Nigel Lindsay (born 17 January 1969) is an English actor. He is best known on television for his roles as Sir Robert Peel in the first two seasons of Victoria, Jo Jo Marshall in the Netflix series Safe and as Barry in the BAFTA-winning Chris Morris film Four Lions for which he was nominated for Best British Comedy Performance in Film at the 2011 British Comedy Awards.
In 2012 he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in the title role in the original West End run of Shrek the Musical at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and won the Whatsonstage Award for Best Supporting Actor in the 2011 production of Arthur Miller's Broken Glass at the Tricycle Theatre.and won the Whatsonstage Award for Best Supporting Actor in the 2011 production of Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass at the Tricycle Theatre.
Early life and education Lindsay was born in St John's Wood and grew up in North West London. He attended Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, an independent private day school for boys before going on to the University of Birmingham, where he studied English and French. After university, he worked for three years as a financial analyst, specialising in French and Belgian equities at London stockbrokers Savory Milln and Swiss Bank Corporation (SBC). He gave up the city and won a place at bar school and drama school starting on the same day. He opted for the two-year drama course at the Webber Douglas Academy, where he won the Amherst Webber Scholarship. His finals show, in which he appeared as the eponymous Charley's Aunt, was directed by Michael Fry, who gave him his first professional job with the Lincolnshire touring company Great Eastern Stage.
Career Lindsay's early work was mainly in theatre. One of his first London stage roles saw him play the King of France in King Lear at the Royal Court Theatre, with Tom Wilkinson as Lear and Andy Serkis as the Fool. At a weekly Monday night poker game, Lindsay was asked by Patrick Marber to attend a week's improvisational workshop of a play he was devising about poker. This became Dealer's Choice, which premiered at the National Theatre in February 1995 with Lindsay as Mugsy and Ray Winstone and Phil Daniels among the original cast. The play transferred to the Vaudeville Theatre, and won that year's Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and Writers' Guild Award for Best Play. Other theatre work includes: Max in The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard, which won three Tonys on Broadway in 2000; Ariel in the 2004 Olivier award-winning National Theatre production of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, with Jim Broadbent and David Tennant; twice as Nathan Detroit in Michael Grandage's Guys and Dolls at the Piccadilly Theatre in 2005 and again at the Phoenix Theatre in 2015, and Charlie Maggs in Sucker Punch, with Daniel Kaluuya at the Royal Court in 2010. Lindsay has appeared in five plays at the Almeida Theatre, including as Lenny in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming with Ken Cranham and Danny Dyer in 2009 and as Moe Axelrod alongside Stockard Channing and Jodie Whittaker in Awake and Sing by Clifford Odets, for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in the 2008 Whatsonstage Awards.
Lindsay has appeared in many regular series, including: Unforgotten, Spooks, Silent Witness, Waking the Dead, Poirot, New Tricks and Inspector George Gently. He played Odo Stevens in the 1997 Channel 4 adaptation of A Dance to the Music of Time; Ewan McGregor's boss Ron Baker in the film Rogue Trader; the Jewish terrorist Levi in Rome; and Lt Col Mervyn Gonin in the BAFTA nominated The Relief of Belsen. He has worked with Steve Coogan on I'm Alan Partridge, Mid-Morning Matters with Alan Partridge, and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa; with Armando Iannucci on The Armando Iannucci Shows; with Jennifer Saunders in two series of Jam and Jerusalem; and again with Chris Morris on Brass Eye. More recently he appeared as Tony Walsh in two series of the BBC comedy White Gold.
Later theatre work includes playing Bolingbroke opposite David Tennant in the RSC production of Richard II at Stratford and the Barbican; Jack McCracken in the National Theatre revival of the Alan Ayckbourn play A Small Family Business in the Olivier theatre; and Charlie Fox opposite Lindsay Lohan and Richard Schiff in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow at the Playhouse Theatre in the West End. In 2021, Lindsay made his debut at Ireland's National Theatre, the Abbey Theatre, in Brian Friel's Faith Healer alongside Niamh Cusack and Aidan Gillen to great critical acclaim. In 2023 he appeared as Henry Lehman in a 17 week, sold out revival of The Lehman Trilogy at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London's West End, directed by Sam Mendes.
Theatre and filmography
Theatre
Year Play Role Theatre Notes 1991 The Girl Who Fell to Earth Potoriek/Danilo Lilian Baylis & tour for Great Eastern Stage 1992 Anna Karenina Stiva Tricycle & tour for Shared Experience, Time Out Award 1992 Relative Values Lord Marshwood Salisbury Playhouse 1993 King Lear King of France Royal Court dir: Max Stafford-Clark 1995 Dealer's Choice Mugsy Royal National Theatre /Vaudeville Evening Standard, Writer's Guild Award 1995 The Tower Landry Almeida Theatre dir: Howard Davies 1996 Blue Remembered Hills John Royal National Theatre 1998 The London Cuckolds Townly Royal National Theatre dir: Terry Johnson 1999 Morphic Resonance Jim Donmar Warehouse 1999–2000 The Real Thing Max Donmar/Albery/Ethel Barrymore – Broadway Tony Award – Best Revival 2002 Push Up Frank Royal Court 2002 Bedroom Farce Nick Aldwych Theatre 2003 The Tempest Stephano Old Vic dir: Michael Grandage 2003 World Music Geoff Fallon Sheffield Crucible dir: Josie Rourke 2003 The Pillowman Ariel Royal National Theatre Laurence Olivier Award – Best Play 2004 Earthly Paradise William Morris Almeida Theatre 2005 Woman Before Frank Royal Court 2005 Romance Defendant Almeida Theatre by David Mamet 2005 Guys and Dolls Nathan Detroit Piccadilly Theatre 2007 Awake and Sing Moe Axelrod Almeida Theatre Nom: Best Supporting Actor Whatsonstage.com Awards 2008 The Homecoming Lenny Almeida Theatre dir: Michael Attenborough 2008 Under the Blue Sky Robert Duke of York's Theatre 2010 Sucker Punch Charlie Maggs Royal Court 2010 Broken Glass Harry Hyman Tricycle Theatre Winner: Best Supporting Actor Whatsonstage.com Awards 2011 Shrek the Musical Shrek Theatre Royal Drury Lane Nom: Best Actor in a Musical Laurence Olivier Award and Whatsonstage.com Awards 2013 The Same Deep Water as Me Barry Patterson Donmar Warehouse dir: John Crowley 2013 Richard II Bolingbroke RSC Stratford/Barbican dir: Greg Doran David Tennant as Richard 2014 A Small Family Business Jack McCracken Royal National Theatre 2014 Speed the Plow Charlie Fox Playhouse Theatre with Lindsay Lohan and Richard Schiff 2015 Bull Carter Young Vic 2016 Guys and Dolls Nathan Detroit Phoenix Theatre takeover from Richard Kind for 6-week run 2016 Harrogate Him Royal Court for High Tide at Royal Court and tour 2018 God of Carnage Michael Theatre Royal Bath 2021 Faith Healer Teddy Abbey Theatre By Brian Friel; directed by Joe Dowling2022 The Trials Defendant One Donmar Warehouse Directed by Natalie Abrahami2022Woman in Mind Gerald Chichester Festival Theatre 2023The Lehman Trilogy Henry Lehman Gillian Lynne Theatre Directed by Sam Mendes2023Farewell Mister Haffmann Joseph Haffmann Ustinov Theatre, Bath 2024 An Enemy of the People Morten Kiil Duke of York's Theatre Directed by Thomas Ostermeier 2024 Kiss Me Kate Gangster Barbican Directed by Bartlett Sher https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/kiss-me-kate2025 Emma Mr Woodhouse Rose Theatre Kingston Directed by Christopher Haydon2026 High Society Uncle Willie Barbican Theatre, London Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh
Television
Year Title Role Notes 1992 Bye Bye Baby Father TV film written by Jack Rosenthal 1992 Between the Lines Insp. Alan Grant Episode: "Nothing to Declare" 1993 The Bill PC Tyler Episode: "The Right Man for the Job" 1994 A Few Short Journeys of the Heart Drunk Written by Andrew Davies 1995 The Bill Peter Robinson Episode: "Mitigating Circumstances" 1995–1998 Dressing for Breakfast Dave 21 episodes 1997 Brass Eye Various Roles Written by Chris Morris 1997 A Dance to the Music of Time Odo Stevens 2 episodes of 4 1999 Déjà Vu Tim TV movie part of Channel 4 "Shockers" Season 2000 Harbour Lights Charlie Badden Episode: "A Quiet Storm" 2000 Too Much Sun Dave Stamp Directed by Mel Smith 2001 The Armando Iannucci Shows Various 5 episodes of 8 2002 I'm Alan Partridge Bob Fraser Episode: "Brave Alan" 2003 Midsomer Murders DS James Noland Episode: "Painted in Blood" 2003 Casualty Jed Blackburn Episode: "Never Judge a Book" 2003 My Family Tube Driver/Roy 2 episodes inc. Christmas Special 2004 Murphy's Law DC Gary Fender Episode: "Bent Moon on the Rise" 2004 Frances Tuesday Lambert TV movie 2004 Tunnel of Love Geoff Written by Simon Nye 2005 The Bill DS Pete Lancaster Episode: "301" 2005 New Tricks Alan 1 episode 2005 All About George Mac 2006–2008 Jam and Jerusalem Marcus Known as Clatterford in the US. Nigel was in 9 episodes over 2 series 2007 Rome Levi 6 episodes second series. Joint HBO/BBC production 2007 The Gunfight at the OK Corral Sheriff John Behan Part 3 of the 3-part BBC Wild West series 2007 The Relief of Belsen Mervyn Gonin BAFTA winning Channel 4 TV Film 2009 Waking the Dead Devlin Nigel appeared in both episodes of "Substitute" 2010 Silent Witness DS Gus Rogerson Nigel appeared in both episodes of "Intent" 2010 Spooks Jacob Chapman Episode: 9.02 2011 Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge Tommy Gaskell Episode: "Tora Bora Alan" 2012 The Best of Men Mr Heath TV movie 2012 Inspector George Gently DS Reece Statham Episode: "Gently in the Cathedral" 2012 The Fear Donny Channel 4 series 2013 Gifted Michael Part of Sky Playhouse series 2013 Agatha Christie's Poirot Francesco Penultimate episode: "The Labours of Hercules" 2013 The Tunnel Jonno 4 episodes of 10 2015 Foyle's War Clayton del Mar Episode: "High Castle" 2015 You, Me and the Apocalypse DS Frank Arden Sky Atlantic/NBC Ep 1 directed by Michael Engler 2015 The Devil You Know Dr Griggs HBO pilot directed by Gus Van Sant 2016 Death in Paradise Andy Hammond Episode: "One for the Road" 2016 Victoria Sir Robert Peel ITV 8 part series 2017 Unforgotten Tony Kelsey Series 2 2017 White Gold Tony Walsh "Walshy" Nigel in 10 of 12 eps of this BBC comedy series 2018 Innocent DCI William Beech All 4 parts of this ITV series 2018 Safe JoJo Marshall Netflix series 2018 No Offence DCI Terry Taylor 2 episodes in Series 3 2018 Magnum P.I. Ian Pryce Guest lead one episode. Shot in Hawaii for CBS 2019-2022 The Capture DSI Tom Kendricks Both series for BBC One 2019 Plebs Atlas Filmed in Bulgaria for ITV2 2019 Tin Star Clive Episode: "Collateral" 2020 The Salisbury Poisonings DCC Paul Mills 3 episodes for BBC One 2020 The Last Kingdom Rhodri 2021 This Time with Alan Partridge Tommy Gaskell BBC 2022 The Chelsea Detective Ricky Hopkinson 2023 Kidnapped Adrian Sington BBC 2025 MobLand Alan Rusby Paramount+
Film
Year Title Role Notes 1999 Rogue Trader Ron Baker 2001 Mike Bassett: England Manager Mirror Journo 2003 Blackball Targitex chairman 2005 On a Clear Day Sharp Suit 2006 Scoop Strombel's Co-worker Directed by Woody Allen 2010 Four Lions Barry Nominated for British Film Comedy Award 2010 First Night Martin Mayes 2012 The Date Short Film 2013 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa Jason Tresswell 2013 Breakfast with Jonny Wilkinson Nigel Maitland 2013 Royal Shakespeare Company: Richard II Bolingbroke Live worldwide cinema screenings 2014 Captcha Short Film 2014 National Theatre: A Small Family Business Jack McCracken Live worldwide cinema screenings 2014 The Divorce Short Film 2017 Access All Areas Mack 2018 Dead In A Week (or your money back) Brian 2018 Six Minutes to Midnight Mr Wheatley
Radio