Mathew Baynton

Early life

Baynton grew up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. He is the youngest of three boys, with two older brothers, Daniel and Andrew. He was educated at Southend High School for Boys. He graduated with first class honours from the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, and later trained in clowning at École Philippe Gaulier in Paris. Baynton explained his motivation in an interview with Metro: "The performing instinct came from making my family laugh, so I've always been drawn to the funny side of things. Comedy is really rewarding."

Baynton's second cousins Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper are also in the acting profession. Trevor Cooper is his first cousin once removed.

Career

Acting and writing

Baynton is one of the performers of the children's television series Horrible Histories, appearing in the first five series as an actor, singer, and occasional writer. Baynton and the other five members of the main Horrible Histories cast form the Them There troupe, which has since created other shows.

Along with the other members of the troupe, Baynton is the creator, writer, and star of Yonderland, a family fantasy comedy series that premiered on Sky One on 10 November 2013. He starred with the same troupe in Bill, a BBC family comedy film based loosely around the early life of William Shakespeare, who ventures to London to pursue his dream of becoming a playwright. The troupe also reunited in 2019 to create the BBC series* Ghosts*, with Baynton appearing as a Romantic poet named Thomas Thorne.

Baynton teamed with friend and fellow Gavin & Stacey alumnus James Corden to create, write, and star in The Wrong Mans, a comedy thriller for BBC Two that premiered in autumn 2013. The series is co-produced by online television provider Hulu.com in the United States, where it premiered in November 2013. The first six-part series proved a critical and commercial success, and a similarly well-received two-part sequel was broadcast in December 2014.

Other notable TV comedy roles include Deano in Gavin & Stacey; Chris in the Darren Boyd sitcom vehicle Spy; and William in the 2017 black comedy series Quacks.

In 2009, he appeared in a music video for Mercury Prize-nominated band The Bees.

Baynton appeared at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, starring in the world premiere of Tom Basden's play Holes. He reprised his role of Gus in a London revival of the same play in summer 2014.

In late 2015, Baynton portrayed Jamie Winton and his brother Ariel Conroy in Sky One's science fiction comedy-drama miniseries You, Me and the Apocalypse.

In January 2024, Baynton made his Royal Shakespeare Company debut in Eleanor Rhode's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream as Nick Bottom at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, before transferring to the Barbican Centre in December 2024.

In January 2025, it was announced that Baynton would appear as a contestant on the nineteenth series of the Channel 4 show Taskmaster alongside Fatiha El-Ghorri, Jason Mantzoukas, Rosie Ramsey, and Stevie Martin. Baynton would go on to win the series. Bayton also participated in Taskmaster Champion of Champions 4, which aired in December 2025. He won, beating Andy Zaltzman, Maisie Adam, Sam Campbell and John Robins.

Music

Baynton is a former member of the band Special Benny as a vocalist and guitarist. Their debut album Toys was released in 2010.

He has also performed as a solo act under the name Dog Ears. His debut solo EP, So It Goes, was released in November 2011. It consists of four self-penned songs.

Radio

He appeared in 'John Finnemore's Double Acts'.

Personal life

He and his partner Kelly Robinson, a film historian, have two children. Baynton and Robinson had a civil partnership ceremony in 2023.

Baynton has commented on his son's skewed view of his father's profession: "He thinks work is putting on a beard. One day his eyes will be opened, but I do find it wonderful that that's his view of work." He commented during the same interview that while many actors do not want their children to become actors as well, he sees no problem with his son following in his footsteps, stating that "if he enjoys it, so why shouldn't I let him?" His son appeared as the young Mary, Queen of Scots in an episode of Horrible Histories.

Baynton tries to keep his children out of the spotlight. However he raised awareness about breaking gender barriers after his son was mocked in the park for wearing a pink bicycle helmet. Baynton expressed his belief in letting his son express his likes and dislikes freely without categorising toys and colours in gendered categories. He stated "I won't be teaching my boy how to be a 'boy'."

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Radio

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. "Mathew Baynton — the Protagonist".
2. "Cal McCrystal".
3. (20 November 2013). "Mathew Baynton: We couldn't have asked for The Wrong Mans to go any better". Metro.
4. (20 February 2018). "This Country creators Charlie and Daisy May Cooper: 'The best storylines are usually things we've lived through'". The Telegraph.
5. https://loglineweb.wordpress.com/2018/04/20/trevor-cooper-on-working-on-this-country/
6. West, Naomi. (25 May 2010). "How Horrible Histories grew up to be a hit comedy show". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
7. (13 May 2013). "Sky1 to visit Yonderland". Sky1 website.
8. (22 March 2013). "Stars of Horrible Histories to make Shakespeare film". BBC Media Centre.
9. "Bill: production details". British Comedy Guide.
10. (9 October 2012). "BBC Two announces new comedy, The Wrong Mans". BBC Media Centre.
11. (9 October 2012). "BBC, Hulu team on James Corden laffer". Variety online.
12. (31 October 2013). "Corden Hints at Second Series of The Wrong Mans". Digital Spy.
13. (27 February 2009). "The Bees - Listening Man".
14. (26 July 2013). "''Holes'' announcement". The Invisible Dot Ltd..
15. "''Holes'' announcement". Arcola Theatre, summer 2014 program.
16. "A Midsummer Night's Dream {{!}} Royal Shakespeare Company".
17. (2024-12-03). "A Midsummer Night’s Dream {{!}} Barbican".
18. "Taskmaster season 19 line-up confirmed: Ghosts star, Rosie Ramsey and more join cast {{!}} Radio Times".
19. (2025-12-04). "Taskmaster finally confirms Champion of Champions release date – here are the returning stars".
20. "About". Special Benny.
21. "Dog Ears". Dog Ears.
22. Williams, Holly. (13 September 2015). "Mathew Baynton interview". The Independent.
23. (11 November 2013). "Celebrity interview: Mathew Baynton". [[Yorkshire Evening Post]]..
24. (13 November 2017). ""Let kids wear what they want," says actor Mathew Baynton". Glamour Magazine.
25. (10 July 2023). "Casting revealed for Murder is Easy, based on the classic mystery by Agatha Christie".
26. "BBC Radio 4 - John Finnemore's Double Acts, Series 1, Hot Desk".
27. "BBC Radio 4 - Reluctant Persuaders".
28. "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Katherine Jakeways - Forty Weeks".
29. "BBC Radio 4 - Short Works, My Boy Jack".
30. "Drama on 3 - The Miser - BBC Sounds".
31. "BBC Sounds - The World of Simon Rich - Available Episodes".
32. "BBC Radio 3 - Drama on 3, She Stoops to Conquer".
33. (15 January 2016). "Fringe Report Awards Book – 2016".
34. "Children's in 2010".
35. "Winners 2010".
36. "Children's Performer in 2012".
37. (18 March 2014). "Winners Announced at RTS Programme Awards 2013". Royal Television Society.
38. "Television Craft Writer - Comedy in 2014".
39. "Male Performance in a Comedy Programme in 2014".
40. "Satellite Awards (2014)". [[International Press Academy]].
41. "Winners 2014".
42. (6 May 2014). "Nominees for the Banff World Media Festival Rockie Awards Announced".
43. "Television Craft in 2015".
44. "Scripted Comedy in 2015".
45. "Winners unveiled at National Comedy Awards for Stand Up To Cancer | Channel 4".