Rufus Jones is good at playing self-important Englishmen, with comic timing that works particularly well in an ensemble. We rate that speciality; his work as the writer and star of Home is the stronger reason to look beyond it.
Fi1m perspective
Rufus Jones often plays an Englishman who takes himself far too seriously. His timing makes those men funny, especially when he is part of an ensemble. As David Wilkes in W1A (2014), he puts that comic exasperation to work in media satire. Julia Davis gives him darker comedy as Dr Foggerty in Hunderby (2012) and Tom in Camping (2016).
Stan & Ollie (2018) uses him in a supporting role as Bernard Delfont, while Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly carry the portrait of Laurel and Hardy. We were won over by the carefully judged routines and the affection in the two central performances. The drama can be too tidy, but this is still a gentle film worth an evening. Jones is working within a different sort of comedy from the Davis programmes, and the change is welcome. We need not demand that every supporting appearance repeat the television speciality.
The Ghoul (2016), in which he plays Coulson, makes a more pronounced departure from those comedies. Gareth Tunley sends a detective into therapy to investigate a case, then keeps us uncertain about which activity is the cover story. Tom Meeten and Paul Kaye are our chief reasons to recommend it, with a reservation about the last twenty minutes. Jones's place in this psychological thriller helps explain why it would be misleading to describe him only as a sitcom actor. Neither film, however, gives him the scope suggested by his writer-performer work.
The important turn is Home (2019–2020), which he created and wrote as well as starring in as Peter. Its premise brings a refugee into a middle-class household, giving his awkward protagonist more to handle than his own self-importance. His ability to allow some pathos into the comedy matters here, and makes this a fuller use of his skills than another supporting appearance. There is still a recognisable Jones character at its centre. Start here if you want more than the pleasure of recognising him.
Biography
Rufus Jones is an English actor and writer. Born on 17 May 1975 in London, he was educated at Latymer Upper School and the University of Cambridge, where he studied English.
Jones began his career as one fifth of the comedy group Dutch Elm Conservatoire. On television he is known for roles including Dr Foggerty in Hunderby, David Wilkes in W1A, Tom in Camping, and Peter in Home, which he also wrote. Film credits include the Third Geographer in Paddington (2014), Ian Wood in The Foreigner (2017), Bernard Delfont in Stan & Ollie (2018), and Jenkins in Wonka (2023). He played Coulson in The Ghoul (2016).
