Editing Mark Heap (section)

==Career==
===Television===
Heap starred in the [[BBC]] [[sketch comedy|sketch]] show ''[[Big Train]]'', where he performed a barefoot gymnastics routine and other sketches between 1998 and 2002, alongside other burgeoning comedy stars [[Simon Pegg]], [[Julia Davis]], [[Kevin Eldon]], [[Catherine Tate]], [[Amelia Bullmore]], [[Rebecca Front]], [[Nick Frost]] and [[Tracy-Ann Oberman]].<ref name="train">{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/apr/25/big-train-cult-comedy |author= Victoria Gooch |work= [[The Guardian]] |title= Big Train: a cult comedy that proved an early platform for top talent |date= April 25, 2012 |access-date= 29 July 2023 |archive-date= 14 August 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180814040556/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2012/apr/25/big-train-cult-comedy |url-status= live }}</ref> He appeared as struggling artist Brian Topp in ''[[Spaced]]'' (1999–2001),<ref name="hello2"/> and the pompous [[Dr. Alan Statham]] in ''[[Green Wing]]'' (2004–07).<ref name="hello2">{{cite web|url= https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2020041087749/all-you-need-to-know-about-friday-night-dinner-star-mark-heap/ |work=[[Hello! (magazine)|Hello!]] |title= All you need to know about Friday Night Dinner star Mark Heap |date= April 10, 2020 |author= Francesca Shillcock |archive-date= June 4, 2022 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220604032741/https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2020041087749/all-you-need-to-know-about-friday-night-dinner-star-mark-heap/ }}</ref>

Heap worked with [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]], in ''[[Blue Jam]]'', radio predecessor to ''[[Jam (TV series)|Jam]]'',<ref name="tv"/> and the documentary parody series ''[[Brass Eye]]''.<ref name="hello"/> He voiced the lead character of Eric Feeble in the animated comedy ''[[Stressed Eric]]''. Other recurring roles included: Terry Roche in [[Paul Whitehouse]]'s comedy-drama ''[[Happiness (British TV series)|Happiness]]'' and Derek Few in ''[[How Do You Want Me?]]''.<ref name="hello"/> He played Harry in the short-lived [[Rob Grant]] TV series ''[[The Strangerers]]'', in 2000.<ref name="tv"/> He also guested in the second series of the [[BBC]] comedy ''[[Look Around You]]'' as Leonard Hatred.<ref name="tv"/>

He appeared as an unsuccessful businessman who became a [[bellboy]], in the 2007 [[BBC One]] drama ''[[Hotel Babylon (BBC series)|Hotel Babylon]]''.<ref name="tv"/> Between 2008 and 2010, he appeared as head postman Thomas Brown, in 32 episodes of the BBC period drama ''[[Lark Rise to Candleford (TV series)|''Lark Rise to Candleford'']]''.<ref name="hello"/> He was the super villain Lightkiller, in an episode of the sitcom ''[[No Heroics]]''.<ref name="tv"/> He also appeared as the father of [[Chris Miles (Skins)|Chris Miles]] in the [[Channel 4]] programme ''[[Skins (British TV series)|Skins]]''.<ref name="tv"/> Heap played the love interest of the main character in the second series of the BBC comedy ''[[Love Soup]]''.<ref name="tv"/> He played the role of [[Charles Dickens]] in the 2009 [[BBC Two]] drama ''[[Desperate Romantics]]''.<ref name="tv"/> He also played [[Jessica Hynes]]' husband in the one-off comedy written by Hynes and [[Julia Davis]]: ''Lizzie & Sarah''.<ref name="tv"/>

In 2010, Heap appeared as Bob Stevens, the leader of a [[rambling]] group in the [[BBC Four]] series ''[[The Great Outdoors (British TV series)|The Great Outdoors]]''.<ref name="tv"/> He also appeared as a [[psychiatrist]] in [[Miranda Hart]]'s [[BBC2]] comedy ''[[Miranda (TV series)|Miranda]]''.<ref name="tv"/> In October 2010, he appeared as Robin in the four-part BBC drama ''[[Single Father (TV series)|Single Father]]''.<ref name="tv"/> From 2011 to 2020, Heap played eccentric neighbour Jim Bell in the Channel 4 sitcom ''[[Friday Night Dinner]]'', alongside [[Simon Bird]], [[Paul Ritter]], [[Tom Rosenthal (actor)|Tom Rosenthal]] and [[Tamsin Greig]].<ref name="hello2"/> He also played Andrew Thorogood in the BBC Four comedy ''[[Holy Flying Circus]]'',<ref name="tv"/> and Jonas in the eighth episode of [[E4 (channel)|E4]]'s sci-fi comedy-drama ''[[Misfits (TV series)|Misfits]]'' in Series 3.<ref name="tv"/> He appeared as a misguided church minister during an outbreak of smallpox in the BBC series ''[[The Indian Doctor]]''.<ref name="tv"/> In 2012, he joined the cast of the [[Sky1]] original series ''[[Spy (2011 TV series)|Spy]]'',<ref name="tv"/> for its second series commencing in October 2012, replacing [[Tom Goodman-Hill]] as Philip Quil, Judith's partner and Marcus' headteacher.<ref name="tv"/>

He appeared in the spin-off episode of ''[[Outnumbered (British TV series)|Outnumbered]]'',<ref name="tv"/> the Christmas special episode, aired on 24 December 2012 in which he portrayed Norris, for this single episode.<ref name="tv"/> He played the owner of a pet crematorium in [[Sue Perkins]]'s 2013 comedy ''[[Heading Out]]''.<ref name="tv"/> He had a leading role in [[BBC Radio 4]]'s adaptation of [[Gogol]]'s ''[[Dead Souls]]''.<ref name="tv"/> He appeared as [[Robert Greene (dramatist)|Robert Greene]] in three series of ''[[Upstart Crow]]'' (2016–18),<ref name="tv"/> a [[BBC Two]] sitcom about [[Shakespeare]], written by [[Ben Elton]].<ref name="hello"/> He also appeared as Dr. John Hall in the stage show based on the programme.<ref name="hello"/>

From 2017 to 2018, Heap also appeared in the sitcom ''[[Benidorm (British TV series)|Benidorm]]'',<ref name="hello"/> playing the character Malcolm Barrett, the controlling and manipulative boyfriend of Pauline Maltby.<ref name="hello"/> In 2019, he appeared in [[Acorn TV]]'s ''[[Queens of Mystery]]'' alongside [[Olivia Vinall]].<ref name="tv"/>

In 2020, Heap appeared in ''[[Intelligence (British TV series)|Intelligence]]'',<ref name="tv"/> and played headmaster and husband in ITV's ''[[The Trouble with Maggie Cole]]''.<ref name="tv"/>

===Film===
In 1983, Heap made a brief appearance as a torch-juggler in the [[James Bond]] film ''[[Octopussy]]''. He played Duncan, Rik Mayall's hapless personal assistant, in ''[[Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis]]'' (1997).<ref name="tv"/> He played a school teacher in the 2002 film ''[[About a Boy (film)|About a Boy]]''.<ref name="tv"/> He made a cameo appearance with [[Kevin Eldon]] in [[Tim Burton]]'s 2005 ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]''.<ref name="tv"/> He played supporting roles in ''[[Confetti (2006 film)|Confetti]]'' (2006), ''Tunnel of Love'' (2004), ''[[Stardust (2007 film)|Stardust]]'' (2007).<ref name="tv"/> In 2008, he co-starred in the surreal sci-fi B-movie spoof ''[[Captain Eager and the Mark of Voth]]'', and was a publican in ''[[The World's End (film)|The World's End]]''.<ref name="tv"/>

===Other acting===
In 1993, Heap played a villain, Hans Schultze, in an episode of ''[[Crimewatch File]]'', “Double Identity”. Schultze was the German alter ego of an Englishman, [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/kidnap-gang-took-250-000-pounds-in-four-raids-court-told-1555682.html John Calton]. Schultze/Calton led a gang of kidnappers who robbed banks and a Tesco branch, holding families hostage.

In 2008, Heap played the role of Widmerpool in a Radio 4 serialisation of [[Anthony Powell]]'s ''[[A Dance to the Music of Time]]''. He played Eliza's husband in 2006 [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] play ''The Eliza Stories'' and appeared as Marmite the Dwarf in the short-lived Radio 4 sitcom ''[[The Sofa of Time]]''. He starred in the music video for [[Four Tet]]'s single "[[Smile Around the Face]]" in 2005, contributed a multitude of character voices in the audiobook "Do Ants Have Arseholes?". In 2012, he starred as Martin in the [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] play ''Cordite for Breakfast'', a comedy about Napoleonic-era battle re-enactments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01kjt7r|work=[[BBC Radio 4]]|title=Cordite for Breakfast|date=10 July 2012|access-date=20 July 2022|archive-date=26 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526214559/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01kjt7r|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2013, he appeared as Rincewind in a 4-part Radio 4 adaptation of Terry Pratchett's ''Eric''. He also played the angel Aziraphale in the 2014 BBC radio adaption of [[Neil Gaiman]] and [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Good Omens]]''.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2014/09/bbc-radio-brings-neil-gaiman-terry-pratchetts-good-omens-life/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125151158/http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2014/09/bbc-radio-brings-neil-gaiman-terry-pratchetts-good-omens-life/|work=[[BBC America]]|title=BBC Radio Brings Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens to Life|first=Brigid|last=Brown|date=5 September 2014|archive-date=25 January 2021}}</ref> He also was the lead in a series of radio advertisements for telecommunications company [[TalkTalk Group|TalkTalk]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v42vC9QZcGA/|work=[[YouTube]]|title=Terry's Story, a series of radio ads for TalkTalk, starring Mark Heap, written by Rich Johnston|first=Rich|last=Johnston|date=18 June 2024}}</ref>