Mark Heap
Acting • Born 1957-05-13
Biography
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.
Filmography
94 credits
Confetti
Movie • 2006
Registrar
Hitler: The Comedy Years
Movie • 2007
(archive footage) (uncredited)
The House
Movie • 2022
Mr. Thomas (voice)
Doc Martin
Movie • 2001
Mitch
Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie
Movie • 2003
Mitch
The World's End
Movie • 2013
Publican 7
Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis
Movie • 1997
Duncan
Blake's Junction 7
Movie • 2004
Avon
Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth
Movie • 2008
Scrutty Baker
Alpha Male
Movie • 2006
Darwin
All Stars
Movie • 2013
Simon Tarrington
Spaced: Skip to the End
Movie • 2004
Self
The School for Good and Evil
Movie • 2022
Professor Manley
Is This a Joke?
Movie • 2011
Doctor
Oxide Ghosts: The Brass Eye Tapes
Movie • 2017
Your Christmas or Mine?
Movie • 2022
Johnson
Lizzie and Sarah
Movie • 2010
Michael
Time Travel Is Dangerous!
Movie • 2025
The Regency Dandy
We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story
Movie • 2015
Clive Dunn
Scoop
Movie • 2006
M.C.
Animal
Movie • 2005
Hugh Getner
Stardust
Movie • 2007
Tertius
The Last Post
Movie • 2015
The Magic Faraway Tree
Movie • 2026
Mr Oom Boom Boom
About a Boy
Movie • 2002
Math Teacher
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Movie • 2005
Man with Dog
Hospital!
Movie • 1997
Dr. Ralph Crosby
Murder on the Blackpool Express
Movie • 2017
Graham
Killer Weekend
Movie • 2018
Gerald
The Midnight Gang
Movie • 2018
Sir Quentin Strillers
The Comedian's Guide to Survival
Movie • 2016
Pick up Driver
Out of time
Movie • 2004
Charlie
The Lost Films of Bloody Nora
Movie • 2019
Dad
The Calcium Kid
Movie • 2004
Sebastian Gore-Brown
Holy Flying Circus
Movie • 2011
Andrew Thorogood
Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel
Movie • 2021
Self
Martin Luther, Heretic
Movie • 1983
Medieval Player
Ant Muzak
Movie • 2002
In-Store Tannoy Voice
The Children's Royal Variety Performance
Movie • 1993
The 2 Marks
The Sick Party
Movie • 2012
Norris
Spine chillers 2003 S01E05 Goths
Movie
Balfus
Green Wing Special
Movie • 2007
Alan Statham
Spaced
TV • 1999
Brian Topp
How Do You Want Me?
TV • 1998
Kiss Me Kate
TV • 1998
Skins
TV • 2007
Graham
Big Train
TV • 1998
Green Wing
TV • 2004
Alan Statham
Hotel Babylon
TV • 2006
Jam
TV • 2000
Various
Dalziel & Pascoe
TV • 1996
Lark Rise to Candleford
TV • 2008
Thomas Brown
Intelligence
TV • 2020
Barnaby Bailer
The Strangerers
TV • 2000
Harry
Stressed Eric
TV • 1998
Happiness
TV • 2001
Terry Roche
The Great Outdoors
TV • 2010
Bob
Friday Night Dinner
TV • 2011
Jim
The Indian Doctor
TV • 2010
Rev. Herbert Todd
Spine Chillers
TV • 2003
Balfus
Spy
TV • 2011
Phillip
Midsomer Murders
TV • 1997
Simon Fergus-Johnson
Single Father
TV • 2010
Robin
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
TV • 2010
Lord Mountford
Digby Dragon
TV • 2016
Mungo (voice)
Upstart Crow
TV • 2016
Sir Robert Greene
Heading Out
TV • 2013
Brian
People Like Us
TV • 1999
Graham Atkinson
No Heroics
TV • 2008
Live at the Moth Club
TV • 2022
George
Endeavour
TV • 2013
Felix Lorimer
Misfits
TV • 2009
Jonas
The World of Lee Evans
TV • 1995
Platform Guard
Undercover
TV • 2015
DCI Langdon
Desperate Romantics
TV • 2009
Charles Dickens
Death in Paradise
TV • 2011
Alec Burton
A Moody Christmas
TV • 2012
Heathrow Passenger
The Team
TV • 2015
Albert Greaves
Queens of Mystery
TV • 2019
Kurt Lee
Agatha Christie's Marple
TV • 2004
Mr. Humpries
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
TV • 2024
John Turpin
Look Around You
TV • 2002
Leonard Hatred
Brass Eye
TV • 1997
Simon Hottrin / Dr. Zeus Spofforth / Various Characters
The Trouble with Maggie Cole
TV • 2020
Peter Cole
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
TV • 1997
DS Maskell (uncredited)
Benidorm
TV • 2007
Malcolm
Piglets
TV • 2024
Superintendent Bob Weekes
Can You Keep a Secret?
TV • 2026
William
Sister Boniface Mysteries
TV • 2022
Kirk Fabricant
Incredible Ant
TV • 2022
Flibbington (voice)
The Crust
TV • 2005
Cowboy Keith
Significant Other
TV • 2023
Ray
Renegade Nell
TV • 2024
Love Soup
TV • 2005
Douglas McVitie