Colin McFarlane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colin McFarlane
McFarlane at the Sasnak City Convention in 2019
Born	Colin Andrew Ignatius Peter McFarlane (1961-09-15) 15 September 1961 (age 63) Upper Clapton, London, England
Education	The Perse School
Alma mater	Loughborough University
Occupation	Actor, narrator, voice actor
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Kate McFarlane ​ (m. 1991)​
Children	3

Colin McFarlane is a British actor, narrator, and voice actor. He was born on 15 September 1961. You might know his voice from popular kids' shows like Bob the Builder (where he was JJ) or Thomas & Friends (as Bulgy and Beresford). He also voiced PC Malcolm Williams in Fireman Sam. Besides voice acting, he has appeared in movies like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, and in TV shows such as Outlander. He was also the voice of the game show The Cube.

About Colin McFarlane's Early Life

Colin McFarlane was born in Upper Clapton, London, England. His parents were from Jamaica. His father, Sidney McFarlane, worked for the RAF. His mother, Gwendolyn McFarlane, worked in the NHS. His family moved around a bit before settling in Lincoln, where Colin grew up. He went to The Perse School and later studied drama at Loughborough University. He finished university in 1983.

Colin McFarlane's Acting Career

Colin McFarlane has had a long and busy career in acting. He has worked in television, movies, and even video games. He is known for his deep voice, which makes him a great narrator and voice actor.

Colin's TV Show Roles

Colin McFarlane started his TV career in 1985. He appeared in a police show called Dempsey and Makepeace. He also acted in a TV movie called Dutch Girls with Colin Firth. Over the years, he has been in many different kinds of shows.

He has appeared in popular British TV dramas like Casualty, Death in Paradise, and Holby City. He also had roles in famous soap operas: Coronation Street as Mr Jordan and EastEnders as DCI Irving.

Colin has also made people laugh in comedy shows. He was in The Thin Blue Line and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. He played Inspector Norris in Black Books.

For younger viewers, Colin was in the CBBC shows M.I. High and Hounded. In Hounded, he played the funny villain Dr Muhahahaha.

Colin's Movie Appearances

Colin McFarlane has been in several movies. He played Police Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb in two superhero films: Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). These movies are part of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy.

He also appeared in the popular science fiction show Doctor Who. He voiced the Heavenly Host in a Christmas special and played Moran in two episodes in 2015. He was also in Torchwood: Children of Earth as Colonel Pierce.

More recently, he was in the action horror film Patient Zero (2018). In 2019, he played the governor in the thrilling movie Crawl.

Voice Acting by Colin McFarlane

Colin McFarlane is very well known for his voice work. His first voice role was in 1994. He voiced Othello in an animated series called Shakespeare: The Animated Tales, which made Shakespeare's plays easier for children to understand.

Some of his most famous voice roles include:

• JJ and Skip in the original Bob the Builder series.
• The narrator for the game show The Cube.
• Jonah in Captain Pugwash.
• Bulgy the Double Decker Bus and Beresford the Crane in Thomas & Friends. He also voiced Beresford in the movie Journey Beyond Sodor.
• Elvis the horse in Iconicles.
• Sparky the dragon in Mike the Knight.
• Various characters in The Amazing World of Gumball.
• Police Constable Malcolm Williams in Fireman Sam.

Colin's Video Game Voices

Colin McFarlane has also lent his voice to many video games. He voiced characters in early games like Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (1996) and G-Police (1997).

He was the voice of Greg in the Buzz! quiz game series. He also voiced Avalon Centrifuge in LittleBigPlanet 2. In the game Fable, he voiced the character Thunder. He also provided extra voices for Batman: Arkham Knight.

Colin's Theatre Work

In 2013, Colin McFarlane performed in a play called Fences. He acted alongside the famous comedian Lenny Henry at the Duchess Theatre in London.

Colin McFarlane's Personal Life

Colin McFarlane married his wife, Kate, on 30 June 1991. They have three children together. He spends his time living in both Lincoln and North London.

Colin is a big fan of the football team Lincoln City F.C..

In June 2023, Colin shared that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Radio

Video games