Jessica Hynes
Born
30 October 1972 (53)
Place of Birth
Lewisham, London, England, UK
Also known as
Jessica Stevenson, Jazzy Jess
Biography
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 app...
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.
Filmography (40)
Death of a Unicorn
2025
Paddington in Peru
2024
Seize Them!
2024
A Brush With Comedy
2023
Rapture
2023
Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel
2021
Catching the Bus
2021
Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse
2020
Miranda: My Such Fun Celebration
2020
Seagull
2019
Hollywood's Dark Secret
2019
The Fight
2019
Nativity Rocks!
2018
Songbird
2018
Paddington 2
2017
Shelter
2017
Bridget Jones's Baby
2016
We Love Sitcom
2016
Roald Dahl's Most Marvellous Book
2016
Swallows and Amazons
2016
Cider with Rosie
2015
Winter
2015
Pudsey the Dog: The Movie
2014
Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!
2012
Chalet Girl
2011
The Royle Family: Joe's Crackers
2010
The Angina Monologues
2010
The Royle Family: Behind the Sofa
2010
Burke & Hare
2010
The Lost Explorer
2010
Lizzie and Sarah
2010
The Golden Egg Cup
2009
Faintheart
2009
Learners
2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
Magicians
2007
Son of Rambow
2007
Four Last Songs
2007
The Secret Policeman's Ball: The Ball in the Hall
2006
Confetti
2006