Rob Brydon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rob Brydon MBE
Brydon in 2009
Born	Robert Brydon Jones (1965-05-03) 3 May 1965 (age 60) Baglan, Glamorgan, Wales
Education	Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Occupation	Actor comedian impressionist presenter singer writer
Years active	1985–present
Known for	Full list
Spouse(s)	Martina Fitchie ​ ​ (m. 1992; div. 2000)​ Clare Holland ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	5

Robert Brydon Jones (born May 3, 1965) is a famous Welsh actor, comedian, and TV presenter. He is also known for his amazing impressions and singing. Rob Brydon has appeared in many popular films, TV shows, and radio programs.

In 2013, he received an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award was given to him by Queen Elizabeth II for his great work in comedy and broadcasting, and for helping charities.

Rob Brydon became well-known for his roles in comedy series like Human Remains (2000) and Marion and Geoff (2000–2003). He also starred in The Keith Barret Show (2004–2005) and Supernova (2005–2006). From 2007 to 2024, he played the much-loved character Bryn West in the BBC show Gavin & Stacey. For this role, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award.

He has worked with actor Steve Coogan and director Michael Winterbottom on several films. These include 24 Hour Party People (2002) and A ... and Bull Story (2005). Brydon and Coogan also starred together in the popular "Trip" series: The Trip (2010), The Trip to Italy (2014), The Trip to Spain (2017), and The Trip to Greece (2020). He has also appeared in big movies like Cinderella (2015), The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016), Holmes & Watson (2019), and Barbie (2023).

Since 2009, Rob Brydon has been the host of the popular BBC One comedy panel show Would I Lie to You?. Before that, he hosted a fictional panel show called Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive from 2006 to 2007. He also had his own late-night chat show, The Rob Brydon Show, and hosted the game show The Guess List in 2014.

Early Life and School

Rob Brydon was born on May 3, 1965, in Baglan, Wales. His mother, Joy Jones, was a teacher, and his father, Howard Jones, sold cars. He grew up in Baglan with his younger brother, Peter.

Brydon went to two private schools: St. John's School in Porthcawl and Dumbarton House School in Swansea. He later attended Porthcawl Comprehensive School. There, he met Ruth Jones, who he later worked with on Gavin & Stacey. They were both part of the school's youth theatre group. A funny story he shared is that he once took the lunch money of fellow student Catherine Zeta-Jones when they were at Dumbarton.

Rob Brydon has said that his favorite comedians when he was a child were Barry Humphries, Frankie Howerd, and Woody Allen. He also enjoyed memorizing comedy sketches by famous comedians like Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and Peter Sellers.

Career Highlights

Starting in Radio

Rob Brydon studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff. He left after a year to join BBC Radio Wales when he was 20. He worked as a disc jockey (DJ) on Saturday mornings. From 1992 to 1994, he presented a youth music show called Rave on Radio Wales.

He also appeared in the comedy show Satellite City. Brydon has continued to work in radio, sometimes filling in as a presenter for shows like BBC Radio 2's The Ken Bruce Show. In fact, on April 1, 2011, he famously pretended to be Ken Bruce for the entire show as an April Fools' Day joke!

On the show Would I Lie To You?, Rob Brydon once admitted something funny. Early in his career, he would pretend to be his own agent on the phone. He used different voices to make it sound like someone else. This helped him get better pay for his freelance jobs.

Brydon also became known for his voice-over work. He provided voices for video games like Discworld and for TV shows like Eurotrash. You might have heard his voice in many TV commercials for brands like Renault, Tesco, and McDonald's. He has also voiced characters in animated films such as The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo's Child, and Room on the Broom.

Becoming a TV Star

Rob Brydon on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue in 2009

In 2000, Rob Brydon became a big name in TV comedy. He co-wrote and starred in two BBC series. One was Human Remains, which he wrote with Julia Davis. From 2000 to 2003, he starred in the BBC mockumentary (a fake documentary) Marion and Geoff. In this show, Brydon played Keith Barret, a taxi driver going through a divorce. The show was filmed from inside his car.

From 2004 to 2005, Brydon starred in The Keith Barret Show, a funny fake chat show. In 2006, he made fun of comedy panel shows like QI and Mock the Week in his BBC Three series Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive. Critics said he was hilarious playing a "demonic" version of himself.

Michael Winterbottom (left), Steve Coogan (middle), and Rob Brydon (right) in 2005

In 2005, he played a version of himself in the British comedy A ... and Bull Story, directed by Michael Winterbottom. Brydon starred alongside Steve Coogan. Their unscripted-sounding conversations were a highlight of the movie. From 2007 to 2010, Brydon became very popular as Uncle Bryn in the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey. He was even nominated for a BAFTA Award for this role in 2009.

Since 2009, Rob Brydon has been the host of the game show Would I Lie to You?. He also appeared on the BBC Radio 4 comedy show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. His singing voice on the show was even praised by the former host! Brydon has also appeared on the TV quiz show QI, where he showed off his talent for impressions. He can do impressions of famous people like Alec Guinness, James Dean, Michael J. Fox, Richard Burton, and Tom Jones.

His character Bryn West in Gavin & Stacey was very popular. In 2009, Brydon performed the charity song "(Barry) Islands in the Stream" for Comic Relief. He sang it with Ruth Jones (as their characters from Gavin & Stacey) and singer Tom Jones. The song reached No.1 in the UK Singles Chart!

The Trip and Beyond

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014

From 2010 to 2020, Brydon starred with Steve Coogan in Michael Winterbottom's BBC Two series The Trip. In this show, they played funny versions of themselves. Brydon was often optimistic and eager to do impressions, while Coogan played a more grumpy character. They continued these roles in the follow-up films: The Trip to Italy (2014), The Trip to Spain (2017), and The Trip to Greece (2020). Critics loved these films, calling them both funny and touching.

Rob Brydon's book, Small Man in a Book, was published in 2011. The title is a play on his famous "small-man-in-a-box" impression. He also went on his first stand-up comedy tour in the UK in 2009/10.

In 2012, he was one of the hosts for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace. In 2015, he had a small role in the Disney movie Cinderella. The next year, he played Gryff in The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016). He also voiced characters in the animated series Revolting Rhymes (2016), which was nominated for an Academy Award.

In 2018, he played Inspector Lestrade in the comedy Holmes & Watson. He also voiced characters in the animated film Early Man (2018). In 2023, he had a brief role as Sugar Daddy Ken in the hit movie Barbie.

Personal Life

Rob Brydon was married to Martina Fitchie from 1992 to 2000. They had two daughters and a son.

On October 6, 2006, Brydon married Clare Holland. She used to be a producer for a TV show. They live in Strawberry Hill in London and have two sons.

Rob Brydon is a big fan of Swansea City football club and Harlequins rugby union club. In 2013, he played golf for Wales in a Celebrity Golf tournament.

Filmography

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Television

Radio

Other appearances

• Rob Brydon's Identity Crisis (March 2008)
• The One Show (December 2009)
• Desert Island Discs (May 2010), his favorite song was "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen
• TV advertising campaign for P&O Cruises (2014–)
• Script editor for a season 2 of Little Britain

Awards and Recognition

Rob Brydon was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. This is where he studied earlier in his life. In 2013, he was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award. This was for his contributions to comedy, broadcasting, and his charity work.

Discography

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Rob Brydon para niños