20 Facts About Jessica Hynes

Jessica Hynes was born on 30 October 1972 and is a British actress, director and writer.

Jessica Hynes was one of the stars, creators and writers of Spaced.

In film, Hynes has appeared in the Bridget Jones, Nativity and Paddington film series.

Jessica Hynes has been nominated for two International Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, five BAFTAs, three Royal Television Society Awards and three British Comedy Awards.

Jessica 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.

Jessica Hynes moved back to London as a young adult.

Jessica Hynes's mother is a fluent Welsh speaker who later moved back to north Wales.

In 2023, Jessica 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.

In 1994, Jessica Hynes appeared as an uncredited extra in the first episode of The Day Today in the Attitudes Night segment, a parody of the UK's changing attitudes.

Early in her career, Jessica 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, natural Acts, and Asylum.

In early 2007, Jessica Hynes took a lead role in the film Magicians, starring alongside comic duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb.

Jessica Hynes provided the voice of Mafalda Hopkirk in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Jessica Hynes played Joan Redfern in the 2007 Doctor Who episodes "Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood".

Jessica Hynes then appeared in part two of the story "The End of Time", playing a character named Verity Newman, who is Joan's great-granddaughter.

Jessica Hynes appeared in Big Finish's Eighth Doctor audio adventure "Invaders from Mars", with her Spaced colleague Simon Pegg.

Jessica Hynes starred in Son of Rambow, playing Mary Proudfoot opposite the star of the film, Bill Milner.

In November 2007, BBC One released Learners, a comedy drama television movie which Jessica Hynes starred in and wrote.

Jessica Hynes appeared as a "right-on" PR person, Siobhan Sharpe, in the London Olympics centred satire Twenty Twelve, of which the first series screened on BBC Four in 2011, moving to BBC Two in spring 2012.

Jessica Hynes reprised the role in the 2014 series W1A for which she won a BAFTA.

Jessica Hynes 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.