David Lloyd is an English actor and screenwriter, perhaps best known from his role in Maid Marian and her Merry Men, where he played Graeme, one of the two guards.
Biography
David Lloyd was born in 1955 in Wallasey, Cheshire, England, and is, according to the IMDb, 6' 1" tall. Lloyd studied drama at Manchester University between 1978 and 1981, where he met and worked closely with Ben Elton, later one of Britain's foremost comedians and a key figure in Alternative comedy.
Sitcoms
Lloyd's friendship with Elton led to him appearing in minor roles in the landmark 1980s sitcom The Young Ones, as well as that series' less-well-received semi-sequel Filthy Rich & Catflap. Bitparts followed in other sitcoms: Lloyd was a postman in Making Out, a recurring German guard in 'Allo 'Allo and a policeman in The New Statesman, with Young Ones star Rik Mayall. Lloyd also featured in an episode of Mayall and Edmonson's 1991 sitcom Bottom.
Maid Marian
Lloyd is best known, however, for his role as Graeme in the 1989 BBCChildren's Television seriesMaid Marian and her Merry Men. Alongside Mark Billingham's Gary, the two guards were ostensibly part of 'ye baddies', but were really very sympathetic, comedic sidekicks and foils to Tony Robinson's Sheriff of Nottingham. Initially, this semi-musical pseudo-Children's comedy programme was written solely by Mr Robinson, but by the third series, both Lloyd and Billingham were helping out with storylines and scripts, both ultimately gaining on-screen credits as co-writers. The three remain friends, and can be seen discussing writing Maid Marian on the DVD release of Series 3.
Other children's TV
Lloyd 's work on Maid Marian with Tony Robinson gave them a grounding in comedy scriptwriting, and spurred them to write more. Between 1993 and 1996, the two collaborated on the writing of another children's comedy programme: Harry's Mad, based on the novel by British children's authorDick King-Smith. The programme featured an intelligent talking parrot, inherited by his owner, Harry, upon the death of his uncle. The parrot's abilities were only known by a select few, but would be heard at inopportune moments, causing considerable trouble for Harry. The show ran for four series, and also featured Lloyd, Billingham and Maid Marian co-star Howard Lew Lewis in various small roles. Soon after, Lloyd was back in front of the cameras, playing Mr Bill Hunter, the husband of Tessa Peake-Jones's character, who adopt the main character of Dinah Glass in the BBC series The Demon Headmaster. Although rarely seen during the first series, Lloyd's character played a larger role in the second and third. In March 2009 he made a guest appearance as Mr Marvelloso in the BBC children's series 'Grandpa in my Pocket'.
Screenwriting
While taking minor roles in such programmes as Casualty, The Bill and Waking the Dead, Mr Lloyd has turned his skill and experience from Maid Marian and Harry's Mad into a symbiotic career as an accomplished screenwriter of non-Children's programmes, having produced scripts for Casualty and EastEnders. In 2001, he began writing for the daytime BBC medical soap/drama Doctors, and has rapidly become one of the most prolific writers on that show having written over 65 episodes. His 2002-penned episode "It Shouldn't Happen to a Doctor" received a "Most Spectacular Scene" nomination at the British Soap Awards for its final scene.
Non TV
David Lloyd was the match-day announcer for Bristol City football club, and is also a keen cricketer with Backwell Flax Bourton for whom he is Youth Organiser. He plays for the Somerset County Over 60s team, and is also a regular umpire in the West of England Premier League. He is a regular book reviewer on BBC Radio Bristol and owns a 50% share in a cider press. You can follow him on Twitter: @dave_backwell
