Nigel Hastings

Nigel trained at LAMDA.

His stage work includes productions at the Globe, the Royal Exchange, and several West End productions and UK regional tours. He starred as Jeff in the hit two-hander And Then Come the Night Jars, first at Theatre503, two successful UK tours, and in the film adaptation, which was longlisted for the 2024 Baftas.

Further recent stage credits include Much Ado About Nothing, at the Queen’s Theatre, the UK tour of Alan Ayckbourn’s Henceforward, Asif Khan’s Combustion (Tara Arts/Arcola/UK tour), Schiller’s Dmitry and Gogol’s The Government Inspector at the Marylebone Theatre. He most recently appeared in Hampstead’s production of Visit from an Unknown Woman. He is currently in The Forsyte Saga at the Park Theatre until 7 December – the production has opened to fantastic reviews.

Nigel’s numerous screen credits include Peaky Blinders, Hustle, Wire in the Blood, Innocent , Doctor Who, Call The Midwife, A Very English Scandal and most recently The Way, directed by Michael Sheen.

 

Forsyte Saga reviews

Visit from an Unknown Woman

Nigel bookends Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of Stefan Zweig’s short story, directed by Chelsea Walker, at Hampstead until 27 July.

 

‘the wonderfully inscrutable Nigel Hastings’ – Financial Times

And Then Come The Nightjars

Nigel produces and stars in the upcoming film adaptation of the hit two-hander And Then Come The Nightjars, which will premiere on 25 August at the Chichester Film Festival, with general theatrical release on 1 September.

Dmitry

Nigel joins the cast of Dmitry, directed by Tim Supple at the new Marylebone Theatre in Rudolf Steiner House.

Reviews:

The Guardian 

The Upcoming

British Theatre Guide

Nigel Hastings in Father Brown

Nigel most recently appeared in Father Brown on BBC1

Nigel Hastings

Nigel can be seen in Episode 2 of A Very English Scandal on

Sunday 27th May, 9.00pm BBC1

Reviews for A Passage to India

Reviews for A Passage to India are coming in:

  • “Simon Dormandy’s new adaptation of the novel cuts a clear line through Forster’s prose. He draws out the wryly dry humour targeted at the patronising bigotry of the British and their talk of civilising India.” The Stage
  • “An imaginative and absorbing production.” British Theatre Guide
  • “The obvious gain of this professional staging is that we get a diverse cast, bringing home the piece’s keenly felt message today of different cultures colliding and, thanks to brave individual endeavours, almost connecting” The Telegraph
  • “the play, like the book, expresses this deep ancient dread of emptiness, meaninglesness: a spiteful pointless universe only alleviated by the wacky irrationality of the final Hindu ceremonies of Krishna’s birth.” Theatre Cat
  • ” I was back in my seat after the interval wanting to know what happens next and in many ways there is no higher recommendation.” The Nene Quirer
  • “This impressive, atmospheric co-production by simple8 and Royal & Derringate, Northampton, with a fifteen-strong cast, employs a remarkable degree of physicality and choral speaking that enfolds the audience in the drama.” Gazette and Herald
  • “This is a bold, imaginative, innovative and enjoyable production” Stage Review

A Passage to India

Nigel has been cast in A Passage to India, which will be at the Royal & Derngate Northampton from 11 Jan – 20 Jan 2018, and then in the transfer to the Park Theatre Finsbury Park from 10 Feb – 24 March 2018.

Call The Midwife

Nigel Hastings to appear in series 7 of BBC’s Call The Midwife.

Doctor Who

Nigel Hastings plays The Commander in episode 7 of Doctor Who.

Reviews are in for 'Combustion'

Reviews are in for Combustion, written by Asif Khan:

  • “A brave, important, and necessary play” 4 stars, Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph
  • “…a vibrant portrait of Muslims grappling with what their faith means in Britain today.” Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard
  • “Deft and powerful” 4 stars, David Ralf, The Stage
  • “Andy invested with intelligent emotional range by Nigel Hastings” 4 stars, Ziad Samaha, London Theatre1
  • “Troubling, insightful and heart-warming; Combustion is an important play, and it’s worth the trip to South West London to see it come to life in a genuinely lovely theatre.” Emily Pulham, Everything Theatre.
  • “There’s no room for political correctness or mealy mouthed platitudes in this terrific, thought-provoking, challenging and eminently watchable play. It’s an intelligent script that crackles along, liberally scattered with English obscenities, InshAllahs and innits. The plot twists and turns, full of surprises, some of them nice, some of them nasty, but all relevant to the subject.” Penny Flood, WimbledonSW19.com.

Nigel Hastings in 'Combustion'

Nigel Hastings will play Andy in Combustion, written by Asif Khan and directed by Nona Shepherd.

The production will open at Tara Arts on 17th May, before going on to a run at the Arcola Theatre, followed by a UK tour.

'And Then Come The Nightjars' returns in 2017

Bea Roberts’ much lauded play, And Then Come The Nightjars, returns in 2017 for a UK tour, with Nigel Hastings starring as Jeff.

For details of the tour, visit Bea Roberts’ website, here.

Nigel Hastings in 'Henceforward...'

Nigel Hastings cast in Henceforward…, written and directed by Alan Ayckbourn.

The production will open at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, on 16th January, before embarking on a UK tour.

'And Then Come the Nightjars' to tour the UK

Nigel Hastings will reprise his role in Bea Roberts’ And Then Come the Nightjars for a UK-wide tour this September.

And Then Come the Nightjars first played at Theatre503, after winning the theatre’s prestigious Playwriting Award, receiving stellar reviews across the board, and a total of six nominations at the Off West End Awards 2015.

Nigel Hastings in 'Innocent'

Nigel Hastings joins the cast of Innocent for ITV

Nigel Hastings in 'Much Ado About Nothing'

Nigel played Don Pedro in Douglas Rintoul’s Much Ado About Nothing, at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch.

Press on Nigel and Much Ado About Nothing:

  • “Nigel Hastings’ suave Don Pedro oozes charM” – Daniel Jenkins, London Theatre1
  • “A bluff, military Don Pedro from Nigel Hastings” – Michael Gray, Reviews Hub
  • “A pleasure to watch” – Four stars, Nick Dines, The Stage 

Nigel Hastings in 5-star 'And Then Come The Nightjars'

Nigel played Jeff in two-hander And Then Come The Nightjars, directed by Paul Robinson, at Theatre503 and then at the Bristol Old Vic.

The play, written by Bea Roberts, won the Theatre 503 Playwriting Award 2014. The production at Theatre503 received SIX NOMINATIONS at the Off West End Awards 2015.

The press on Nigel and And Then Come The Nightjars:

  • “There are terrific performances, too, from David Fielder and Nigel Hastings” – Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
  • “The two actors…offer convincing, nuanced performances” – Laura Barnett, The Telegraph
  • “…the performances…were the cherry on the cake…A drunken scene involving Jeff, in particular, is brilliantly done…the whole play is acted flawlessly and I’d struggle to list all the perfect moments” – Lily Middleton, Everything Theatre
  • “The bonding of the characters is made believable by two superb performances in which subtle gestures and glances illuminate the tenderness in the writing” – Stephan Bates, Reviews Hub
  • “In many ways, Hastings has the more difficult role to play….He does well in conveying the mental dilemmas involved….the actor manages to demonstrate this without affectation or exaggeration.” – Tim Hochstrasser, British Theatre
  • “…Nigel Hastings’ acting so spot-on that I challenge the most emotionally devoid theatre-goer to watch this play and fail to be moved…Hastings is perfect as the less colloquial Jeff…little room for improvement” – Tom Evans, A Younger Theatre
  • “…not only a tender, finely observed portrait of male friendship, but also a stirring requiem for the vanishing dignity of rural England” – Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard