Shaun Williamson
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Actor - EastEnders, Extras, Life’s Too Short – singer and all-round entertainer
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Best known for his decade-long portrayal of Barry Evans in EastEnders
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Hailed by Ricky Gervais as one of the best comic actors in Britain today
Born and raised in Maidstone, Kent, Shaun Williamson remains best known for his 10-year portrayal of hapless second-hand car dealer Barry Evans in BBC soap, EastEnders.
However, his range of talents are far more diverse and Shaun has become one of the nations best-loved comic actors. Since leaving Eastenders in 2004, he has starred in two series of Ricky Gervais’ hit sitcom Extras playing a satirical version of himself as Stephen Merchant’s hapless agent, and Life’s Too Short, from the same writers. He also appeared, alongside Stephen Merchant, in the 2009 Ricky Gervais film The Invention of Lying.
In an interview, Ricky Gervais hailed Shaun as one of the best comic actors in Britain today and likened him to the talent of Ronnie Corbett. Other television appearances have included roles in the detective series Inspector Morse and the BBC sitcom Waiting for God. In 2014, he appeared in an episode of Plebs called The Best Men as a depressed driving instructor. He also starred in the miniseries Houdini.
Aside from television, Shaun Williamson has starred in many west end touring shows including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, One Man Two Guvnors and Guys & Dolls. He also played Monty the DJ in the West End run and subsequent UK tour of Saturday Night Fever, and stars every year in panto.
However, his first love has and always will be is singing, and Shaun won the celebrity version of 'Stars In Their Eyes' for his uncanny performance as Meatloaf. He regularly appears performing live on stage at corporate and private events singing with an 11-piece soul band. More recently, clips of him singing classics such as Sweet Caroline and xx have gone viral on YouTube in what has become known as “Barryoke”.
Shaun Williamson is a highly versatile and accomplished stand-up comedian, singer and after dinner speaker. His career started with a variety of jobs including postman, a stint in the Navy and working in the wines & spirits department at Safeway's.
He then gained experience as a rep for Pontin's holiday parcs on the Isle Of Wight and as an 18-30's rep in Tenerife. He was the lead singer in a local band and whilst soul searching for his ideal career he joined a local amateur dramatics group before being accepted into the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art when he was 27 years old. Upon leaving drama school, Shaun appeared in several TV shows before landing the life-changing role of Barry Evans in Eastenders.
Shaun Williamson is an obsessive quizzer with a wide ranging general knowledge and in depth knowledge of films, pop music and boxing. Whilst appearing on the quiz show Today's The Day, he achieved the highest score in the history of the programme and more recently he won 'Celebrity Mastermind'.
Shaun is a very popular and sought-after entertainer for all manner of corporate and private events, from hosting black-tie award ceremonies and after dinner speaking to hosting quiz nights and belting out soul hits live on stage with his band.
Live performance
After dinner speaking clips
Exclusive interview with Shaun Williamson
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Where to begin! I can’t overemphasise how fantastic Shaun Williamson was, and the crowd LOVED him (as we knew they would).
Aside from being a pleasure to work with, the response from press and the Coca-Cola team has been so incredibly positive– and the results are already speaking for themselves.
Please pass on our heartfelt thanks to Shaun for his energy and commitment to making this activation the success it has been. Of course, thanks also for all of your work in bringing this to life! It’s been great to work with the whole team.
I Just wanted to drop you a line so that you could pass on our thanks to Shaun. There has been tremendous feedback from the staff and all really enjoyed Shaun’s superb performance and appreciated all the time he spent before and after the awards mingling with the staff and being available for photos. A great night made even more special with Shaun as our host.
It would be difficult to imagine a smoother, more pleasant experience than the one we had with Shaun Williamson. Shaun introduced our influential people and those staff who won awards with ease and professionalism. Shaun's comedy act was well received with our guests, as was the singing with the entertainers 3 to Swing. Please pass on our thanks to Shaun for helping us to achieve a successful event.
Shaun Williamson was fantastic last night!! He was so funny and a great sport with the singing and mingling... we all loved him.
Shaun Williamson was a surprise to many at our recent Awards & Gala Dinner as guests were not aware of just how funny and talented he is. Shaun was professional, approachable and researched our organisation well prior to the event. We have had nothing but good feedback and I would highly recommend Shaun to MC any event.
Please convey our thanks to Shaun Williamson - what can I say, we have been receiving such lovely comments this past week. Our staff enjoyed his comedy, singing and compering - such a professional but approachable, friendly and helpful. I just cannot thank him enough - it was perfect.
Shaun was everything we could have asked for and more, by far the best host that we have had. Not only did he eat with us, but he spent most of the meal time wandering around the room, approaching tables and chatting to people. Once the awards we done, instead of retreating to his room he spent another hour mingling (and even dancing) with our guests. I couldn’t thank him, or recommend him, enough based on the Stars of the Stokes evening.
Shaun was a superstar. We all really enjoyed his company – and his performances.
How to book Shaun Williamson for your event
To book Shaun Williamson, please submit an online enquiry to booking.agent@nmp.co.uk or contact one of our booking agents on +44 (0)20 3822 0003.
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