Richard Hope

Richard Hope is a British actor who gained recognition from Brideshead Revisited as the doltish junior officer, Hooper, under Jeremy Irons' charge. He is best known for playing Harris Pascoe in the UK TV drama Poldark. His theatre career includes portraying Pierre Bezukhov in War and Peace at the Royal National Theatre and having starred as Levin in an adaptation of Anna Karenina by Helen Edmundson. In 2015, he played Hector in The History Boys. In 2018–2019, he starred in the West End production The Woman in Black as Arthur Kipps.

Career In 1978, Laurence Olivier gave Hope his first professional TV part in an episode of Laurence Olivier Presents named Saturday, Sunday, Monday by Eduardo De Filippo. Hope worked with Olivier again in 1981 when he appeared in the first and last episodes of Brideshead Revisited, in which he played Lieutenant Hooper.

Hope played Ford Prefect in the first stage production of Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with Ken Campbell's The Science Fiction Theatre of Liverpool. He also appeared in their 22-hour epic The Warp and The Third Policeman. Campbell introduced him to Jérôme Savary. Hope made his first West End appearance with his musical theater company Le Grand Magic Circus in 1001 Nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1980.

He was Bertozzo in the UK Tour of Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1979) with Alfred Molina for The Belt and Braces Theatre Company directed by Gavin Richards ending at the Half Moon Theatre in London. Richards played Molina's part when it transferred six months later to the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End.

In 1981, Peter Gill cast him in Don Juan and Much Ado About Nothing which started his long association with The National Theatre. In 1984, he joined the Richard Eyre / David Hare Company playing Bill Smiley in the premiere of Pravda with Anthony Hopkins before switching to the role of Eaton Sylvester in two extended revivals in the Olivier Theatre. This also included ensemble productions of The Government Inspector with Rik Mayall and Jim Broadbent and Tim McInnerny's Hamlet, in which he played Horatio. He met Simon McBurney at the National Theatre Studio, where Hope helped devise and develop The Visit and Street of Crocodiles for Théâtre de Complicité. 1988 saw The Visit production as part of the 'Théâtre de Complicité at the Almeida' season, before the theatre closed for refurbishment; the production was revised in collaboration with The National Theatre in the Lyttleton stage in 1991. The production was invited to Spoleto Festival USA .

Hope played Salto in Handmade Films' 1987 thriller Bellman and True, written and directed by Richard Loncraine, and Hull City A.F.C. fan Malcolm in Mark Herman's comedy See You At Wembley, Frankie Walsh which won the Student Academy Award. In Piece of Cake directed by Ian Toynton he was ‘Skull' Skelton and he played Mortimer Tundish in both series of Debbie Horsfield's comedy-drama The Riff Raff Element, with Celia Imrie and Nicholas Farrell.

In 1996, he returned to the National Theatre as Pierre Bezukhov in the Shared Experience joint production of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, adapted by Helen Edmundson and directed by Nancy Meckler and Polly Teale. In 1998, he starred in another Tolstoy adaptation by Helen Edmundson, playing Levin in the Shared Experience production of Anna Karenina. Hope was associate director of this production which toured internationally, including runs at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Lyric Theatre. Clive Barnes of the New York Post described it as ‘One of the true highlights of a lifetime of theatre-going'.

During 2000, under coach Geoff Thompson (author of Real Punching), Hope learned to wrestle for Jim Cartwright's Hard Fruit at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by James Macdonald. During a performance of Hard Fruit, Hope broke his wrist when he hit a punch post that was missing its padding; he continued the run of the show with an "authentic" bandaged hand. With Mark Rylance he was one of the six actors in Mike Alfreds' Cymbeline at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in 2001. In 2002, the Royal National Theatre staged Simon Bent's adaptation of John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany with Aidan McArdle as the title character and Hope as John Wheelwright.

Hope has been in several police dramas: Superintendent Harold Spence in Agatha Christie's Poirot, Barry Purvis for two series of Murder Investigation Team and semi-regular Rod Jessop, the local headmaster, in The Bill.

His first role in a musical was as Max Kellerman in Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre in 2010, staying for eighteen months. He played Horst Ehmke in Paul Miller's revival in Sheffield of Michael Frayn's play Democracy, which transferred to London's Old Vic Theatre in 2012. This was the third Frayn play he had performed in, having toured the UK in Donkeys' Years and Noises Off.

Hope returned to the Almeida Theatre as Gabriel York in Andrew Bovell's When the Rain Stops Falling in 2009 and in 2012 as Albany in King Lear with Jonathan Pryce. In 2014, he played Queen Elizabeth I in the UK premiere of Sarah Ruhl's stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Orlando at the Royal Exchange with Suranne Jones, directed by Max Webster. In 2015, Hope played Hector in Kate Saxon's production of Alan Bennett's The History Boys in the Sell A Door Theatre Company UK Tour. From 2015 to 2016, Hope continued his long-standing collaboration with Helen Edmundson, playing Sidney Godolphin in the original Royal Shakespeare Company production of her original play Queen Anne, starring Natascha McElhone. In 2017 Queen Anne transferred to the Haymarket Theatre with Romola Garai. 22nd May 2009, First Night Review - Richard Marmion: “Only Richard Hope brings light to the action as a lost soul excitedly awaiting the return of his estranged son”. “If Hope was a weather system he’d be a sweaty late summer night, with the promise of sunshine in the morning. Apart from that, the rain doesn’t stop falling”. He played recurring characters Malohkeh and Bleytal (Silurians) in Doctor Who, and has recorded several related audios with Big Finish, including Dr Who - Doom Coalition 3: "Absent Friends", which won the BBC Audio Drama Award 2017.

From May 2018 through March 2019, Richard played Arthur Kipps in The Woman in Black directed by John Taylor as a Fiction Factory production.

In 2019, he returned as Harris Pascoe, Ross Poldark's banker and friend, for his fifth season of Poldark with screenplay by Debbie Horsfield. He previously worked with Horsfield on The Riff Raff Element. He also appeared in an episode of Casualty.

In 2024 Hope returned to Royal Court Theatre as Wally Saunders in Giant by Mark Rosenblatt, directed by Nick Hytner, with John Lithgow, Elliot Levey, Rachael Stirling, Romola Garai and Tessa Bonham Jones.

Acting credits Film Year Film Role Other notes 1980 Breaking Glass Audition musician 1980 Bloody Kids Policeman #2 1981 The French Lieutenant's Woman Third Assistant Director 1984 Scandalous Young Detective Singleton's Pluck (aka Laughterhouse) Hubert 1985 Plenty Alistair 1987 See You At Wembley, Frankie Walsh Malcolm (lead) Director Mark Herman won Oscar for Best Short Film Bellman and True Salto 1990 Antonia and Jane Norman Beer 1992 Swords at Teatime Dennis Short film 1995 The Last Post Man (lead) BAFTA nominated for Best Short Film Feast of July Squire Wyman 1998 The Sea Change Alistair McLibel Judge 2001 My Brother Tom Jessica's dad 2002 The Honeytrap Detective Fowler 2004 Bloom Richard Neap Short film Sergeant Pepper Christopher Fröhlich 2005 Chromophobia Simon Whitemore 2013 Mr. Morgan's Last Love American philatelist 2018 Finding Your Feet Care home manager 2019 The Village in the Woods Charles 2024 The Secret Assistants Henry 2025 Cleaner Alastair Lawson

Television Year Title Role Other notes 1975 By Common Consent Security Official 1977 Secret Army Sgt. Hose 1978 Laurence Olivier Presents Attilio Episode: "Saturday Sunday Monday"People Like Us Teacher Crown Court PC Collins Margie and Me Policeman 1979 Heartland Steve 1981 Brideshead Revisited Lieutenant Hooper 1983 Scene Exton Episode: "Simulation Exercise"Wayne and Albert Ambulanceman 1984 Wuffer Wuffer December Flower Doctor 1986 Love and Marriage Alan Episode: "The Clinger" 1988 Burning Ambition Dick Trout Dogplant Owen Piece of Cake 'Skull' Skelton 1989 Victoria Wood Alan Warburton Episode: "We'd Quite Like to Apologise"1989–1990 Frederick Forsyth Presents Donald Spry 2 episodes1990 Children Crossing Tom Happy Families Mr Jump/Captain Salt/Mr Cash etc. 2 series1991 Itch Geoff The Bill Dyas Boon Sgt Keogh 1993 The Riff Raff Element Mortimer Tundish 2 series1995 Tears Before Bedtime Stuart Band of Gold Richard Peak Practice Roy Shearer The Vet Colin 1996 Jackanory Storyteller 1997 Bramwell Talbot A Perfect State Simon 1998 Casualty Edmund White Children of the New Forest Heatherstone The Demon Headmaster Professor Tim Dexter 2 series 1999 Midsomer Murders Gordon Brierley Reach for the Moon Mr Fenton 2000 Rhona Doug Happy Birthday Shakespeare Colin Beef Encounter Prosecutor Midsomer Murders Gordon Brierley Episode "Judgement Day" In Deep Dr Kingswood 2001 High Stakes Peter Harrison Judge John Deed Peter Taylor A Is for Acid Dr. Archie Henderson McCready and Daughter Tony Smith 2002 William and Mary Dr Currie The Bill Russell The Forsyte Saga Gradman Holby City Roger Stapleton Tipping the Velvet Mr. Astley 2003 Foyle's War Frank Vaudrey Episode: "Funk Hole" Canterbury Tales Arty's father Episode: "The Pardoner's Tale" 2003–2005 Murder Investigation Team DS Barry Purvis 2 series 2003 Murder in Suburbia Patrick Murder City George Collins Heartbeat James Vincent 2004 The Government Inspector Richard Sambrook New Tricks Brownlow Trial of the King Killers John Bradshaw 2005 Doctors Colin Wheelan Silent Witness Dr Morrie Sanders Episode: "Mind and Body" Riot at the Rite Grigoriev 2006 The Wild West Judge Spicer The Thieving Headmistress Andy Pert The Shell Seekers George Chamberlaine 2006–2007 The Bill Rod Jessop 2006–2008 Poirot Superintendent Harold Spence Episodes: "Mrs McGinty's Dead", "Taken at the Flood" 2007 Midsomer Murders Neville Hayward Episode: "They Seek Him Here" 2008 EastEnders Ted Hubbard 2009 Holby City Christopher Gamble in "Running on Empty" 2010–2011 Doctor Who Malohkeh Episodes: "The Hungry Earth", "Cold Blood", "The Wedding of River Song" 2012 Doctor Who Bleytal Episode: "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" 2013 Doctors Sebastion Norris Episode: "House Arrest" Holby City Father Mattew Sinclair Episode: "Journey's End" The Smoke Eric Springer Episode: "Jamais KO" The Great Train Robbery DCS Malcolm Fewtrell Episode: "The Copper's Tale"2014 Father Brown Sir St. John Pryde Episode: "Pride of the Prydes" The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies Exam Board Official 2015 And Then There Were None Inspector Maine 2016 Unforgotten James Gregory Series 2 2017 Broadchurch Arthur Tamworth Series 3 2015–2019 Poldark Harris Pascoe 5 series 2019 Casualty Joe 2021 Doctors Edwin Thomas Episode: "Legend" 2022 Mandy Jeffery Betts The Chelsea Detective Andrew Knightley The Ipcress File Treasury Official Top Boy District Judge Gentleman Jack Rawdon Briggs The Walk-In Judge 1899 Dr Reginald Murray 2023 HijackPhilip Paxton EndeavourTed/Sergeant Wilkins

Theatre

Audio work Year Production Character Company Notes 1995 People Like Us The Vicar (Rev Andrew Treverton in The Vicar) BBC 1996 The Constant Prince Don Juan de Silva BBC 1997 To the Wedding BBC / Théâtre de Complicité 2002 Diary of a Provincial Lady The Husband Watchmaker Productions 2004 What Hetty Did Mr. Bertwistle First Writes Woman in Black Jerome Fiction Factory 2005 Murder on the Leviathan Dr. Truffo Goldhawk Essential Productions 2007 Man in the Water Narrator Pier Productions/BBC 2009 Ruth Guardian, Thomas, Mr. Jones First Writes 2012 Chronicles of AIT-The Saxon Stones Thurgis Fiction Factory / BBC 2013 41 Rue Monge Narrator Christine Hall / BBC 4 Chronicles of AIT-The Lotos Effect Len (Norfolk), Paul the Vicar Fiction Factory / BBC 2014 Avengers - Lost Episodes - Volume 2 Kollakis Big Finish Counter Measures - Series 3 William Heaton, Mason Big Finish 2015 Dr Who - Damaged Goods Harry Harvey Big Finish Dr Who - Counter Measures - Series 4 William Heaton Big Finish Dr Who - Early Adventures - The Bounty of Ceres Moreland Big Finish 2016 Dr Who - Doom Coalition 3 - Absent Friends Phillip Cook Big Finish Won BBC Audio Drama Award 2017 Survivors - Series 5.2 - New Blood Silus Broome Big Finish 2017 Letters to the Lady Upstairs by Marcel Proust Narrator HarperCollins 2018 Dr Who - Shellshock General Reinhardt Big Finish 2024Dr Who - All of Space & TimeMr DarlingBig Finish