CV: Mark Bonnar

The Scottish actor, currently starring in black comedy drama Guilt (9pm, BBC2), is fast becoming a familiar face on the small screen. Here’s how his career has progressed so far...

Early life: Mark was born on November 19, 1968 in Edinburgh. After leaving school, he worked in local libraries for five years and in the council’s planning department for two. He was always interested in drama, but it wasn’t until he was 23 that Mark decided to quit his job and go to drama school. Making his mark: His first TV role was in a 2001 adaptation of Ian Rankin’s Rebus novel Dead Souls, playing DI Jim Margolies, and he has gone on to play several police officers: DC Colin Morris in Loving You (2003); DC Ed Harvey in The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2007); DS Ben Holt in Paradox (2009); and Detective Finney in Psychoville (2011).

Breaking through: His most eye-catching performance also came in uniform, as DCC Dryden in the second series of the police corruption drama Line Of Duty (2014). After that, he landed roles in two of the most talked about shows of 2017, as Emily Watson’s husband in BBC1’S Apple Tree Yard, and as gay barrister Colin Osborne in the second series of ITV’S Unforgotten. Game for a laugh: Mark showed his comedy credentials in Channel 4’s domestic comedy Catastrophe (2015-19), playing Chris, the acerbic husband of Ashley Jensen’s Fran. He also played the part of Officer Meekie in the recent BBC reboot of Porridge (2017).