Tim Downie Biography

Timothy Richard "Tim" Downie (born 1977) is an English actor and writer.

Downie was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. Before starting his professional career, he trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

Television

Tim's first foray into television was when he starred as Street in Out of Tune, a British children's TV sitcom which was shown on CBBC from 1996 to 1998, alongside James Corden and Jane Danson. Downie's work in television includes BBC Four's Micro Men 2009, The Legend of Dick and Dom 2009 on CBBC, M.I. High 2008 for the BBC, New Tricks 2004 for the BBC, Keen Eddie 2004 which aired on the Fox Network, Judge John Deed 2001 for the BBC, Doctors in 2002.

He appeared as himself in To Me... To You... in 1998. In 2010 and 2011 he starred with Sam Heughan in an award-winning series of commercials for Tennents Lager in the UK.

Tim's more recent TV work includes starring as Yates opposite David Jason in the primetime BBC series The Royal Bodyguard, both series for Sky Atlantic of This is Jinsy. The first series was nominated in 2011 for the British Comedy Awards for Best Sketch Show In 2013, he played the lead regular of Tim Curtain in Father Figure.

Since 2012, Tim has played the regular character of Danny Bear on the award-winning cult series Toast of London.

In 2016 he appeared as Kit Marlowe in the BBC2 sitcom Upstart Crow, written by Ben Elton and starring David Mitchell as William Shakespeare. A second series and Christmas special has been commissioned.

Film

He appeared as the Duke of Gloucester in the 2010 83rd Academy Awards-winning film The King's Speech.

Other films include Homicide: Division B a 2008 short film, written and directed by Abner Pastoll and starring Edward Peel, about a group of defective detectives who attempt to foil a bomb plot. The film was described by SKY TV as a "Delightfully daft cop comedy". It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Short Film Corner and has been in competition at several high profile international film festivals including Newport Beach Film Festival, Tiburon Film Festival and the final Siena Short Film Festival in Italy. It was selected by Jason Reitman as a finalist in the Project Direct! film competition. He also starred in the 2004 film Shooting Shona, and appeared as a time-travelling H.G. Wells in the 2010 short film A Great Mistake, produced by February Films, with Abner Pastoll directing both films.

In 2014, he appeared in the award-winning Paddington, as explorer Montgomery Clyde.

Theatre

He has appeared in numerous productions including Fat Christ at the King's Head Theatre, Charlie and Henry at the New End Theatre, 1966 World Cup Final on tour around the UK, and Pawnography and Le Jet De Sang at The Rose (theatre) in London 2007, part of their first residency in 500 years.

Writing

As a writer Downie had his first theatre piece commissioned in 2008, The Dead Moon which toured around the UK and played at the Aldeburgh Festival, the first non-operatic piece to ever be performed there. He started writing comedy later that year with the web-series The Real Brian Blessed for ComedyBox.tv. In 2009 he was a finalist in the New York Screenwriters' Challenge with 'The Robin Wins The Spring' and at the Atlanta Skyfest II Festival for his script The Automata Circus. Since then his theatre work has included The Curse of Elizabeth Faulkner for the Off Cut Festival 2010 in London, which was also performed at the King's Head Theatre, The Revenge of Anubis for BBC Radio Devon recorded at Ealing Studios, 'The Story Project 2 - Love, Lies and London' for The Southwark Playhouse, A Portrait of Maureen Flange for the Etcetera Theatre, and Theatre in a Car for the opening of the London Bridge Festival in 2010.