Chris Barrie

Chris Barrie (born Christopher Jonathan Brown; 28 March 1960) is a British actor and comedian. He worked as a vocal impressionist on the ITV sketch show Spitting Image (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003). Barrie starred as Arnold Rimmer in 13 series of the sci-fi space comedy Red Dwarf between 1988 and 2020, and as Gordon Brittas in seven series of the BBC leisure centre sitcom The Brittas Empire (1991–1997).

Early life and career

Barrie was born on 28 March 1960 in Hanover, Lower Saxony, West Germany, to a father who was serving in the British Army,Template:Citation needed and later attended Methodist College, a boarding school, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After dropping out of his Combined Studies course at Brighton Polytechnic, he became a grave filler.<ref name=":0">Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref> He began his television career as a sports personality impersonator on The David Essex Showcase in 1982.<ref name="essex">Template:Cite web</ref>

He adopted the surname "Barrie" as there was already an actor named Chris Brown on the Equity UK lists. He was a regular on Saturday Live, amongst performers like Fry and Laurie, Rik Mayall and Ben Elton. Barrie provided the voice of Ronald Reagan in the pop song "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood,<ref name="jif"/> as well as various vocalizations for other tracks by FGTH and Art of Noise.<ref name="jif"/> He also appeared as an impressionist on the BBC's Carrott's Lib<ref name="jif"/> between 1983 and 1984, and he starred in his own sketch show Pushing Up Daisies (re-titled Coming Next for the following series) from 1984 to 1985 alongside Hale and Pace and Carla Mendonça.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1987, he appeared as a French Revolutionary in Blackadder the Third (episode "Nob and Nobility") and did various parts in The Young Ones both as an actor and a voice-over.<ref name="jif"/><ref name="young"/>

Red Dwarf

Barrie played the character Arnold J. Rimmer in all twelve series of Red Dwarf, appearing in almost every episode of the series, absent only for a period during series 7.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When an unsold pilot for an American version of the show was produced, Barrie was invited to reprise his role as Rimmer. He passed up the offer because of the constraint of the five-series contract.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He starred in the 2020 special Red Dwarf: The Promised Land, alongside the main cast of Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn.<ref name="red">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition to starring in the TV series, Barrie also narrated the first two Red Dwarf books, Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers (1992) and Better Than Life (1995), including using his vocal talents to recreate the voices of the other characters, as they sound in the show.<ref name="red"/>

The Brittas Empire

Barrie played Gordon Brittas, the title role in The Brittas Empire, a BBC sitcom running from January 1991 to February 1997 for seven series, with 52 episodes, including two Christmas specials.<ref name=":0" /> Brittas was the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. Each episode featured a disastrous occurrence, which Brittas was sure he could sort out, oblivious to the fact he was usually its cause.<ref name=":0" />

Barrie also appeared as Brittas in the stand alone fitness mini-series Get Fit with Brittas in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2014, Barrie reprised his role as Gordon Brittas in the music video for Little Mix's version of "Word Up!".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="metro">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2017, the cast reunited for the reopening of Ringwood Leisure centre where a lot of the series was recorded.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Roles in television and films

File:Chris Barrie 2004.jpg

Barrie in 2004

Barrie's TV work includes Britain's Greatest Machines with Chris Barrie,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> screened on the National Geographic channel from 4 June 2009.<ref name="whit"/> Each of the four episodes features some of the most notable air, sea, and land vehicles and equipment of the 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1980s, respectively. The second series of four episodes was transmitted in February 2010, with the 1910s, 1920s, 1940s, and early steam trains as the subjects of each episode.<ref name="with">Template:Cite web</ref>

Barrie has also hosted the television series Chris Barrie's Massive Engines and Chris Barrie's Massive Machines<ref name="whit">Template:Cite web</ref> on the Discovery Channel, later shown on Channel 5 and released on DVD.<ref name="whit"/> The latest in this series Massive Speed with Chris Barrie was shown on Discovery Channel from November 2006. In 2006,<ref name="whit"/> he appeared as a regular team captain in the BBC Two quiz show Petrolheads<ref name="petrol">Template:Cite web</ref> and was the star of the British crime/comedy/drama film Back In Business, in which he played Tom Marks. Between 2015 and 2018 he was the voice-over for Channel 5's Car Crash TV<ref name="car">Template:Cite web</ref> and 2018–2019 Idiot TV.

Filmography

• 1983–1984 Appearances on the BBC Radio 4 sketch show Son of Cliché.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1984 Voice impersonation of Robin Day on the Art of Noise track "Close Up".
• 1984 The ship's captain in the wall-poster cut scene during The Young Ones episode "Nasty".<ref name="jif">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="young">Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1985 Voice impersonations on recordings by Frankie Goes to Hollywood:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="jif"/><ref>Template:Citation</ref>
  • as Ronald Reagan on the 12-inch release of "Two Tribes".
  • as Mike Read, banning the single "Relax", on the 12-inch release of "The Power of Love".
  • as HRH Prince Charles on "Tag", from the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome.
• 1986 Voice of Ronald Reagan in the video to the Genesis song "Land of Confusion".<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1987 Trevor, the director of the mock panel show "Ooer, Sounds a Bit Rude" in episode two of Filthy Rich & Catflap.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref>
• 1987 A revolutionary in the French embassy in Blackadder The Third (Episode: Nob and Nobility).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref>
• 1988–2020 Arnold Rimmer in Red Dwarf
• 1992 Voice of a motorbike racing commentator in episode 3 of the BBC Comedy series Grace and Favour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref>
• 1993–1995 The voices of Captain Smollett and Ben Gunn in The Legends of Treasure Island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1994 The voice of Simon the Sorcerer in the Amiga CD32 re-release of the Adventure Soft computer game Simon the Sorcerer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1997–1998 Gary Prince in A Prince Among Men.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2001 Hillary the Butler in the film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
• 2003 Hillary the Butler in the film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
• 2007 Lionel Poulter in the Midsomer Murders episode Death in a Chocolate Box<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Doubting Thomas in a small series of television advertisements for Anglian Windows.
• The voice of Jif Micro Liquid.<ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="jif"/>
• 2015–2018 Narrator for the Channel 5 show Car Crash TV.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="car"/>

Personal life

Barrie's interests include vintage motorbikes and collecting fast cars. In 1995, he released a video called Chris Barrie's Motoring Wheel Nuts, a showcase for his personal car collection.<ref name="nuts"/> Template:As of his classic car collection consists of a Triumph TR2, MGB-GT, Wolseley 1500 and a Jaguar XJ6.<ref name="nuts">Template:Cite web</ref>

He has been married twice: first to Monica De Meo from 1987 to 1990 and then to Alecks (1997–present) with whom he has two sons. He lives in Cookham, Berkshire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2010, Barrie was awarded an honorary DTech (Doctor of Technology) by Loughborough University for his contribution to promoting Engineering and Technology.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:IMDb name
• Template:British Comedy Guide
• Chris Barrie on National Geographic Channel

Interviews

• AYME Interview – Association of Young People with ME
• 26 September 2005: BBC – Wiltshire – Films – Interview with Chris Barrie Play audio
• 11 August 2005: BBC – Wiltshire – Mark Seaman Interview with Chris Barrie Play audio Template:Webarchive
• Video Interview with Chris Barrie