Shaun Williamson

Williamson was born in Park Wood, Maidstone. He attended Holy Family RC Primary School, followed by St Simon Stock Catholic School where he frequently played truant. Following school he became a postman, but developed a drink problem, consuming 12 pints of beer a day by the time he was 18. He later said he joined the Royal Navy at that point "to break that cycle".^[1] He completed his training at HMS Raleigh. He intended to become a helicopter pilot but was rejected when it was discovered he was colour blind. He subsequently worked in various jobs such as a Bluecoat for Pontins, as a rep for Club 18-30 and one season at Camp America. Aged 26, in 1991 he was working in the Wines & Spirits Department for Safeway, in Walderslade and Strood, when he decided to enlist at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.^[2]

Williamson is widely known for his portrayal of the foolish, hapless Barry Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role that he played from 1994 to 2004. This was Williamson's second role in the soap; he previously had a brief role as a paramedic earlier in 1994. In 2009, he stated that he had no regrets about leaving the show.^[3]

Williamson was the subject of This Is Your Life in 2001. In 2004, Williamson appeared on and won an episode of Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes, impersonating the singer Meat Loaf. Williamson finished third in the 2007 series of Comic Relief does Fame Academy. Other television roles have included parts in the detective series Inspector Morse, the ITV drama London's Burning, the BBC sitcom Waiting for God, the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant comedy Extras as a send-up of himself and as Balbus, a midlife crisis afflicted Roman charioteering instructor in historical comedy series Plebs.

Williamson competed in Celebrity Big Brother 20, and became the eighth housemate to be evicted, on day 23. Most recently, in 2020, Williamson appeared as recurring character Chris Smith, future father-in-law to the titular character played by Spencer Jones in the BBC Two sitcom, Mister Winner. He reprised the role from the pilot which had previously been broadcast in 2017 on BBC One.^[4]

Stage roles have included Monty the DJ in the West End run and UK tour of Saturday Night Fever, and appearing at Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre from December 2003 to January 2004 in a pantomime production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, alongside Toyah Willcox.^[5] In 2006 he starred in the pantomime Dick Whittington at The Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare. He returned to the Marlowe Theatre from December 2007 to January 2008, in Aladdin, alongside Stephen Mulhern. During 2008 he played Nathan Detroit in the touring production of Guys and Dolls, having already appeared in the part in the West End. In 2008–2009, he was again appearing in Aladdin, this time at the Wyvern Theatre, Swindon. In May 2006, Williamson played the lead in the play Road to Nirvana at The King's Head Theatre London and in October 2006, appeared in a sketch as part of the charity benefit The Secret Policeman's Ball which was staged at the Royal Albert Hall.^[6]

In 2009, Williamson toured the UK playing habitual criminal Norman Stanley Fletcher in a stage version of the classic TV comedy Porridge. The script had been newly written by the series' co-authors, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais.^[7] In 2012 he toured in The Ladykillers. He played Baron Bomburst and Lord Scrumptious in the UK tour production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.^[8]

In 2018, Williamson wrote a BBC radio drama series titled Eden's End, set in the Kent hop picking season of 1939. The series starred Shane Taylor (Band of Brothers), Steve Nallon (Spitting Image) and Candis Nergaard (Call the Midwife).

Williamson spent a year competing in the UK Quiz Grand Prix as research for his book A Matter Of Facts which details the world of elite general knowledge quizzing competitions.^[9] During this time he became a Top 50 ranked player in the UK. During an appearance on ITV's Beat the Chasers (in which he won £120,000 for The Paul Strank Charitable Trust based in south London), the Dark Destroyer described him as "celebrity quizzing royalty".^[10]

Currently Williamson has been on a singing tour as an act called "Barrioke".^[11] Touring various festivals, Williamson performs popular songs and has been praised across social media, recently receiving attention for duetting with Cher in an advert for UKTV's rebrand.^[12]

Williamson has three children and has been married twice. His first child was born in 1987 when Williamson was 22. The child's mother was a circus performer with whom Williamson was in a relationship. After breaking up she told Williamson of her pregnancy but Williamson left to pursue a career in America, promising to care for the child on his return. When he returned the circus performer had married another man and this man was listed as the child's father on the birth certificate.^[13][14] Williamson subsequently married his manager Melanie Sacre and they were married for 16 years; they have two children together. He married Adele, his second wife, in 2018.^[15]

• Shaun Williamson at IMDb  
• Shaun Williamson interview
• Shauny's show The Observer interview
• British Comedy Guide interview
• Filming This is Jayde article in The Citizen