Jonathan Kydd

Jonathan Kydd is a British actor, voice-over artist, narrator, writer, producer and podcaster. He has appeared on many television shows and has also worked as a voice actor, voicing video games, advertisements, documentaries and cartoons and being a regular in comedy episodes for BBC Radio 4. He is the son of the late actor Sam Kydd.

Career Kydd's first acting role was in the 1962 British comedy film The Iron Maiden, in which he appeared aged 6 with his father. He also appeared in numerous radio and television series including Pipkins, Chambers, Dial M For Pizza, Flying the Flag, The Quest, Jonathan Creek, Trial and Retribution, The Castle, The Attractive Young Rabbi and Cabin Pressure, as well as a 1989 AA commercial as a man who had his car buried in the sand, which ran for four years.

Kydd wrote 23 comedy songs for the comedian Brian Conley when he was appearing in his Saturday evening show in the early 1990s, one of which was on the 1994 Royal Variety Show. Kydd has written four musicals, one of which, Hey Get a Life, was on at the St Andrews Lane Theatre in Dublin in 2000 which he also directed. His musical The Hard Boiled Egg and the Wasp, about the Victorian comedian Dan Leno, was on at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre in 2012. His later musical, written like the previous one with Andy Street, was Doodle the Musical, which was on at Waterloo East; his father Sam Kydd was in it as a character. He appeared on Talking Pictures TV, discussing his father on "Sam Kydd day" when the channel showed nine of the 290 films made by his father between 1945 and 1982.

Starting in 1986, Kydd has voiced over 12,000 adverts, promos, documentaries, corporate videos, and CD-ROM games, and dubbed many films and TV programmes. He provided voices for various animated programmes and films, including Bangers and Mash, the Lenny the Letter educational videos produced by Royal Mail, Astro Farm, The Beano Video, The Beano Videostars, Asterix Conquers America, the first series of Bimble's Bucket, The Adventures of Paddington Bear (as Paddington Bear), Hilltop Hospital, Warren United, Toy Story That Time Forgot, two series of Mr. Bean: The Animated Series, and Noddy, Toyland Detective (as Big Ears, Fuse, Scurvy, the Ninjas and the Dim Knight). He also lent his voice to an animated pilot called Knots in the Wood, which was never released. Kydd was the voice for L'Oreal adverts in the early 2000s and the cult Ferrero Rocher Ambassador's Reception television advertisement. He is a regular voice for Film4, and voices many wildlife documentaries.

Kydd writes and provides vocals with comedy band The Rudy Vees, having been in The Amazing Singing Dentists, The Bay Citee Molars and The Kondos, who appeared on the finals of New Faces in 1988, and played in his own band Jonny Kydd, for whom he recorded a song for the Chelsea F.C. called "Chelsea Blue". His album Eggshell Heart was released in 2005, followed by his Bay Citee Molars album Dentura Highway in 2009. His Rudy Vees album The Fists of Harmonious Righteousness has three videos recorded from it: "King of Thongs", "My Baby's Possibly a Vampire" and "Dance Like My Dad". In 2019, Kydd released two tracks with music videos; "Posh", a 1930s grime track described as "a bizarrely brilliant work of art", and "Order (Song for John Bercow) (Hp Sauce Dance Mix)", an electro dance track singing the praises of the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

Kydd has provided narration for a number of railway-related programmes produced by Video 125, as well as the ITV London fly-on-the-wall documentary The Tube. In 2021, He was an executive producer on the horror film Lair. In 2022, he published the first volume of his father's memoirs Be a Good Boy, Sam 1945–52.

Personal life His mother, Pinkie Barnes, was one of England's first female advertising copywriters, and also played table tennis eleven times for England.

Appearances The Iron Maiden (1962) – Fred's Son Ahaarrrr (2007) – Kevin, Producer Lenny the Letter: Lenny's First Journey (1989) – Arthur the Letter, Letters, Postman, Special Delivery Letter (remake) Dragons, Giants and Witches (1990) – Narrator, additional voices Honey Nut Loops (1990–1995) – Loopy Lenny the Letter: Lenny Goes by Air (1991) – London Flyer, Bag, Security Checker Astro Farm (1992–1996) – Sam Foxwood, Dinko, Splodger, additional voices Lenny the Letter: Lenny Goes to the Country (1993) – Smithy the Jiffy Bag, Percy the Prescription The Beano Video (1993) – Dennis' Dad, Walter the Softy, Spotty Perkins, Bertie Blenkinsop, Parrot, Flea #1, Fred, Doctor, Neighbour, Pink Glove, Father, Monkey, Minnie's Dad, Panting Dogs, Chair Store Man, Frog, Policeman #1, Pilot, Bully, Man on Bench, Tailcoat #2, Policeman #2, Sergeant, Policemen, Plug, Smiffy, Spotty (Space Case), Teacher, Headmaster, Posh Street Kids, Professor Quaver, School Doctor, Keeper of Lake Beautiful, Rubbish Collector, Professor Molaroid, Picnic Boy #1, Narrators #1, #3–10 Teddy Trucks (1994) – Boss Bear, Wilson, Jacko, Gerry, Nutley, Governor Bear, Mr. Bizwhiz, Workman, Ballet Director, Ballet Dancers, additional voices Asterix Conquers America (1995) – Unhygenix, Centurion Voluptuous Arteriosclerosus, Parrot (English dub) Hilltop Hospital (1999–2003) – Arthur, Danny Lion, Jersey Sharphorn, News Reporter, additional voices This is a Lovely Sausage (2006) – Sausage Flushed Away (2006) – Barnacle Warren United (2014) – Burger Al, Trevor the Horse, Scientist, additional voices Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014) – Ray-Gon Mr. Bean: The Animated Series (2015–2025) – Small Boy, Ice Cream Man, Bird Watcher, Clapperboard Man, Old Man, additional voices

Video narrations Kent Coast East Coastway and Marshlink Isle Of Wight Cotswolds & Malverns Line by First Great Western Exeter to Basingstoke by South West Trains Eurostar Brussels to London St Pancras Strasbourg to Paris by TGV Turin to Chambéry by TGV Steam Spectacular The Old Gotthard Tunnel Route The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway part two Signal Box Archive The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway part one Kolkata Tram

Documentaries The Tube The Russian Revolution (2017) JFK: The Making of a President (2017) Diana's Dresses Shark Attack Airport Security History of the Soviet Union One Born Every Minute The Cruise Africa's Deadliest Hitler's Games Raiders of the Lost Art Doing Hard Time Shark Attack Files World War Two Origins Shark v Tuna Shark v Whale Titanic Wills Caravaggio: Man & Mystery (2012)

Video games Starship Titanic (1998) – Edmund Lucy Fentible, the DoorBot Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) – Rubeus Hagrid, Peeves, Eyelops Owl Emporium Owner Headhunter (2001) – Additional voices Paddington: The World Mystery Tour (2002) – Paddington Bear Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament (2002) – Additional voices Hidden & Dangerous 2 (2003) – Additional voices Headhunter: Redemption (2004) – Additional voices Fable (2004) – Bandits, Bodyguard, Pirate Ghost Dragon Quest VIII (2005) – Additional voices (English version) Medieval II: Total War (2006) – Additional voices Heavenly Sword (2007) – Additional voices Viking: Battle for Asgard (2008) – Additional voices Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) – Rubeus Hagrid, Basil Fronsac, Termeritus Shanks Kinect Sports – Additional voices Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2010) – Additional voices Lego The Hobbit (2014) – Troll, additional voices Project D (2023) – Dimitry Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (2025) – Merchant (English version) Monkey Says as Monkey Do Winnie the Pooh Hasbro Playskool Hasbro Monopoly City Break 2 Playskool Preschool Toy Range Noodle Hasbro Monster Mutt Battlefield Killzone SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Cluedo – Butler