Keith Jayne (born 10 December 1960) is a British actor, known for playing the title role in the 1981

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

adaptation ''

Stig of the Dump ''Stig of the Dump'' is a children's novel by Clive King which was first published in the United Kingdom in 1963. It is regarded as a modern children's classic and is often read in schools. It was illustrated by Edward Ardizzone and has been t ...

''. A slow growth rate, due to a

pituitary gland In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland, about the size of a chickpea and weighing, on average, in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The ...

problem, made Keith a target of bullies at

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

, To escape them, he enrolled with the

Barbara Speake Stage School The Barbara Speake Stage School was opened on 10 February 1945 as an independent school, and was initially set up as a dancing school, by the founding principal Miss Barbara Speake, MBE, and was located in East Acton, London. The school was fee ...

. Early roles were in ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, oft ...

'', ''

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

'' and a variety of

Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom originally to be shown as part of childrens' Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 ...

productions, including ''

Robin Hood Junior Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin ** Forest r ...

'' (1975), ''

The Glitterball ''The Glitterball'' is a 1977 British sci-fi children's film made by Mark Forstater Productions for the Children's Film Foundation. It was directed by Harley Cokeliss, credited under his birth name of Harley Cokliss. The film was screened at th ...

'' (1977) and '' Sammy's Super T-Shirt'' (1978). In 1974, Keith appeared as Wilfred Schoenfeld in an episode of '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', entitled "The Beastly Hun". In 1975, he played Mick in '' Survivors''. However, his big break happened in 1979 when he was cast as Tom Arnold, a cabin boy, in ''

The Onedin Line ''The Onedin Line'' is a BBC television drama series that ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham. The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and covers the rise of a fictional shipping company, the Onedin Line, na ...

''. This was followed by the lead role in

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

’s, BAFTA award nominated, adaptation of ''

'' - which 'is probably the part I am most remembered for'.
Not So Plain Jane Keith went on to play 'Boxer Reed' in all 54 episodes of ITV Central, Central TV's kid's drama, ''

Murphy's Mob ''Murphy's Mob'' is a British children's television series, created and written by Brian Finch which was produced and directed by David Foster for Central Independent Television, and screened in the UK on ITV for four series between 1 March 198 ...

''. His appearance as Will Chandler - 'one of the most convincing and memorable companions The Doctor never had'
Doctor Who:The Television Companion – in '' Doctor Who'' serial '' The Awakening'', led producer

John Nathan-Turner John Nathan-Turner (''né'' Turner; 12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002) was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. He was also the final producer of the series' firs ...

to briefly consider making Keith a series regular. Typecasting (often as a

yokel Yokel is one of several derogatory terms referring to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people. The term is of uncertain etymology and is only attributed from the early 19th century. Yokels are depicted as straightforward, simple, naï ...

) persuaded Keith to study for a certificate in Finance and Investment. This coincided with a dark period his life, when his earlier health problems came back to haunt him. 'As a result of the growth hormone treatment I received as a child, I received a letter from the

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

saying I may have contracted CJD.' Keith's high-profile saw him interviewed on ITN, a broadcast that curtailed his acting career. 'The fact that it was reported that I was dying did not help me get any further work as no casting director is going to employ you if there is a chance you will keel over before episode two.' Beginning in the late 1980s, he ran a financial services business. In 2009 he appeared as a guest in the 'Blast From The Past' section of ''

The Justin Lee Collins Show ''The Justin Lee Collins Show'' is a British television chat show presented by Justin Lee Collins that aired on ITV2 between 19 March 2009 and 21 May 2009. Collins has a small band on the show and a continuing theme is to mention Labi Siffre ...

''.

References

External links

* Living people British male television actors 1960 births {{UK-tv-actor-1960s-stub