Michael Fenton Stevens (born 12 February 1958)Stevens, M F (2011) "random pictures - bloody internet", Mike's Yes Prime Minister Tour 2011, accessed 5 September 2014 is an English actor and comedian. He was a founder member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and sang the lead on the Spitting Image 1986 number 1 hit "The Chicken Song". He also starred in KYTV, its Radio 4 predecessor Radio Active, and Benidorm, and was an anchor on 3rd & Bird on CBeebies. He appeared as the man staying in room 425 in an episode of the original series of Mr. Bean, entitled "Room 426".
Career
Radio and broadcasting Fenton Stevens was one of the principal performers in the Radio 4 comedy series Radio Active during the 1980s, alongside Helen Atkinson-Wood, Angus Deayton, Geoffrey Perkins and Philip Pope, which later led to the television series KYTV. Fenton Stevens is credited with telling the joke (written by Perkins) about Ringo Starr not being the best drummer in the Beatles, frequently misattributed to John Lennon or Jasper Carrott. It was broadcast on Radio Active on 15 September 1981. Though Beatles biographer Mark Lewisohn initially claimed that it was Pope who said the line, Fenton Stevens later clarified that it was actually him. He also told Beatles fan Andrew Dixon that the cast initially thought it was a real joke that the Fab Four had told themselves.
Fenton Stevens also appeared in various roles in Tertiary, Quandary and Quintessential Phases of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series. In 2007, he played the similarly named Michael Wenton Weeks in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. He plays the eponymous Inspector Steine in Lynne Truss' long-running Radio 4 comedy series.
He has also played a long-running role, Paul Morgan, in the radio soap The Archers.
In 2020, Fenton Stevens released the first of a podcast series, My Time Capsule, produced by his son John Fenton Stevens. The show involves guests choosing four memories they would preserve in a time capsule, and a fifth memory they would wish to bury in the ground and never think about again. Guests have included Stephen Fry, Rebecca Front, Rick Wakeman, Mark Gatiss, Rufus Hound, David Mitchell, Anthony Head, Chris Addison, Rev Richard Coles, Griff Rhys Jones, Richard Herring and David Baddiel. In June 2023, it celebrated its 300th episode.
Television Fenton Stevens featured in regular roles as Hank in the 1996 series The Legacy of Reginald Perrin, and as Ralph in Andy Hamilton's 2003 television sitcom Trevor's World of Sport, as well as in the Radio 4 version of the latter which was broadcast in 2004. He had previously appeared in a guest role in Drop the Dead Donkey, another television comedy series written by Hamilton, and appears regularly in various roles in Hamilton's Radio 4 sitcom Old Harry's Game. He has also featured in Ian Hislop's sitcom My Dad's the Prime Minister as the Home Secretary.
From 2004 until 2005 he appeared in two series of Julia Davis's dark comedy series Nighty Night as the Reverend Gordon Fox.
He has provided the voice of Mr Beakman, a toucan, in the CBeebies show 3rd & Bird, and has a recurring role in the sitcom My Family as Mr Griffith, the boss of the dental corporation Cavitex. He has played Sir Henry in Benidorm since series four, which was first broadcast in 2011.
Notable guest appearances have included the next door hotel guest in "Mr. Bean in Room 426", and the brother-in-law of Hee Bee Gee Bees bandmate, Angus Deayton's character in an episode of One Foot in the Grave. He played Alan Perkins, a holiday rep in Spain in "The Unlucky Winner Is" episode of Only Fools And Horses. He also played a guest role in Coronation Street in November 2004. In 2006, he guest-starred in the Doctor Who audio adventure The Kingmaker. He appeared in Series 3 Episode 3 of Outnumbered, as a substitute player called 'Lance' in a tennis match, and in the "Music 2000" episode of Look Around You as the chairman of the Royal Pop and Rock Association. In 2022 he appeared as Tony Vanoli in a fourth season episode of Ghosts.
Stage Fenton Stevens has appeared as a Pantomime Dame in a number of pantomimes. From December 2006 until January 2007, he starred in and wrote the Cambridge Arts Theatre pantomime version of Aladdin in the role of Widow Twankey. In 2015, Stevens appeared as Dr. John Radcliffe in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Helen Edmundson's Queen Anne.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes2007 The Riddle Alistair Forsyth M.P. 2007 Lady Godiva: Back in the Saddle Roger Tompkins 2016 Mob Handed The Police Spokesman 2017 Carnage Peter Smithball 2022 Rogue Agent Richard Archer 2023 Harvey Greenfield Is Running Late Jason Mason
Television Year Title Role Notes1986 Spitting Image Various 2 episodes1988 The Bill Prof. Wallis Episode: "Outmoded"1989 Only Fools and Horses Alan Perkins Episode: "The Unlucky Winner Is..."1993 Mr. Bean Hotel Guest Episode: "Mr. Bean in Room 426"1995 One Foot in the Grave Geoffrey Croker Episode: "Hole in the Sky"1996 The Legacy of Reginald Perrin Hank Millbeck 5 episodes1997 The Brittas Empire Ferguson Episode: "Exposed"1997 As Time Goes By Paul Episode: "Alistair's Engagement"2000 Holby City Bill Moorcroft Episode: "Faith"2000 EastEnders Rev Adam Cherry 2 episodes2004-2005Nighty NightGordon6 episodes 2008 Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Pete Episode: "African Death Face"2008–2011 My Family Mr. Griffith 3 episodes2009 Ladies of Letters Rev Bruce Episode: #1.52010 Outnumbered Lance Episode: "The Tennis Match"2011–2018 Benidorm Sir Henry 8 episodes2012 Parents Clifford Episode: #1.12012 Mrs Biggs Fordham QC Episode: #1.22015 Ballot Monkeys Simon Swann All 5 episodes2015 New Tricks Bertie Richmond Episode: "The Fame Game"2015 Josh Lily's Dad Episode: "Mum & Dad"2017 The Crown Peter Beck Episode: "Paterfamilias"2018 Action Team Mike Episode: "Mind Games"2019 Not Going Out Motoring Service Man Episode: "Halloween"2020 Housebound Benedict Episode: #1.142022 Slow Horses Leonard Bradley Episode: "Work Drinks"2022 Ghosts Tony Vanoli Episode: "Gone Gone"2022 Avenue 5 Lyle Episode: "Is It a Good Dot?"2023 Hapless Ronnie Green 5 episodes2023 This Is Gay Pastor TV film2023 The Sixth Commandment Justice Sweeney Episode: #1.42024 Death in Paradise Tristan Clayborn Episode: "#13.3"
References
External links