Brian Pettifer (born 1 January 1953) is a Scottish actor who has appeared in many television shows, and also on stage and in film. He is the younger brother of folk musician Linda Thompson.
Early life Pettifer was born in Durban, South Africa, he subsequently moved with his family to Glasgow, Scotland in 1961, where he lived for the next decade. He studied a junior course at the Royal Scottish Academy, where he happened to be in the same class as future acting colleague Alex Norton.
Career He began his career as a child in various BBC Scotland productions including This Man Craig and Dr. Finlay's Casebook. In 1971 he moved to London during the course of that decade he featured in supporting roles in a number of TV series including Timeslip, Take Three Girls, Villains, Sutherland's Law, Last of the Summer Wine and Return of the Saint. He also played cousin Hughie in the long running Liverpool based 70s sitcom The Liver Birds. Between 1975 to 1978, he appeared as Bruce Leckie in national service comedy Get Some In!, where he was the butt of jokes directed at him by Corporal Marsh played by Tony Selby.
His first film role was in Lindsay Anderson's film if.... (1968). He also appeared in Anderson's O Lucky Man! (1973) and Britannia Hospital (1982) playing the same character in all three Anderson films, that of Biles. His other film credits include roles in Amadeus (1984), A Christmas Carol (1984), Gulag (1985), Heavenly Pursuits (1986), Little Dorrit (1987), The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988), Loch Ness (1996), The House of Mirth (2000), Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (2002), The Rocket Post (2004), Vanity Fair (2004) and Lassie (2005). In 2001, he played Alfred Meyer in the BBC/HBO film Conspiracy.
Pettifer was a regular in Rab C. Nesbitt, as Andra Binnie, a dim-witted companion of Rab, who was mainly seen propping up the bar. He reportedly hated filming the show and never watched any of the 50 episodes that he appeared in. Between 1995 to 1997, he appeared in all 20 episodes of Hamish Macbeth, as grocery shop owner Rory Campbell who tries to keep his ongoing relationship with Esme (Anne Lacey) a secret.
In 2001, he played the part of Dr. Cameron in the Radio 4 series entitled Adventures of a Black Bag, based on the books by A.J. Cronin that chart the early years of Dr. Finlay.
The following year he guest starred in an episode of Still Game. In 2005, he appeared in the first episode of the BBC drama Bleak House. In 2011 and 2013, he played Father Richards in The Field of Blood. In 2012, Brian Pettifer appeared as Archie Milgrow in the episode Old School Ties in the series New Tricks. He also appeared in the reaccuring role of Poupart in the BBC One series The Musketeers. In 2019, he appeared in an episode of Holby City playing patient Laurie Stocks.
In 2015, Pettifer appeared in the crime comedy The Legend of Barney Thomson along with his Hamish Macbeth co-star Robert Carlyle. The following year he played Angus in the remake of Whisky Galore! (2016). In 2021, he portrayed Billy a drunken bus passenger, alongside Timothy Spall in the road-trip drama The Last Bus.
Theatre Pettifer's stage career has encompassed a wide range of supporting and ensemble roles in various Scottish and English theatre productions. In 1985 he appeared in the touring production of Trumpets and Raspberries, an English language adaption of the Italian farce comedy by Dario Fo which was originally staged at the Edinburgh Fringe then toured around Scotland. Following a sell out tour, a second tour took place the following year. Pettifer appeared in the dual role of Father Bridaine and De Strop in Declan Donnellan's Cheek by Jowl production of Alfred de Musset's Don't Fool with Love, paired with The Blind Man, which were both staged at the Donmar Warehouse in 1993. Pettifer played the School Board President in the satirical play The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol at the Almeida Theatre, London during the 1997-8 season, which later transferred to the King's Theatre in Edinburgh.
In 2002, Pettifer played the title role in Uncle Vanya, an adaption of Chekhov's play by poet Tom Leonard, with additional Scottish dialect. He played Snug in the Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of the Fairy-Queen, an opera by Henry Purcell based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. It debuted at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2009 where it was lauded for its creative spectable, the production then toured internationally at the Opéra Comique, Paris in January 2010 and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York in March 2010 as part of a co-production with those two venues, a further a revival was staged at the Glyndebourne Festival in 2012. In 2015, Pettifer appeared alongside his Rab C. Nesbitt co-stars Gregor Fisher and Barbara Rafferty in the National Theatre of Scotland's touring production of Yer Granny, an adaption of La Nona by Argentine playwright Roberto Cossa, in this version the setting was changed to 1970's Scotland.
Pettifer made his directorial debut in Dead Funny by Terry Johnson, staged by the Borderline Theatre Company which toured around Scotland following its Edinburgh premiere in 2004. Two years later, he worked again with the company, where he directed Losing Louis by Simon Williams at the Byre Theatre in St Andrews, an adaption of the farce by Simon Mendes de Costa.
Selected Filmography
Film YearTitleRole Notes1968 if.... Biles - Junior 1973 O Lucky Man! Laurence Biles 1982 Britannia Hospital Biles: Administration 1984 Amadeus Hospital Attendant A Christmas Carol Ben TV movie1985 Gulag Vlasov 1986 Heavenly Pursuits Father Cobb 1987 Little Dorrit Clarence Barnacle 1988 The Great Escape II: The Untold Story Kirby-Green TV movie1995 In the Bleak Midwinter Ventriloquist 1996 Loch Ness Repairman 1997 The James Gang Spanner 1998 Vigo Fatman 1999 The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc The Executioner / Torturer at Process 2000 The House of Mirth Mr. Bry 2001 Conspiracy Alfred Meyer 2003 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Poole TV movie2004 One Last Chance Macgregor The Rocket Post Reverend Shand Vanity Fair Mr. Raggles 2005 Lassie O'Donnell 2010 Donkeys Brian Colburn 2011HattieRonTV movie2015 The Legend of Barney Thomson Charlie Taylor 2016 Whisky Galore! Angus 2017 Darkest Hour Lord Kingsley Wood 2019 Get Duked! PC Dougie 2021 The Last Bus Billy 2024 Damaged Village Man
Television YearTitleRole Notes1965 - 1967Dr. Finlay's CasebookVarious4 episodes1966 - 1967This Man CraigJames Craig22 episodes1969ITV Sunday Night TheatreAdam ArmourEpisode: "My Bonnie Jean"1970Armchair TheatreNigel PurvisEpisode: "Warm Feet, Warm Heart"Thirty-Minute TheatreSprattEpisode: "Is That Your Body, Boy?"RedgauntletRab2 episodes (mini-series)1970 - 1971TimeslipPaul6 episodes1970 - 1972Play for TodaySchoolboy/ Youth2 episodes1971Take Three GirlsReggieEpisode: "Duet for Two Left Feet"1972The Liver BirdsCousin Hughie2 episodesVillainsYouthEpisode: "Chas"1973Hunter's WalkGordonEpisode: "Outcast"Six Days of JusticeDavid GallowayEpisode: "We'll Support You Evermore"Sutherland's LawStevie SampsonEpisode: "The Ship"1974Bedtime StoriesAlanEpisode: "The Water Maiden"1975 - 1978Get Some In!Bruce Leckie34 episodes1976ClayhangerStifford3 episodesLast of the Summer WineThe Best ManEpisode: "Going to Gordon's Wedding"1978Return of the SaintBartenderEpisode: "The Arrangement"1982Cloud HoweDite Peat3 episodes (mini-series)1983Father's DayAttendant's SonEpisode: "They'll Never Learn"1986Farrington of the F.O.Billy MurdochEpisode: "Tourists"1987City LightsAlisdairEpisode: "Crimewatch OK"1987 - 2005TaggartIan Summerville/ Sir Archie Drummond/ Arthur Magee4 episodes1988Screen TwoCyrilEpisode: "Lucky Sunil"1988 - 2014Rab C. NesbittAndra Binnie50 episodes1989Coronation StreetBernie Bagshaw2 episodes1990 - 1994The BillFamily Doctor/ Billy Hardy2 episodes1993LovejoyWillie KinrossEpisode: "The Colour of Mary"1994Dandelion DeadBank Manager4 episodes (mini-series)Nice Day at the OfficeDave6 episodesThe Tales of Para HandyNewspaper EditorEpisode: "The End of the World"1995Degrees of ErrorDr. Benson3 episodesThe Ghostbusters of East FinchleyHoward HeightsEpisode #1.61995 - 1997Hamish MacbethRory Campbell/ Hector Campbell20 episodes1997The Baldy ManVarious2 episodesThe History of Tom Jones, a FoundlingParson Supple5 episodes (mini-series)1998Invasion: EarthMotoristEpisode: "Only the Dead"1999Life SupportGordon Travers3 episodes2000My FamilyMr. HodderEpisode: "Pain in the Class"2001Monarch of the GlenEric MortonEpisode #2.62002Dalziel and PascoeMortimerEpisode: "The Unwanted"RockfaceBrother ThomasEpisode #1.6SnoddyProfessor Baxter3 episodes2003Still GameBertEpisode: "Wummin"2004HeartbeatAndrew McIntyreEpisode: "Down to EarthHustleTip JonesEpisode: "Picture Perfect"2005Bleak HouseMr. GrowlerEpisode #1.12Till the Ends of the EarthWheeler3 episodes (mini-series)2009CollisonEd Wilson3 episodes (mini-series)2010Garrow's LawRobert BoycottEpisode #2.32011 Doc MartinMr. ColeyEpisode: "Don't Let Go"2011 - 2013The Field of BloodFather Richards4 episodes2012New TricksArchie MilgrowEpisode: "Old School Ties"2014 - 2015The MusketeersPoupart3 episodes2015Jonathan Strange & Mr NorrellHoneyfoot7 episodes2017Black MirrorWilliam GrangeEpisode: "Crocodile"2018Doctors Weslie 'Wes' KnightEpisode: "Our Time"2019Holby CityLaurie StocksEpisode: "China Crisis"2022GraceHector HegartyEpisode: "Dead Man's Footsteps"OutlanderOld CharlieEpisode: "Echoes"2023EndeavourJephthah ClaypoleEpisode: "Exeunt"
Selected Theatre Credits Year Title Role Company Director Notes1979The HouseBillyJoint Stock Theatre CompanyRichard WilsonPlay by David Halliwell, staged at Arts Centre, Darlington and ICA Theatre, London.1985 - 1986Trumpets and RaspberriesThe DoctorBorderline Theate CompanyMorag FullertonPlay by Dario Fo (adapted by Roger McAvoy and Anna Maria-Guigini), toured at various theatres across Scotland and Northern Ireland. 1989The MisanthropeClitandreBristol Old Vic Theatre CompanyPaul UnwinPlay by Jean-Baptiste Molière (adapted by Tony Harrison), staged at National Theatre, London and Bristol Old Vic - Theatre Royal, Bristol. 1990 The Ship Pat The Ship's Company, Govan Bill Bryden Play by Bill Bryden, staged at Harland and Wolff, Govan.1992A Midsummer Night's DreamTom SnoutNational TheatreRobert LepagePlay William Shakespeare, staged at National Theatre, London.1993The Blind MenDe StroppCheek by JowlDeclan DonnellanPlay by Michel de Ghelderode, staged at Donmar Warehouse, London.Don’t Fool with LoveFather BridainePlay by Alfred de Musset, staged at Donmar Warehouse, London.1997 - 1998The Government InspectorSchool Board GovernorAlmeida TheatreJonathan KentPlay by Nikolai Gogol, staged at Almeida Theatre, London and King's Theatre, Edinburgh.Shining SoulsVincent/ The MinisterPeter Hall Theatre CompanyChris HannanPlay by Chris Hannan, staged The Old Vic, London.2000VictoriaArmitage / Bryce / Businessman / Callum / CarterRoyal Shakespeare CompanyAnna MackminPlay by David Greig, staged at The Other Place, Stratford upon Avon.2002Uncle VanyaUncle VanyaTheatre BabelGraham McLarenPlay by Anton Chekhov (adapted by Tom Leonard), toured at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh. 2009 - 2010/ 2012The Fairy-QueenSnugGlyndebourne Festival Opera Jonathan KentPlay by Henry Purcell, staged at Glyndebourne, East Sussex, followed by international tour.2015Yer GrannyUncle TamNational Theatre of ScotlandGraham McLarenPlay by Roberto Cossa (adapted by Douglas Maxwell), toured at various theatres across Scotland.
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