Acting · Lewisham, London, England, UK · Born October 30, 1972
Jessica Hynes (née Stevenson) is a British actress, director and writer. Best known as a comedy actress, she has played Cheryl in The Royle Family (1998–2010), Siobhan Sharpe in Twenty Twelve (2011–2012) and W1A (2014–2017) and Emily Yates in There She Goes (2018–2023). She was also one of the stars, creators and writers of Spaced (1999–2001). She has also had starring roles in television film Tomorrow La Scala! and BBC dramas Years and Years (2019) and Miss Austen (2025). In film, Hynes has appeared in the Bridget Jones (2004–2016), Nativity (2012–2018) and Paddington (2017–2024) film series. Hynes has been nominated for two International Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, five BAFTAs (winning two), three Royal Television Society Awards (winning two) and three British Comedy Awards (winning two). Hynes was born in Lewisham, London, and grew up in Brighton, where she attended St Luke's Infant and Junior Schools and Dorothy Stringer High School. After her parents split up, she was raised by her mother. She moved back to London as a young adult. Her maternal grandmother came from the village of Llanelian, north Wales, where her uncle also ran a farm. Her mother is a fluent Welsh speaker who later moved back to north Wales. In 2023, Hynes took part in the S4C series Iaith ar Daith where she began to learn the Welsh language; she cited being able to speak Welsh to her mother as a reason why she wanted to take part in the programme. Early in her career, Hynes teamed up with future Spaced co-star Katy Carmichael in a comedy double-act called the Liz Hurleys, appeared in two productions at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, and acted for television shows including Staying Alive, Six Pairs of Pants, (Un)natural Acts, and Asylum (on which the Spaced team of Hynes, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright first assembled). From 1998 to 2000, she played the supporting role of Cheryl in the hit sitcom The Royle Family; she reprised the role for special episodes in 2006, 2009 and 2010. In 1999, she co-wrote and starred in Spaced, for which she won two comedy awards and was nominated for an International Emmy and a Bafta for writing and creating the show alongside Simon Pegg. In 2017 , she directed her first feature film, The Fight, produced by Jamie Adams and Unstoppable media. In 2018, she played the role of a mother in the BBC Four programme There She Goes. She stars alongside David Tennant, raising a daughter with a severe learning disability. It is based on the real life of writer Shaun Pye and his wife Sarah Crawford whose daughter was born with a chromosomal disorder. She won a Bafta for her role in the series and was nominated for an International Emmy for her role in '414' the special made in 2023. In 2019, she starred in the BBC and HBO production Years and Years for which she won a Royal Television Society award.
MovieDeath of a Unicorn
2025
as Shaw
TVMiss Austen
2025
as Mary Austen
TVPatience
2025
as DI Frankie Monroe
MoviePaddington in Peru
2024
as Miss Kitts
TVThe Franchise
2024
as Steph Mundun
MovieSeize Them!
2024
as Leofwine
TVThe Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
2024
as The Reddlehag
MovieA Brush with Comedy
2023
as Self
MovieRapture
2023
TVLife After Life
2022
as Mrs Glover
TVThe Witchfinder
2022
as Old Myers
TVMood
2022
as Laura
TVDavid Mitchell's Outsiders
2021
as Self
MovieFriday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel
2021
as Self
TVDreaming Whilst Black
2021
as Drew
MovieCatching the Bus
2021
as Marion
TVExtraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig
2021
as Self
MovieRoald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse
2020
as Sofie Dahl
MovieMiranda: My Such Fun Celebration
2020
as Self
MovieSeagull
2019
as Janet
MovieHollywood's Dark Secret
2019
as Self
TVThe Ranganation
2019
as Self
TVYears and Years
2019
as Edith Lyons
MovieThe Fight
2019
as Tina Bell
MovieNativity Rocks!
2018
as Angel Matthews
TVThere She Goes
2018
as Emily
TVHang Ups
2018
as Katherine Pitt
MovieSongbird
2018
as Sara
TVThe Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
2018
as Self - Guest
All Star Musicals
2017
as Self - Performer
MoviePaddington 2
2017
as Miss Kitts
MovieShelter
2017
as Wendie
Celebrity Advice Bureau
2016
as Self
TVHooten & The Lady
2016
as Ella Bond
MovieBridget Jones's Baby
2016
as Magda
We Love Sitcom
2016
MovieRoald Dahl's Most Marvellous Book
2016
as Self
MovieSwallows and Amazons
2016
as Mrs. Jackson
TVJack and Dean of All Trades
2016
as Marv (voice)
TVInsert Name Here
2016
as Self - Panelist
MovieCider with Rosie
2015
as Crabby
MovieWinter
2015
as Claudia
TVTravel Man: 48 Hours in...
2015
as Self - Guest
Artsnight
2015
as Self
TVMonty Python's Best Bits (Mostly)
2014
as Self
MoviePudsey the Dog: The Movie
2014
as Gail
TVAlan Davies: As Yet Untitled
2014
as Self
TVW1A
2014
as Siobhan Sharpe
TVDuck Quacks Don't Echo
2014
TVInside No. 9
2014
as Helen
TVCrackanory
2013
as Self
TVUp the Women
2013
as Margaret
TV8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
2013
as Self
TVThe Last Leg
2013
as Self
TVBlandings
2013
as Lady Daphne Littlewood
MovieNativity 2: Danger in the Manger!
2012
as Angel Matthews
TVGadget Man
2012
TVDara O Briain's Science Club
2012
as Herself
TVOne Night
2012
as Carol
TVWorld's Most Dangerous Roads
2011
TVTwenty Twelve
2011
as Siobhan Sharpe
MovieChalet Girl
2011
as Interviewer 2
MovieThe Royle Family: Joe's Crackers
2010
as Cheryl
The Angina Monologues
2010
as Herself/Sarah
MovieThe Royle Family: Behind the Sofa
2010
as Self
MovieBurke & Hare
2010
as Lucky
MovieThe Lost Explorer
2010
TVJustin Lee Collins: Good Times
2010
as Self
MovieLizzie and Sarah
2010
as Sarah/Ellie
MovieThe Golden Egg Cup
2009
as Cheryl Carroll
MovieFaintheart
2009
as Cath
MovieThe Mighty Boosh: A Journey Through Time and Space
2008
as Herself
MovieLearners
2007
as Beverley
TVBritish Film Forever
2007
as Narrator
MovieHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
as Mafalda Hopkirk (voice)
TVWould I Lie to You?
2007
as Self
MovieMagicians
2007
as Linda Jones
TVThe Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
TVSkins
2007
as Crystal
MovieSon of Rambow
2007
as Mary Proudfoot
MovieFour Last Songs
2007
as Miranda
The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall
2006
as Self
MovieConfetti
2006
as Sam (as Jessica Stevenson)
MoviePinochet in Suburbia
2006
as WPC Broughton
TV8 Out of 10 Cats
2005
as Self
TVDoctor Who Confidential
2005
TVDoctor Who
2005
as Joan Redfern
Comic Aid
2005
as Herself - Presenter
According to Bex
2005
MovieBridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
2004
as Magda
MovieSpaced: Skip to the End
2004
as Self
MovieShaun of the Dead
2004
as Yvonne
Bosom Pals
2004
TVCelebrity Mastermind
2003
TVQI
2003
as Self
MovieTomorrow La Scala!
2002
as Victoria (as Jessica Stevenson)
MoviePure
2002
as Paramedic (as Jessica Stevenson)
MovieDick Whittington: The ITV Pantomime
2002
as The Good Fairy (as Jessica Stevenson)
TVFriday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001
as Self
TVBob & Rose
2001
as Holly Vance
TVBlack Books
2000
as Eva
MovieBorn Romantic
2000
as Libby
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)
2000
TVSpaced
1999
as Daisy Steiner
TVPeople Like Us
1999
as Sarah
TVThe Royle Family
1998
as Cheryl Carroll
TVAlexei Sayle's Merry-Go-Round
1998
TVUnnatural Acts
1998
TVMidsomer Murders
1997
as Judith Lessiter
TVNever Mind the Buzzcocks
1996
as Self
Mash and Peas
1996
TVAsylum
1996
as Martha
Six Pairs of Pants
1995
Crown Prosecutor
1995
as Jackie South
Tears Before Bedtime
1995
as Maggie
TVRoom 101
1994
as Self
MovieThe Baby of Mâcon
1993
as The First Midwife (as Jessica Stevenson)
MovieSwing Kids
1993
as Helga
TVThe House of Eliott
1991
as Charlotte Parker
