Mark Heap
Mark Heap (born 13 May 1957) is a British actor and comedian. Television credits include Ghost Train (1991), Smith & Jones (1997–1998), Brass Eye (1997–2001), Kiss Me Kate (1998), The Zig and Zag Show (1998), How Do You Want Me? (1998–1999), Stressed Eric (1998–2000), Green Wing (2004–2007), Spaced (1999–2001), The Strangerers (2000), Jam (2000), Doc Martin (2000), Happiness (2001–2003), Lark Rise to Candleford (2008–2011), Desperate Romantics (2009), Friday Night Dinner (2011–2020), Upstart Crow (2016–2018), and Benidorm (2017–2018). Film credits include About a Boy (2002), Stardust (2007), The World's End (2013), Time Travel is Dangerous (2024). Heap was born in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, to an English father and American mother, the youngest of four boys. When the family moved to the United Kingdom, they lived in Wales. He stayed there until he moved to northern England, where he lives now. He began acting in the 1970s as a member of the Medieval Players, a touring company performing medieval and early modern theatre, and featuring stilt-walking, juggling and puppetry. His brother Carl Heap, who is also an actor, was the artistic director of the company. After its demise, he became part of the street theatre duo The Two Marks (with Mark Saban). Heap starred in the BBC sketch show Big Train, where he performed a barefoot gymnastics routine and other sketches between 1998 and 2002, alongside other burgeoning comedy stars Simon Pegg, Julia Davis, Kevin Eldon, Catherine Tate, Amelia Bullmore, Rebecca Front, Nick Frost and Tracy-Ann Oberman. He appeared as struggling artist Brian Topp in Spaced (1999–2001), and the pompous Dr. Alan Statham in Green Wing (2004–07). Heap worked with Chris Morris, in Blue Jam, radio predecessor to Jam, and the documentary parody series Brass Eye. He voiced the lead character of Eric Feeble in the animated comedy Stressed Eric. Other recurring roles included: Terry Roche in Paul Whitehouse's comedy-drama Happiness and Derek Few in How Do You Want Me?. He played Harry in the short-lived Rob Grant TV series The Strangerers, in 2000. He also guested in the second series of the BBC comedy Look Around You as Leonard Hatred. He appeared as an unsuccessful businessman who became a bellboy, in the 2007 BBC One drama Hotel Babylon. Between 2008 and 2010, he appeared as head postman Thomas Brown, in 32 episodes of the BBC period drama Lark Rise to Candleford. He was the super villain Lightkiller, in an episode of the sitcom No Heroics. He also appeared as the father of Chris Miles in the Channel 4 programme Skins. Heap played the love interest of the main character in the second series of the BBC comedy Love Soup. He played the role of Charles Dickens in the 2009 BBC Two drama Desperate Romantics. He also played Jessica Hynes' husband in the one-off comedy written by Hynes and Julia Davis: Lizzie & Sarah.
Known For
Credits
- 2025 · Time Travel Is Dangerous! as The Regency Dandy
- 2024 · Piglets as Superintendent Bob Weekes
- 2024 · The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin as John Turpin
- 2023 · Beyond Paradise as Bob Holland
- 2022 · Your Christmas or Mine? as Johnson
- 2022 · Live at the Moth Club as George
- 2022 · Incredible Ant as Flibbington (voice)
- 2022 · The School for Good and Evil as Professor Manley
- 2022 · Sister Boniface Mysteries as Kirk Fabricant
- 2022 · The House as Mr. Thomas (voice)
- 2021 · Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel as Himself
- 2020 · The Trouble with Maggie Cole as Peter Cole
- 2020 · Intelligence as Barnaby Bailer
- 2019 · Queens of Mystery as Kurt Lee
- 2019 · The Lost Films of Bloody Nora as Dad
- 2018 · The Midnight Gang as Sir Quentin Strillers
- 2018 · Killer Weekend as Gerald
- 2017 · Murder on the Blackpool Express as Graham
- 2017 · Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes as
- 2016 · The Comedian's Guide to Survival as Pick up Driver
- 2016 · Digby Dragon as Mungo (voice)
- 2016 · Upstart Crow as Sir Robert Greene
- 2015 · We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story as Clive Dunn
- 2015 · Undercover as DCI Langdon
- 2015 · The Team as Albert Greaves
- 2015 · The Last Post as
- 2013 · The World's End as Publican 7
- 2013 · All Stars as Simon Tarrington
- 2013 · Endeavour as Felix Lorimer
- 2013 · Heading Out as Brian
- 2012 · Friday Night Dinner Christmas Special as Jim
- 2012 · A Moody Christmas as Heathrow Passenger
- 2011 · Is This a Joke? as Doctor
- 2011 · Death in Paradise as Alec Burton
- 2011 · Holy Flying Circus as Andrew Thorogood
- 2011 · Spy as Phillip
- 2011 · Friday Night Dinner as Jim
- 2010 · The Indian Doctor as Rev. Herbert Todd
- 2010 · Single Father as Robin
- 2010 · The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret as Lord Mountford
- 2010 · The Great Outdoors as Bob
- 2010 · Lizzie and Sarah as Michael
- 2009 · Misfits as Jonas
- 2009 · Desperate Romantics as Charles Dickens
- 2008 · No Heroics as
- 2008 · Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth as Scrutty Baker
- 2008 · Lark Rise to Candleford as Thomas Brown
- 2007 · Stardust as Tertius
- 2007 · Hitler: The Comedy Years as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2007 · Benidorm as Malcolm
- 2007 · Skins as Graham
- 2006 · Alpha Male as Darwin
- 2006 · Scoop as M.C.
- 2006 · Confetti as Registrar
- 2006 · Hotel Babylon as
- 2005 · Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Man with Dog
- 2005 · Animal as Hugh Getner
- 2005 · The Crust as Cowboy Keith
- 2004 · Agatha Christie's Marple as Mr. Humpries
- 2004 · Out of time as Charlie
- 2004 · Green Wing as Alan Statham
- 2004 · Blake's Junction 7 as Avon
- 2004 · The Calcium Kid as Sebastian Gore-Brown
- 2004 · Spaced: Skip to the End as Self
- 2003 · Spine Chillers as Balfus
- 2003 · Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie as Mitch
- 2002 · Look Around You as Leonard Hatred
- 2002 · About a Boy as Math Teacher
- 2002 · Ant Muzak as In-Store Tannoy Voice
- 2001 · Happiness as Terry Roche
- 2001 · Doc Martin as Mitch
- 2000 · Jam as Various
- 2000 · The Strangerers as Harry
- 1999 · Spaced as Brian Topp
- 1999 · People Like Us as Graham Atkinson
- 1998 · Big Train as
- 1998 · Stressed Eric as
- 1997 · An Unsuitable Job for a Woman as DS Maskell (uncredited)
- Future · The Magic Faraway Tree as Mr. Oom Boom Boom
- 1998 · Kiss Me Kate as
- 1998 · How Do You Want Me? as
- 1997 · Hospital! as Dr. Ralph Crosby
- 1997 · Midsomer Murders as Simon Fergus-Johnson
- 1997 · Brass Eye as Simon Hottrin / Dr. Zeus Spofforth / Various Characters
- 1997 · Brass Eye as Young Jez North
- 1997 · Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis as Duncan
- 1996 · Dalziel & Pascoe as
- 1995 · The World of Lee Evans as Platform Guard
- 1993 · The Children's Royal Variety Performance as The 2 Marks
- 1983 · Martin Luther, Heretic as Medieval Player
- Future · Can You Keep a Secret? as William