Richard James Lumsden (born 24 June 1965) is an English actor, writer, composer and musician. He has made regular appearances on TV and film throughout his career. Notable series include

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's Emmy-award winning ''Sugar Rush'', ''

Is it Legal ''Is It Legal?'' is a British television sitcom set in a solicitors office in Hounslow, west London, which ran from 12 September 1995 to 9 December 1998. It was produced by Hartswood Films and was shown on ITV for Series 1–2 and Channel 4 fo ...

, Wonderful You'' and ''

The Singapore Grip ''The Singapore Grip'' is a novel by J. G. Farrell. It was published in 1978, a year before his death. In 2015, ''The Straits Times Akshita Nanda selected ''The Singapore Grip'' as one of ten classic Singapore novels. She wrote, "Neatly weaving ...

''. He played Ray in Radio 4’s long-running comedy ''

Clare in the Community ''Clare in the Community'' is a British radio comedy series, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, starring Sally Phillips as Clare. It was adapted from the comic strip of the same name which appeared in ''The Guardian'' newspaper, written by Harry Venning. ...

''.

Career

Television

Lumsden's early television work includes Foggy in two series of ''

First of the Summer Wine ''First of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that aired on BBC1. The pilot originally aired on 3 January 1988, and the first series of episodes followed on 4 September 1988. The show ran for two series of six episodes eac ...

'', Nutter in ''The Sharp End, Waterfront Beat, One Foot In The Grave, Brittas Empire, Nelson’s Column, Grace and Favour, Coogan’s Run - Death Of A Salesman,'' and '' Hornblower.'' He played Colin in three series of

Simon Nye Simon Nye (born 29 July 1958) is an English screenwriter, best known for television comedy. He wrote the hit British sitcom, sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly'', and all of the four ITV Pantos. He co-wrote the 2006 film ''Flushed Away'', created an ad ...

's ''

Is it Legal? ''Is It Legal?'' is a British television sitcom set in a solicitors office in Hounslow, west London, which ran from 12 September 1995 to 9 December 1998. It was produced by Hartswood Films and was shown on ITV for Series 1–2 and Channel 4 fo ...

'', Henry in ''Wonderful You'', Charles in ''

All About Me ''All About Me'' is a British television sitcom starring Jasper Carrott about a multicultural family living in Birmingham. It was broadcast on BBC One from 2002 to 2004. ''All About Me'' was created by Steven Knight, who also wrote two of the ea ...

'', Roger in ''The House That Jack Built'', as well as episodes of ''Dangerfield, People Like Us'', ''Hardware, Love Soup, The Croydon Poisonings.'' Nathan in two series of '' Sugar Rush'', and appearances in '' Party Animals, Suburban Shootout, Dis/connected, U Be Dead,'' and ''Free Agents.'' He appeared as Martin in series three of ''

The Catherine Tate Show ''The Catherine Tate Show'' is a British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate and Derren Litten. Tate also stars in all but one of the show's sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. ''The Catherine Tate Show'' airs on B ...

'', and Arnold, an ex-boyfriend of

Clare Bates Clare Bates (also Tyler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Gemma Bissix. Bissix originally played the character as a schoolgirl from 1993 to 1998. She left the serial with her screen stepfather Nigel Bat ...

in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

''. Other tv shows include; ''Grown Ups, Summer In Transylvania, Garrow’s Law,'' two series of ''The Impressions Show'', three series of ''Life Of Riley'', ''Vexed, Midsommer Murders, Rebecca Front’s Little Cracker, By Any Means, All At Sea,'' as well as sixteen appearances as different characters in ''Holby City, Casualty'' and ''Doctors'', all for the BBC. More recent TV work includes ''Remember Me, Trollied, Father Brown,'' three series as Tony in BBC’s '' Millie In Between, Crazyhead, Doc Marten, Shakespeare and Hathaway''. He played General Percival in ITV’s WW2 drama ''

'' filmed in Malaysia, and Taylor Lawson in series 25 of ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC, which focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. First broadcast in 1996, the series was created by Nigel McC ...

.''

Film

Lumsden played Robert Ferrars in

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...

’s ''Sense and Sensibility''. He also appeared in ''The Avengers'', ''Room To Rent'', ''Silent Cry'', ''

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

'', ''

Attila The Hun Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and Ea ...

, City Slacker, Morris A Life With Bells On (''for which he also composed the music) and

Ben Wheatley Benjamin Wheatley (born 7 May 1972) is an English filmmaker and screenwriter. Beginning his career in advertising, Wheatley first gained recognition and acclaim for his commercials and short films, before transitioning into feature films and tel ...

’s ''

Sightseers ''Sightseers'' is a 2012 British black comedy film directed by Ben Wheatley and written by and starring Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, with additional material written by co-editor Amy Jump. It is produced by Edgar Wright and Nira Park, among other ...

''. In 2014, Lumsden starred in the independent British feature film ''Downhill'', directed by James Rouse, a comedy about four friends attempting

Alfred Wainwright Alfred Wainwright MBE (17 January 1907 – 20 January 1991), who preferred to be known as A. Wainwright or A.W., was a British fellwalker, guidebook author and illustrator. His seven-volume ''Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells'', published ...

Coast to Coast Walk The Coast to Coast Walk is a long-distance footpath between the west and east coasts of Northern England, nominally long. Devised by Alfred Wainwright, it passes through three contrasting national parks: the Lake District National Park, th ...

. He played Ballested in Jan Vardoen’s ''Heart Of Lightness,'' shot in Norway’s Arctic Circle, and General Ismay in

Joe Wright Joseph Wright (born 25 August 1972) is an English film director residing in Somerset, England. His motion pictures include the literary adaptations '' Pride & Prejudice'' (2005), ''Atonement'' (2007), ''Anna Karenina'' (2012), and ''Cyrano'' ( ...

’s '' Darkest Hour'' (2016). Most recently Lumsden starred as Paul in Brook Driver & Finn Bruce’s debut feature film ''Swede Caroline'', alongside

Jo Hartley Joanne Victoria Hartley (born 12 March 1972) is an English actress born in Oldham, Lancashire who has appeared in the films ''The Young Victoria'', ''Eddie the Eagle'', ''Slaughterhouse Rulez'' and '' Torvill & Dean'' and in British television ...

& Celyn Jones, due for release in 2022/23.

Theatre

Notable theatre work includes: ''White Teeth'' (Kiln, 2018), ''It’s All Made Up'' (Royal Court, 2017), Cartwright (Telegin) in Chekhov's ''Uncle Vanya'' for director

Robert Icke Robert Icke (; born 29 November 1986) is an English writer and theatre director. He has been referred to as the "great hope of British theatre." He is best known for his play ''The Doctor'', and his modern adaptations of classic texts, includ ...

(also providing the on-stage musical accompaniment, 2016). and Mr Webb in

David Cromer David Cromer (born October 17, 1964) is an American theatre director, and stage, film, and TV actor. He has received recognition for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in his native Chicago. Cromer has won or been nominated for numerous aw ...

’s internationally celebrated production of ''Our Town'' (2014), both at the Almeida in London. He performed his own one–man musical play ''We Could Be Heroes'' at the Bridewell Theatre, 2004, later transferring to the Mill Theatre, Yvonne Arnaud in Guildford and the Arts Theatre, West End. His repertory theatre work at Stoke-on-Trent and Basingstoke includes the title roles in ''Hamlet'' and ''Master Harold & The Boys'', and productions of ''As You Like It'', ''King Lear'', ''A Trip To Scarborough'', ''Amadeus'', ''Juno and the Paycock'', ''Far From The Madding Crowd'' and ''Having A Ball''. He played Roche in ''Rat in the Skull'' at Theater Exchange, Minneapolis USA, and John Thorpe in ''Northanger Abbey'' at Greenwich.

Writing

His writing work includes a seven-hour drama ''Wonderful You'' for ITV (co-written with Chris Niel), in which he also starred, a one-man musical ''We Can Be Heroes'' which he performed in London, and five verse plays for

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' ...

: ''John Dodd Gets Taken for a Ride'' (shortlisted for the BBC / Society of Authors’ Imison award for new writing), ''A Good Place For Fishing'' which starred

Anne Reid Anne Reid, MBE (born 28 May 1935) is a British stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera '' Coronation Street'' (1961–1971); Jean in the sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000); and her role ...

, and ''Man in the Moon, with''

Tom Courtenay Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of t ...

(shortlisted for the BBC/ Society of Authors’ Tinniswood award) and ''A Book By Lester Tricklebank'' (with

Stephen Tompkinson Stephen Phillip Tompkinson (born 15 October 1965) is an English actor, known for his television roles as Marcus in '' Chancer '' (1990), Damien Day in ''Drop the Dead Donkey'' (1990–1998), Father Peter Clifford in ''Ballykissangel'' (1996–9 ...

). Readings of his play ''Skeletons'' have taken place at

Soho Theatre The Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, in London, England. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three performance spaces. The the ...

and Leicester Square Theatre. Hs debut novel ''The Six Loves of Billy Binns,'' was published by

Tinder Press Headline Publishing Group is a British publishing brand and former company. It was founded in 1986 by Tim Hely Hutchinson. In 1993, Headline bought Hodder & Stoughton and the company became Hodder Headline Ltd. In 1999, Hodder Headline was acq ...

In January 2019. He had previously adapted his story for Radio 4 under the same title, also starring Tom Courtenay.

Music

Lumsden plays a number of instruments including piano, guitars, bass, banjo, ukulele etc., and has composed music for cinema, television & theatre, including the orchestral & folk soundtrack to the 2009 film '' Morris: A Life with Bells On'', a full musical score for ''Alice in Wonderland'' at the

New Vic Theatre The New Vic Theatre is a purpose-built theatre in the round in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. The theatre opened in 1986, replacing a converted cinema, the Victoria Theatre in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent. History In the early 1960s, Stephen J ...

in Stoke, title music for BBC’s ''The Morning Show,'' and incidental music for numerous TV dramas and theatre productions. He has played many UK gigs with his band Henry Kissing Her, releasing two albums; ''A Little of Who You Fancy'' (1996) & ''Pull'' (2006). He also released a CD of piano music, ''Concert From The Eyrie'' (2001). In 2012, Lumsden and fiddle virtuoso John Dipper released the folk album ''Sunshine Takes You''. Lumsden released his ‘final’ album of songs, ''The Unhurt'' in 2020.

Background

Lumsden attended

Lady Manners School Lady Manners School is an English secondary school located in Bakewell, a market town in the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District ...

, situated in

Bakewell Bakewell is a market town and civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, known also for its local Bakewell pudding. It lies on the River Wye, about 13 miles (21 km) south-west of Sheffield. In the 2011 census, ...

in the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

, before he trained at the

Guildford School of Acting Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is a drama school in Guildford, Surrey, England. It is an academic school in the University of Surrey. It is a member of the Federation of Drama Schools The Federation of Drama Schools functions to facilitate ...

, graduating in 1986. In 1995, Lumsden married actress

Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. A six-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods' ...

; they separated in 2015. They have two sons, Ernie James (born 1997) and Walter Eric (born 2000).

Filmography

References

External links

RichardLumsden.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lumsden, Richard 1965 births Alumni of the Guildford School of Acting English male film actors English television composers English film score composers English male film score composers English musical theatre composers English pop musicians English male radio actors English male stage actors English male television actors Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Male actors from Lancashire 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors