Paul Higgins

Acting

Paul Higgins

Scotland, UK

Paul Higgins is a Scottish actor, best known for appearing in the British television series The Thick of It, Utopia and Line of Duty. Higgins was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was raised as a Roman Catholic, but now he considers himself a lapsed Catholic. As a teenager, he trained to be a priest, but gave his training up aged 17 when he began dating. Higgins has appeared onstage in Paul and Black Watch, and in the film Complicity. He played Alan in Staying Alive, a hospital drama on ITV. He has also played Jamie McDonald, an aggressive press officer, in the BBC show The Thick of It and its spin-off feature-length film, In the Loop. In 2009, he appeared as Gil Cameron on the BBC drama Hope Springs. He played Michael Dugdale in Channel 4's acclaimed conspiracy thriller Utopia. In 2013 he appeared in series 1 of the BBC series Line of Duty and returned for season 4 in 2017. He wrote a play titled Nobody Will Ever Forgive Us, which was performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland in November 2008.

Acting credits

Apostle poster
6.1

In 1905, a man travels to a remote island in search of his missing sister who has been kidnapped by a mysterious religious cult.

Apostle

2018

Greed poster
5.6

A retail billionaire's 60th birthday party is celebrated in an exclusive hotel on the Greek island of Mykonos.

Greed

2019

Victoria & Abdul poster
6.9

Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.

Victoria & Abdul

2017

Being Human poster
5.1

One man must learn the meaning of courage across four lifetimes centuries apart.

Being Human

1994

In the Loop poster
7.0

The US President and the UK Prime Minister are planning on launching a war in the Middle East, but—behind the scenes—government officials and advisers are either promoting the war or are trying to prevent it.

In the Loop

2009

Spinners and Losers poster
8.7

Peter Mannion's speech on immigration, leaking the PM's policy, did not have the effect Tucker desired and now the PM is resigning, leaving the way clear for the Nutters and their leader Tom. Ollie has been promised a job by young Nutter Ben Swain, Tucker's assistant has encouraged Hugh's predecessor Cliff to stand as a stalking horse and Glenn is keen to keep Hugh in the frame whilst his boss is in Australia. Fortunately Tom has a dark secret which is just what Tucker is looking for but will it be enough?

Spinners and Losers

2007

Red Road poster
6.5

Jackie is a CCTV operator. One day, a man shows his face on her monitor, a man she hoped never to see again. Now she has no choice and is compelled to confront him.

Red Road

2006

Meat Puppet poster
6.0

Oz, an irresponsible man baby, nearly misses his girlfriend’s Graduation because he’s too busy playing with toys. Before he can make amends, a mysterious package arrives containing a mangy old hand puppet. Despite the pressing need to be there for his girlfriend, Oz can’t resist trying on the puppet first and instantly has his soul imprisoned in its soft foam body. Oz is left to contemplate the sorry state of his life choices while his human body dies before his eyes. If he’s to have any hope of saving his relationship, and surviving, he’ll have to do the one thing he’s always avoided: grow up.

Meat Puppet

2024

The Negotiator poster
9.0

A serious heart condition puts an end to Charlie King's job as a "street copper", but he refuses the offer of a desk job and a promotion. When a secret team of negotiators approaches him with the offer of a job, he's intrigued, but who is he dealing with?

The Negotiator

1994

Birthday Girl poster
7.0

A woman decides to celebrate her recovery from leukaemia by throwing a party. But before the big night, she discovers that the illness has returned. She decides to postpone telling everyone until the aprty is over, but during the evening she discovers that she is not the only one with a secret.

Birthday Girl

2002

Low Winter Sun poster
6.1

Frank Agnew is a police detective who kills for revenge and naively believes he's engineered the perfect crime.

Low Winter Sun

2006

Utopia poster
8.0

After a group of people, who meet online, discover a bizarre graphic novel which seems to hold mysterious answers, they find themselves being tracked down by a merciless organization known merely as 'The Network'.

Utopia

2013

Bedrooms and Hallways poster
6.0

At the suggestion of a straight friend, gay man Leo joins a men’s group, where he causes some upsets by declaring his attraction to one of its members.

Bedrooms and Hallways

1998

Beautiful Creatures poster
5.6

When Petula and Dorothy cover up the accidental murder of one jerk boyfriend, they hatch a hilarious scheme to collect a huge ransom.

Beautiful Creatures

2000

Tumbledown poster
5.7

The film centers on the experiences of Robert Lawrence MC, an officer of the Scots Guards during the Falklands War of 1982. While fighting at the Battle of Mount Tumbledown, Lawrence is shot in the head by an Argentine sniper and left paralyzed on his left side. He then must learn to adjust to his new disability.

Tumbledown

1988

The Party's Just Beginning poster
6.2

In a bleak Inverness midwinter, Luisaidh is careening off the rails after the suicide of her best friend. She medicates her misery with joyless sex, chips and a belief in the power of positive drinking. Surrounded by bittersweet memories, she struggles to find someone to talk to or some reason to make life worthwhile at the most stressful time of the year.

The Party's Just Beginning

2018

Kill poster
5.4

The story centres on three brothers and their violent father who live in a remote forest. The brothers attempt to kill their father while on a hunting expedition but this instead begins a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Kill

2024

Charlie Cloudhead poster
NR

A tragic comedy drama about a man who bottles up his problems into a cloud floating above his head. A tense birthday dinner with his wife forces Charlie to confront his issues with spectacular results.

Charlie Cloudhead

2016

The Rise of the Nutters poster
8.6

With Hugh in Australia and Glenn in Wales, Ollie is left in charge, feeding policies to junior minister Ben Swain. He is one of the 'Nutters', the group keen to take power when the P.M. resigns and keen to make a name for himself - which he does in the wrong sense when Jeremy Paxman skewers him on 'Newsnight'. This is music to Tucker's ears as it is in his interest for the P.M. to remain in power for as long as he can. Ollie's new girlfriend Emma is working for Shadow Minister Peter Mannion and hopes to impress by stealing one of Ollie's idea for use on their immigration policy though things do not go fully to plan.

The Rise of the Nutters

2007

Complicity poster
5.8

Local journalist, Cameron Colley writes articles that are idealistic, from the viewpoint of the underdog. A twisted serial killer seems to have some motives. His brutal murders are also committed on behalf of the underdog. The stories begin to merge and Cameron find himself inextricably and inextricably implicated by the brutal killer. The arms dealer that Cameron plans to expose is found literally 'disarmed' before he can put pen to paper. The brewery chief, loathed by Cameron, who sold up at the expense of his workers, finds himself permanently unemployable. The police are convened of Cameron's guilt and so are half his friends and colleagues. Cameron is forced to employ all his investigative skills to find the real killer and his motive.

Complicity

2000

Riot poster
5.6

An heiress is kidnapped during the chaos of a riot on Christmas Eve.

Riot

1996

Rik Mayall Presents: Micky Love poster
7.1

Mickey Love is an aging television quiz show host who after climbing his way back to the top after conquering alcoholism has hosted the highly rated "Family Values" for over ten years. But when he hears a false rumor that his show will be axed to make way for a new one to be hosted by young upstart Greg Deane. Mickey bitterly resorts to desperate measures to cling on to his career. Little does Mickey know however is that his bosses actually have something else in store for him.

Rik Mayall Presents: Micky Love

1993

11th Hour poster
6.4

Based on a true story, 11th Hour recounts how, on the evening of 9/11, Maria Jose's bar is heaving with locals united in grief and a building rage.

11th Hour

2017

Couple in a Hole poster
5.1

A middle-aged couple who have renounced civilization to live in a cave in the woods are befriended by a local farmer with mysterious ulterior motives.

Couple in a Hole

2016

Behind the camera