Christopher Biggins

Passions

Vocation

Family

English actor and television presenter. Biggins appeared as the regular character Lukewarm in the situation comedy Porridge (1974–77) starring Ronnie Barker. Other comedy shows he appeared in include Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (1973) and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973, 1978). In 1976 he played Nero in the BBC dramatisation of I, Claudius by Robert Graves, having been selected for the role partly on the strength of a television commercial in which he had played a Roman emperor presiding over the games. He also appeared in the BBC's Poldark in 1977 as the Reverend Osborne Whitworth, and the TV miniseries Masada in 1981. espite these serious roles, his co-hosting of Surprise Surprise and hosting children's gameshow On Safari (1982–1985) for TVS led to him being typecast as a "bubbly personality." On children's television, he had a regular role as department store owner Adam Painting in the children's television programme Rentaghost (1978–1983) and also played Reverend Whiting in Southern Television's Brendon Chase, produced in 1980. In the early 1980s he hosted children's gameshow On Safari, a game show with a jungle-themed studio set. His film roles include The Sex Thief (1973), Eskimo Nell (1975), It Could Happen to You (1975), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Adventures of a Plumber's Mate (1978), Derek Jarman's The Tempest (1979), and "The Baker" in the 1999 film Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Biggins was married to Australian actress Beatrice Norbury from 1971 to 1974. He is now openly gay and formed a civil partnership with his partner, Neil Sinclair, on 30 December 2006 at Hackney Register Office. Link to Wikipedia biography