The bestJamie Demetrioumovies and TV shows make it easy to see why the British comedian is slowly but surely finding his way into prominent roles in Hollywood blockbusters. Born in 1987 in London, Jamie Demetriou is the brother ofWhat We Do In The Shadowsstar Natasia Demetriou, and the pair’s early careers in comedy included plenty of collaborations. However, it was Jamie Demetriou’s one-man show in 2009 that gained him enough attention to bring his talents from the stage to the screen.
After appearing in several ensemble-cast sketch shows such asDrunk Historyand serving as a writer on hit UK sitcoms likeFriday Night Dinner,Jamie Demetriou found his big break arrived when he landed the part of Bus Rodentin 2016’sFleabag.Phoebe Waller Bridge’s celebrated sitcom allowed Demetriou to gain a reputation outside the UK, and from there his career has gone from strength to strength. While the best Jamie Demetriou movies and TV shows showcase more prominence on the small screen than the big, they also highlight that his name becoming widely known among Hollywood comedians may be right around the corner.
Barbie
Cast
Barbie is a film adaptation of the generational iconic toy directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach. The film centers on Margot Robbie’s Barbie who is expelled from Barbieland and travels with Ken (Ryan Gosling) to the real world in search of happiness. The film also stars Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, and several other famous celebrities in cameo roles.
Jamie Demetriou is incredibly successful on the small screen, as his best TV shows reveal. However, when it comes to films and feature-length projects, his best movies reveal him as an emerging Hollywood talent. As such, many of his most well-known movie appearances are relatively minor roles in blockbuster films - and none demonstrate this more perfectly than 2023’sBarbie.
While he only appears as one of several Mattel employees, Demetriou being partof theBarbiecastshowcases how he appears to be on the cusp of becoming a widely recognized comedic presence on the big screen.Sharing scenes with the legendary Will Ferrell is undoubtedly a career milestone for Jamie Demetriou, and that fact that many viewers instantly recognized him due to his roles in the likes ofFleabagandThe Afterpartyshows that he’s already making a name for himself outside his native UK.
Paddington 2
Paddington 2 follows the beloved bear as he settles with the Brown family and takes on various jobs to purchase an ideal gift for Aunt Lucy’s birthday. His plans are thwarted when the gift is stolen, setting off a chain of humorous and heartfelt adventures in pursuit of the thief.
2017’sPaddington 2has become a cult phenomenonamong family movies, both in the UK where the franchise originates, and abroad. The sequel to 2014’sPaddington, Paddington 2takes a somewhat darker turn than the original in its plot, as it sees the titular bear being sentenced to 10 years in prison after being falsely accused of theft. While still a lighthearted kids' movie, the emotional stakes being much higher inPaddington 2definitely helped the sequel, and ensured it ranks among the best movies Jamie Demetriou has been cast in.
While his role is relatively minor, Jamie Demetriou still manages to shine as one of Paddington’s fellow inmates, known only as the professor.Paddington 2is one of several films that ranks among the best Jamie Demetriou movies due to the overall viewing experience rather than Demetriou himself being central to the plot, but it still marks an important career stepping-stone for the British comedian.
Cruella
Cruella is the live-action reimagining of the 101 Dalmatians villain and her origin story. It stars Emma Stone as Estella, an aspiring fashion designer and talented grifter. After finding herself pitted against her boss, the Baroness (Emma Thompson), she creates the alter-ego Cruella, a dangerous criminal who will do whatever it takes to get ahead in both the fashion world and in life.
Jamie Demetriou is primarily known for his roles in TV shows, though he’s appeared in multiple blockbusters over first few years of the decade. One of the most prominent was in 2021’sCruella,the live-action101 Dalmatiansprequel (in a loose sense) that delivered an origin story for Cruella de Vil (Emma Stone). Like many of Demetriou’s roles in blockbuster titles, his partin theCruellacastwas relatively minor, but he managed to make it memorable.
Appearing purely for comic relief. Jamie Demetriou plays Gerald inCruella,the manager of Cruella (or, as she’s known at the time, Estella) when she works at a department store. Like many of Demetriou’s characters, Gerald is bumbling and quite socially unaware, with the qualities becoming hilarious and borderline scene-stealing thanks to the actor’s talents.The flamboyant 1970s haircut Gerald sports also certainly help to make Demetriou memorable inCruellatoo.
Strays
Strays (2023) is a comedy film that follows the unexpected journey of an abandoned dog trying to navigate life without his owner. Featuring a blend of animated and live-action sequences, the movie delves into themes of friendship, resilience, and survival as the determined canine finds allies in other strays. Voices in the film include Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx.
2023’sStraysis an R-Rated comedy that sees a host of genre staples voicing dogs and other animals in a similar fashion to the many family-friendly movies of previous decades, such as 1995’sBabeor 2001’sCats & Dogs.Jamie Demetriou appears inStraysas bulldog Chester, starring alongside the likes of Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, and Randall Park.
While his role is relatively small, Jamie Demetriou is part of one of the funniest jokes inStrays.Essentially, Chest has a remote collar that delibers a small electric current if he ventures past the edge of the front lawn. This has led Chester, and the other dogs in the neighborhood, to believe in a mystical ‘invisible fence’ around his home.Straysmay not be Demetriou’s most prominent role, but it stands as an example of his voice acting talents, and that his skills as a comedian work well in R-Rated movies.
Miracle Workers
Miracle Workers is a TBS-based television series that began in 2019 and is currently set to see its fourth season in 2023. A Comedy anthology series, each season follows a different story that revolves around the inner-workings of angelic “miracle workers” and God.
Miracle Workersran on TBS between 2019 and 2023, with the cast led by Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi. The story and setting changed across each season, and it was in season 2 (set in the Dark Ages) in 2020 that Jamie Demetriou appeared as the Town Crier. While the role isn’t integral to the plot, it’s one of the funniest characters Demetriou has played so far in his career, and one that makes full use of the comedic talents he’s become known for.
Like many aspects of season 2 ofMiracle Workers,Jamie Demetriou’s Town Crier takes many tropes associated with media in the modern day and plants them into the historic setting. Setting Demetriou as a man with a bell shouting celebrity gossip or local events in the style of a modern newscaster or social media post is incredibly funny.His part in theMiracle Workerscast may not be central to the story, but Demetriou’s comedic talents proved essential in selling the humor of the setting.
The Great
A drastic departure from the true story, The Great tells the story of Catherine The Great, who went from being an outsider to the most powerful and longest-ruling woman in Russia’s history. But, after assuming the throne from a coup against her husband, she soon discovers enacting her form of liberation of the country will be a challenge - and she’ll have to fight everyone she knows to get it done.
Jamie Demetriou’s role as Doctor Chekhov in period comedyThe Greatonly included appearing in four episodes. However, like many of the actor’s best movies and TV shows, he managed to make the role his own. His performance was so distinctive that many fans immediately noted his absencefromThe Greatcastin the second season.
Demetriou’s Chekhov appeared in four episodes ofThe Greatseason 1, and was particularly important during a narrative arc that saw Catherine (Elle Fanning) and Marial (Phoebe Fox) attempting to navigate an outbreak of smallpox.Jamie Demetirou’s depiction of the real Russian historical medical legend is, as is common for his best roles, hilarious. He brings a distinct sense of indifference to Chekhov’s character, and the chemistry he shares with Elle Fanning when Catherine becomes increasingly unnerved by the physician are a highlight ofThe Greatseason 1.
Sherlock Gnomes
Sherlock Gnomes follows garden gnomes Gnomeo and Juliet as they enlist the help of renowned detective Sherlock Gnomes to solve the mysterious disappearance of other garden ornaments. Released in 2018, this animated adventure continues the whimsical tale with new challenges and characters.
2018’sSherlock Gnomesis a British animated comedy and sequel to 2011’sGnomeo and Juliet.As the title suggests,Sherlock Gnomesis a loose adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective Sherlock Holmes, except rather than being a human in the 19th century, he’s a modern-day garden gnome (and voiced by Johnny Depp). Just like his literary counterpart, Sherlock Gnomes has a nemesis in the form of Moriarty - and it’s the legendary villain that Jamie Demetriou voices in the 2018 comedy.
Jamie Demetriou is no stranger to family movies, but his work inSherlock Gnomesis both his most prominent casting in the genre and one of his best performances. He manages to make Moriarty stand out, even in a cast stacked with A-listers like Depp, James McAboy, Emily Blunt, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine, Ozzy Osbourne, Stephen Merchant, and Mary J. Blige.It’s certainly a unique role, and one that stands out among the best Jamie Demetriou movies and TV shows due to it relying solely on his vocal talents.
The Afterparty
The Afterparty is a murder-mystery comedy series created for Apple TV+. The show structure focuses on several different characters that all attend an afterparty event with a murder central to the story. A detective interrogates the partygoers to reveal the culprit in each episode, with each person’s accounts of the night given unique directorial flourishes that show inconsistencies in the overall case.
Playing Walt Butler inThe Afterpartyonly misses out on a higher ranking among the best Jamie Demetriou TV shows by an impossibly narrow margin. There are also likely many fans of the British comedic actor who would argue it should place higher. However, while there’s debate over whether the prominence of the show that beat it to second place (which many consider one of the best sitcoms of all time) makes it a better Demetriou appearance thanThe Afterparty,there’s no doubt that Walt Butler is one of his best roles.
Jamie Demetriou appeared as amain character inThe Afterpartyseason 1, and was a recurring presence in season 2. Awkward and bumbling, Walt is utterly dismayed that none of the other characters know who he is despite the fact they went to highschool together, which is played hilariously by Demetriou. While not as prominent or widely known as some of his other best TV show appearances,mystery-comedyThe Afterpartyis guaranteed to delight any Jamie Demetriou fans wanting a show that places him more centrally in the cast.
Fleabag
Created by and starring Pheobe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag follows its titular main character through her life in modern-day London. After the death of her best friend and the imminent demise of their joint business venture, the show deals with Fleabag’s grief over the loss, her struggle to maintain the business, and her complicated relationships with her immediate family. The show is known for its use of the fourth-wall break and is based on Waller-Bridge’s award-winning one-woman show which debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013.
While his character may not be the most prominent or central across the entire show, Jamie Demetriou’s appearance inFleabagseason 1 as Bus Rodent remains one of the most widely recognized roles.Fleabagisn’t one of the best Jamie Demetriou TV shows because he features heavily in it, but because his performance during the two episodes in which he appeared ensured he’d be remembered as one of the most memorable guest characters in the show.
Jamie Demetriou’sFleabagcharacter, Bus Rodent, is a fleeting romantic interest for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag (the central character in the sitcom). So named because of his buck teeth and the fact Fleabag met him on a bus. Though Fleabag never has any true romantic interest in Bus Rodent, the same isn’t true in reverse, which is played hilariously well by Demetriou.It’s fair to say that appearing inFleabaghelped cement Demetriou’s name as a British comedic presence with heaps of potential, and the show’s popularity overseas made it an important career stepping-stone for the actor.
Stath Lets Flats
Stath Lets Flats is a British sitcom created by and starring Jamie Demetriou. The show follows an inept and socially awkward letting agent named Stath who works for his father’s estate agency in London, struggling to navigate his job and personal life.
The 2018-2019 sitcomStath Lets Flatsis inarguably the best Jamie Demtriou TV show, which is only fitting since the British comedian also created and wrote the series.Stath Lets Flatsnot only won the BAFTA for Best Scripted Comedy in 2020, but also landed Demetriou himself the award for Best Male Comedy Performance. The sitcom’s premise is relatively straightforward - Stath Charalambos (Demetriou) is hired at his father’s letting agency, renting out apartments, and is terrible at it.
Of course, like most sitcoms, the brilliance is in the execution rather than the premise.Stath Lets Flatsis hilarious and showcases exactly why so many considerJamie Demetriouto be a rising comedic talent worth keeping an eye on. While it’s a far less prominent project than blockbusters likeBarbieorCruella,or TV shows likeThe Great,nothing else Demetriou appears in has him as such a central character.When it comes to the best Jamie Demetriou movies or TV shows, nothing will satisfy fans of the British comedian anywhere near as fully asStath Lets Flats.
