# Jesse Birdsall
**Jesse Birdsall** is an English actor, known for his roles as Nick Beckett in the adventure series *Bugs*, as football manager Roger Webb in the ITV drama *Footballers' Wives*, as gangster Fraser Black in the soap opera *Hollyoaks*, and as Marcus Tandy in the BBC1 soap *[Eldorado](https://www.edgepedia.org/eldorado-tv-series)*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963, Highbury, London, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/) |
| Signature TV role | Nicholas Beckett in *Bugs* (1995–1999), 40 episodes[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/70310/jesse-birdsall) |
| Soap roles | Roger Webb in *Footballers' Wives* (2004–2006, 24 episodes); Fraser Black in *Hollyoaks* (2013–2014, 107 episodes); Marcus Tandy in *Eldorado* (1992)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/) |
| Best-reviewed films | *Wish You Were Here* (1987) at 85% and *Getting It Right* (1989) at 71% on Rotten Tomatoes[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse-birdsall) |
| Marriage | Married to actress Gwyneth Strong since 15 July 2000; two children, Oscar (born 1988) and Lottie (born 1991)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/) |
| Screen credits | About 70 acting credits listed by IMDb, plus 8 self-appearances[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/) |
## Early career and film
Birdsall's earliest screen appearances date to the late 1970s: an uncredited part as an aggressive rocker in the 1979 film *Quadrophenia*, a role in the 1979 *Minder* special *Minder on the Orient Express*, and the 1982 films *Remembrance* and *Tangiers*[4](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/jesse-birdsall) • [5](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/jesse_birdsall/). His first regular television role was Pete Daniels in the 1984 series *Annika*, in three episodes[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/70310/jesse-birdsall).
His two best-received film roles came in the late 1980s. In *Wish You Were Here* (1987) he played Dave, and in the romantic comedy *Getting It Right* (1989), directed by Randal Kleiser, he played Gavin Lamb[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse-birdsall) • [6](https://westernmagazine.co.uk/jesse-birdsall-biography-career-movies-tv-shows/). On Rotten Tomatoes, *Wish You Were Here* remains his highest-rated film at 85 percent with critics and 76 percent with audiences[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse-birdsall).
## Television success
Birdsall played Marcus Tandy, a [Costa del Sol](https://www.edgepedia.org/costa-del-sol) bad boy, in *Eldorado*, a BBC soap that ran for just one year until 1993[7](https://www.whattowatch.com/hollyoaks-home/hollyoaks-news/jesse-to-reunite-with-footballers-wife-gillian-in-hollyoaks-101868). The role was followed by his longest-running part: Nicholas (Nick) Beckett in the adventure series *Bugs*, which he played in 40 episodes between 1995 and 1999[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/70310/jesse-birdsall).
In *Footballers' Wives*, the ITV drama about the lives of footballers and their families, he played the manipulative football manager Roger Webb between 2004 and 2006, in 24 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/) • [4](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/jesse-birdsall). His character was married to Jackie, played by [Gillian Taylforth](https://www.edgepedia.org/gillian-taylforth); the two actors were later reunited on screen when Birdsall joined *Hollyoaks* in 2013 as the love interest of Sandy Roscoe, Taylforth's character[7](https://www.whattowatch.com/hollyoaks-home/hollyoaks-news/jesse-to-reunite-with-footballers-wife-gillian-in-hollyoaks-101868).
In *Hollyoaks* he played the gangster Fraser Black from August 2013 until the character's death in April 2014; the character briefly appeared in new flashback footage in July 2014[8](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Jesse_Birdsall). IMDb credits him with 107 episodes of the show[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/).
## Guest roles and later work
Birdsall has appeared as a guest in many long-running British series, often in more than one part. He played two characters in *Casualty* (Mike in 1992 and Norman Kerr in 2010) and two in *Midsomer Murders* (Harry Painter in 2002 and Mike Johnson in 2009)[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/70310/jesse-birdsall). Other guest credits include Morris Crooks in *Foyle's War* (2008), Tony Morgan in *New Tricks* (2011), John Hewland in two 2012 episodes of *EastEnders*, and John Barron in *Inspector Morse*[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/70310/jesse-birdsall) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/). In *Holby City* he played Steven Fletcher and Dillon Ellis across 12 episodes between 2006 and 2018[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/).
His film work in recent years includes Hemp in *Essex Boys: Law of Survival* (2015) and Ali in the Mod-culture road film *The Pebble and the Boy* (2021), which follows a young Manchester man who rides a [Lambretta](https://www.edgepedia.org/lambretta) scooter to Brighton[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/). In 2025 he appeared as [John McKay](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-mckay) in *Riot on Redchurch Street: The Director's Cut*, reprising the role of Dapper John McKay from the 2012 film[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/). Earlier genre credits include Scott in the comedy-horror film *Nightscare* (1994, listed 1995 by IMDb) and the villain Ron Gregory in a few episodes of *The Bill*[4](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/jesse-birdsall) • [9](https://tubitv.com/person/4a1785/jesse-birdsall).
## Personal life
Birdsall has been married to the actress [Gwyneth Strong](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwyneth-strong), known for *Only Fools and Horses*, since 15 July 2000. The couple has two children, Oscar (born 1988) and Lottie (born 1991)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/).
## References
1. [Jesse Birdsall, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0083467/)
2. [Jesse Birdsall, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/70310/jesse-birdsall)
3. [Jesse Birdsall, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse-birdsall)
4. [Jesse Birdsall, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/jesse-birdsall)
5. [Jesse Birdsall, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/jesse_birdsall/)
6. [Jesse Birdsall: A Comprehensive Biography and Career Overview, Western Magazine](https://westernmagazine.co.uk/jesse-birdsall-biography-career-movies-tv-shows/)
7. [Jesse to reunite with Footballers' wife Gillian in Hollyoaks, What to Watch](https://www.whattowatch.com/hollyoaks-home/hollyoaks-news/jesse-to-reunite-with-footballers-wife-gillian-in-hollyoaks-101868)
8. [Jesse Birdsall, Hollyoaks Wiki](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Jesse_Birdsall)
9. [Jesse Birdsall's Movies and TV Shows, Tubi](https://tubitv.com/person/4a1785/jesse-birdsall)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames A to B*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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