"
2013 It's Kevin The Great Spagboletti Episode #1.4

Audio drama

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Doctor Who: Classic Doctors, New Monsters General Stenk/Flitch "The Sontaran Ordeal"
2018 Ravenous Macy "How to Make a Killing in Time Travel"
Jeremiah Bourne in Time Pete
Lady Christina Grunt/Handley 2 stories
2019, 2020 The Paternoster Gang Stonn 2 stories

Video games

Year Title Role
2011 Black Mirror III Additional Voices

Music videos

Cliff Richard

Year Title Role Artist/Writer
1986 "Living Doll" Mike Cliff Richard

Theatre

Year Title Role Location Ref.
1977 The Devil Is an Ass Pug Royal National Theatre
Measure for Measure Abhorson
1978 The Cure for Love Charlie Fox Churchill Theatre
1979 Bleak House Conversation Kenge Trooper George Various Royal Court Theatre
1980 A Flea in Her Ear N/A Thorndike Theatre
1984 Of Mice and Men Curley Mermaid Theatre
1987 A Midsummer Night's Dream Puck Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
1988 Kiss Me, Kate Joe Ambrosio Royal Shakespeare Company
1990 Valued Friends Stewart Hampstead Theatre
1991 Waiting for Godot Lucky Queen's Theatre
1993 On the Ledge Martin Royal National Theatre/Nottingham Playhouse
2003 His Girl Friday McCue Olivier Theatre
2009 Arsenic and Old Lace Dr. Einstein Salisbury Playhouse
2013 Cinderella Baron Hardup Theatre Royal, Norwich
2015 Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense Seppings Theatre Royal, Nottingham

External links