John Sparkes

John Sparkes (born 6 January 1954) is a Welsh comedian and actor. He portrayed Barry Welsh, presenter of the HTV Wales series Barry Welsh Is Coming. He has also had major roles in Naked Video, Absolutely, Fireman Sam, Shaun the Sheep, and Jeff Global's Global Probe, and is the narrator of the children's television show Peppa Pig.

Early life Sparkes was born on 6 January 1954 in Swansea, Wales. After working, firstly at Lloyds Bank in Mumbles and then as a teacher, in the 1980s he turned to comedy and moved to London, performing on the alternative cabaret circuit with comedians such as Alexei Sayle, Jo Brand, Paul Merton, and Rik Mayall.

Career Naked Video and Absolutely Sparkes starred in the sketch show Naked Video, where he played Siadwel, the geeky South Wales poet who wore an anorak and glasses. Following an award-winning radio special, a new series for BBC Radio 4 was commissioned for broadcast in September 2015.

Barry Welsh Barry Welsh Is Coming was a long-running comedy series for HTV Wales. As well as playing Barry Welsh, the hapless host of a chat show, Sparkes also plays other characters within the programme, such as pub singer Gwyn, old Mr Ffff and Fishguard news reporter Hugh Pugh. Although the series ended in 2004, it returned in 2007 for a series of one-off specials.

Throughout its original run, the series also won four BAFTA Cymru awards for Best Light Entertainment.

Children's television Sparkes provides the voice of the narrator and some other characters in the children's animated series Peppa Pig, in which the voice of fellow Absolutely star Morwenna Banks is also featured. In Shaun the Sheep he voices Bitzer the Dog and the Farmer. He also voices Mr Elf and King Marigold in Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom, Professor von Proton in The Big Knights, Steven in A Town Called Panic, and the lead character Fireman Sam in the 2005 series.

Radio After killing off Siadwel in Naked Video, Sparkes revived the character in 2014 for a new series of radio shows for BBC Radio Wales, which was recommissioned a year later.

Writing Sparkes has written and presented three ongoing television series of Great Pubs of Wales for ITV Wales. He has voiced the unseen character of archivist Goronwy, in a section of Wallace and Gromit's World of Invention for BBC One and has written and presented Ghost Story, in which he spent the night alone with a camcorder in haunted houses around Wales. He has also co-written and presented Doug Strong's Special Places, a factual comedy series for ITV Wales and ITV Central.

Other work In 2005, Sparkes performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Absolutely Presents John Sparkes and Pete Baikie with his Absolutely colleague Peter Baikie.

For Welsh television, he starred in Jeff Global's Global Probe (ITV Wales), and he resurrected the character Frank Hovis, originally devised for the Absolutely series, in Pub Quiz (BBC Wales).

Personal life Sparkes is married to Beverly and they have two daughters.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 1986 Naked Video Siadwel 6 episodes 1988 Cabaret at Jongleurs Unknown role 1 episode 1989–1993 Absolutely Various characters 28 episodes1992 Angry George Irons Unknown role (voice) 1 episode Saturday Zoo Glaswegian Matron 1 episode 1994–1995 The All New Alexei Sayle Show Various characters 8 episodes 1996–2004 Barry Welsh Is Coming Barry Welsh, Hugh Pugh, various characters 1998 Comedy Nation Various roles 1999–2000 The Big Knights Various roles 2000 The Strangerers Bilbo 2 episodes 2001–2005 Pub Quiz Frank Hovis 2002 A Town Called Panic Robin (voice) 1 episode 2004 Jeff Global's Global Probe Various roles 2004–present Peppa Pig Narrator, Mr Rabbit, Mr Potato, Uncle Pig, Mr Pony (voices) 2005 Fireman Sam Fireman Samuel "Sam" Jones, Fireman Elvis Cridlington, Station Officer Basil Steele, Norman Price, Dilys Price, Trevor Evans, Tom Thomas, Mike Flood, Dusty (voices) 26 episodes Not Tonight with John Sergeant Barry Welsh TV movie 2007–present Shaun the Sheep The Farmer, Bitzer (voices) 2009–2012 Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom Mr Elf, King Marigold, Zoe Baker (voices) 44 episodes

Theatre Year Title Role Notes2006–2007 Fireman Sam on Stage Fireman Sam, Elvis Cridlington, Dilys Price, Norman Price, Tom Thomas Voices