Rob Brydon was born in Baglan, south Wales, in 1965. His father was a car salesman and his mother a teacher. He attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama but left aged 20 to work for BBC Radio Wales. Jobs followed on regional TV, shopping channels and advert voiceovers, before his break at 35 with his one-man sitcom, Marion and Geoff, and Human Remains, a series with Julia Davis; both were produced by Steve Coogan’s production company, Baby Cow. Today, he mixes primetime gameshow presenting with acting, and reprises his role as Uncle Bryn on Christmas Day in BBC One’s Gavin & Stacey: The Finale.
Uncle Bryn, a role written for you by Ruth Jones and James Corden, is such a beloved character. Be honest: how much of you is in him?
I think it’s probably quite a lot. But what I realised a while ago is that the best acting is when you see where you and the character meet – and I heard Al Pacino say this, so it must be right! Still, when Bryn is enthralled by something like technology, or when he’s a bit wide-eyed, I do wonder if that’s something they’ve directly observed in me.
