Jessica Hynes
Actor
Born October 30, 1972 in Lewisham, London, England, UK
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.
Filmography
Death of a Unicorn
Shaw
Miss Austen
Mary Austen
Patience
DI Frankie Monroe
Paddington in Peru
Miss Kitts
The Franchise
Steph Mundun
Seize Them!
Leofwine
The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
The Reddlehag
Dreaming Whilst Black
Drew
A Brush with Comedy
Self
Rapture
Life After Life
Mrs Glover
The Witchfinder
Old Myers
Mood
Laura
David Mitchell's Outsiders
Self
Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel
Self
Catching the Bus
Marion
Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig
Self
Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse
Sofie Dahl
Miranda: My Such Fun Celebration
Self
Seagull
Janet
Hollywood's Dark Secret
Self
The Ranganation
Self
Years and Years
Edith Lyons
The Fight
Tina Bell
Nativity Rocks!
Angel Matthews
There She Goes
Emily
Hang Ups
Katherine Pitt
Songbird
Sara
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
Self - Guest
Paddington 2
Miss Kitts
Shelter
Wendie
Hooten & The Lady
Ella Bond
Bridget Jones's Baby
Magda
Roald Dahl's Most Marvellous Book
Self
Swallows and Amazons
Mrs. Jackson
Jack and Dean of All Trades
Marv (voice)
Insert Name Here
Self - Panelist
Cider with Rosie
Crabby
Winter
Claudia
Travel Man: 48 Hours in...
Self - Guest
Monty Python's Best Bits (Mostly)
Self
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie
Gail
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled
Self
W1A
Siobhan Sharpe
Duck Quacks Don't Echo
Inside No. 9
Helen
Crackanory
Self
Up the Women
Margaret
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Self
The Last Leg
Self
Blandings
Lady Daphne Littlewood
Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!
Angel Matthews
Gadget Man
Dara O Briain's Science Club
Herself
One Night
Carol
World's Most Dangerous Roads
Twenty Twelve
Siobhan Sharpe
Chalet Girl
Interviewer 2
The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers
Cheryl
The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa
Self
Burke & Hare
Lucky
The Lost Explorer
Justin Lee Collins: Good Times
Self
Lizzie and Sarah
Sarah/Ellie
The Golden Egg Cup
Cheryl Carroll
Faintheart
Cath
The Mighty Boosh: A Journey Through Time and Space
Herself
Phoo Action
Learners
Beverley
British Film Forever
Narrator
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Mafalda Hopkirk (voice)
Would I Lie to You?
Self
Magicians
Linda Jones
The Graham Norton Show
Self
Skins
Crystal
Son of Rambow
Mary Proudfoot
Four Last Songs
Miranda
Confetti
Sam (as Jessica Stevenson)
Pinochet in Suburbia
WPC Broughton
8 Out of 10 Cats
Self
Doctor Who Confidential
Doctor Who
Joan Redfern
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Magda
Spaced: Skip to the End
Self
Shaun of the Dead
Yvonne
Celebrity Mastermind
QI
Self
Tomorrow La Scala!
Victoria (as Jessica Stevenson)
Pure
Paramedic (as Jessica Stevenson)
Dick Whittington: The ITV Pantomime
The Good Fairy (as Jessica Stevenson)
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Self
Bob & Rose
Holly Vance
Black Books
Eva
Born Romantic
Libby
Spaced
Daisy Steiner
People Like Us
Sarah
The Royle Family
Cheryl Carroll
Alexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round
Unnatural Acts
Midsomer Murders
Judith Lessiter
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Self
Asylum
Martha
Room 101
Self
The Baby of Mâcon
The First Midwife (as Jessica Stevenson)
Swing Kids
Helga
The House of Eliott
Charlotte Parker