Jessica Hynes
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.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
(Mafalda Hopkirk (voice))
Shaun of the Dead
(Yvonne)
Magicians
(Linda Jones)
Confetti
(Sam (as Jessica Stevenson))
Catching the Bus
(Marion)
Son of Rambow
(Mary Proudfoot)
A Brush With Comedy
(Self)
Faintheart
(Cath)
Burke & Hare
(Lucky)
Pinochet in Suburbia
(WPC Broughton)
Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!
(Angel Matthews)
Learners
(Beverley)
Spaced: Skip to the End
(Self)
Roald Dahl's Most Marvellous Book
(Self)
Hollywood's Dark Secret
(Self)
Death of a Unicorn
(Shaw)
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie
(Gail)
Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel
(Herself)
Rapture
Seize Them!
(Leofwine)
The Lost Explorer
Lizzie and Sarah
(Sarah/Ellie)
Cider with Rosie
(Crabby)
Tomorrow La Scala!
(Victoria (as Jessica Stevenson))
Comic Aid
(Herself - Presenter)
The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall
(Self)
Four Last Songs
(Miranda)
Swallows and Amazons
(Mrs. Jackson)
Winter
(Claudia)
Bridget Jones's Baby
(Magda)
Born Romantic
(Libby)
Pure
(Paramedic (as Jessica Stevenson))
The Baby of Mâcon
(The First Midwife (as Jessica Stevenson))
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
(Magda)
The Fight
(Tina Bell)
Shelter
(Wendie)
Chalet Girl
(Interviewer 2)
Paddington 2
(Miss Kitts)
The Angina Monologues
(Herself/Sarah)
Songbird
(Sara)
Swing Kids
(Helga)
Nativity Rocks!
(Angel Matthews)
Miranda: My Such Fun Celebration
(Self)
Dick Whittington: The ITV Pantomime
(The Good Fairy (as Jessica Stevenson))
Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse
(Sofie Dahl)
Joe's Crackers
(Cheryl)
The Golden Egg Cup
(Cheryl Carroll)
The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa
(Self)
Seagull
(Janet)
We Love Sitcom
Paddington in Peru
(Miss Kitts)
Spaced
(Daisy Steiner)
Doctor Who Confidential
QI
(Self)
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
(Self)
Room 101
(Self)
Asylum
(Martha)
The Ranganation
(Self)
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
Unnatural Acts
8 Out of 10 Cats
(Self)
The Royle Family
(Cheryl Carroll)
According to Bex
Bob & Rose
(Holly Vance)
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
(Self - Guest)
Bosom Pals
Jack and Dean of All Trades
(Marv (voice))
One Night
(Carol)
Justin Lee Collins: Good Times
(Self)
Doctor Who
(Joan Redfern)
Twenty Twelve
(Siobhan Sharpe)
Midsomer Murders
(Judith Lessiter)
Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round
Up the Women
(Margaret)
W1A
(Siobhan Sharpe)
Artsnight
(Self)
Mash and Peas
People Like Us
(Sarah)
All Star Musicals
(Self - Performer)
Hooten & The Lady
(Ella Bond)
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
(Self)
Travel Man: 48 Hours in...
(Self - Guest)
The Witchfinder
(Old Myers)
Life After Life
(Mrs Glover)
Six Pairs of Pants
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
(Self)
Duck Quacks Don't Echo
British Film Forever
(Narrator)
Inside No. 9
(Helen)
Miss Austen
(Mary Austen)
Tears Before Bedtime
(Maggie)
Gadget Man
Black Books
(Eva)
World's Most Dangerous Roads
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
(Self)
Would I Lie to You?
(Self)
Insert Name Here
(Self - Panelist)
There She Goes
(Emily)
Dara O Briain's Science Club
(Herself)
Mood
(Laura)
Years and Years
(Edith Lyons)
Blandings
(Lady Daphne Littlewood)
David Mitchell's Outsiders
(Self)
The Franchise
(Steph Mundun)
The Graham Norton Show
(Self)
The House of Eliott
(Charlotte Parker)
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
(The Reddlehag)
Monty Python's Best Bits (Mostly)
(Self)
Hang Ups
(Katherine Pitt)
The Last Leg
(Self)
Skins
(Crystal)
Crown Prosecutor
(Jackie South)
Celebrity Advice Bureau
(Self)
Crackanory
(Self)
Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig
(Self)
