
Jessica Hynes
Actor · b. 1972 · Lewisham, London, England, UK
Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson) is a British actress, director and writer. Best known as a comedy actress, she has played Cheryl in The Royle Family (1998–2010), Siobhan Sharpe in Twenty Twelve (2011–2012) and W1A (2014–2017) and Emily Yates in There She Goes (2018–2023). She was also one of the stars, creators and writers of Spaced (1999–2001). She has also had starring roles in television film Tomorrow La Scala! and BBC dramas Years and Years (2019) and Miss Austen (2025). In film, Hynes has appeared in the Bridget Jones (2004–2016), Nativity (2012–2018) and Paddington (2017–2024) film series. Hynes has been nominated for two International Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, five BAFTAs (winning two), three Royal Television Society Awards (winning two) and three British Comedy Awards (winning two). Hynes was born in Lewisham, London, and grew up in Brighton, where she attended St Luke's Infant and Junior Schools and Dorothy Stringer High School. After her parents split up, she was raised by her mother. She moved back to London as a young adult. Her maternal grandmother came from the village of Llanelian, north Wales, where her uncle also ran a farm. Her mother is a fluent Welsh speaker who later moved back to north Wales. In 2023, Hynes took part in the S4C series Iaith ar Daith where she began to learn the Welsh language; she cited being able to speak Welsh to her mother as a reason why she wanted to take part in the programme. Early in her career, Hynes teamed up with future Spaced co-star Katy Carmichael in a comedy double-act called the Liz Hurleys, appeared in two productions at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, and acted for television shows including Staying Alive, Six Pairs of Pants, (Un)natural Acts, and Asylum (on which the Spaced team of Hynes, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright first assembled). From 1998 to 2000, she played the supporting role of Cheryl in the hit sitcom The Royle Family; she reprised the role for special episodes in 2006, 2009 and 2010. In 1999, she co-wrote and starred in Spaced, for which she won two comedy awards and was nominated for an International Emmy and a Bafta for writing and creating the show alongside Simon Pegg. In 2017 , she directed her first feature film, The Fight, produced by Jamie Adams and Unstoppable media. In 2018, she played the role of a mother in the BBC Four programme There She Goes. She stars alongside David Tennant, raising a daughter with a severe learning disability. It is based on the real life of writer Shaun Pye and his wife Sarah Crawford whose daughter was born with a chromosomal disorder. She won a Bafta for her role in the series and was nominated for an International Emmy for her role in '414' the special made in 2023. In 2019, she starred in the BBC and HBO production Years and Years for which she won a Royal Television Society award.
Movies24
Movie7.7AdventureFantasyWhen a new professor's methods leave Hogwarts unprepared to fight the rising tide of evil, Harry teaches students how to defend against the dark arts.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007 · 21K votes
Movie7.5HorrorComedyShaun lives a supremely uneventful life, which revolves around his girlfriend, his mother, and, above all, his local pub. This gentle routine is threatened when the dead return to life and make strenuous attempts to snack on ordinary Londoners.
Shaun of the Dead
2004 · 9.6K votes
Movie6.8AdventureComedyPaddington travels to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.
Paddington in Peru
2024 · 750 votes
Movie7.5AdventureComedyPaddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen.
Paddington 2
2017 · 2.9K votes
Movie6.4HorrorFantasyA father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
Death of a Unicorn
2025 · 916 votes
Movie6.4DramaComedyAfter breaking up, Bridget Jones' happily-ever-after hasn't quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job and surround herself with old friends and new. For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. Then her love life takes a turn when she meets Jack. A week later, she runs into Mark before she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch - she's not sure of the identity of her baby's father - Mark or Jack.
Bridget Jones's Baby
2016 · 3.1K votes
Movie6.2ComedyRomanceBridget Jones is still dating her new love, barrister Mark Darcy, for a perfect six weeks. However, while on assignment in Thailand with her disreputable ex, Daniel Cleaver, claiming to be reformed, Bridget questions if she has everything she's ever dreamed of having.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
2004 · 3.1K votes
Movie6.4ComedyRomanceWhile working a job at an exclusive ski resort to support her Dad, Kim learns to snowboard and is so good at it that she enters a competition with a huge cash prize. She has to dig deep to overcome her fears, but her life gets more complicated through her spoken-for boss, Jonny.
Chalet Girl
2011 · 673 votes
Movie6.1ComedyThrillerTwo 19th-century opportunists become serial killers so that they can maintain their profitable business supplying cadavers to an anatomist.
Burke & Hare
2010 · 529 votes
Movie6.7ComedyWill is looking for an escape from his family when he encounters Lee, the school bully. Armed with a video camera and a copy of Rambo, Lee plans to make his own action-packed video epic.
Son of Rambow
2007 · 506 votes
Movie6.7MusicDramaThe story of a close-knit group of young kids in Nazi Germany who listen to banned swing music from the US. Soon dancing and fun leads to more difficult choices as the Nazis begin tightening the grip on Germany. Each member of the group is forced to face some tough choices about right, wrong, and survival.
Swing Kids
1993 · 256 votes
Movie6.8DramaHistoryIn 17th-century Tuscany, a church play is performed for the benefit of young aristocrat Cosimo. In the play, a grotesque old woman gives birth to a beautiful baby boy. The child's older sister is quick to exploit the situation, selling blessings from the baby, and even claiming she's the true mother by virgin birth. However, when she attempts to seduce the bishop's son, the Church exacts a terrible revenge.
The Baby of Mâcon
1993 · 117 votes
Movie5.5ComedyFamilyThis sequel to the popular British comedy sees a new teacher (David Tennant) take over. When he enters his school in the National 'Song for Christmas' Competition, he and his pregnant wife, and the schoolchildren, embark on an epic road trip that ends up with a birth and a donkey, where he must embrace his fears and become a hero.
Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!
2012 · 111 votes
Movie6.0FamilyDramaRoald & Beatrix, the tail of the curious mouse, a heart-warming Christmas film inspired by the true encounter between a six-year-old Roald Dahl and his idol Beatrix Potter. A magical story of what really can happen when you are brave enough to follow your dreams. Joining Dawn French who plays Beatrix, the cast includes Jessica Hynes, Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman, Nina Sosanya, Bill Bailey and Nick Mohammed.
Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse
2020 · 21 votes
Movie6.3RomanceComedyA romantic comedy set in the world of battle re-enactments, about an irresponsible guy who has to shape up in order to win back his wife.
Faintheart
2009 · 24 votes
Movie7.8DocumentaryComedyWith exclusive interviews and outtakes, this anniversary special celebrates a decade of Robert Popper's iconic comedy, from celebrity fans to Paul Ritter's infamous squirrel-based catchphrase
Movie6.3ComedyMusicMiranda Hart and the cast of her sitcom come together to celebrate the show's tenth anniversary with a music-filled, star-studded spectacular from the London Palladium.
Miranda: My Such Fun Celebration
2020 · 7 votes
Movie6.3DocumentaryA feature documentary about the making of and influence of the British television series Spaced. It also features an epilogue to the series.
Spaced: Skip to the End
2004 · 13 votes
Movie5.4ComedyRomanceA mockumentary that follows three couples as they battle it out to win the coveted title of 'Most Original Wedding of the Year'.
Confetti
2006 · 77 votes
Movie6.3AdventureFamilyFour children dream of escaping the tedium of a summer holiday with their mother. When finally given permission to camp on their own on an island in the middle of a vast lake, they are overjoyed. But when they get there they discover they may not be alone… The battle for ownership of a lonely island teaches them the skills of survival, the value of friendship and the importance of holding your nerve.
Swallows and Amazons
2016 · 100 votes
Movie5.3AdventureComedyPudsey the cheeky London stray dog is quite happy being a lone ranger, looking out for number one, until he meets siblings Molly, George and Tommy. After losing their father, their mother Gail is moving the family to the sleepy village of Chuffington and Pudsey tags along, to the dismay of their landlord, Mr Thorne, and his cat Faustus. As Pudsey starts to settle in with the family and realises what he was missing when he was alone, he stumbles across Thorne's evil plan, and he determines to save them and the whole village.
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie
2014 · 30 votes
Movie6.0ComedyRomanceIn modern-day London, three men (Craig Ferguson, Jimi Mistry and David Morrissey) and three women (Olivia Williams, Jane Horrocks and Catherine McCormack) fall in and out of love and back again, to the Greek-chorus accompaniment of two cab drivers, who engage in an ongoing conversation about sex. A winning romantic comedy, Born Romantic is the second feature by British writer-director David Kane of This Year's Love fame.
Born Romantic
2000 · 30 votes
Movie5.4ComedyDramaA comic drama set on a Mediterranean island, where a motley collection of characters is seeking musical redemption.
Four Last Songs
2007 · 14 votes
- Movie5.3Comedy
The rebirth of Amnesty International's legendary SECRET POLICEMAN'S BALL at the Royal Albert Hall on 14th October - after a 15 year hiatus - was a resounding success. Bigger, Better and Ballsier than ever before, 'The Ball In The Hall' is a non-stop, rapid-fire, relentless smorgasbord of comedy and music. 6,000 people turned up to create a fantastic atmosphere as some of the best contemporary comic and music talent from both sides of the Atlantic delivered one show-stopping performance after another. Featuring never-before-seen collaborations, brand new sketches, explosive stand-up, off-stage performances, surprise ingredients and an anthem for the world, there has been nothing like it in the comedy world for years.
The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall
2006 · 4 votes
Series24
TV7.5CrimeDramaThe peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.
Midsomer Murders
1997 · 374 votes
TV7.2ComedyTalk ShowEach week celebrity guests join Irish comedian Graham Norton to discuss what's being going on around the world that week. The guests poke fun and share their opinions on the main news stories. Graham is often joined by a band or artist to play the show out.
The Graham Norton Show
2007 · 290 votes
TV7.6Action & AdventureDramaThe Doctor is a Time Lord: a 900 year old alien with 2 hearts, part of a gifted civilization who mastered time travel. The Doctor saves planets for a living—more of a hobby actually, and the Doctor's very, very good at it.
Doctor Who
2005 · 3.5K votes
TV7.9ComedyTalk ShowComedy quiz show full of quirky facts, in which contestants are rewarded more if their answers are 'quite interesting'.
QI
2003 · 289 votes
TV8.1DramaComedyIrreverent comedy drama which follows the messy lives, loves, delirious highs and inevitable lows of a group of raucous teenage friends in Bristol.
Skins
2007 · 1.4K votes
TV7.2Talk ShowA weekly, topical panel show based around a huge series of opinion poll surveys carried out around Britain.
8 Out of 10 Cats
2005 · 57 votes
TV5.7Talk ShowAdam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker provide some offbeat commentary on the significant moments of the past seven days.
The Last Leg
2013 · 26 votes
TV7.8ComedyA comedic panel show featuring team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell plus two guests per side, hosted by Rob Brydon (formerly Angus Deayton). Each person must reveal embarrassing facts and outrageous lies during a series of different rounds including "Home Truths", "This Is My..." and "Quickfire Lies". It is up to the opposing team to tell tall tales from fantastic facts.
Would I Lie to You?
2007 · 133 votes
TV7.1ComedyNever Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game show with a pop and rock music theme. The show is infamous for its dry, sarcastic humour and scathing, provocative attacks on the pop industry.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
1996 · 65 votes
TV7.4ComedyRealityJimmy Carr hosts proceedings as the 8 Out of 10 Cats crew take over the words and numbers quiz.
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
2013 · 104 votes
TV7.0RealityFour different celebrities all aim to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with their baking skills.
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
2018 · 11 votes
TV8.1ComedyMysteryAn anthology of darkly comic twisted tales, each one taking place behind a door marked 'number 9'.
Inside No. 9
2014 · 288 votes
TV6.6ComedyTalk ShowFast-moving game show meets talk show, which sees Frank Skinner refereeing three celebrities each week as they compete to banish their top peeve or worst nightmare to the depths of Room 101.
Room 101
1994 · 27 votes
TV6.1ComedyTalk ShowJonathan Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band.
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001 · 27 votes
TV8.1ComedyBlack Books centres around the foul tempered and wildly eccentric bookshop owner Bernard Black. Bernard’s devotion to the twin pleasures of drunkenness and wilful antagonism deepens and enriches both his life and that of Manny, his assistant. Bearded, sweet and good, Manny is everything that Bernard isn’t and is punished by Bernard relentlessly just for the crime of existing. They depend on each other for meaning as Fran, their oldest friend, depends on them for distraction. Black Books is a haven of books, wine and conversation, the only threat to the group’s peace and prosperity is their own limitless stupidity.
Black Books
2000 · 639 votes
TV7.1Talk ShowComedyOne of Britain’s favourite comedians doing what he does best – being funny. But Alan Davies isn’t on a stage, or behind his QI desk sparring with Stephen Fry, or even wearing his Jonathan Creek duffle coat… instead, Alan is at his most relaxed and most natural – sitting around chatting with some of his best comedian friends.
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
2014 · 15 votes
TV6.0Celebrity Mastermind is a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. The show is a spin-off of the long-running quiz show Mastermind, with the exception that all the contestants are celebrities. As with the main show, John Humphrys is the host and question-master. Magnus Magnusson was quizmaster on the 2003/04 episodes featuring Jonathan Meades as winner.
Celebrity Mastermind
2003 · 2 votes
TV8.2DocumentaryDoctor Who Confidential is a documentary to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The running time of the first two series was 30 minutes, being extended to 45 minutes in the third. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons.
Doctor Who Confidential
2005 · 37 votes
TV6.6DramaTwo sisters who set up a London fashion house for society of the early 1920s.
The House of Eliott
1991 · 14 votes
TV7.3DramaCrimePatience Evans works in the Criminal Records Office in the city of York. She views the world in a unique way because she has a special gift – she is autistic. Patience has a special interest in solving puzzles and a secret fascination and talent for criminology—her unique perspective allows her to connect the dots through clues in a way others simply cannot. Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf recognizes her talents and takes her under her wing. Patience helps the police tackle a series of challenging cases by bringing her unique insight to crimefighting.
Patience
2025 · 66 votes
TV6.4ComedyDocumentaryBritish comedian Richard Ayoade (later taken over by Joe Lycett), accompanied by a celebrity guest, takes a ruthlessly efficient approach to travel, covering everything top tourist destinations have to offer in just 48 hours.
Travel Man: 48 Hours in...
2015 · 41 votes
TV6.4ComedyAction & AdventureLegendary highwayman Dick Turpin sets out on a series of wildly absurd escapades when he's made the reluctant leader of a band of outlaws—and tasked with outwitting utterly corrupt lawman Jonathan Wilde.
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
2024 · 85 votes
TV6.3ComedyThe crew of an unloved franchise movie fight for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, to ask the question — how exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Because every f*ck-up has an origin story.
The Franchise
2024 · 83 votes
TV7.9ComedySpaced: the anti-Friends, in that it examines the lives of common 20 somethings, but in a way that is more down to earth and realistic. Here we have Daisy and Tim; two 'young' adults with big dreams just trying to get by in this crazy world. They are thrown together in a common pursuit of tenancy, which they find by posing as a couple. The house has a landlady and an oddball artist living there. The series explores the ins and outs of London living.
Spaced
1999 · 518 votes