Keith Jayne
Encyclopedia
Keith Jayne is a British
actor, known for playing the title role in the 1981 television
adaptation
Stig of the Dump
.
A slow growth rate, due to a pituitary gland
problem, made Keith a target of bullies at grammar school
. To escape them, he enrolled with The Barbara Speake Stage School.
Early roles were in Rumpole of the Bailey
, Angels (TV series)
and a variety of Children's Film Foundation
productions.
In 1974, Keith appeared as Wilfred Schoenfeld in the Upstairs Downstairs episode The Beastly Hun.'
However, his big break happened in 1979 when he was cast as Tom Arnold, a cabin boy, in The Onedin Line
.
This was followed by the lead role in Thames Television
’s, BAFTA award nominated, adaptation of Stig of The Dump - which “is probably the part I am most remembered for.”
Keith appeared in all 54 episodes of Central TVs kid’s drama, Murphy’s Mob - as Boxer Reed in Murphy’s Mob.
His appearance as Will Chandler - “one of the most convincing and memorable companions the Doctor never had” – in the Doctor Who
serial The Awakening (Doctor Who)
, led John Nathan-Turner
to briefly consider making Keith a series regular.
Typecasting (often as a yokel
) persuaded Keith to study for a certificate in Finance
and Investment
. This coincided with a dark period his life when his earlier health problems came back to haunt him. “As a result of the growth hormone treatment I received as a child, I received a letter from the NHS
saying I may have contracted CJD
'.”
Keith’s high profile saw him interviewed on ITN, a broadcast that curtailed his acting career. “The fact that it was reported that I was dying did not help me get any further work as no casting director is going to employ you if there is a chance you will keel over before episode two.”
Having run a financial services business for the last 22 years, Keith is planning on a return to acting. Looking for an agent he has already made a brief return to television, as a guest in the Blast From The Past section of The Justin Lee Collins Show
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor, known for playing the title role in the 1981 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
adaptation
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
Stig of the Dump
Stig of the Dump
Stig of the Dump is a children's novel by Clive King published in 1963. It is regarded as a modern children's classic and is often read in schools. It has been twice adapted for television, in 1981 and in 2002.-Plot summary:...
.
A slow growth rate, due to a pituitary gland
Pituitary gland
In vertebrate anatomy the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g , in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity covered by a dural fold...
problem, made Keith a target of bullies at grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
. To escape them, he enrolled with The Barbara Speake Stage School.
Early roles were in Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
, Angels (TV series)
Angels (TV series)
Angels was originally a British television seasonal drama series dealing with the subject of student nurses and was broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1978. The show's format then switched to a twice weekly soap opera format from 1979 to 1983. The show's title derived from the name of the...
and a variety of Children's Film Foundation
Children's Film Foundation
The Children's Film Foundation was a non-profit-making organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom, typically running for about 55 minutes. It was founded in 1951. For 30 years it was subsidised by the Eady Levy - a tax on box office receipts, but this was abolished in 1985...
productions.
In 1974, Keith appeared as Wilfred Schoenfeld in the Upstairs Downstairs episode The Beastly Hun.'
However, his big break happened in 1979 when he was cast as Tom Arnold, a cabin boy, in The Onedin Line
The Onedin Line
The Onedin Line is a BBC television drama series which ran from 1971 to 1980. The series was created by Cyril Abraham.The series is set in Liverpool from 1860 to 1886 and deals with the rise of a shipping line, the Onedin Line, named after its owner James Onedin...
.
This was followed by the lead role in Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
’s, BAFTA award nominated, adaptation of Stig of The Dump - which “is probably the part I am most remembered for.”
Keith appeared in all 54 episodes of Central TVs kid’s drama, Murphy’s Mob - as Boxer Reed in Murphy’s Mob.
His appearance as Will Chandler - “one of the most convincing and memorable companions the Doctor never had” – in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial The Awakening (Doctor Who)
The Awakening (Doctor Who)
The Awakening is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast in two parts on 19 and 20 January 1984.-Synopsis:...
, led John Nathan-Turner
John Nathan-Turner
John Nathan-Turner was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, from 1980 until it was effectively cancelled in 1989...
to briefly consider making Keith a series regular.
Typecasting (often as a yokel
Yokel
Yokel is a derogatory term referring to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people.-Stereotype:In the US, it is used to describe someone living in rural areas...
) persuaded Keith to study for a certificate in Finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
and Investment
Investment
Investment has different meanings in finance and economics. Finance investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security for the principal amount, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time...
. This coincided with a dark period his life when his earlier health problems came back to haunt him. “As a result of the growth hormone treatment I received as a child, I received a letter from the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
saying I may have contracted CJD
CJD
CJD can mean:*Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare disease of the brain caused by prions, related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy*Chronological Julian Day, an alternate way of expressing the Julian Date...
'.”
Keith’s high profile saw him interviewed on ITN, a broadcast that curtailed his acting career. “The fact that it was reported that I was dying did not help me get any further work as no casting director is going to employ you if there is a chance you will keel over before episode two.”
Having run a financial services business for the last 22 years, Keith is planning on a return to acting. Looking for an agent he has already made a brief return to television, as a guest in the Blast From The Past section of The Justin Lee Collins Show
The Justin Lee Collins Show
The Justin Lee Collins Show is a British television talk show recently aired Thursday nights on the digital channel ITV2 starring Justin Lee Collins. Justin has a small band on the show and a continuing theme is to mention Labi Siffre as part of a joke. The series ended after one series after...
.