Mark Gatiss (;
born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the television series ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'', ''
Sherlock'', and ''
Dracula''. Together with
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of '' The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he l ...
,
Steve Pemberton and
Jeremy Dyson
Jeremy Dyson (born 14 June 1966) is a British author, musician and screenwriter who, along with Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is one of the League of Gentlemen. He also created and co-wrote the West End show ''Ghost Stories ...
, he is a member of the comedy team ''
The League of Gentlemen
''The League of Gentlemen'' is a surreal British comedy horror sitcom that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England, originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the live ...
''.
Early life and education
Gatiss was born in
Sedgefield
Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It had a population of 5,211 as at the 2011 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham.
History Roman
A Roman 'ladder settlement' was discovered by C ...
, County Durham,
England, to Winifred Rose (née O'Kane, 1931–2003) and Maurice Gatiss (1931–2021). He grew up opposite the
Victorian psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
there, and later in
Trimdon
Trimdon is a village in County Durham, in England, previously known as Tremeldon (1196) or Tremedon (1262).Eilert Ekwall,1959, ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Placenames'' (4th edition), OUP, Oxford, p. 480; he cites taxation sources, ...
, before his father, a colliery engineer, took a job as engineer at the
School Aycliffe
School Aycliffe is a village in County Durham, England. It is a short distance west of Newton Aycliffe, and east of Heighington. Its name derives from a Viking called Scula, who owned land in that part of South Durham.
School Aycliffe is spli ...
Mental Hospital in
Heighington.
[Mark Lawson Talks to Mark Gatiss] His family background is working class.
His passions included watching ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' and
Hammer Horror
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic fiction, Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of thes ...
films on television, reading
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
and
H.G. Wells, and collecting fossils. All those interests have influenced his creative work.
One of his early forays into theatre was in
Darlington in March 1983, playing Dad, in ''The Waiting Room'' by Tony Stowers, a macabre and surreal
Pinteresque comedy, which explores a disintegrating family unit. In July of the same year, he would have acted in Stowers' follow-up, ''A Sense of Insecurity'', but was unable to take the role because his father insisted he take his exams instead.
Gatiss attended
Heighington Church of England Primary School
Heighington CE Primary School is a Church of England primary school with academy status located in the village of Heighington, near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. As of 2016 it educated 279 pupils aged 4–11. At its Ofsted inspection in 20 ...
, and
Woodham Comprehensive School in
Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham (district), County Durham, England. Founded in 1947 under the New Towns Act 1946, New Towns Act of 1946, the town sits about five miles to the north of Darlington and ten miles to the south of Durham, E ...
. At the latter, he was two years ahead of
Paul Magrs
Paul Magrs (pronounced "Mars"; born 12 November 1969) is a writer and lecturer. He was born in Jarrow, England, and now lives in Manchester with his partner, author and lecturer Jeremy Hoad.
Early life
Magrs was born in Jarrow, Tyne & Wear, on ...
, who also went on to write ''Doctor Who'' fiction. Gatiss then studied Theatre Arts at
Bretton Hall College
Bretton Hall College of Education was a higher education college in West Bretton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It opened as a teacher training college in 1949 with awards from the University of Leeds. The college merged with the Univ ...
, an arts college affiliated to the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
.
Career
Acting
''The League of Gentlemen''
Gatiss is a member of the sketch comedy team ''
The League of Gentlemen
''The League of Gentlemen'' is a surreal British comedy horror sitcom that premiered on BBC Two in 1999. The programme is set in Royston Vasey, a fictional town in northern England, originally based on Alston, Cumbria, and follows the live ...
'' (along with fellow performers
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of '' The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he l ...
,
Steve Pemberton and co-writer
Jeremy Dyson
Jeremy Dyson (born 14 June 1966) is a British author, musician and screenwriter who, along with Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is one of the League of Gentlemen. He also created and co-wrote the West End show ''Ghost Stories ...
). He first met his co-writers and performers at
Bretton Hall Bretton Hall may refer to:
*Bretton Hall, Flintshire, former fortified manor house on the England/Wales border
*Bretton Hall, West Yorkshire, country house in West Yorkshire, England
*Bretton Hall College
Bretton Hall College of Education was a h ...
, Yorkshire, a drama school which he attended after finishing school and having spent a gap year travelling around Europe.
''The League of Gentlemen'' began as a stage act in 1995, which won the
Perrier Award
Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle.
Perrier was part of th ...
at
Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1997.
In the same year the show transferred to
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
as ''
On the Town with the League of Gentlemen'', and later arrived on television on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
in 1999. The television programme has earned Gatiss and his colleagues a
British Academy Television Award, a
Royal Television Society Award and the prestigious
Golden Rose of Montreux
The Rose d'Or ('Golden Rose') is an international awards festival in entertainment broadcasting and programming. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) first acquired the Rose d’Or in 1961, when it was created by Swiss Television in the lakes ...
.
In 2005, the film ''
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse'' was released, to generally positive reviews.
Shearsmith and Pemberton reunited in 2009 to create a similarly dark BBC sitcom, ''
Psychoville
''Psychoville'' is a British psychological horror-thriller black comedy mystery television series created and written by and starring '' The League of Gentlemen'' members Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton for the BBC. It debuted on BBC T ...
'', which featured an episode guest-starring Gatiss. The three reunited again in 2012 to film a series of sketches for the fourth series of
CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
show ''
Horrible Histories
''Horrible Histories'' is an educational entertainment franchise encompassing many media including books, magazines, audio books, stage shows, TV shows, and more.
In 2013, Lisa Edwards, UK publishing and commercial director of Scholastic Corpor ...
''.
Other television work
![Mark Gatiss at A Scandal in Belgravia screening](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Mark_Gatiss_at_A_Scandal_in_Belgravia_screening.png)
Outside ''The League'', Gatiss' television work has included writing for the 2001 revival of ''
Randall & Hopkirk'' and script editing the popular sketch show ''
Little Britain'' in 2003, making guest appearances in both. In 2001 he guested in ''
Spaced
''Spaced'' is a British television sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the (comedic and sometimes farcical and action-packed) misadventures of Daisy Steiner and Tim Bi ...
'' as a villainous government employee modelled on the character of
Agent Smith
Agent Smith (later simply Smith) is a fictional character and the main antagonist of ''The Matrix'' franchise. He was primarily portrayed by Hugo Weaving in the first trilogy of films and voiced by Christopher Corey Smith in '' The Matrix: Pat ...
from ''
The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...
'' film series. In the same year he appeared in several editions of the documentary series ''SF:UK''. Other acting appearances include the comedy-drama ''
In the Red'' (
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
, 1998), the macabre sitcom ''
Nighty Night
''Nighty Night'' is a BBC black comedy television sitcom starring Julia Davis. It was first broadcast on 6 January 2004 on BBC Three.
Notorious for its dark humour, the show follows narcissistic sociopath Jill Tyrell (Julia Davis) alongside he ...
'' (
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...
, 2003), ''
Agatha Christie's Marple
''Agatha Christie's Marple'' (or simply ''Marple'') is a British ITV television programme loosely based on the books and short stories by British crime novelist Agatha Christie. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the firs ...
'' as Ronald Hawes in "The Murder at the Vicarage", a guest appearance in the
Vic & Bob series ''
Catterick'' in 2004 and the live
2005 remake of the classic science fiction serial ''
The Quatermass Experiment
''The Quatermass Experiment'' is a British science fiction serial broadcast by BBC Television during the summer of 1953 and re-staged by BBC Four in 2005. Set in the near future against the background of a British space programme, it tells th ...
''. A second series of ''Nighty Night'' and the new comedy-drama ''
Funland'', the latter co-written by his ''League'' cohort
Jeremy Dyson
Jeremy Dyson (born 14 June 1966) is a British author, musician and screenwriter who, along with Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is one of the League of Gentlemen. He also created and co-wrote the West End show ''Ghost Stories ...
, both featured Gatiss and aired on BBC Three in the autumn of 2005. He appeared as
Johnnie Cradock
Major John Whitby "Johnnie" Cradock (17 May 1904 – 30 January 1987) was an English cook, writer and broadcaster and the fourth husband of television cook and writer Fanny Cradock.
Biography
Craddock was born in Lambeth, London, on 17 May 1904 ...
, alongside ''Nighty Night'' star
Julia Davis
Julia Charlotte L. Davis (born 25 August 1966) is an English actress, comedian, director and writer. She is known for writing and starring in the BBC Three comedy '' Nighty Night'' (2004–2005) and the comedies ''Hunderby'' (2012–2015) and ...
as
Fanny Cradock
Phyllis Nan Sortain Pechey (26 February 1909 – 27 December 1994), better known as Fanny Cradock, was an English restaurant critic, television chef and writer. She frequently appeared on television, at cookery demonstrations and in print with h ...
, in ''Fear of Fanny'' on BBC Four in October 2006, and featured as Ratty in a new production of ''
The Wind in the Willows
''The Wind in the Willows'' is a children's novel by the British novelist Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. It details the story of Mole, Ratty, and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad, after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and get ...
'' shown on BBC One on 1 January 2007. He wrote and starred in the BBC Four docudrama ''
The Worst Journey in the World
''The Worst Journey in the World'' is a 1922 memoir by Apsley Cherry-Garrard of Robert Falcon Scott's ''Terra Nova'' expedition to the South Pole in 1910–1913. It has earned wide praise for its frank treatment of the difficulties of the exped ...
'', based on the memoir by polar explorer
Apsley Cherry-Garrard
Apsley George Benet Cherry-Garrard (2 January 1886 – 18 May 1959) was an English explorer of Antarctica. He was a member of the ''Terra Nova'' expedition and is acclaimed for his 1922 account of this expedition, '' The Worst Journey in t ...
.
Gatiss has also made three credited appearances in ''Doctor Who''. In 2007, he played
Professor Lazarus in "
The Lazarus Experiment
"The Lazarus Experiment" is the sixth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was broadcast on BBC One on 5 May 2007 and stars David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Freema Agyeman ...
". In 2011, he returned in the Series 6 episode "
The Wedding of River Song
"The Wedding of River Song" is the thirteenth and final episode in the sixth series of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', and was first broadcast on BBC One on 1 October 2011. It was written by lead writer and executiv ...
" as a character known as Gantok, and in the 2017 Christmas special "
Twice Upon A Time" as "The Captain".
Also in 2007, he appeared as
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
in ''
Jekyll'', a BBC One serial by his fellow ''Doctor Who'' scriptwriter
Steven Moffat
Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
. In 2008, he appeared in ''
Clone'' as Colonel Black.
In 2010, he portrayed
Malcolm McLaren in the BBC drama ''
Worried About the Boy
''Worried About the Boy'' is a 2010 British biographical drama television film directed by Julian Jarrold and written by Tony Basgallop, based on the life of English singer Boy George. It stars Douglas Booth as Boy George and Mathew Horne as h ...
'' which focused on the life and career of
Boy George
George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singer ...
, and also appeared as
Mycroft Holmes
Mycroft Holmes is a fictional character appearing in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle from 1893 to 1908. The elder brother (by seven years) of detective Sherlock Holmes, he is a government official and a founding member of the Diogene ...
in the BBC drama ''
Sherlock'', which he co-created with
Steven Moffat
Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
. He adapted
H.G. Wells' ''
The First Men in the Moon
''The First Men in the Moon'' is a scientific romance by the English author H. G. Wells, originally serialised in '' The Strand Magazine'' from December 1900 to August 1901 and published in hardcover in 1901, who called it one of his "fantast ...
'' into a
television film of the same name for the BBC, also playing Professor Cavor.
He also made a three-part BBC documentary series entitled ''
A History of Horror
''A History of Horror'' (also known as ''A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss'') is a 2010 three-part documentary series made for the BBC by British writer and actor Mark Gatiss. It is a personal exploration of the history of horror film, inspir ...
'', a personal exploration of the history of horror cinema.
This was followed on 30 October 2012 with a look at
European horror with the documentary ''
Horror Europa''.
On 25 December 2013, a version of the ghost story "
The Tractate Middoth" by
M. R. James
Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambrid ...
and adapted by Gatiss was broadcast on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
as part of the long-running ''
A Ghost Story for Christmas
''A Ghost Story for Christmas'' is a strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One between 1971 and 1978, and revived sporadically by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original instalments were direc ...
'' series. It starred
Sacha Dhawan
Sacha Dhawan (; born 1 May 1984) is a British actor from Greater Manchester. He is best known for playing Akthar in the play '' The History Boys'' (2004–2006) and its film adaptation (2006), Paul Jatri in the BBC One comedy drama series '' Las ...
,
John Castle
John Michael Frederick Castle (born 14 January 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his film and television work, most notably playing Bill in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Blowup'' (1966) and Geoffrey in '' The Lion in Winter'' (19 ...
,
Louise Jameson
Louise Jameson (born 20 April 1951) is an English actress with a wide variety of television and theatre credits. Her roles on television have included playing Leela in ''Doctor Who'' (1977–1978), Anne Reynolds in ''The Omega Factor'' (1979), ...
,
Una Stubbs
Una Stubbs (1 May 1937 – 12 August 2021) was an English actress, television personality and dancer who appeared on British television and in the theatre, and occasionally in films. She became known after appearing in the film '' Summer Holiday ...
,
David Ryall
David John Ryall
Retrieved 28 December 2014 (5 January 1935 – 25 December 201 ...
,
Eleanor Bron
Eleanor Bron (born 14 March 1938) is an English stage, film and television actress, and an author. Her film roles include Ahme in the Beatles musical ''Help!'' (1965), the Doctor in '' Alfie'' (1966), Margaret Spencer in '' Bedazzled'' (1967), a ...
,
Nick Burns and
Roy Barraclough
Roy Senior Barraclough (12 July 1935 – 1 June 2017) was an English comic actor. He was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy, the devious, mournful landlord of the Rovers Return in the long-running British TV soap '' Coronation Street'', ...
. It was followed on 25 December 2013 by a screening on BBC2 of a new documentary by Gatiss titled ''M. R. James: Ghost Writer''. The programme saw Gatiss explore the work of James and look at how his work still inspires contemporary horror today.
He appeared in
season four of ''
Game of Thrones'' in 2014 playing
Tycho Nestoris
George R. R. Martin's '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the superhuman Others bey ...
and reprised this role in
season five and
season seven.
In the BBC's 2015 series ''
Wolf Hall
''Wolf Hall'' is a 2009 historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate, named after the Seymour family's seat of Wolfhall, or Wulfhall, in Wiltshire. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, ''Wolf Hall'' is a symp ...
'', Gatiss played
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...
's secretary
Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner (27 July 1483 – 12 November 1555) was an English Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I and King Philip.
Early life
Gardiner was ...
. He also appeared in Channel 4's ''Coalition'' in 2015.
Gatiss appears as the
Prince Regent (later George IV) in the eight-part
historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
television drama series
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
''
Taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
'' (2017) first broadcast on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2017 and in the United States on
FX on 10 January 2017.
He appeared as a modern-day incarnation/descendant of Count Dracula's servile companion
Renfield
R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''.[ ...](_blank)
in the series of his own co-creation,
''Dracula'' in the third and final episode, "The Dark Compass".
In April 2022, Gatiss starred as Lawrence in the seventh series opener of ''
Inside No. 9
''Inside No. 9'' is a British black comedy anthology television programme that first aired in 2014. It is written by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton and produced by the BBC. Each 30-minute episode is a self-contained story with new chara ...
''.
Radio, stage and film
Gatiss appears frequently in
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...
productions, including the science fiction comedy ''
Nebulous
''Nebulous'' is a post-apocalyptic science fiction comedy radio show written by Graham Duff and produced by Ted Dowd from Baby Cow Productions; it is directed by Nicholas Briggs. The series premiered in the United Kingdom on BBC Radio 4. Set ...
'' and ''
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a series of radio dramas based on Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes. Written by Bert Coules as a pastiche of Doyle's work, the series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002, 2004, 2008 ...
'' story ''
The Shameful Betrayal of Miss Emily Smith
''The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a series of radio dramas based on Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes. Written by Bert Coules as a pastiche of Doyle's work, the series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002, 2004, 2008â ...
''. In 2009, he was
The Man in Black when BBC Radio 7 revived the character (originally played by
Valentine Dyall
Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908 – 24 June 1985) was an English character actor. He worked regularly as a voice actor, and was known for many years as "The Man in Black", the narrator of the BBC Radio horror series '' Appointment with Fear'' ...
and
Edward de Souza
Edward James de Souza (born 4 September 1932) is a British character actor and graduate of RADA, who is of Portuguese-Indian and English descent.
Early life
De Souza was the only child of Annie Adeline Swift (née Calvert) and Edward Valentine De ...
) to introduce a series of five creepy audio dramas. He is also involved with theatre, having penned the play ''The Teen People'' in the early 1990s, and appeared in a successful run of the play ''
'Art''' in 2003 at the
Whitehall Theatre
Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million pound restoration project aiming to reinstate it back to its ...
in London. In film, he has starred in ''
Sex Lives of the Potato Men
''Sex Lives of the Potato Men'' is a 2004 British sex comedy film, written and directed by Andy Humphries. The film is about the sexual antics of a group of potato delivery men in Birmingham and stars Johnny Vegas and Mackenzie Crook.
''Sex Liv ...
'' (2004) and had minor roles in ''
Birthday Girl'' (2001), ''
Bright Young Things
__NOTOC__
The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a nickname given by the tabloid press to a group of Bohemianism, Bohemian young Aristocracy (class), aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London. They threw flamboyant costume party, f ...
'' (2003), ''
Match Point
''Match Point'' is a 2005 psychological thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, and Penelope Wilton. In the film, Rhys Meyers' charac ...
'' (2005) and ''
Starter for 10'' (2006). ''
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse'', a film based on the television series, co-written by and starring Gatiss, was released in June 2005. He also plays the recurring character of The Passenger (Sapphire and Steel), Gold in the audio revival of ''Sapphire and Steel'' produced by Big Finish Productions. Gatiss also appeared in Edgar Wright's fake trailer for Grindhouse (film), Grindhouse, ''Don't (grindhouse film), Don't'', a homage to 1970s' Hammer Horrors.
![Mark Gatiss](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Mark_Gatiss.jpg)
In the 2008 English language re-release of the cult 2006 Norwegian animated film ''Free Jimmy'', Gatiss voiced the character of "Jakki," a heavy-set, bizarrely dressed biker member of the "Lappish Mafia." In this his voice is used along with the other actors of ''League of Gentlemen'' such as Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. The dialogue was written by Simon Pegg and other actors included Pegg himself, Woody Harrelson and David Tennant, who worked with Gatiss on ''Doctor Who''.
He appeared in the stage adaptation of Pedro Almodóvar's ''All About My Mother'' at the Old Vic in London from 25 August-24 November 2007. He won much critical acclaim for his portrayal of the transgender character Agrado.
He was scheduled to perform in ''Darker Shores'' by Michael Punter, a ghost story for all the family, at Hampstead Theatre 3 December 2009 – 16 January 2010 but had to withdraw after a serious family illness. Tom Goodman-Hill took over his role.
In March 2010, he was a guest on ''Private Passions'', the biographical music discussion programme on BBC Radio 3.
From December 2010 to March 2011, Gatiss was playing the role of Bernard in Alan Ayckbourn's ''Season's Greetings'' at the Royal National Theatre in London alongside Catherine Tate.
In December 2011, he appeared in an episode of ''The Infinite Monkey Cage'' in an episode entitled ''The Science of Christmas'', alongside Brian Cox (physicist), Brian Cox, Robin Ince and Richard Dawkins.
In January 2012, he took the role of Brazen in ''The Recruiting Officer'' at the Donmar Warehouse, Donmar Theatre, London. From 18 October – 24 November that year he was Charles I of England, Charles I in the Hampstead Theatre production of ''55 Days'' by Howard Brenton, a play dramatising the military coup that killed a King and forged a Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell.
In December 2013, Gatiss joined the cast of the Donmar Warehouse production of ''Coriolanus (2013 play), Coriolanus'' as Senator of Rome, Agrippa Menenius Lanatus (consul 503 BC), Menenius. The play went from 6 December 2013 through 13 February 2014. For his performance, Gatiss received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
In May 2017, Gatiss began a recurring role on ''The Secret History Of Hollywood'', a series of podcast biopics on Golden Age-era Hollywood. Its 11-part series, ''Shadows'' tells the story of Val Lewton's life and career, with Gatiss providing the introductions for each episode.
In November 2018, Gatiss appeared as the lead in a revival of ''The Madness of George III'' at Nottingham Playhouse. The production was broadcast live to cinemas as part of National Theatre Live.
In October 2021, Gatiss wrote and appeared as Jacob Marley in a new adaptation of ''A Christmas Carol, A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story'' by Charles Dickens at the Nottingham Playhouse before transferring to the Alexandra Palace in December 2021.
In May 2022, Gatiss directed ''The Unfriend'' a new play by
Steven Moffat
Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, starring Amanda Abbington, Frances Barber and
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of '' The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he l ...
. In February 2023, he will direct ''The Way Old Friends Do'' a new play by Ian Hallard at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham Rep.
Writing
''Doctor Who''
![Mark Gatiss (9362666697)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Mark_Gatiss_%289362666697%29.jpg)
At the age of eleven, Gatiss won a school literary competition with a short science fiction story "The Anti-Noise Machine", published in a booklet by Darlington Borough Council. Gatiss had a childhood interest in the BBC science-fiction show ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' and devoted much of his early writing to the series, despite its 1989 cancellation. Gatiss's earliest published work as a professional writer was a sequence of novels in Virgin Publishing's ''Virgin New Adventures, New Adventures'' series of continuation stories and novels. In these works, he tried to correct the problems which had led to the show's decline in the late 1980s.
The first television scripts Gatiss wrote were for a Bill & Ben Video, BBV direct-to-video series called "P.R.O.B.E." Gatiss's four scripts each featured a different actor who had played ''Doctor Who''s titular character of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor: Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. The videos have since been released on DVD despite Gatiss once commenting that he would not authorise their re-release, as he regarded them as a learning exercise.
His other early contributions to the ''Doctor Who'' franchise included four Doctor Who spin-offs#Original fiction, novels, two audio plays for BBV and two audio plays for Big Finish Productions.
Gatiss has written nine episodes for the 2005 revival of the show. His first, "The Unquiet Dead," was the third episode of the revived series in 2005; the second, "The Idiot's Lantern," aired the following year in the Doctor Who (series 2), second series. Although he acted in the Doctor Who (series 3), third series and proposed an ultimately unproduced episode for the Doctor Who (series 4), fourth, involving Nazis and the British Museum, it took until 2010 for Gatiss to return as writer. He wrote "Victory of the Daleks" for that year's Doctor Who (series 5), fifth series and went on to contribute "Night Terrors (Doctor Who), Night Terrors" for Doctor Who (series 6), series 6, "Cold War (Doctor Who), Cold War" and "The Crimson Horror" for Doctor Who (series 7), series 7 and "Robot of Sherwood" for Doctor Who (series 8), series 8. He also wrote "Sleep No More (Doctor Who), Sleep No More" for Doctor Who (series 9), series 9 and "Empress of Mars" for Doctor Who (series 10), series 10.
He has also contributed to the franchise outside the main show. His early work (see above) was primarily ''Doctor Who'' expanded media, and Gatiss wrote and performed in the comedy spoof sketches ''The Web of Caves'', ''The Kidnappers'' and ''The Pitch of Fear'' for the BBC's "Doctor Who spoofs, ''Doctor Who'' Night" in 1999 with David Walliams.
He penned 2013 docudrama ''An Adventure in Space and Time'', a drama depicting the origins of the series, to celebrate the show's fiftieth anniversary. It ended with a cameo by Gatiss's ''League of Gentleman'' castmate
Reece Shearsmith
Reeson Wayne "Reece" Shearsmith (born 27 August 1969) is an English actor, writer and comedian. He is best known for being a member of '' The League of Gentlemen'', alongside Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. With Pemberton, he l ...
, portraying Patrick Troughton, who played the Second Doctor. A "Making Of" feature about this programme, narrated by Gatiss, was made available on the BBC Red Button service, and also posted on the BBC's official YouTube channel.
He has written for ''Doctor Who Magazine'', including a column written under the pseudonym "Sam Kisgart," which he was originally credited as in the ''Doctor Who Unbound'' audio play ''Sympathy for the Devil (audio drama), Sympathy for the Devil'' for his role as Master (Doctor Who), the Master. "Sam Kisgart" is an anagram of "Mark Gatiss", and is also the name under which he was credited for his cameo in ''Psychoville''.
''Sherlock''
With
Steven Moffat
Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
, with whom Gatiss worked on ''Doctor Who'' and ''Jekyll (TV series), Jekyll'', he also co-created and co-produced ''
Sherlock''. Premiering in 2010, the series is a modernised adaptation of the
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
stories, in which Gatiss plays the role of Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes, Mycroft. Gatiss has influence on all episodes as producer and he has written four episodes, one for each series: the finale, "The Great Game (Sherlock), The Great Game," for the first series, "The Hounds of Baskerville" for the second, "The Empty Hearse" for the third and "The Six Thatchers" for the fourth. He also co-wrote "Many Happy Returns," a mini-episode released in late December 2013 which acts as a prelude to the third series, with
Steven Moffat
Steven William Moffat (; born 18 November 1961) is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as showrunner, writer and executive producer of the science fiction television series ''Doct ...
; the episode "The Sign of Three" with Moffat and Stephen Thompson (writer), Steve Thompson; and "The Abominable Bride", a special episode released in early January 2016, with Moffat. Finally, he co-wrote the final episode of Sherlock, "The Final Problem (Sherlock), The Final Problem", with Moffat, released in January 2017.
Other work as writer
Gatiss has written several non-fiction works, including a biography of the film director James Whale and the documentary ''M.R. James: Ghost Writer'', which Gatiss also presented. The documentary followed Gatiss's directorial debut with an adaption of one of James's stories, "The Tractate Middoth", for BBC Two, which was broadcast on Christmas Day 2013. Gatiss also wrote, co-produced and appeared in ''Crooked House (TV series), Crooked House'', a ghost story that was broadcast on BBC Four during Christmas 2008.
His first non-''Doctor Who'' novel, ''The Vesuvius Club'', was published in 2004, for which he was nominated in the category of Best Newcomer in the 2006 British Book Awards. A follow-up, ''The Devil in Amber'', was released on 6 November 2006. It transports the main character, Lucifer Box, from the Edwardian era in the first book to the roaring Twenties/Thirties. A third and final Lucifer Box novel, ''Black Butterfly (novel), Black Butterfly'', was published on 3 November 2008 by Simon & Schuster.
In 2017, Gatiss and Steven Moffat re-teamed to write three episodes for TV miniseries ''
Dracula''. The series premiered on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
on 1 January 2020, and was broadcast over three consecutive days. The three episodes were then released on Netflix on 4 January 2020.
In June 2021, a The Amazing Mr. Blunden (2021 film), new adaptation of ''The Ghosts'' by Antonia Barber, written and directed by Gatiss for Sky One, was announced. It broadcast on 24 December.
Personal life
Gatiss is gay and was featured on ''The Independent on Sunday's'' Pink List of influential gay people in the UK in 2010, 2011 and 2014. He married actor Ian Hallard in 2008 in Middle Temple, in the City of London.
Gatiss once built a
Victorian laboratory in his north London home, as the fulfilment of a childhood dream.
Gatiss is an atheist.
The University of Huddersfield awarded him an honorary doctorate of letters in 2003.
Filmography
Actor
Film
Television
Writer
Director
Bibliography
Books
''Doctor Who'' novels
* ''Nightshade (Gatiss novel), Nightshade'' ()
* ''St Anthony's Fire (novel), St Anthony's Fire'' ()
* ''The Roundheads'' ()
* ''Last of the Gaderene'' (; also 2013 reissue )
* ''The Crimson Horror'' ()
''Doctor Who'' anthology contributions
* ''Doctor Who: The Shooting Scripts'' (teleplay "The Unquiet Dead") ()
* ''The Doctor Who Storybook 2007'' (short story "Cuckoo-Spit") ()
* ''The Doctor Who Storybook 2009'' (short story "Cold") ()
* ''The Doctor Who Storybook 2010'' (short story "Scared Stiff") ()
* ''The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011'' (short fiction ''The Lost Diaries of Winston Spencer Churchill'') ()
* ''The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2012'' (short fiction ''George's Diary'') ()
''The League of Gentlemen ''
* ''A Local Book for Local People'' ()
* ''The League of Gentlemen: Scripts and That'' ()
* ''The League of Gentlemen's Book of Precious Things'' ()
Lucifer Box novels
* ''The Vesuvius Club'' ()
* ''The Devil in Amber'' ()
* ''Black Butterfly (novel), Black Butterfly'' ()
Miscellaneous non-fiction
* ''James Whale: A Biography'' ()
* ''They Came From Outer Space!: Alien Encounters in the Movies'' (with David Miller (editor), David Miller) ()
Miscellaneous fiction
* ''The King's Men'' (as "Christian Fall") ().
* ''The EsseX Files: To Basildon and Beyond'' (with
Jeremy Dyson
Jeremy Dyson (born 14 June 1966) is a British author, musician and screenwriter who, along with Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, is one of the League of Gentlemen. He also created and co-wrote the West End show ''Ghost Stories ...
) ().
Audio plays
* '' 2000 AD (Judge Dredd audio) Death Trap
''Doctor Who'' (and related)
* ''Time Travellers: Bill & Ben Video, Republica''
* ''Time Travellers: Bill & Ben Video, Island of Lost Souls''
* ''Phantasmagoria (Doctor Who audio), Phantasmagoria''
* ''Invaders from Mars (Doctor Who audio), Invaders from Mars''
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gatiss, Mark
1966 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
20th-century English novelists
21st-century English male actors
21st-century English novelists
Actors from County Durham
Alumni of Bretton Hall College
BBC television producers
British male television writers
English atheists
English comedy writers
English film producers
English male comedians
English male film actors
English male novelists
English male radio actors
English male screenwriters
English male stage actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
English radio writers
English republicans
English science fiction writers
English screenwriters
English television directors
English television producers
English television writers
English gay actors
English gay writers
English LGBT novelists
LGBT screenwriters
People associated with the University of Huddersfield
People from Heighington, County Durham
People from Sedgefield
The League of Gentlemen
Writers of Doctor Who novels