Please Rewind Talent Wall

Brian Pettifer

Brian Pettifer is a British actor whose career has been shaped by character parts, ensemble work and a long run of memorable television regulars. Born in Durban, South Africa, on 1 January 1953, he moved with his family to Glasgow in 1961. He studied a junior course at the Royal Scottish Academy, sharing a class with future colleague Alex Norton, and began acting as a child in BBC Scotland productions including This Man Craig and Dr Finlay's Casebook. Pettifer made his first film appearance in Lindsay Anderson's if...., playing Biles. He returned as the same character in Anderson's O Lucky Man! and Britannia Hospital, giving him an unusual thread through three films made across more than a decade. His later film work ranged from Amadeus and Little Dorrit to Loch Ness, The House of Mirth, Vanity Fair and Lassie. Television has provided some of Pettifer's most substantial roles. After moving to London in 1971, he appeared in series including Timeslip, Take Three Girls, Sutherland's Law, Last of the Summer Wine and Return of the Saint. He played cousin Hughie in The Liver Birds and Bruce Leckie in the national service comedy Get Some In! Between 1995 and 1997, he appeared in every episode of Hamish Macbeth as shop owner Rory Campbell, whose relationship with Esme was kept secret. He was also a regular presence in Rab C. Nesbitt as Andra Binnie, usually found alongside Rab at the bar. Further television work included Conspiracy, Bleak House, New Tricks, The Field of Blood, The Musketeers and Holby City. On film, he reunited with Hamish Macbeth co-star Robert Carlyle for The Legend of Barney Thomson, played Angus in the remake of Whisky Galore!, and appeared opposite Timothy Spall as Billy, a drunken bus passenger, in the 2021 road-trip drama The Last Bus. Across these roles, Pettifer has built a screen career around supporting characters who add texture, humour or tension without needing to take centre stage.