Karl Collins

Born on October 20, 1971, in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, Karl Collins began his acting journey as a child member of the Central Junior Television Workshop. His early career included appearances in television programmes such as ‘Dramarama’ and ‘Your Mother Wouldn’t Like It’ (1985-1988), where he played various roles across 21 episodes. A notable early film role was in Shane Meadows’ debut feature, ‘TwentyFourSeven’ (1997), where he played the character Stuart. Collins also had a recurring role as a car thief named ‘Craven’ in ‘EastEnders’ in the early 1990s.

Collins gained significant recognition for his role as DC Danny Glaze in the long-running television series ‘The Bill,’ appearing in 157 episodes from 1991 to 2003. His career progressed with notable parts in various British television dramas, including ‘Casualty,’ ‘Holby City,’ ‘By Any Means,’ and ’55 Degrees North.’ A turning point came with his casting as Shaun Temple, Donna Noble’s fiancé, in the ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special ‘The End of Time’ (2009-2010), a role he reprised in 2023 as Donna Noble’s husband. His diverse acting range was further showcased in the anthology series ‘Black Mirror,’ where he appeared in the episode ‘The Entire History of You’ (2011).

From 2015 to 2019, Karl Collins was a series regular on the Channel 4 soap opera ‘Hollyoaks,’ playing Louis Loveday across 221 episodes, a character who was eventually killed off. More recently, he has taken on roles such as Noah in the Apple TV series ‘Trying’ (2022-2024), Lennox in the BBC series ‘Champion’ (2023), and Jack Whiteley in ‘Magpie Murders’ (2022). His film credits also include ‘Attack the Block’ (2011) as Dennis’ Dad and ‘The Flash’ (2023) as Henry’s Lawyer, demonstrating a sustained presence in both television and film.