Christopher Ryan

Actor · Born January 25, 1950 (76) · London, England, UK

Christopher Ryan (né Papazoglou; 25 January 1950) is a British actor best known for his roles as Mike TheCoolPerson in the BBC comedy series The Young Ones, Dave Hedgehog in the BBC comedy series Bottom, Tony Driscoll in the BBC comedy series Only Fools and Horses, and as Edina Monsoon's ex-husband Marshall Turtle in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. He has also appeared as the McKendrick twins in One Foot in the Grave, and played Sontaran General Staal in Doctor Who in 2008.

What are Christopher Ryan's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight

Bonds

53%

Self

24%

Power

11%

Society

8%

Survival

5%

Friendship3

Roles they play

2 analyzed roles

Allyas Mike in The Young Ones (1982)
Allyas Dave Hedgehog in Bottom (1991)

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd

3

Joyful

2

Manic

2

Warm

1

Thrilling

1

Other

1

How their films linger

Fun3 Feel-good3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Christopher Ryan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Shout! TV3 titles, show their 3 titles on Shout! TV
Kartoon Channel1 title, show their title on Kartoon Channel
Lionsgate+1 title, show their title on Lionsgate+
MHz Choice1 title, show their title on MHz Choice
MovieSphere+1 title, show their title on MovieSphere+
OUTtv1 title, show their title on OUTtv
UP Faith & Family1 title, show their title on UP Faith & Family

Subscription and free streaming for Christopher Ryan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

49 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

My Dad's Christmas Date(2020)
as Chords Man
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Sil and the Devil Seeds of Arodor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
as Kiv
How The Young Ones Changed Comedy(2018)
Actor
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Backyard Wilderness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
as Dad
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie(2016)
as Marshall
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
It's Kevin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Show 1 episode · as The Great Spagboletti
City Slacker(2012)
as Frank
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
The Inquisition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Actor
Dead Man Running(2009)
as Old Boy Bookie
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle(2007)
Show 6 episodes · Actor
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
Saxondale(2006)
Show 1 episode · as Ticket Inspector
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
The Green Green Grass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Show 3 episodes · Actor
Doctor Who(2005)
Show 3 episodes · as Commander Stark
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Bottom Mindless Violence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
as Mike the Cool Person / Dave Hedgehog (archive footage)
Jack of All Trades (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Alice in Wonderland(1999)
as Royal Gardener #3
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Melissa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Show 5 episodes · as Les Maurice
Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
as Marshall
French and Saunders' Christmas Carol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
as Man
Requiem Apache (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
as Club Barman
Health and Efficiency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Dirty Weekend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
as Small One
Absolutely Fabulous(1992)
Show 7 episodes · as Marshall
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Holy - Bottom: Christmas Special (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
as Dave Hedgehog
Maigret(1992)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Bottom(1991)
Show 5 episodes · as Dave Hedgehog
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
One Foot in the Grave (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Show 1 episode · as Plumber
Mr. Bean(1990)
Show 1 episode · as Student
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
The New Statesman(1987)
Show 1 episode · as Ioannis Douvalopoulos
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows
Up Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
as Leon Trostsky
A Small Problem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Show 6 episodes · Actor
Doctor Who: Mindwarp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
as Kiv
Santa Claus(1985)
as Vout
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Happy Families (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Show 1 episode · as Mell
Rachel and the Roarettes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
as Twerp
Inside Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Show 6 episodes · as Tommy
The Young Ones(1982)
Show 12 episodes · as Mike
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Only Fools and Horses(1981)
Show 1 episode · as Tony Driscoll
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
A Turn for the Worse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
as Hound Dog
Days at the Beach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
as Tony
Fox (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
as East
Deasey (Desperate) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
as Clive
Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Show 1 episode · as Clive
Target (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)
Show 1 episode · as Jock
Angels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Show 2 episodes · Actor
Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Show 1 episode · as Tony
Play for Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Show 1 episode · Actor
Doctor Who(1963)
Show 4 episodes · as Kiv
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Vote Sil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
as Lord Kiv

Career shape

Star power in the 83^rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 49 titles, 48 of them dated from 1963 to 2020; peak year 1985.

Biggest box office

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016)

$39M worldwide

Highest rated

Bottom (1991)

Midcredits 93^rd

Film career

19632020

Peak 1985 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

1963Screen debut· Doctor Who
1985First film· Santa Claus: The Movie

By role

only this rolewith another role

Acting49 of 49 · 84^th

By decade

1960s1 · acting1970s6 · acting1980s13 · acting1990s13 · acting2000s7 · acting2010s7 · acting2020s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Is Christopher Ryan's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films

Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 43 · moderate

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Christopher Ryan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Christopher Ryan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Helen Lederer shares the most, 2.

Actors

Helen Lederer2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Helen Lederer
Adrian Edmondson2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Adrian Edmondson
Rik Mayall2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Rik Mayall

Producers

Jon Plowman2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Jon Plowman