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Colin Andrew Ignatius Peter McFarlane (born 15 September 1961) is a British actor, narrator and voice actor. He is known for his roles in film and television including Gillian B. Loeb in two films of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2008) and Ulysses in the STARZ series Outlander (2018–2020). McFarlane's voice roles include JJ in Bob the Builder (2001–2003), Bulgy and Beresford in Thomas & Friends (2017–2020) and PC Malcolm Williams in Fireman Sam (2020–). He was the voice of The Cube (2009–2021) in the ITV game show.
1992 saw McFarlane appear in CITV's children's series Tales From the Poop Deck, where he portrayed Lieutenant Parkinson of HMS Intrepid, and a guest appearance on several episodes of Channel 4's sitcom Sean's Show. Later that year he would feature in an episode of mystery series Virtual Murder, an episode of BBC's anthology series Screen One entitled Black and Blue, and the made-for-TV film Lenny Henry: In Dreams. In 1993, McFarlane guest starred in the children's series Runaway Bay and ITV's comedy Jeeves and Wooster, which focused on Hugh Laurie's Wooster and Stephen Fry's Jeeves. Two years later he would have guest appearances on ITV's Class Act and BBC's police procedural Backup.
McFarlane would go on, in 1996, to feature in an episode of BBC's Rowan Atkinson led police comedy The Thin Blue Line, Channel 4's made-for-TV film The Final Passage, and the finale of ITV's four part thriller series Circles of Deceit.
His numerous TV credits include Judge John Deed, Jonathan Creek, Casualty, Death in Paradise, Father Brown and Holby City. "The First Rule of Office Relationships", Holby City, BBC, 23 August 2011. He has also appeared in two of the UK's most-watched soap operas. He appeared in five episodes of Coronation Street from August to September 2010 as a consultant neurosurgeon, Mr Jordan, and played DCI Irving in an episode of EastEnders in April 2014 as part of the "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" storyline.
He has also made regular appearances in British TV comedy, in the shows The Fast Show, Randall & Hopkirk, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Harry and Paul and The Thin Blue Line. He played Inspector Norris in the Black Books episode The Blackout, Inspector Terrence Brown in the first episode of Dirk Gently and voiced the Judge in the 2016 revival of the sitcom Porridge.
He also featured in the CBBC shows M.I. High and Hounded as the evil Dr Muhahahaha.
McFarlane has also made numerous appearances in Doctor Who, voicing the Heavenly Host in the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned" and playing Moran in the "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood" episodes of the ninth series from 2015. In addition, he also appeared in the third series of Doctor Who spinoff series , as the American military representative Colonel Pierce. He reprised the role in the 2025 spinoff The War Between the Land and the Sea.
He appeared alongside Matt Smith and Natalie Dormer in the action horror film Patient Zero (2018). He then appeared as the governor in the 2019 thriller film Crawl, featuring Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper.
His best-known voice roles include JJ and Skip in the original series of Bob the Builder, and as the narrator on the ITV gameshow The Cube. He has also voiced Jonah in the 1997 animated series Captain Pugwash, Bulgy the Double Decker Bus and Beresford the Crane in Thomas & Friends and its 2017 feature film . In addition, he played the part of Elvis the horse in Iconicles, Sparky the dragon in Mike the Knight, voiced several characters in the episode "The Sweater" of The Amazing World of Gumball, and as well as Police Constable Malcolm Williams in the twelfth series of Fireman Sam and its 2020 1-hour special, Norman Price and the Mystery in the Sky.
He played US General Trent Stone in the 2014 original audio drama Osiris by Everybodyelse Productions.
McFarlane is an avid supporter of Lincoln City F.C.
In June 2023, McFarlane announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
| 1996 | A Mulatto Song | Frederick DeAugust | Short film |
| 1997 | Countdown to Tomorrow | Narrator | Documentary film |
| I'd Like a Word with You | George | Direct-to-video | |
| 1998 | The First 9½ Weeks | Remy | |
| 1999 | The Criminal | Businessman | |
| 2000 | Sorted | Doctor | Credited as Colin McFarlan |
| 2001 | The Ultimate Stress Show: Managing Stress | ||
| Chunky Monkey | Trevor | ||
| Mr. Fezziwig (voice) | A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. | ||
| 2002 | War Game | Little General, King George (voice) | Short film |
| The King's Beard | Jasper (voice) | ||
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb | |
| Fragile | Roy | ||
| 2006 | Jungle Boogie | Makita (voice) | |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb | |
| 2011 | The Last Belle | The Barman (voice) | Short film |
| 2013 | Experiment K5-C | The Voice (voice) | |
| 2014 | Shadows of a Stranger | Asmo | |
| 2015 | Slick Cars | Tiberius the Cabover Peterbilt (voice) | |
| 2016 | The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared | Seth | |
| 2017 | The Invisible Guardian | Dupree | |
| Peppa Pig: My First Cinema Experience | Mr. Lion (voice) | ||
| Beresford (voice) | UK/US versions | ||
| 2018 | The Commuter | Conductor Sam | |
| Patient Zero | Colonel Pierce | ||
| 2019 | The Queen's Corgi | Chief (voice) | UK version |
| Crawl | Governor | ||
| The Legacy of the Bones | Aloisius Dupree | Spanish title: Legado en los huesos | |
| 2020 | Thomas and the Royal Engine | Bulgy and Beresford (voice) | UK/US versions |
| Thomas & Friends: Marvellous Machinery | Dr. Holyfield (voice) | UK/US versions | |
| Offering to the Storm | Aloisius Dupree | Spanish title: Ofrenda a la Tormenta | |
| 2021 | Jungle Cruise | Dromm | |
| Supermind: The Brain Drain | Supermind | ||
| 2025 | Grand Prix of Europe | Nachtkraab | Voice role |
| 1985 | Dempsey and Makepeace | Detective Sergeant Watson | 3 episodes |
| Dutch Girls | Mkwela | Television film | |
| 1986 | To Have & To Hold | Teacher | 1 episode |
| 1988 | Bust | Steve | |
| 1992 | Tales from the Poop Deck | Lieutenant Parkinson | Episode: "Here Be Pirates!" |
| Sean's Show | Announcer | 3 episodes | |
| Jesse Jarman | 1 episode | ||
| 1993 | Runaway Bay | Henchman | |
| Jeeves and Wooster | Toto | Episode: "Totleigh Towers (or, Trouble at Totleigh Towers)" | |
| 1994 | Othello (voice) | Episode: "Othello" | |
| 1995 | Class Act | Newscaster | 1 episode |
| Backup | DCI Clews | Episode: "Clubbing" | |
| 1995–1996 | Oscar's Orchestra | Thadius Vent, Tank (voice) | 37 episodes |
| 1996 | The Thin Blue Line | European Commissioner Mustafa Delcroix | Episode: "Ism Ism Ism" |
| God, Goliath (voice) | 2 episodes | ||
| The Final Passage | Cast member | Television film | |
| Interrogator | 1 episode | ||
| 1996–1998 | Dennis and Gnasher | Sergeant Slipper (voice) | 26 episodes |
| 1997 | Countdown to Tomorrow Never Dies | Narrator | Television film |
| 1998 | The Adventures of Captain Pugwash | Jonah, Dook (voice) | 26 episodes |
| Kiss Me Kate (TV series) | Client | Episode: "Holidays" | |
| 2000 | Black Books | Inspector Barry Norris | Episode: "Blackout" |
| 2001 | Office Gossip | Charles Mandelson | Episode: "Moving On" |
| Oswald | Johnny Snowman (UK voice) | Episode: "The Go-Kart Race/Autumn Leaves" | |
| Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) | Sebastian Snellgrove | Episode: "Marshall and Snellgrove" | |
| 2001–2003 | Bob the Builder | JJ (UK/US voice) Skip (UK voice) | UK/US versions 16 episodes |
| 2002–2005 | Ginger's Egg-scellent Adventures | Pembroke (voice) | UK/US versions Recurring cast |
| 2002–2006 | Judge John Deed | Newman Mason Allen Q.C. | 5 episodes |
| 2002 | Murder in Mind | Ray Marker | Episode: "Swan Song" |
| Mysteries of Easter Island | Narrator | UK version Television film | |
| Babyfather | Consultant | Episode: "#2.3" | |
| 2003 | Strange | Reverend Johnson | Episode: "Zoxim" Television miniseries |
| Yoko! Jakamoko! Toto! | Additional voices | Episode: "The Snow" | |
| 2004 | Jonathan Creek | Inspector Fell | Episode: "The Chequered Box" |
| 2005 | Beneath the Skin | Jeremy | Television film |
| Holby City | Felix Kente | Episode: "Great Expectations" | |
| 2006–2012; 2019 | Little Princess | Chef, Prime Minister, Horace, Various (voice) | 25 episodes |
| 2006 | Hyperdrive | Male Bulaahg | Episode: "Asteroid" |
| Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps | Brian | Episode: "Cauliflower" | |
| 2007 | Doctor Who | Heavenly Host (voice) | Episode: "Voyage of the Damned" |
| 2008–2015, 2020–2021 | Chuggington | Harrison, the King of Buffertonia (voice) | 30 episodes UK/US versions |
| The Cube | Narrator | 86 episodes | |
| 2009 | Torchwood: Children of Earth | General Austin Pierce | 3 episodes |
| Collision | Bill Jackson | 3 episodes Television miniseries | |
| 2010 | Hounded | Dr. Muhahaha | 5 episodes |
| Coronation Street | Mr. Jordan | ||
| Schizo Samurai Shitzhu | Dr. 10 | ||
| Reggie Perrin | Mr. Fox | ||
| 2011–2013 | Mike the Knight | Sparkie the Dragon (voice) | UK version 8 episodes |
| 2011–2016 | SkaterBots | Streck (voice) | 120 episodes |
| 2011 | Iconicles | Elvis the Horse (voice) | Episode: "Puddle Muddle" |
| Tinga Tinga Tales | Majitu the Giant (voice) | Episode: "Why Bushbaby Has Big Eyes" | |
| Holby City | Nick Horton | Episode: "Big Lies, Little Lies" | |
| 2012 | Dirk Gently | Terence Brown | Episode: "#1.1" |
| Bad Education | Politician | Episode: "Politics" | |
| Harry & Paul | 2 episodes | ||
| 2012–2013 | The Amazing World of Gumball | Additional Voices (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2013 | Jo | Captain Heger | Television miniseries Episodes: "The Opera" and "The Catacombes" Credited as Colin McFarlan |
| It's Kevin | Various | Episode: "#1.3" | |
| 2013–2014 | Zack & Quack | Belly-Up (voice) | 28 episodes |
| 2014 | EastEnders | DCI Irving | One episode |
| Plebs | Doctor | Episode: "The Patron" | |
| Citizen Khan | DI Taylor | Episode: "The In-Laws" | |
| On Angel Wings | Joseph | Television film | |
| 2015 | Casualty | Clifton Duheney | Episode: "Toxic Relationships" |
| Death in Paradise | Anton Burrage | Episode: "The Perfect Murder" | |
| Olympus | Hades | Episode: "Truth" | |
| Doctor Who | Moran | 2 episodes: "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood" | |
| Crown for Christmas | Chancellor Riggs | Television film | |
| 2016 | Father Brown | Cardinal Papillon | Episode: "The Daughter of Autolycus" |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Egeus | Television film | |
| Porridge | Judge | ||
| Peppa Pig | Mr. Lion (voice) | Episode: "The Zoo" | |
| Hooten & the Lady | Caleb | Television miniseries Episode: "The Caribbean" | |
| 2017 | Porridge | Judge (voice) | 3 episodes Television miniseries |
| The Rebel | Roderick | Episode: "Love" | |
| 2017–2020 | Thomas & Friends | Bulgy, Beresford, Dr. Holyfield, Various (voice) | UK/US versions |
| 2018 | Midsomer Murders | Jordan Briggs | Episode: "Till Death Do Us Part" |
| Starship Goldfish | The Avianaut / Secateur | Episode: "Starship Goldfish Cartoon Pilot" | |
| 2018–2020 | Outlander | Ulysses | Main character; Seasons 4–5 |
| 2020 | Industry | Lord Oaki | Episode: "Nutcracker" |
| 2020–present | Fireman Sam | Police Constable Malcolm Williams (voice) | UK/US version |
| 2020 | Fireman Sam: Norman Price and the Mystery in the Sky | UK/US version Television film | |
| 2021 | Queens of Mystery | Finton Boyle | Episode: "#2.5" |
| Code 404 | Bad Brian | Episode: "#2.4" | |
| The Cube (U.S) | The Cube (voice) | 10 episodes | |
| Milo | Suds (voice) | Channel 5 | |
| 2022 | Toast of Tinseltown | Weech Beacon | Episode: "3. The Scorecard" |
| Dodger | Mr Canker | Episode: "1. Runaways" | |
| Not Going Out | Foreman | 1 episode | |
| 2024 | Piglets | Chief Superintendent Cunningham | 3 episodes |
| 2025 | Death Valley | Bill Marcus | Episode: "#1.5" |
| The War Between the Land and the Sea | General Austin Pierce | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Fences | Bono | Paulette Randall | Duchess Theatre |
| 1992 | Roland's Afterlife | Empoli | BBC Radio 4 | Glyn Dearman |
| 2014 | Osiris: Pilot | General Trent Stone | Sherwood Sound Studios | Lisa Bowerman |
| 1996 | Duane Henderson, Concierge, Museum Security Guard | US title: Broken Sword: Circle of Blood | |
| 1997 | The City of Lost Children | Additional Voices | |
| G-Police | |||
| Lifeforce Tenka | US Title: Codename: Tenka | ||
| 2000 | |||
| 2001 | Gothic | NPCs | English dub |
| 2002 | Gothic II | ||
| 2003 | Primal | Abaddon / King Ilbis | |
| 2004 | Fable | Thunder | |
| 2005 | Constantine | Papa Midnite | |
| Cold Winter | Mahmoud Al-Fariq | ||
| Uzimushi | English dub | ||
| 2010 | The Forgotten One | ||
| 2011 | LittleBigPlanet 2 | Avalon Centrifuge | |
| Rashaad, Rusty | English version Credited as Colin MacFarlane | ||
| 2012 | PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale | Buzz Announcer | |
| 2013 | Rashaad / Rusty | English dub | |
| 2015 | Additional Voices | ||
| 2017 | Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 | Heimdall, Horus, Red Wolf | |
| 2019 | Planet Zoo | Bernard Goodwin | |
| 2020 | Othercide | Suffering | |
| 2022 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | Y | English dub |
| 2023 | Dead Island 2 | Dr. Reuben Reed | |
| Final Fantasy XVI | Zoltan | ||
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