Colin McFarlane
Colin Andrew Ignatius Peter McFarlane (born 15 September 1961) is a British actor, voice actor and narrator. He is best known for his role as Gillian B. Loeb in two films of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, Ulysses in the STARZ television drama series Outlander and as the voice of Bulgy in the children's television series Thomas & Friends.
Colin McFarlane | |
|---|---|
 McFarlane at the Sasnak City Convention, 2019 | |
| Born | Colin Andrew Ignatius Peter McFarlane 15 September 1961 Upper Clapton, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | The Perse School |
| Alma mater | Loughborough University |
| Occupation | Actor, voice actor and narrator |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse(s) | Kate McFarlane (m. 1993) |
| Children | 1 |
He also appeared in The Commuter (2018), in which he played Conductor Sam, and as Aloisius Dupree in three films of the Batzan Trilogy titled The Invisible Guardian, The Legacy of the Bones and Offering to the Storm in 2017, 2019 & 2020, respectively.
His voice roles in animation and video games include JJ in Bob the Builder, Thadius Vent in Oscar's Orchestra, Harrison in Chuggington, Sergeant Slipper in Dennis and Gnasher, Thunder in Fable, Uzimushi in Shinobido: Way of the Ninja, The Forgotten One in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Avalon Centrifuge in LittleBigPlanet 2, Heimdall in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 and Bernard Goodwin in Planet Zoo.
Early life
McFarlane was born in Upper Clapton, London, to Jamaican parents.[1] His father served in the RAF, and the family subsequently moved several times before settling in Lincoln, where McFarlane grew up.[2] He attended the Perse School, Cambridge, and later read drama at Loughborough University, graduating in 1983.[3][4][5]
Career
Television
Mcfarlane's first professional television role was in 1985 with a three episode guest stint, as Detective Sergeant Watson, in ITV's hit police procedural Dempsey and Makepeace.[6] From there, he would go on to feature in London Weekly Television's made-for-TV film Dutch Girls, alongside Colin Firth and fellow Outlander alumni Bill Patterson.[7] In 1988, McFarlane guest starred in a season two episode of ITV's drama Bust, which followed a man in the wake of bankruptcy.[8]
His numerous TV credits include Judge John Deed, Jonathan Creek, Casualty, Death in Paradise, Father Brown and Holby City.[9] He has also appeared in two of the UK's most-watched soap operas. He appeared in five episodes of Coronation Street from August to September 2010 as a consultant neurosurgeon, Mr Jordan, and played DCI Irving in an episode of EastEnders in April 2014 as part of the "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" storyline.
He has also made regular appearances in British TV comedy, in the shows The Fast Show, Randall & Hopkirk, Jeeves and Wooster, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Harry and Paul and The Thin Blue Line. He played Inspector Norris in the Black Books episode The Blackout, Inspector Terrence Brown in the first episode of Dirk Gently and voiced the Judge in the 2016 revival of the sitcom Porridge.
He also featured in the CBBC shows M.I. High and Hounded as the evil Dr Muhahahaha.
Film
McFarlane portrayed Police Commissioner Loeb in the critically acclaimed films Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). He has also made numerous appearances in the Doctor Who franchise, voicing the Heavenly Host in the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned" and playing Moran in the "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood" episodes of the ninth series[10] from 2015. In addition, he also appeared in the third series of Torchwood, Children of Earth, as the American military representative Colonel Pierce.
He appears alongside Matt Smith and Natalie Dormer in the action horror film Patient Zero (2018). He then appeared as the governor in the 2019 thriller film Crawl, featuring Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper.
Voice acting
McFarlane's best-known voice roles include JJ and Skip in the original series of Bob the Builder, and as the narrator on the ITV gameshow The Cube. He has also voiced God and Goliath on Testament: The Bible in Animation, Jonah in the 1997 animated series Captain Pugwash, as well as Bulgy the Double Decker Bus and Beresford the Crane in Thomas & Friends and its 2017 feature film Journey Beyond Sodor.[11] In addition, he played the part of dictator Thadius Vent in children's animation Oscar's Orchestra, Sergeant Slipper in Dennis and Gnasher, Elvis the horse in Iconicles, Sparky the dragon in Mike the Knight, and voiced several characters in the episode "The Sweater" of The Amazing World of Gumball..
He played US General Trent Stone in the 2014 original audio drama Osiris by Everybodyelse Productions.
Video Games
McFarlane has lent his voice to numerous video games, the earliest being Joseph D. Tenka in 1997's Lifeforce Tenka. He also voiced Greg in the Buzz! quiz game series, the character Avalon Centrifuge in the 2011 game LittleBigPlanet 2, and provided additional dialogue for Batman: Arkham Knight. He played "The Forgotten One", the central villain of the two downloadable content packs for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.[12] Also lending his voice to Thunder, in the first Fable video game.
Theatre
In 2013, McFarlane appeared with Lenny Henry in a critically acclaimed revival of August Wilson's Fences at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End.
Personal life
On 12 July 1993, McFarlane married his wife, Kate, with whom he has one son, Josh. He divides his time between homes in Lincoln and North London.
McFarlane is an avid supporter of Lincoln City F.C.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | A Mulatto Song | Frederick DeAugust | Short film |
| 1997 | Countdown to Tomorrow | Narrator | Documentary film |
| I'd Like a Word with You | George | Direct-to-video | |
| 1998 | The First 9½ Weeks | Remy | |
| 1999 | The Criminal | Businessman | |
| 2000 | Sorted | Doctor | Credited as Colin McFarlan |
| 2001 | The Ultimate Stress Show: Managing Stress | ||
| Chunky Monkey | Trevor | ||
| Christmas Carol: The Movie | Mr. Fezziwig (Voice) | ||
| 2002 | War Game | Little General, King George (voices) | Short film |
| The King's Beard | Jasper (voice) | ||
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Commissioner Loeb | |
| Fragile | Roy | ||
| 2006 | Jungle Boogie | Makita (voice) | |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Commissioner Loeb | |
| 2011 | The Last Belle | The Barman (voice) | Short film |
| 2013 | Experiment K5-C | The Voice (voice) | Short film |
| 2014 | Shadows of a Stranger | Asmo | |
| 2015 | Slick Cars | Tiberius the Cabover Peterbilt (voice) | |
| 2016 | The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared | Seth | |
| 2017 | The Invisible Guardian | Dupree | |
| Peppa Pig: My First Cinema Experience | Mr. Lion (voice) | ||
| Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor | Beresford (voice) | UK/US versions | |
| 2018 | The Commuter | Conductor Sam | |
| Patient Zero | Colonel Pierce | ||
| 2019 | The Queen's Corgi | Chief (voice) | UK version |
| Crawl | Governor | ||
| The Legacy of the Bones | Aloisius Dupree | Spanish title: Legado en los huesos | |
| 2020 | Thomas and the Royal Engine | Bulgy and Beresford (voices) | UK/US versions |
| Thomas & Friends: Marvellous Machinery | Dr. Holyfield (voice) | UK/US versions | |
| Offering to the Storm | Aloisius Dupree | Spanish title: Ofrenda a la Tormenta | |
| 2021 | Jungle Cruise | Dromm | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Dempsey and Makepeace | Detective Sergeant Watson | 3 episodes |
| 1992 | Tales from the Poop Deck | Lieutenant Parkinson | Episode: "Here Be Pirates!" |
| Sean's Show | Announcer | 3 episodes | |
| 1993 | Jeeves and Wooster | Toto | Episode: "Totleigh Towers (or, Trouble at Totleigh Towers)" |
| 1994 | Shakespeare: The Animated Tales | Othello (voice) | Episode: "Othello" |
| 1994-1996 | Oscar's Orchestra | Thadius Vent, Tank (voices) | 37 episodes |
| 1996 | The Thin Blue Line | European Commissioner Mustafa Delcroix | Episode: "Ism Ism Ism" |
| Testament: The Bible in Animation | God, Goliath (voices) | Episodes: "Elijah" and "David and Saul" | |
| 1996-1998 | Dennis and Gnasher | Sergeant Slipper (voice) | 26 episodes |
| 1997 | Countdown to Tomorrow Never Dies | Narrator | Television documentary movie |
| 1998 | The Adventures of Captain Pugwash | Jonah, Dook (voices) | 26 episodes |
| 2000 | Black Books | Inspector Barry Norris | Episode: "Blackout" |
| 2001 | Office Gossip | Charles Mandelson | Episode: "Moving On" |
| Oswald | Johnny Snowman (UK voice) | Episode: "The Go-Kart Race/Autumn Leaves" | |
| Randall & Hopkirk | Sebastian Snellgrove | Episode: "Marshall and Snellgrove" | |
| 2001–2003 | Bob the Builder | JJ (UK/US voice) Skip (UK voice) |
UK/US versions 16 episodes |
| 2002–2006 | Judge John Deed | Newman Mason Allen Q.C. | 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Murder in Mind | Ray Marker | Episode: "Swan Song" |
| Mysteries of Easter Island | Narrator | UK version Television documentary movie | |
| Babyfather | Consultant | Episode: "#2.3" | |
| 2003 | Strange | Reverend Johnson | Episode: "Zoxim" Television miniseries |
| Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! | Additional Voices (voice) | Episode: "The Snow" | |
| 2004 | Jonathan Creek | Inspector Fell | Episode: "The Chequered Box" |
| 2005 | Beneath the Skin | Jeremy | Television movie |
| Holby City | Felix Kente | Episode: "Great Expectations" | |
| 2006–2012; 2019 | Little Princess | Chef, Prime Minister, Horace, Various (voices) | 25 episodes |
| 2006 | Hyperdrive | Male Bulaahg | Episode: "Asteroid" |
| Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps | Brian | Episode: "Cauliflower" | |
| 2007 | Doctor Who | Aliens (voice) | Episode: "Voyage of the Damned" |
| 2008–2015, 2020–present | Chuggington | Harrison, the King of Buffertonia (voices) | 30 episodes UK/US versions |
| 2009–2020 | The Cube | Narrator | 86 episodes |
| 2009 | Torchwood | General Pierce | 3 episodes |
| Collision | Bill Jackson | 3 episodes Television miniseries | |
| 2010 | Hounded | Dr. Muhahaha | 5 episodes |
| Coronation Street | Mr. Jordan | 5 episodes | |
| Schizo Samurai Shitzhu | Dr. 10 | 5 episodes | |
| Reggie Perrin | Mr. Fox | 5 episodes | |
| 2011–2013 | Mike the Knight | Sparkie the Dragon (voice) | UK version 8 episodes |
| 2011-2016 | SkaterBots | Streck (voice) | 120 episodes |
| 2011 | Iconicles | Elvis the Horse (voice) | Episode: "Puddle Muddle" |
| Holby City | Nick Horton | Episode: "Big Lies, Little Lies" | |
| 2012 | Dirk Gently | Terence Brown | Episode: "#1.1" |
| Bad Education | Politician | Episode: "Politics" | |
| Harry & Paul | 2 episodes | ||
| 2012-2013 | The Amazing World of Gumball | Additional Voices (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Jo | Captain Heger | Television miniseries Episodes: "The Opera" and "The Catacombes" Credited as Colin McFarlan |
| It's Kevin | Various | Episode: "#1.3" | |
| 2013-2014 | Zack & Quack | Belly-Up (voice) | 28 episodes |
| 2013–2016 | Officer Blue | Lieutenant Thelonius Browne | 96 episodes |
| 2014 | EastEnders | DCI Irving | One episode |
| Plebs | Doctor | Episode: "The Patron" | |
| Citizen Khan | DI Taylor | Episode: "The In-Laws" | |
| On Angel Wings | Joseph | Television short movie | |
| 2015 | Casualty | Clifton Duheney | Episode: "Toxic Relationships" |
| Death in Paradise | Anton Burrage | Episode: "The Perfect Murder" | |
| Olympus | Hades | Episode: "Truth" | |
| Doctor Who | Moran | Episodes: "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood" | |
| Crown for Christmas | Chancellor Riggs | Television movie | |
| 2016 | Father Brown | Cardinal Papillon | Episode: "The Daughter of Autolycus" |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Egeus | Television movie | |
| Porridge | Judge | Television movie | |
| Peppa Pig | Mr. Lion (voice) | Episode: "Playing Pretend" | |
| Hooten & the Lady | Caleb | Television miniseries Episode: "The Caribbean" | |
| 2017 | Porridge | Judge (voice) | 3 episodes Television miniseries |
| The Rebel | Roderick | Episode: "Love" | |
| 2017–present | Thomas & Friends | Bulgy, Beresford, Dr. Holyfield, Various (voices) | UK/US versions |
| 2018 | Midsomer Murders | Jordan Briggs | Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part" |
| Starship Goldfish | The Avianaut / Secateur | Episode: "Starship Goldfish Cartoon Pilot" | |
| 2018–present | Outlander | Ulysses | Recurring character, 9 episodes |
| 2020 | Industry | Lord Oaki | Episode: "Nutcracker" |
| 2020–present | Fireman Sam | PC Malcom Williams | UK version |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars | Duane Henderson | US title: Broken Sword: Circle of Blood |
| 1997 | The City of Lost Children | Additional Voices | |
| G-Police | Additional Voices | ||
| 2000 | Imperium Galactica II: Alliances | Additional Voices | |
| 2001 | Gothic | NPC's | English dub |
| 2002 | Gothic II | NPC's | English dub |
| 2003 | Primal | Abaddon / King Ilbis | |
| 2004 | Fable | Thunder | |
| 2005 | Cold Winter | Mahmoud Al-Fariq | |
| Shinobido: Way of the Ninja | Uzimushi | English dub | |
| 2010 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow | The Forgotten One | English dub |
| 2011 | LittleBigPlanet 2 | Avalon Centrifuge | |
| Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch | Rashaad, Rusty | English version Credited as Colin MacFarlane | |
| 2012 | PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale | Buzz Announcer | |
| 2013 | Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch | Rashaad / Rusty | English dub |
| 2015 | Batman: Arkham Knight | Additional Voices | |
| 2017 | Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 | Heimdall, Horus, Red Wolf | |
| 2019 | Planet Zoo | Bernard Goodwin | |
| 2020 | Othercide | Suffering | |
References
- Inchley, Maggie. Voice and new writing, 1997-2007 : articulating the Demos. [Basingstoke]. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-137-43233-9. OCLC 904713830.
- "BBC - Lincolnshire People - Famous Yellowbellies - Colin McFarlane". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- "Notable Alumni". The Perse School Cambridge. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- "Colin McFarlane takes on the role of Sam the conductor in "The Commuter"". The Philadelphia Sunday Sun. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- "Outlander, Doctor Who and Peppa Pig star Colin McFarlane | advice". The Stage. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- TV.com. "Dempsey and Makepeace: Silver Dollar". TV.com. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- "Dutch Girls (1985)". BFI. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- TV.com. "Bust: Love Bait". TV.com. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- "The First Rule of Office Relationships", Holby City, BBC, 23 August 2011.
- The Doctor Who Team (14 January 2015). "Filming Begins on Doctor Who, Series 9". Doctor Who. BBC One. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- McFarlane, Colin (11 May 2017). "Yes!! Didn't know it was out!!...well spotted :)". Twitter. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- Jorge Bocanegra, "DailyVania: Meet The Voice Of The Forgotten One", 1 July 2011, Rely on Horror.
