Neil Fitzmaurice

Jeff Heaney is Mark's office rival in Peep Show (2003), and Fitzmaurice makes his confidence an irritation we recognise. He gives the comedy an antagonist who does not need to be especially imposing to make matters uncomfortable. We found Jeff maddening, because Fitzmaurice makes his unpleasantness seem so easy and untroubled. Against the private cowardice played by David Mitchell and Robert Webb, that assurance is useful: the excuses have someone difficult to contend with.

His writing complicates the picture of an actor brought in whenever a sitcom needs a troublesome northerner. Before Jeff came Going Off Big Time (2000), which he wrote and in which he played Mark Clayton. In Phoenix Nights (2001), he played resident DJ Ray Von and co-wrote both series. His collaborators include Peter Kay and Dave Spikey, fellow writers and performers. Those credits are worth remembering when a familiar supporting face makes it easy to overlook the work done on the page.

Peep Show brought wider recognition, but Fitzmaurice continued writing, including for Benidorm, while taking comedy and drama roles. Playing Mr Bishop in Brassic (2019) fits the continuing emphasis on ensemble work. There is a risk in his frequent casting as confident northern characters: a part can ask for the familiar nuisance and little else. We would welcome more parts that make us reconsider what we expect of him, rather than simply call upon that dependable assurance.

What makes Jeff worth returning to is the fit between Fitzmaurice's confidence and a programme so alert to private cowardice. We rate Peep Show highly because the writing and performances sustain that painful comedy, not because embarrassment is automatically funny. It can become tiring, and Fitzmaurice's skill at being aggravating is hardly going to provide relief. Start there, then try Phoenix Nights to see what he contributes when he also has a writing credit.