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{{Short description|British actor, screenwriter and novelist (born 1966)}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Mark Gatiss
| image              = Mark Gatiss by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
| caption            = Gatiss in 2017
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1966|10|17}}
| birth_place        = [[Sedgefield]], County Durham, England
| other_names        = Rondo Haxton
| alma_mater         = [[Bretton Hall College of Education]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actor|screenwriter|producer|comedian|novelist|director}}
| years_active       = 1993–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Ian Hallard]]|2008}}
| website            =
| module             = {{Listen
                   | embed= yes
                   | filename= Mark_Gatiss_BBC_Radio4_Desert_Island_Discs_23_Oct_2011_b0167vjr.flac
                   | title= Mark Gatiss's voice
                   | type= speech
                   | description= from the BBC programme ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', 23 October 2011.<ref name="BBCr4 DesertIslandDiscs">
                   {{Cite episode
                    | title= Mark Gatiss
                    | series= Desert Island Discs
                    | series-link= Desert Island Discs
                    | url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0167vjr
                    | station= [[BBC Radio 4]]
                    | date= 23 October 2011
| access-date= 18 January 2014
}}</ref>
                  }}
}}
'''Mark Gatiss''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Gattis.ogg|ˈ|g|eɪ|t|ɪ|s}};<ref name="BBCr4 DesertIslandDiscs" /><ref>{{cite episode | title = Science of Christmas | url = http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/timc/timc_20111226-1700a.mp3 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111230034431/http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/timc/timc_20111226-1700a.mp3 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 30 December 2011 | access-date = 28 December 2011 | series = The Infinite Monkey Cage | series-link = The Infinite Monkey Cage | credits = Presented by [[Brian Cox (physicist)|Brian Cox]] and [[Robin Ince]] | network = [[BBC]] | station = [[BBC Radio 4]] | airdate = 26 December 2011 | series-no = 5 | number = 6 | time = 2:28 | quote = There is still a 49% chance that his name will be mispronounced. So please welcome Mark Gatiss not Gatiss.}}</ref> born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with [[Steven Moffat]], he has received several awards including two [[Laurence Olivier Awards]], a [[BAFTA TV Award]], a [[Primetime Emmy Award]], and a [[Peabody Award]].

Gatiss co-created, co-wrote and acted in [[BBC]] comedy series ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'' (1999–2002). He portrayed [[Mycroft Holmes]] in the BBC series ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]'' (2010–2017) and [[Renfield|Frank Renfield]] in [[BBC One|BBC]] / [[Netflix]] miniseries ''[[Dracula (2020 TV series)|Dracula]]'' (2020), both of which he co-created with Moffat. He also wrote several episodes of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' during Moffat's tenure as showrunner, as well as two episodes during [[Russell T Davies]]'s earlier tenure. His other TV roles include [[Tycho Nestoris]] in ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' (2014–2017), [[Stephen Gardiner]] in ''[[Wolf Hall (miniseries)|Wolf Hall]]'' (2015), and [[Peter Mandelson]] in ''[[Coalition (film)|Coalition]]'' (2015). He has acted in films such as ''[[Victor Frankenstein (film)|Victor Frankenstein]]'' (2015), ''[[Denial (2016 film)|Denial]]'' (2016), ''[[Christopher Robin (film)|Christopher Robin]]'' (2018), ''[[The Favourite]]'' (2018), ''[[The Father (2020 film)|The Father]]'' (2020), ''[[Operation Mincemeat (film)|Operation Mincemeat]]'' (2021), and ''[[Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One]]'' (2023).

On stage, Gatiss played [[Menenius]] in the revival of [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Coriolanus]]'' (2013) for which he earned a [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role]] nomination. He took on the role of [[King George III]] in a revival of the [[Alan Bennett]] play ''[[The Madness of George III]]'' (2018). He portrayed [[Sir John Gielgud]] in the [[Jack Thorne]] play ''[[The Motive and the Cue]]'' (2023) for which he earned the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor]]. His other theatre roles include in ''[[The Recruiting Officer]]'' (2012), ''[[The Vote]]'' (2015), and ''[[A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story]]'' (2021).

==Early life and education==
Gatiss was born in [[Sedgefield]], County Durham,<ref name=guardian2010-10-11>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/oct/11/mark-gatiss-first-men-moon |title=Mark Gatiss: Rocket man |date=11 October 2010 |work=[[The Guardian]] |last=Jeffries |first=Stuart |access-date=24 January 2022 |archive-date=20 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520181013/http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/oct/11/mark-gatiss-first-men-moon |url-status=live }}</ref> to Winifred Rose (née O'Kane, 1931–2003) and Maurice Gatiss (1931–2021).<ref>{{cite web|title=Mark Gatiss featured article on TheGenealogist|url=http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2015/who-do-you-think-you-are/mark-gatiss-287/|website=TheGenealogist|access-date=6 October 2015|archive-date=6 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106193331/http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2015/who-do-you-think-you-are/mark-gatiss-287/|url-status=live}}</ref> He grew up opposite the [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[Winterton Hospital|Winterton Psychiatric Hospital]], and later in [[Trimdon]], before his father, a colliery engineer, took a job as engineer at the [[School Aycliffe]] Mental Hospital in [[Heighington, County Durham|Heighington]].<ref name=autogenerated1>Mark Lawson Talks to Mark Gatiss</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark Gatiss |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/mark-gatiss/id1220510307?i=1000489644757|website=Apple Podcasts |access-date=26 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801022732/https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/mark-gatiss/id1220510307?i=1000489644757 |archive-date=1 August 2021}}</ref> His family background is working class.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> His passions included watching ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and [[Hammer Horror]] films on television, reading [[Sherlock Holmes]] and [[H. G. Wells]], and collecting fossils. All those interests have influenced his creative work.<ref name=telegraphgeek /><ref name=sundayherald>{{cite news|title=Renaissance gentleman |author=Stephen Phelan |newspaper=[[The Sunday Herald]] |date=7 November 2004 |access-date=23 November 2010 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20041107/ai_n12591433 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090913005720/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20041107/ai_n12591433/ |archive-date=13 September 2009 }}</ref><ref name=guardian2004>{{cite news |title=A league of his own |author=Angelique Chrisafis, Angelique |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=3 November 2004 |access-date=24 November 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/nov/03/fiction.angeliquechrisafis |location=London |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201045522/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/nov/03/fiction.angeliquechrisafis |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=leagueofgentlemen>{{cite web |title=Film Info. Interview with Steve Pemberton and Mark Gatiss |publisher=[[The League of Gentlemen]] |date=7 November 2004 |access-date=24 November 2010 |url=http://www.leagueofgentlemen.co.uk/newopen.shtml |archive-date=16 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716061106/http://www.leagueofgentlemen.co.uk/newopen.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

Gatiss attended [[Heighington Church of England Primary School]], and [[Woodham Academy|Woodham Comprehensive School]] in [[Newton Aycliffe]]. At the latter, he was two years ahead of [[Paul Magrs]], who also went on to write ''Doctor Who'' fiction.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30117544_ITM |title=Remembering Heighington's past with pride; The headteacher |newspaper=The Northern Echo |date=26 March 2007 |quote=One Heighington alumnus is actor Mark Gatiss, the star of hit comedies The League of Gentlemen and Little Britain. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018080807/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-30117544_ITM |archive-date=18 October 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Golly goth |first=Steve |last=Pratt |newspaper=[[The Northern Echo]] |date=8 May 2007 |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/leisure/1383869.Golly_goth/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912035351/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/leisure/1383869.Golly_goth/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 September 2012 |access-date=25 June 2010 |quote=Coincidentally, another Doctor Who fan and novel writer, The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss also went to Woodhall, where he was two years above Magrs and in the same drama group. }}</ref> Gatiss then studied Theatre Arts at [[Bretton Hall College]], an arts college affiliated to the [[University of Leeds]].<ref name=essential>{{cite book|date=25 March 2011|author=David Leavey|isbn=978-0813125688|title=The Essential Cult TV Reader|publisher=The University Press of Kentucky}}</ref>

==Career==
===1999–2005: Career beginnings===
[[File:Mark Gatiss.jpg|thumb|left|Gatiss in 2006|210x210px]]
Gatiss is a member of the sketch comedy team ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'' (along with fellow performers [[Reece Shearsmith]], [[Steve Pemberton]] and co-writer [[Jeremy Dyson]]). He first met his co-writers and performers at [[Bretton Hall College of Education|Bretton Hall]], Yorkshire, a drama school which he attended after finishing school and having spent a gap year travelling around Europe. ''The League of Gentlemen'' began as a stage act in 1995, which won the [[Perrier Award]] at [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]] in 1997.<ref name="telegraphgeek" /> In the same year the show transferred to [[BBC Radio 4]] as ''[[On the Town with The League of Gentlemen (radio series)|On the Town with the League of Gentlemen]]'', and later arrived on television on [[BBC Two]] in 1999. The television programme has earned Gatiss and his colleagues a [[British Academy Television Award]], a [[Royal Television Society]] Award and the prestigious [[Golden Rose of Montreux]]. In 2005, the film ''[[The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse]]'' was released, to generally positive reviews.<ref name="telegraphgeek" />

Shearsmith and Pemberton reunited in 2009 to create a similarly dark BBC sitcom, ''[[Psychoville]]'', which featured an episode guest-starring Gatiss. The three reunited again in 2012 to film a series of sketches for the fourth series of [[CBBC]] show ''[[Horrible Histories (2009 TV series)|Horrible Histories]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 April 2012|title=Horrible Histories: CBBC meets Royston Vasey|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/horrible-histories-cbbc-meets-royston-vasey-7621912.html|access-date=26 May 2021|website=The Independent|archive-date=22 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222181757/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/horrible-histories-cbbc-meets-royston-vasey-7621912.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Danny|date=2 October 2013|title=Reece Shearsmith hints at The League of Gentlemen reunion in tweet|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/league-gentlemen-reece-shearsmith-tweets-2331036|access-date=26 May 2021|website=mirror|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526105024/https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/league-gentlemen-reece-shearsmith-tweets-2331036|url-status=live}}</ref>

Outside ''The League'', Gatiss's television work has included writing for the 2001 revival of ''[[Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000 TV series)|Randall & Hopkirk]]'' and script editing the popular sketch show ''[[Little Britain (sketch show)|Little Britain]]'' in 2003, making guest appearances in both. In 2001 he guested in ''[[Spaced]]'' as a villainous government employee modelled on the character of [[Agent Smith]] from ''[[The Matrix]]'' film series. In the same year he appeared in several editions of the documentary series ''SF:UK''. Other acting appearances include the comedy-drama ''[[In the Red (novel)|In the Red]]'' ([[BBC Two]], 1998), the macabre sitcom ''[[Nighty Night]]'' ([[BBC Three]], 2003), ''[[Agatha Christie's Marple]]'' as Ronald Hawes in "The Murder at the Vicarage", a guest appearance in the [[Vic & Bob]] series ''[[Catterick (TV series)|Catterick]]'' in 2004 and the live [[The Quatermass Experiment (film)|2005 remake]] of the classic science fiction serial ''[[The Quatermass Experiment]]''. A second series of ''Nighty Night'' and the new comedy-drama ''[[Funland (TV series)|Funland]]'', the latter co-written by his ''League'' cohort [[Jeremy Dyson]], both featured Gatiss and aired on BBC Three in the autumn of 2005. He appeared as [[Johnnie Cradock]], alongside ''Nighty Night'' star [[Julia Davis]] as [[Fanny Cradock]], in ''Fear of Fanny'' on BBC Four in October 2006, and featured as Ratty in a new production of ''[[The Wind in the Willows (2006 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]'' shown on BBC One on 1 January 2007. He wrote and starred in the BBC Four docudrama ''[[The Worst Journey in the World (docudrama)|The Worst Journey in the World]]'', based on the memoir by polar explorer [[Apsley Cherry-Garrard]].

Gatiss appears frequently in [[BBC Radio]] productions, including the science fiction comedy ''[[Nebulous]]'' and ''[[The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes]]'' story ''[[The Shameful Betrayal of Miss Emily Smith]]''. In 2009, he was [[BBC Radio 4 Extra|The Man in Black]] when BBC Radio 7 revived the character (originally played by [[Valentine Dyall]] and [[Edward de Souza]]) to introduce a series of five creepy audio dramas. He is also involved with theatre, having penned the play ''The Teen People'' in the early 1990s, and appeared in a successful run of the play ''[['Art']]'' in 2003 at the [[Whitehall Theatre]] in London. In film, he has starred in ''[[Sex Lives of the Potato Men]]'' (2004) and had minor roles in ''[[Birthday Girl (2001 film)|Birthday Girl]]'' (2001), ''[[Bright Young Things (film)|Bright Young Things]]'' (2003), ''[[Match Point]]'' (2005) and ''[[Starter for 10 (film)|Starter for 10]]'' (2006). ''[[The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse]]'', a film based on the television series, co-written by and starring Gatiss, was released in June 2005. He also plays the recurring character of [[The Passenger (Sapphire and Steel)|Gold]] in the audio revival of ''[[Sapphire and Steel]]'' produced by [[Big Finish Productions]]. Gatiss also appeared in [[Edgar Wright]]'s fake trailer for [[Grindhouse (film)|Grindhouse]], ''[[Don't (grindhouse film)|Don't]]'', a homage to 1970s' Hammer Horrors.

=== 2007–2017: ''Doctor Who'' and ''Sherlock'' ===
[[File:Mark Gatiss at A Scandal in Belgravia screening.png|thumb|252x252px|Mark Gatiss at "[[A Scandal in Belgravia]]" episode screening]]
Gatiss has also made three credited appearances in ''Doctor Who''. In 2007, he played [[Professor Lazarus]] in "[[The Lazarus Experiment]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5388130.stm|title=Doctor Who baddie role for Barlow|work=[[BBC News]]|date=28 September 2006|access-date=28 September 2006|archive-date=12 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212111537/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5388130.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, he returned in the Series 6 episode "[[The Wedding of River Song]]" as a character known as Gantok, and in the 2017 Christmas special "[[Twice Upon a Time (Doctor Who)|Twice Upon A Time]]" as "The Captain".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2017-12-26/doctor-who-christmas-special-cast-plot/|title=Meet the cast of Doctor Who Christmas special 2017 Twice Upon a Time|work=Radio Times|access-date=14 February 2018|archive-date=15 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215023919/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2017-12-26/doctor-who-christmas-special-cast-plot/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/dec/25/doctor-who-christmas-special-2017-twice-upon-a-time|title=Doctor Who Christmas special 2017: Twice Upon a Time|last=Martin|first=Daniel|date=25 December 2017|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=14 February 2018|archive-date=19 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719064752/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/dec/25/doctor-who-christmas-special-2017-twice-upon-a-time|url-status=live}}</ref> Also in 2007, he appeared as [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]<ref name="echo">{{cite news|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/leader/display.var.1082536.0.i_always_wanted_to_be_a_rat.php|title=I Always Wanted to be a Rat|work=[[The Northern Echo]]|date=20 December 2006|access-date=6 January 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927002830/http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/leader/display.var.1082536.0.i_always_wanted_to_be_a_rat.php|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> in ''[[Jekyll (TV serial)|Jekyll]]'', a BBC One serial by his fellow ''Doctor Who'' scriptwriter [[Steven Moffat]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/11_november/16/jekyll.shtml|title=Mark Gatiss joins James Nesbitt in BBC One's Jekyll|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=16 November 2006|access-date=16 November 2006|archive-date=27 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827074840/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/11_november/16/jekyll.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2008, he appeared in ''[[Clone (TV series)|Clone]]'' as Colonel Black. Gatiss also wrote, co-produced and acted in the [[BBC Four]] ghost story ''[[Crooked House (TV series)|Crooked House]]'' (2008).

He appeared in the stage adaptation of [[Pedro Almodóvar]]'s ''[[All About My Mother]]'' at the [[Old Vic]] in London from 25 August-24 November 2007. He won much critical acclaim for his portrayal of the transgender character Agrado. In the 2008 English language re-release of the cult 2006 Norwegian animated film ''[[Free Jimmy]]'', Gatiss voiced the character of "Jakki," a heavy-set, bizarrely dressed biker member of the "Lappish Mafia." In this his voice is used along with the other actors of ''League of Gentlemen'' such as Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. The dialogue was written by [[Simon Pegg]] and other actors included Pegg himself, [[Woody Harrelson]] and [[David Tennant]], who worked with Gatiss on ''Doctor Who''. He was scheduled to perform in ''Darker Shores'' by Michael Punter, a ghost story for all the family, at [[Hampstead Theatre]] 3 December 2009 – 16 January 2010 but had to withdraw after a serious family illness. [[Tom Goodman-Hill]] took over his role.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/leisure/theatre/cfutheatrefeatures/4787207.It___s_on_with_the_show/ |title=It's on with the show (From Watford Observer) |publisher=Watfordobserver.co.uk |date=10 December 2009 |access-date=28 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502183237/http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/leisure/theatre/cfutheatrefeatures/4787207.It___s_on_with_the_show/ |archive-date=2 May 2014 }}</ref>

In 2010, he portrayed [[Malcolm McLaren]] in the BBC drama ''[[Worried About the Boy]]'' which focused on the life and career of [[Boy George]]. He adapted [[H. G. Wells]]' ''[[The First Men in the Moon]]'' into a [[The First Men in the Moon (2010 film)|television film of the same name]] for the BBC, also playing Professor Cavor.<ref name=guardian2010-10-11 /><ref>[http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/film-tv-features/a-moonstruck-mark-gatiss-sends-hg-wells-into-orbit-1.1060842 Moonstruck Mark Gatiss Sends H.G. Wells Into Orbit] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014223154/http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/film-tv-features/a-moonstruck-mark-gatiss-sends-hg-wells-into-orbit-1.1060842 |date=14 October 2010 }} Herald Scotland – October 2010</ref> He also made a three-part BBC documentary series entitled ''[[A History of Horror]]'', a personal exploration of the history of horror cinema.<ref name=horrorqa>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vcwm7 |title=A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss – Q&A with Mark Gatiss |access-date=12 November 2010 |publisher=BBC |archive-date=3 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103085006/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vcwm7 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was followed on 30 October 2012 with a look at [[European horror]] with the documentary ''[[Horror Europa]]''.<ref>{{cite press release |author=Mark Gatiss |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/horror-europa.html |title=Media Centre – Mark Gatiss returns to BBC Four to tell story of European horror cinema |publisher=BBC |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-date=25 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131125212257/http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/horror-europa.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In March 2010, he was a guest on ''[[Private Passions]]'', the biographical music discussion programme on [[BBC Radio 3]].<ref name=privatepassions>{{cite web |title=Private Passions |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tnv3 |publisher=[[BBC Radio 3]] |access-date=23 December 2019 |archive-date=29 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529064532/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/privatepassions |url-status=live }}</ref> From December 2010 to March 2011, Gatiss was playing the role of Bernard in [[Alan Ayckbourn]]'s ''Season's Greetings'' at the [[Royal National Theatre]] in London alongside [[Catherine Tate]]. In December 2011, he appeared in an episode of ''The Infinite Monkey Cage'' in an episode entitled ''The Science of Christmas'', alongside [[Brian Cox (physicist)|Brian Cox]], [[Robin Ince]] and [[Richard Dawkins]]. In January 2012, he took the role of Brazen in ''[[The Recruiting Officer]]'' at the [[Donmar Warehouse|Donmar Theatre]], London.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shenton|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Shenton|title=The Recruiting Officer|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/35248/the-recruiting-officer|access-date=31 December 2012|newspaper=[[The Stage]]|date=15 February 2012|archive-date=2 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102193005/http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/35248/the-recruiting-officer|url-status=live}}</ref> From 18 October – 24 November that year he was [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] in the Hampstead Theatre production of ''[[55 Days]]'' by [[Howard Brenton]], a play dramatising the military coup that killed a King and forged a Commonwealth under [[Oliver Cromwell]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Wooley |first=Sarah |url=http://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2012/55-days/ |title=55 Days |publisher=[[Hampstead Theatre]] |access-date=24 January 2022 |archive-date=27 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027190552/https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2012/55-days/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

With [[Steven Moffat]], with whom Gatiss worked on ''Doctor Who'' and ''[[Jekyll (TV series)|Jekyll]]'', he also co-created and co-produced ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]'' (2010) starring [[Benedict Cumberbatch]] and [[Martin Freeman]]. He also portrayed [[Mycroft Holmes]] in the series. Gatiss had influence on all episodes as producer and he wrote four episodes, one for each series: the finale, "[[The Great Game (Sherlock)|The Great Game]]" for the first series, "[[The Hounds of Baskerville]]" for the second, "[[The Empty Hearse]]" for the third and "[[The Six Thatchers]]" for the fourth. He also co-wrote "Many Happy Returns", a mini-episode released in late December 2013 which acts as a prelude to the third series, with [[Steven Moffat]]; the episode "[[The Sign of Three]]" with Moffat and [[Stephen Thompson (writer)|Steve Thompson]]; and "[[The Abominable Bride]]", a special episode released in early January 2016, with Moffat. Finally, he co-wrote the final episode of Sherlock, "[[The Final Problem (Sherlock)|The Final Problem]]", with Moffat, released in January 2017.

In December 2013, Gatiss joined the cast of the [[Donmar Warehouse]] production of ''[[Coriolanus (2013 play)|Coriolanus]]'' as Senator of Rome, [[Agrippa Menenius Lanatus (consul 503 BC)|Menenius]]. The play went from 6 December 2013 through 13 February 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Coriolanus 6 December 2013 – 13 February 2014|url=http://www.donmarwarehouse.com/whats-on/donmar-warehouse/2013/coriolanus|publisher=Donmar Warehouse|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112204547/http://www.donmarwarehouse.com/whats-on/donmar-warehouse/2013/coriolanus|archive-date=12 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> For his performance, Gatiss received a nomination for the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Olivier awards 2014 full list|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/mar/10/olivier-awards-2014-full-list-nominations|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=20 April 2014|date=10 March 2014|archive-date=16 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180916022719/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/mar/10/olivier-awards-2014-full-list-nominations|url-status=live}}</ref> On 25 December 2013, a version of the ghost story "[[The Tractate Middoth]]" by [[M. R. James]] and adapted by Gatiss was broadcast on [[BBC Two]] as part of the long-running ''[[A Ghost Story for Christmas]]'' series. It starred [[Sacha Dhawan]], [[John Castle]], [[Louise Jameson]], [[Una Stubbs]], [[David Ryall]], [[Eleanor Bron]], [[Nicholas Burns (actor)|Nick Burns]] and [[Roy Barraclough]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Jones |first=Paul |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-03/mark-gatiss-lands-christmas-day-treble-on-bbc2 |title=The Tractate Middoth and An Adventure in Space and Time to air on Christmas Day on BBC2 |magazine= [[Radio Times]] |date=3 December 2013 |access-date=12 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Daly |first=Emma |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-09-05/mark-gatiss-casts-sherlocks-una-stubbs-in-festive-ghost-story |title=Mark Gatiss casts Sherlock's Una Stubbs in festive ghost story |work=[[Radio Times]] |date=5 September 2013 |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-date=12 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212222742/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-09-05/mark-gatiss-casts-sherlocks-una-stubbs-in-festive-ghost-story |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was followed on 25 December 2013 by a screening on BBC2 of a new documentary by Gatiss titled ''M. R. James: Ghost Writer''. The programme saw Gatiss explore the work of James and look at how his work still inspires contemporary horror today.

He appeared in [[Game of Thrones season 4|season four]] of ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' in 2014 playing [[List of Game of Thrones characters#People of Essos|Tycho Nestoris]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=McAlpine|first=Fraser|title=WATCH: 'Sherlock's Mark Gatiss Makes His 'Game of Thrones' Debut|url=https://www.bbcamerica.com/shows//blog/2014/05/watch-mark-gatiss-makes-game-thrones-debut|access-date=26 May 2021|work=BBC America}}</ref> and reprised this role in [[Game of Thrones season 5|season five]] and [[Game of Thrones season 7|season seven]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/WatchersOTWall/status/512662231285112832 |title=Mark Gatiss returning for Game of Thrones season 5 |publisher=Watchers on the Wall |date=27 August 2014 |access-date=10 October 2014 |archive-date=19 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019150103/https://twitter.com/WatchersOTWall/status/512662231285112832 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=May 2024}} In the BBC's 2015 series ''[[Wolf Hall (TV series)|Wolf Hall]]'', Gatiss played King [[Henry VIII]]'s secretary [[Stephen Gardiner]]. He also appeared in Channel 4's ''Coalition'' in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|author=Cadwalladr, Carole|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/01/mark-gatiss-doctor-who-is-my-first-love-baftas-2015-television|title=Mark Gatiss: 'Doctor Who is my first love, my last, my everything']|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=1 May 2015|access-date=25 January 2022|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828224407/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/may/01/mark-gatiss-doctor-who-is-my-first-love-baftas-2015-television|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2016, he played Harold in the groundbreaking American play [[The Boys in the Band, play]] at [[Park Theatre (London)]] opposite his husband [[Ian Hallard]]. They made history when the play transferred to the [[Vaudeville Theatre]] in 2017 as the first married gay couple to appear together on a West End stage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://playbill.com/article/the-boys-in-the-band-to-receive-short-west-end-outing |title=The Boys in the Band to Receive Short West End Outing |date=18 November 2016 |website=Playbill |access-date=26 May 2024}}</ref>

Gatiss appeared as the [[George IV|Prince Regent (later George IV)]] in the eight-part historical fiction [[television drama series]] ''[[Taboo (2017 TV series)|Taboo]]'' (2017)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/753182/Taboo-Sherlock-star-Mark-Gatiss-George-VI-Tom-Hardy-drama-BBC|title=Taboo: First look at unrecognisable Sherlock star Mark Gatiss in Tom Hardy's gritty drama|last=Meechan|first=Lauren|date=12 January 2017|work=Daily Express|access-date=14 February 2018|archive-date=15 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215083612/https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/753182/Taboo-Sherlock-star-Mark-Gatiss-George-VI-Tom-Hardy-drama-BBC|url-status=live}}</ref> first broadcast on [[BBC One]] in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2017 and in the United States on [[FX (TV channel)|FX]] on 10 January 2017. In May 2017, Gatiss began a recurring role on ''The Secret History of Hollywood'', a series of podcast biopics on Golden Age-era Hollywood. Its 11-part series, ''Shadows'' tells the story of [[Val Lewton]]'s life and career, with Gatiss providing the introductions for each episode.

=== 2018–present: Theatre roles and expansion ===
[[File:John Gielgud 12. Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Gatiss portrayed [[Sir John Gielgud]] in the play ''[[The Motive and the Cue]]'' (2023) earning a [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor]].]]
In November 2018, Gatiss portrayed the lead, [[King George III]] in a revival of the [[Alan Bennet]] play ''[[The Madness of George III]]'' at [[Nottingham Playhouse]]. The production was broadcast live to cinemas as part of [[National Theatre Live]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/the-madness-of-george-iii-starring-mark-gatiss-streams-june-11|title= The Madness of George III, Starring Mark Gatiss, Streams June 11|website= Playbill|accessdate= 13 March 2024}}</ref> Kate Maltby of ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote of his performance, "Productions of The Madness of George III live or die by their star, and Gatiss delivers a tour de force. This is a viscerally repulsive depiction of the gap between public and private life."<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/nov/07/the-madness-of-george-iii-review-mark-gatiss-delivers-a-tour-de-force|title= The Madness of George III review – Mark Gatiss delivers a tour de force|website= The Guardian|date= 7 November 2018|accessdate= 13 March 2024|last1= Maltby|first1= Kate}}</ref>
That same year he played a supporting role as [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough]] in the [[Yorgos Lanthimos]] directed black comedy ''[[The Favourite]]'' (2018) starring [[Olivia Colman]], [[Emma Stone]], and [[Rachel Weisz]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/favourite-trailer-video-1139426/|title= The Favourite Trailer|website= [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date= 4 September 2018|accessdate= 13 March 2024}}</ref> Also in 2018 he acted in the children's film ''[[Christopher Robin (film)|Christopher Robin]]'' starring [[Ewan McGregor]] and ''[[The Mercy]]'' with [[Colin Firth]]. In 2020 he acted opposite [[Anthony Hopkins]] in the film ''[[The Father (2020 film)|The Father]]'' based on the [[Florian Zeller]] play ''[[Le Père]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2019/film/news/florian-zeller-the-father-rufus-sewell-imogen-poots-mark-gatiss-1203219415/|title= Florian Zeller's 'The Father' Adds Rufus Sewell, Imogen Poots, Mark Gatiss|website= Variety|date= 18 May 2019|accessdate= 13 March 2024}}</ref> In October 2021, Gatiss wrote and played [[Jacob Marley]] in a new adaptation of ''[[A Christmas Carol|A Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story]]'' by [[Charles Dickens]] playing at both [[Nottingham Playhouse]] and [[Alexandra Palace]] in 2021.

He appeared as a modern-day incarnation/descendant of Count Dracula's servile companion [[Renfield]] in the series of his own co-creation, [[Dracula (2020 TV series)|''Dracula'']] in the third and final episode, "The Dark Compass". In 2017, Gatiss and Steven Moffat re-teamed to write three episodes for TV miniseries ''[[Dracula (2020 TV series)|Dracula]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/sherlock-team-reuniting-for-dracula-series-1202472312/|title='Sherlock' Team Reuniting for New 'Dracula' Series (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Clarke|first=Stewart|date=20 June 2017|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=2 November 2019|archive-date=28 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128231203/https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/sherlock-team-reuniting-for-dracula-series-1202472312/|url-status=live}}</ref> The series premiered on [[BBC One]] on 1 January 2020, and was broadcast over three consecutive days.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-12-03/bbc-dracula-air-date/ |title=BBC's Dracula will air three days in a row from New Year's Day |work=Radio Times |first=Huw |last=Fullerton |date=3 December 2019 |access-date=4 December 2019 |archive-date=4 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204014243/https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-12-03/bbc-dracula-air-date/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The three episodes were then released on [[Netflix]] on 4 January 2020.<ref name="trailer-date">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/12/13/dracula-premiere-trailers-sherlock-miniseries/|title=Dracula's Netflix premiere awakens in bloody trailers for Sherlock team's miniseries|last=Romano|first=Nick|date=13 December 2019|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref> In June 2021, a [[The Amazing Mr. Blunden (2021 film)|new adaptation]] of ''The Ghosts'' by Antonia Barber, written and directed by Gatiss for [[Sky One]], was announced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/sky/sky-orders-gatiss-xmas-drama/5160289.article|title=Sky orders Gatiss Xmas drama|website=Broadcast|date=7 June 2021|access-date=28 December 2021|archive-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120072018/https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/sky/sky-orders-gatiss-xmas-drama/5160289.article|url-status=live}}</ref> It broadcast on 24 December. In 2021 he acted in the British war film ''[[Operation Mincemeat (film)|Operation Mincemeat]]'' portraying [[Ivor Montagu]]. That same year he acted in ''[[Locked Down (film)|Locked Down]]'', ''[[The Road Dance (film)|The Road Dance]]'', and ''[[The Sparks Brothers]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mark_gatiss|title= Mark Gatiss|publisher= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= 13 March 2024}}</ref> He joined the [[Mission: Impossible (franchise)|''Mission Impossible'' franchise]] acting in action film ''[[Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One]]'' (2023) starring [[Tom Cruise]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mission_impossible_dead_reckoning_part_one|title= Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)|publisher= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= 13 March 2024}}</ref>

In May 2022, Gatiss directed ''[[The Unfriend]]'', a new play by [[Steven Moffat]] at the [[Minerva Theatre, Chichester]], starring [[Amanda Abbington]], [[Frances Barber]] and [[Reece Shearsmith]]. The play transferred to London's West End [[Criterion Theatre]] in January 2023. In February 2023, Gatiss directed ''[[The Way Old Friends Do]]'' a new play by [[Ian Hallard]] at the [[Birmingham Rep]]. This also transferred to the Criterion in August. In April 2022, Gatiss starred as Lawrence in the seventh series opener of ''[[Inside No. 9]]''.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/20/tv-tonight-diane-morgan-crashes-the-league-of-gentlemen-cast-reunion|title=TV tonight: Diane Morgan crashes The League of Gentlemen cast reunion|website=The Guardian|date=20 April 2022|access-date=20 April 2022|archive-date=20 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420052226/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/20/tv-tonight-diane-morgan-crashes-the-league-of-gentlemen-cast-reunion|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2023, Gatiss played as [[Sir John Gielgud]] in ''[[The Motive and the Cue]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last1=The Motive and the Cue |title=A new play by Jack Thorne |url=https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-motive-and-the-cue/ |website=National Theatre London |publisher=Royal National Theatre |access-date=18 May 2023 |archive-date=18 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518234103/https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-motive-and-the-cue/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a new play written by [[Jack Thorne]] and directed by [[Sam Mendes]] at London's [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]. The story of how [[Richard Burton]] (played by [[Johnny Flynn]]) and Gielgud clashed as they staged [[Richard Burton's Hamlet|''Hamlet'' on Broadway in 1964]], the play has received good reviews, particularly the two leads.<ref>{{cite news |last1=The Motive and the Cue review – 3 May 2023 |title=Gielgud and Burton battle it out |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/may/03/the-motive-and-the-cue-review-gatiss-gielgud-mendes-national-theatre-london |newspaper=The Guardian |date=3 May 2023 |access-date=19 May 2023 |archive-date=19 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519014218/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/may/03/the-motive-and-the-cue-review-gatiss-gielgud-mendes-national-theatre-london |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=The Motive and the Cue, National Theatre review |title=Sam Mendes's elegant production is a love letter to theatre |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/the-motive-and-the-cue-national-theatre-review-mark-gatiss-johnny-flynn-sam-mendes-b1078424.html |work=Evening Standard|location=London |date=3 May 2023 |access-date=19 May 2023 |archive-date=18 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518234325/https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/the-motive-and-the-cue-national-theatre-review-mark-gatiss-johnny-flynn-sam-mendes-b1078424.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Leonie Cooper of ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' wrote of his performance, "Mark Gatiss launches himself into a condescending but sensitive Gielgud...[who] is just as impressive, his uncanny Gielgud manifesting a man in flux, as a new era of performance threatens to subsume his traditional take on stagecraft. Gatiss's Gielgud is lonely and lost, but still more than capable of getting one over on the wayward Burton."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/the-motive-and-the-cue-review-1|title= The Motive and the Cue review|website= Time Out|date= 20 December 2023|accessdate= 13 March 2024}}</ref> For his performance Gatiss won the [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/2024-olivier-awards-nominations-sarah-snook-sarah-jessica-parker-andrew-scott-1235850289/|title= Olivier Awards: Sarah Snook, Sarah Jessica Parker, Andrew Scott Receive Noms|website= The Hollywood Reporter|date= 12 March 2024|accessdate= 13 March 2024}}</ref>

Filming got underway in Belgium in April 2024 on ''[[Bookish (TV series)|Bookish]]'', which Gatiss co-wrote and stars.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/call-the-midwife-poldark-mark-gatiss-bookish-newsupdate/|website=Radio Times|accessdate=29 April 2024|title= Call the Midwife and Poldark stars join Mark Gatiss's new drama Bookish|first=Patrick|last=Cremona|date=29 April 2024}}</ref> He will also be appearing in ''[[Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning]]'', set for debut in 2025.<ref>{{Citation |last=McQuarrie |first=Christopher |title=Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning |date=23 May 2025 |type=Action, Adventure, Thriller |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9603208/ |access-date=18 November 2024 |others=Tom Cruise, Hannah Waddingham, Hayley Atwell |publisher=Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media}}</ref>

In September 2025, Gatiss appeared alongside Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and [[Monica Dolan]], in BBC Radio 4 premier of Jeremy Dyson's original comedy drama ''High Cockalorum''. Set in [[West Yorkshire]] in 1978 and inspired by a true story, the drama celebrated [[Bradford UK City of Culture 2025|Bradford City of Culture]] and was part of the BBC's "Contains Strong Language Festival".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002jfc7|title=BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, High Cockalorum|website=BBC}}</ref>

In April 2026, Gatiss will make his [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] debut in the title role of [[The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui|''The Resistible Rise of Arturo U''i]] by [[Bertolt Brecht]], updated by Stephen Sharkey and directed by Seán Linnen at the [[Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon]].{{cn|date=September 2025}}

== Writing for ''Doctor Who'' ==
[[File:Mark Gatiss (9362666697).jpg|thumb|right|Gatiss at the 2013 [[San Diego Comic-Con]], promoting ''Doctor Who'']]
At the age of eleven, Gatiss won a school literary competition with a short science fiction story "The Anti-Noise Machine", published in a booklet by Darlington Borough Council.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://miraculousagitations.com/2019/12/29/noise-drama-jeremy-beadles-noise-research-the-darlington-quiet-town-experiment-and-the-earliest-published-story-by-mark-gatiss/ | title=Noise, Drama, Jeremy Beadle's Noise Research, the Darlington Quiet Town Experiment, and the Earliest Published Story by Mark Gatiss | work=Miraculous Agitations | first=Daniel | last=Wilson | date=29 December 2019 | access-date=22 October 2020 | archive-date=1 October 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001052041/https://miraculousagitations.com/2019/12/29/noise-drama-jeremy-beadles-noise-research-the-darlington-quiet-town-experiment-and-the-earliest-published-story-by-mark-gatiss/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Gatiss had a childhood interest in the [[BBC]] science-fiction show ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and devoted much of his early writing to the series, despite its 1989 cancellation. Gatiss's earliest published work as a professional writer was a sequence of novels in Virgin Publishing's ''[[Virgin New Adventures|New Adventures]]'' series of continuation stories and novels. In these works, he tried to correct the problems which had led to the show's decline in the late 1980s.<ref name=sundayherald /> The first television scripts Gatiss wrote were for a [[Bill & Ben Video|BBV]] direct-to-video series called "[[P.R.O.B.E.]]" Gatiss's four scripts each featured a different actor who had played ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s title character of [[the Doctor]]: [[Jon Pertwee]], [[Peter Davison]], [[Colin Baker]] and [[Sylvester McCoy]]. The videos have since been released on DVD despite Gatiss once commenting that he would not authorise their re-release, as he regarded them as a learning exercise.<ref name=sundayherald /> His other early contributions to the ''Doctor Who'' franchise included four [[Doctor Who spin-offs#Original fiction|novels]], two audio plays for BBV and two audio plays for [[Big Finish Productions]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-invaders-from-mars-652 |title=Doctor Who – Invaders From Mars |publisher=Bigfinish.com |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-date=13 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913221741/https://www.bigfinish.com/28-Doctor-Who-Invaders-from-Mars |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-phantasmagoria-620 |title=Doctor Who – Phantasmagoria |publisher=Bigfinish.com |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-date=10 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310072518/http://www.bigfinish.com/02-Doctor-Who-Phantasmagoria |url-status=live }}</ref> in addition to writing for Big Finish he has acted in numerous releases in their Doctor Who,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-sirens-of-time-619|title=Doctor Who: The Sirens of Time}}</ref> [[Bernice Summerfield]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/bernice-summerfield-oh-no-it-isn-t-8|title=1.1. Bernice Summerfield: Oh No It Isn't!}}</ref> and Classics<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/dracula-1409|title=Dracula}}</ref> ranges.

Gatiss has written nine episodes for the 2005 revival of the show. His first, "[[The Unquiet Dead]]," was the third episode of the revived series in 2005; the second, "[[The Idiot's Lantern]]," aired the following year in the [[Doctor Who (series 2)|second series]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Mark Gatiss Presents Doctor Who Documentary |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/features/bulletins/bulletin_090623_01 |publisher=BBC |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-date=18 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131018091435/http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/features/bulletins/bulletin_090623_01 |url-status=live }}</ref> Although he acted in the [[Doctor Who (series 3)|third series]] and proposed an ultimately unproduced episode for the [[Doctor Who (series 4)|fourth]], involving Nazis and the British Museum, it took until 2010 for Gatiss to return as writer. He wrote "[[Victory of the Daleks]]" for that year's [[Doctor Who (series 5)|fifth series]] and went on to contribute "[[Night Terrors (Doctor Who)|Night Terrors]]" for [[Doctor Who (series 6)|series 6]], "[[Cold War (Doctor Who)|Cold War]]" and "[[The Crimson Horror]]" for [[Doctor Who (series 7)|series 7]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cultbox.co.uk/features/guides/1954-doctor-who-series-7-news-summary |title='Doctor Who': Series 7 news summary |publisher=Cultbox.co.uk |date=24 April 2013 |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-date=12 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112231731/http://www.cultbox.co.uk/features/guides/1954-doctor-who-series-7-news-summary |url-status=live }}</ref> and "[[Robot of Sherwood]]" for [[Doctor Who (series 8)|series 8]]. He also wrote "[[Sleep No More (Doctor Who)|Sleep No More]]" for [[Doctor Who (series 9)|series 9]] and "[[Empress of Mars]]" for [[Doctor Who (series 10)|series 10]]. He has also contributed to the franchise outside the main show. His early work (see above) was primarily ''Doctor Who'' expanded media.

Gatiss wrote and performed in the comedy spoof sketches ''The Web of Caves'', ''The Kidnappers'' and ''The Pitch of Fear'' for the BBC's "[[Doctor Who spoofs|''Doctor Who'' Night]]" in 1999 with [[David Walliams]]. He penned the 2013 [[docudrama]] ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time]]'', a drama depicting the origins of the series, to celebrate the show's fiftieth anniversary.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mulkern |first=Patrick |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-11-20/mark-gatiss-takes-us-behind-the-scenes-of-doctor-who-drama-an-adventure-in-space-and-time |title=Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time – Mark Gatiss takes us behind the scenes |work=Radio Times |date=20 November 2013 |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-date=2 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102102813/http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-11-20/mark-gatiss-takes-us-behind-the-scenes-of-doctor-who-drama-an-adventure-in-space-and-time |url-status=live }}</ref> It ended with a cameo by Gatiss's ''[[League of Gentleman]]'' castmate [[Reece Shearsmith]], portraying [[Patrick Troughton]], who played the [[Second Doctor]]. A "Making Of" feature about this programme, narrated by Gatiss, was made available on the [[BBC Red Button]] service, and also posted on the [[BBC]]'s official YouTube channel.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLwLV1W2H_c |title=Behind the scenes of An Adventure in Space and Time – Doctor Who 50th Anniversary – BBC |via=YouTube |date=21 November 2013 |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-date=14 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514010941/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLwLV1W2H_c |url-status=live }}</ref> He has written for ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'', including a column written under the pseudonym "Sam Kisgart," which he was originally credited as in the ''[[Doctor Who Unbound]]'' audio play ''[[Sympathy for the Devil (audio drama)|Sympathy for the Devil]]'' for his role as [[Master (Doctor Who)|the Master]]. "Sam Kisgart" is an anagram of "Mark Gatiss", and is also the name under which he was credited for his cameo in ''Psychoville''.

'''Novels'''

Gatiss has written several non-fiction works, including a biography of the film director [[James Whale]] and the documentary ''M.R. James: Ghost Writer'', which Gatiss also presented. The documentary followed Gatiss's directorial debut with an adaption of one of James's stories, "The Tractate Middoth", for BBC Two, which was broadcast on Christmas Day 2013. His first non-''Doctor Who'' novel, ''[[The Vesuvius Club]]'', was published in 2004, for which he was nominated in the category of Best Newcomer in the 2006 [[British Book Awards]]. A follow-up, ''[[The Devil in Amber]]'', was released on 6 November 2006. It transports the main character, [[Lucifer Box]], from the [[Edwardian era]] in the first book to the roaring Twenties/Thirties. A third and final Lucifer Box novel, ''[[Black Butterfly (novel)|Black Butterfly]]'', was published on 3 November 2008 by [[Simon & Schuster]].<ref name=simonandschuster>{{cite web |url=http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Mark-Gatiss/28437914 |title=Mark Gatiss – Official Publisher Page |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-date=7 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907235437/http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Mark-Gatiss/28437914 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Gatiss was featured on ''[[The Independent on Sunday]]''{{'}}s [[Pink List]] of influential gay people in the UK in 2010,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-pink-list-2010-2040472.html|title=The IoS Pink List 2010|work=[[The Independent on Sunday]]|date=1 August 2010|access-date=1 August 2010|quote=The League of Gentlemen star is set for a bonanza 2010. As well as co-creating the BBC's acclaimed Sherlock Holmes reboot, he'll also be seen in his adaptation of HG Wells' ''First Men in the Moon''. An appearance in an Alan Ackybourn revival at the National Theatre is also mooted.|location=London|archive-date=19 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519053508/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-pink-list-2010-2040472.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 2011<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-pink-list-2011-2374595.html | title=The IoS Pink List 2011 | location=London | work=The Independent | first=Ian | last=Herbert | date=23 October 2011 | access-date=3 December 2017 | archive-date=25 October 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025211852/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-pink-list-2011-2374595.html | url-status=live }}</ref> and 2014.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/therainbowlist/rainbow-list-2014-1-100-9848457.html | title=The IoS Pink List 2014 | location=London | work=The Independent | date=9 November 2014 | access-date=12 March 2021 | archive-date=30 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730230445/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/therainbowlist/rainbow-list-2014-1-to-100-9848457.html | url-status=live }}</ref> He entered into a [[Civil partnership in the United Kingdom|civil partnership]] with actor [[Ian Hallard]] in 2008 in [[Middle Temple]], in the City of London.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/feb/06/mark-gatiss-interview | title=Q&A: Mark Gatiss – 'Best kiss? My husband, or Ben Whishaw in London Spy' | work=The Guardian | location=London | first=Rosanna | last=Greenstreet | date=6 February 2016 | access-date=29 August 2016 | archive-date=23 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923010137/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/feb/06/mark-gatiss-interview | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Scot interview">{{cite web |last=Randall |first=Lee |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/The-Monday-Interview-Mark-Gatiss.4699282.jp |title=The Monday Interview: Mark Gatiss – Top of the League|work=The Scotsman |date=17 November 2008 |access-date=28 October 2010 |quote=Amid all this activity, Gatiss found time, last spring, to get married. He and Ian have been together for nearly a decade... He and Ian are the devoted 'parents' of Bunsen, a Labrador retriever. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126135101/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/The-Monday-Interview-Mark-Gatiss.4699282.jp |archive-date=26 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/23/mark-gatiss-family-values | title=Mark Gatiss: My family values | work=The Guardian | location=London | first=Alistair | last=Duncan | date=23 October 2010 | access-date=27 February 2017 | archive-date=28 February 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228090556/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/23/mark-gatiss-family-values | url-status=live }}</ref>

Gatiss once built a [[Victorian era]] laboratory in his north London home, as the fulfilment of a childhood dream.<ref name="telegraphgeek">{{cite news |title=Mark Gatiss: the journey of a geek made good |author=Michael Deacon |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London |date=15 October 2010 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8067325/Mark-Gatiss-the-journey-of-a-geek-made-good.html |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-date=23 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623061708/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8067325/Mark-Gatiss-the-journey-of-a-geek-made-good.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Gatiss is an [[atheist]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/atheist-dracula-writers-took-christianity-seriously-wslbdc3kn |title=Atheist Dracula writers took Christianity seriously |website=[[The Times]] |date=3 January 2020 |access-date=7 January 2021 |archive-date=17 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117175834/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/atheist-dracula-writers-took-christianity-seriously-wslbdc3kn |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[University of Huddersfield]] awarded him an honorary doctorate of letters in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hud.ac.uk/news/visitors/honorarygraduates/|title=Honorary Graduates – University of Huddersfield|date=24 April 2017|access-date=29 December 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424011700/https://www.hud.ac.uk/news/visitors/honorarygraduates/|archive-date=24 April 2017}}</ref> The [[University of Leeds]] awarded him an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/languages-cultures/news/article/2828/sherlock-star-and-pci-graduate-awarded-honorary-degree|title=Sherlock star and PCI graduate awarded Honorary Degree=16 December 2024| date=16 December 2024 |access-date=28 July 2025}}</ref>

==Performances and works==
===Actor===
====Film====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1994
|''[[P.R.O.B.E.: The Zero Imperative]]''
|Dr. William Bruffin
|Video; also writer
|-
|1995
|''[[P.R.O.B.E.|P.R.O.B.E.: The Devil of Winterborne]]''
|Georgie
|Video; also writer
|-
|1996
|''[[P.R.O.B.E.|P.R.O.B.E.: Unnatural Selection]]''
|Mr. Emerson
|Video; also writer
|-
| 2001
|''[[Birthday Girl (2001 film)|Birthday Girl]]''
|Porter<ref name=Agency/>
|
|-
| 2003
|''[[Bright Young Things (film)|Bright Young Things]]''
|Estate agent<ref name=Agency/>
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004
|''[[Sex Lives of the Potato Men]]''
|Jeremy<ref name=Agency/>
|
|-
|''[[Shaun of the Dead]]''
| Radio Presenter With 'Spaceship' Theory <br /> Wildlife voiceover
| Voice; Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2005
|''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''
|Additional Vogon voices
|Collectively credited as "The League of Gentlemen"
|-
|''[[Match Point]]''
|Ping pong player<ref name=Agency/>
|
|-
|''[[The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse]]''
|Various characters / Himself
|Also writer
|-
|''[[Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit]]''
|Miss Blight (voice)
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
|''[[Starter for 10 (film)|Starter for 10]]''
|[[Bamber Gascoigne]]<ref name=Agency/>
|
|-
|''[[The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You!]]''
|Various
|
|-
|2007
|''[[Grindhouse (film)|Grindhouse]]''
|Eye Gouging Victim
|Segment: ''[[Don't (grindhouse film)|Don't]]''
|-
|2008
|''[[Free Jimmy]]''
|Jakki (voice)
|English dub
|-
|2015
|''[[Victor Frankenstein (film)|Victor Frankenstein]]''
|Dettweiler
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |2016
|''[[Dad's Army (2016 film)|Dad's Army]]''
|Colonel Theakes
|
|-
|''[[Our Kind of Traitor (film)|Our Kind of Traitor]]''
|Billy Matlock
|
|-
|''[[Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie]]''
|Publisher
|
|-
|''[[Denial (2016 film)|Denial]]''
|[[Robert Jan van Pelt]]
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |2018
|''[[The Mercy]]''
|Ronald Hall
|
|-
|''[[Christopher Robin (film)|Christopher Robin]]''
| Giles Winslow
|
|-
|''[[The Favourite]]''
| [[John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough|Marlborough]]
|
|-
|2020
|''[[The Father (2020 film)|The Father]]''
| The Man
|
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2021
| ''[[Locked Down (film)|Locked Down]]''
| Terry
|
|-
| ''[[The Sparks Brothers]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| ''A Silent Imprisonment''
| Mr. Murphy
| Short film
|-
| ''[[The Road Dance (film)|The Road Dance]]''
| Doctor Maclean
|
|-
| ''[[Operation Mincemeat (film)|Operation Mincemeat]]''
| [[Ivor Montagu]]
|
|-
| 2023
| ''[[Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One]]''
| rowspan="2" | Angstrom
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2025
| ''[[Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning]]''
|
|-
| ''[[The Fantastic Four: First Steps]]''
| Ted Gilbert
|
|}

====Television====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1993
|''[[Harry (British TV series)|Harry]]''
|Diner Manager
|Episode #1.5
|-
|1994
|''Catherine Cookson's "The Dwelling Place"''
|Bowmer
|Episode #1.3
|-
|1998
|''[[In the Red (TV series)|In the Red]]''
|Junior Detective
|3 episodes
|-
|1998–1999
|''[[This Morning with Richard Not Judy]]''
|Various voices
|18 episodes; uncredited
|-
|1999–2002,<br />2017
|''[[The League of Gentlemen]]''
|Various characters
|Also co-creator and co-writer
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2000
|''[[Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000 TV series)|Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)]]''
|Inspector Large<ref name=Agency/>
|Episode: "Drop Dead"; also writer
|-
|''[[Barbara (TV series)|Barbara]]''
|Archie
|Episode: "Christening"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001
|''[[Spaced]]''
|Agent<ref name=Agency>{{cite web|title=Mark Gatiss credits|url=http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/mark-gatiss//works/|publisher=[[Curtis Brown (literary agents)|Curtis Brown]]|access-date=15 February 2012|location=London|archive-date=21 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021073907/http://curtisbrown.co.uk/mark-gatiss//works/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|Episode: "Back"
|-
|''[[Dr. Terrible's House of Horrible]]''
|Hang Man Chang
|Episode: "Frenzy of Tongs"
|-
|2002
|''[[Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe]]''
|Viking (voice)
|Television film
|-
|2003
|''[[Little Britain (sketch show)|Little Britain]]''
|Theatrical Agent
|Episode: "Smallest Ant"
|-
| rowspan="4" |2004
|''[[Catterick (TV series)|Catterick]]''
|Peter<ref name="Agency" />
|Episode #1.5
|-
|''[[Footballers' Wives]]''
|Teddy – Agent
|Episode #3.7
|-
|''[[Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures]]''
|Kenyon
|Television film
|-
|''[[Agatha Christie's Marple]]''
|Ronald Hawes
|Episode: "[[The Murder at the Vicarage#Television adaptations|The Murder at the Vicarage]]"
|-
|2004–2005
|''[[Nighty Night]]''
|Glenn Bulb<ref name=Agency/>
|10 episodes; also writer
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2005
|''[[The Quatermass Experiment (film)|The Quatermass Experiment]]''
|John Patterson<ref name="Agency" />
|Television film
|-
|''[[Funland (TV series)|Funland]]''
|Ambrose Chapfel<ref name="Agency" />
|4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
|''Fear of Fanny''
|Johnnie Cradock
|Television film
|-
|''[[The Wind in the Willows (2006 film)|The Wind in the Willows]]''
|Ratty
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="4" |2007
|''[[Gina's Laughing Gear]]''
|
|Episode: "Stairlift to Heaven"
|-
|''[[The Worst Journey in the World (TV programme)|The Worst Journey in the World]]''
|[[Apsley Cherry-Garrard]]
|Television film; also writer
|-
|''[[Jekyll (TV series)|Jekyll]]''
|[[Robert Louis Stevenson]]
|Episode #1.5
|-
|''[[Consenting Adults (2007 film)|Consenting Adults]]''
|PC Butcher
|Television film
|-
| 2007, 2010–<br />2011, 2017
|''[[Doctor Who]]''
|Professor Lazarus / Danny Boy / Gantok / The Captain
|5 episodes; also writer
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2008
|''[[Sense and Sensibility (2008 TV series)|Sense and Sensibility]]''
|John Dashwood
|Miniseries, 2 episodes
|-
|''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]''
|Leonard Boynton
|Episode: "[[Appointment with Death#Adaptations|Appointment with Death]]"; also writer
|-
|''[[Clone (TV series)|Clone]]''
|Colonel Black
|6 episodes
|-
|''[[Crooked House (TV series)|Crooked House]]''
|Curator
|Miniseries, also creator and writer
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009
|''[[Psychoville]]''
|Jason Griffin
|Episode: "David and Maureen"
|-
|''[[Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen]]''
|Ernest Dunks
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2010
|''[[Midsomer Murders]]''
|Rev. Giles Shawcross
|Episode: "The Sword of Guillaume"
|-
|''[[Worried About the Boy]]''
|[[Malcolm McLaren]]
|Television film
|-
|''[[The First Men in the Moon (2010 film)|The First Men in the Moon]]''
|Professor Cavor
|Television film; also writer
|-
|''[[A History of Horror]]''
|Himself
|Documentary; also writer
|-
|2010–2017
|''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]''
|[[Mycroft Holmes#Film and television|Mycroft Holmes]]
|Also co-creator and writer of 6 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
|''[[The Infinite Monkey Cage]]''
|Himself
|Episode: "The Science of Christmas"
|-
|''[[The Crimson Petal and the White (TV serial)|The Crimson Petal and the White]]''
|Henry Rackham Junior
|Miniseries, 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2012
|''[[Being Human (British TV series)|Being Human]]''
|[[List of Being Human (British TV series) characters|Mr Snow]]<ref name=Agency/>
|2 episodes
|-
|''[[Inspector George Gently]]''
|Stephen Groves
|Episode: "The Lost Child"
|-
|''[[A History of Horror|Horror Europa]]''
| Himself
| Documentary; also writer
|-
| rowspan="2" |2013
|''[[Psychobitches]]''
|[[Joan Crawford]]
|Episode #1.1
|-
|''[[Horrible Histories (2009 TV series)|Horrible Histories]]''
|Hollywood Producer No. 2
| Recurring role; as part of "The League of Gentlemen"
|-
| 2014
|''[[Mapp & Lucia (2014 TV series)|Mapp & Lucia]]''
|Major Benjy
|3 episodes
|-
| 2014–2017
|''[[Game of Thrones]]''<ref>{{cite web |last=Coming |first=Winter Is |url=http://winteriscoming.net/2013/07/sherlock-actor-mark-gatiss-cast-in-season-4/ |title=Sherlock actor Mark Gatiss cast in season 4 |publisher=Winteriscoming.net |date=17 July 2013 |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-date=7 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907235557/http://winteriscoming.net/2013/07/sherlock-actor-mark-gatiss-cast-in-season-4/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|[[Tycho Nestoris]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://winteriscoming.net/2013/09/mark-gatisss-role-revealed/ |title=Mark Gatiss's role revealed |publisher=WinterIsComing.net |date=8 September 2013 |access-date=12 January 2014 |archive-date=11 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911031539/http://winteriscoming.net/2013/09/mark-gatisss-role-revealed/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| 4 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2015
|''[[Wolf Hall (TV series)|Wolf Hall]]''
|[[Stephen Gardiner]]
|4 episodes
|-
|''[[Coalition (film)|Coalition]]''
|[[Peter Mandelson]]
|Television film
|-
|''[[The Vote]]''
|Steven Crosswell
|Television film
|-
|''[[London Spy]]''
|Rich<ref name="Agency" />
|Episode: "Blue"
|-
|2016
|''[[Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge]]''
|The Partridge Playhouse Players (voice)
|Episode: "Foxhunter + Radio Play"
|-
| rowspan="3" |2017
|''[[Taboo (2017 TV series)|Taboo]]''
|[[George IV|Prince George]]
|5 episodes
|-
|''[[Thunderbirds Are Go (TV series)|Thunderbirds Are Go]]''
|Professor Quentin Questa (voice)
|Episode: "Volcano!"
|-
|''[[Gunpowder (TV series)|Gunpowder]]''
|[[Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury|Robert Cecil]]
|3 episodes
|-
|2017–2018
|''[[Horizon (British TV series)|Horizon]]''
|Narrator
|2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |2018
|''[[Sally4Ever]]''
|Doctor
|2 episodes
|-
|''[[The Dead Room (2018 film)|The Dead Room]]''
|Radio Announcer (voice)
|Television film; also writer
|-
| rowspan="2" |2019
|''[[Brexit: The Uncivil War]]''
| [[Peter Mandelson]] (voice)
| Television film
|-
|''[[Good Omens (TV series)|Good Omens]]''
| Harmony
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |2020
|''[[Dracula (2020 TV series)|Dracula]]''
| [[Renfield|Frank Renfield]]
| Episode: "The Dark Compass", also co-creator and writer
|-
|''[[Dracula (2020 TV series)#Broadcast|In Search of Dracula with Mark Gatiss]]''
| Himself (presenter)
| Television documentary film
|-
|2021
|''[[The Amazing Mr. Blunden (2021 film)|The Amazing Mr. Blunden]]''
|Mr Wickens
|Television film; also writer and director
|-
|2022–2024
|''[[Inside No. 9]]''
| Callum / Himself (cameo)
|2 episodes: "Merrily, Merrily" and "Plodding On"<ref name="theguardian.com"/>
|-
|2023
|''[[Nolly (TV series)|Nolly]]''
| [[Larry Grayson]]
|
|-
| 2024 || ''[[3 Body Problem (TV series)|3 Body Problem]]'' || [[Isaac Newton]] ||Episode: "[[Destroyer of Worlds (3 Body Problem)|Destroyer of Worlds]]"
|-
| 2024 || ''[[Time Bandits (TV series)|Time Bandits]]'' || [[John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich]] ||Episode: "Georgian"
|-
| 2024 || ''[[Moonflower Murders (TV series)|Moonflower Murders]]'' || Parris/Berlin <ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/moonflower-murders-images-lesley-manville/|title= Lesley Manville Is Back on the Case in First 'Moonflower Murders' Images|first=Ryan|last= O'Rourke|date=14 December 2023|website=Collider|accessdate=25 May 2024}}</ref> ||
|-
| 2025–present || ''[[Bookish (TV series)|Bookish]]'' || Gabriel Book || Main role
|}

====Writer====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Production !! Notes !! Broadcaster
|-
| ''[[P.R.O.B.E.]]'' || ''The Zero Imperative'' (1994)<br />''The Devil of Winterbourne'' (1995)<br />''Unnatural Selection'' (1996)<br />''Ghosts of Winterbourne'' (1996)<br />{{small|(released direct to video)}}|| N/A
|-
| ''[[Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000 TV series)|Randall & Hopkirk]]'' || "Two Can Play at That Game" (2001)<br />"Painkillers" (2001) || [[BBC One]]
|-
| ''[[The League of Gentlemen]]'' || Also co-creator<br />22 episodes (1999–2002, 2017)<br />(with [[Jeremy Dyson]], [[Steve Pemberton]] and [[Reece Shearsmith]]) || [[BBC Two]]
|-
| ''[[The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse]]'' || Feature film (2005)<br />(with [[Jeremy Dyson]], [[Steve Pemberton]] and [[Reece Shearsmith]]) || N/A
|-
| ''[[Doctor Who]]''
| 9 episodes;
* "[[The Unquiet Dead]]" (2005)
* "[[The Idiot's Lantern]]" (2006)
* "[[Victory of the Daleks]]" (2010)
* "[[Night Terrors (Doctor Who)|Night Terrors]]" (2011)
* "[[Cold War (Doctor Who)|Cold War]]" (2013)
* "[[The Crimson Horror]]" (2013)
* "[[Robot of Sherwood]]" (2014)
* "[[Sleep No More (Doctor Who)|Sleep No More]]" (2015)
* "[[Empress of Mars]]" (2017)
| [[BBC One]]
|-
| ''[[The Worst Journey in the World (docudrama)|The Worst Journey in the World]]'' || TV film (2007) || [[BBC Four]]
|-
| ''[[Crooked House (TV series)|Crooked House]]'' || Also creator<br />3 episodes (2008) || [[BBC Four]]
|-
| ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'' || "Cat Among the Pigeons" (2008)<br />"Hallowe'en Party" (2010)<br />"The Big Four" (2013) || [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
|-
| ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]''
| 7 episodes, 1 miniepisode, also co-creator (with [[Steven Moffat]]);
* "[[The Great Game (Sherlock)|The Great Game]]" (2010)
* "[[The Hounds of Baskerville]]" (2012)
* "Many Happy Returns" (2013)
* "[[The Empty Hearse]]" (2014)
* "[[The Sign of Three]]" (2014) (with Steven Moffat and [[Stephen Thompson (writer)|Steve Thompson]])
* "[[The Abominable Bride]]" (2016) (with Steven Moffat)
* "[[The Six Thatchers]]" (2017)
* "[[The Final Problem (Sherlock)|The Final Problem]]" (2017) (with Steven Moffat)
| [[BBC One]]
|-
| ''[[The First Men in the Moon (2010 film)|The First Men in the Moon]]'' || TV film (2010) || [[The First Men in the Moon (2010 film)|BBC Four]]
|-
| ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time]]'' || TV film (2013) || [[BBC Two]]
|-
| ''[[A Ghost Story for Christmas]]''
| "[[The Tractate Middoth (2013 film)|The Tractate Middoth]]" (2013)<br />"[[The Dead Room (TV film)|The Dead Room]]" (2018)<br />"[[Martin's Close (2019 film)|Martin's Close]]" (2019)
''[[The Mezzotint (2021 film)|The Mezzotint]]'' (2021)<br /> ''[[Count Magnus (film)|Count Magnus]]'' (2022)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001gdp9|title=Count Magnus|publisher=BBC|accessdate=16 December 2022|archive-date=14 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214105459/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001gdp9|url-status=live}}</ref><br />''[[Lot No. 249 (film)|Lot No. 249]]'' (2023)<br />''[[Woman of Stone]]'' (2024)
| [[BBC Two]]/[[BBC Four]]
|-
|''The Lost Man of British Art, John Minton''
|Writer/Presenter (2018)
|BBC
|-
| ''[[Dracula (2020 TV series)|Dracula]]'' || Miniseries (2020) || [[BBC One]]
|}

====Director====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Notes
|-
| 2013 || ''[[The Tractate Middoth (film)|The Tractate Middoth]]'' || Short film
|-
| 2017 || ''[[Queers (TV series)|Queers]]'' || Mini-series; also producer, wrote screen play for "The Man On The Platform"
|-
| 2018 || ''[[The Dead Room (2018 film)|The Dead Room]]'' || Short film
|-
| 2019 || ''[[Martin's Close (film)|Martin's Close]]'' || Short film
|-
| rowspan="2" |2021 ||''[[The Mezzotint (film)|The Mezzotint]]'' ||Short film
|-
|''[[The Amazing Mr. Blunden (2021 film)|The Amazing Mr. Blunden]]'' || TV film
|-
|2022 ||''[[Count Magnus (film)|Count Magnus]]'' || TV film
|-
|2023 ||''[[Lot No. 249 (film)|Lot No. 249]]'' || TV film
|-
|2024 ||''[[Woman of Stone]]'' || TV film
|}

===Theatre===

====Actor====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Playwright !! Venue
|-
|2002
|[[Art (play)|''Art'']]
|Serg
|[[Yasmina Reza]]
|[[Whitehall Theatre]]
|-
|2007
|''[[All About My Mother]]''
|Agrado
|[[Samuel Adamson]]
|[[The Old Vic]]
|-
|2009 || ''Darker Shores'' || Stokes || Michael Punter || [[Hampstead Theatre]]
|-
|2010
|[[Season's Greetings (play)|''Season's Greetings'']]
|Bernard
|[[Alan Ayckbourn]]
|[[Lyttelton Theatre]], [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |2012 || ''[[The Recruiting Officer]]'' || Captain Brazen || [[George Farquhar]] ||[[Donmar Warehouse]]
|-
|''[[55 Days]]''
|[[Charles I of England|King Charles I]]
|[[Howard Brenton]]
|[[Hampstead Theatre]]
|-
|2013 || ''[[Coriolanus]]'' || Menenius || [[William Shakespeare]]
|[[Donmar Warehouse]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |2015 || ''[[The Vote]]'' || Steven Crosswell || [[James Graham (playwright)|James Graham]]
|[[Donmar Warehouse]]
|-
| ''Three Days in the Country'' || Shpigelsky || [[Patrick Marber]] || [[Lyttelton Theatre]], [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]]
|-
|2016 || ''[[The Boys in the Band (play)|''The Boys in the Band'']]'' || Harold || [[Mart Crowley]] || [[Park Theatre (London)|Park Theatre]], [[Vaudeville Theatre]]
|-
|2018 || ''[[The Madness of George III]]'' || [[George III]] || [[Alan Bennett]] || [[Nottingham Playhouse]]
|-
|2019 || ''Dark Sublime'' || Kosley the Computer || Michael Dennis || [[Trafalgar Theatre|Trafalgar Theatre 2]]
|-
|2021
|''[[A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story]]''
|[[Jacob Marley]]
|Mark Gatiss
|[[Nottingham Playhouse]], [[Alexandra Palace]]
|-
|2023
| ''[[The Motive and the Cue]]'' || [[Sir John Gielgud]] || [[Jack Thorne]] || Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre, [[Noël Coward Theatre]]
|-
|2026
|[[The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui|''The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'']]
|[[Arturo Ui]]
|Seán Linnen
|[[Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon]] ([[Royal Shakespeare Company]])
|}

====Writer====
* ''[[A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story]]'' (2021)

====Director====
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Playwright
!Venue
|-
|2022–2024
|''[[The Unfriend]]''
|[[Steven Moffat]]
|[[Minerva Theatre, Chichester]]<br>[[Criterion Theatre]]<br>[[Wyndham's Theatre]]
|-
|2023
|[[The Way Old Friends Do (play)|''The Way Old Friends Do'']]
|[[Ian Hallard]]
|[[Birmingham Repertory Theatre]]<br>UK tour<br>[[Criterion Theatre]]
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Association !! Category !! Project !! Result !! Ref.
|-
|[[2011 British Academy Television Awards|2011]]|| rowspan="2" |[[BAFTA TV Award]]|| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series|Best Drama Series]] || ''[[Sherlock (TV series)|Sherlock]]'' || {{won}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bafta.org/television/awards/television-awards-winners-in-2011|title= Television Awards Winners in 2011|website= [[BAFTA Awards|bafta.org]]|date= 28 December 2011|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[2014 British Academy Television Awards|2014]]|| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Single Drama|Best Single Drama]] || ''[[An Adventure in Space and Time]]'' || {{nom}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bafta.org/television/awards/television-awards-winners-in-2014|title= Television Awards Winners in 2014|website= [[BAFTA Awards|bafta.org]]|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[List of Peabody Award winners (2010–2019)#2011|2011]]|| colspan="2" |[[Peabody Award]]|| ''Sherlock: A Study in Pink'' || {{won}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/masterpiece-sherlock-a-study-in-pink/|title= Masterpiece: Sherlock A Study in Pink|website= Peabody Awards|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[64th Primetime Emmy Awards|2012]]|| rowspan="4" |[[Primetime Emmy Awards]] || [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie|Outstanding Miniseries or Movie]] || ''[[A Scandal in Belgravia|Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia]]'' || {{nom}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2012|title= Nominees / Winners 2012 Emmy Awards|website= [[Emmy Awards]]|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[66th Primetime Emmy Awards|2014]]|| rowspan="3" |[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie|Outstanding Television Movie]] || ''[[His Last Vow|Sherlock: His Last Vow]]'' || {{nom}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2014|title= Nominees / Winners 2014 Emmy Awards|website= [[Emmy Awards]]|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[68th Primetime Emmy Awards|2016]]|| ''[[Sherlock: The Abominable Bride]]'' || {{won}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2016|title= Nominees / Winners 2016 Emmy Awards|website= [[Emmy Awards]]|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[69th Primetime Emmy Awards|2017]]|| ''[[The Lying Detective|Sherlock: The Lying Detective]]'' || {{nom}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2017|title= Nominees / Winners 2017 Emmy Awards|website= [[Emmy Awards]]|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[2014 Laurence Olivier Awards|2014]]|| rowspan="3" |[[Laurence Olivier Awards]]|| rowspan="2" |[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|Best Actor in a Supporting Role]] || ''[[Coriolanus]]'' || {{nom}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2014/|title= Olivier Winners 2014|website= Laurence Olivier Awards|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[2016 Laurence Olivier Awards|2016]]|| ''Three Days in the Country'' || {{won}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2016/|title= Olivier Winners 2016|website= Laurence Olivier Awards|accessdate= 12 March 2016}}</ref>
|-
|[[2024 Laurence Olivier Awards|2024]]|| [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] || ''[[The Motive and the Cue]]'' || {{won}} ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2024/|title= Olivier Winners 2024|website= Laurence Olivier Awards|accessdate= 12 March 2024}}</ref>
|}

==Bibliography==
'''''Doctor Who'' novels '''
* ''[[Nightshade (Gatiss novel)|Nightshade]]'' ({{ISBN|0-426-20376-3}})
* ''[[St Anthony's Fire (novel)|St Anthony's Fire]]'' ({{ISBN|0-426-20423-9}})
* ''[[The Roundheads]]'' ({{ISBN|0-563-40576-7}})
* ''[[Last of the Gaderene]]'' ({{ISBN|0-563-55587-4}}; also 2013 reissue {{ISBN|1-849-90597-5}})
* ''The Crimson Horror'' ({{ISBN|978-1-78594-504-5}})

''' ''Doctor Who'' anthology contributions '''
* ''Doctor Who: The Shooting Scripts'' (teleplay "The Unquiet Dead") ({{ISBN|0-5634-8641-4}})
* ''The Doctor Who Storybook 2007'' (short story "Cuckoo-Spit") ({{ISBN|1-84653-001-6}})
* ''The Doctor Who Storybook 2009'' (short story "Cold") ({{ISBN|1-846-53067-9}})
* ''The Doctor Who Storybook 2010'' (short story "Scared Stiff") ({{ISBN|1-84653-095-4}})
* ''The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2011'' (short fiction ''The Lost Diaries of Winston Spencer Churchill'') ({{ISBN|1-8460-7991-8}})
* ''The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2012'' (short fiction ''George's Diary'') ({{ISBN|1-8499-0230-5}})

''' ''The League of Gentlemen '' '''
* ''[[A Local Book for Local People]]'' ({{ISBN|1-84115-346-X}})
* ''The League of Gentlemen: Scripts and That'' ({{ISBN|0-563-48775-5}})
* ''The League of Gentlemen's Book of Precious Things'' ({{ISBN|1-853-75621-0}})

''' Lucifer Box novels '''
* ''[[The Vesuvius Club]]'' ({{ISBN|0-7432-5706-5}})
* ''[[The Devil in Amber]]'' ({{ISBN|0-7432-5709-X}})
* ''[[Black Butterfly (novel)|Black Butterfly]]'' ({{ISBN|0-7432-57111}})

''' Miscellaneous non-fiction '''
* ''James Whale: A Biography'' ({{ISBN|0-3043-2863-4}})
* ''They Came From Outer Space!: Alien Encounters in the Movies'' (with [[David Miller (editor)|David Miller]]) ({{ISBN|978-1901018004}})

''' Miscellaneous fiction '''
* ''The King's Men'' (as "Christian Fall") ({{ISBN|0-3523-3207-7}}).
* ''The EsseX Files: To Basildon and Beyond'' (with [[Jeremy Dyson]]) ({{ISBN|1-8570-2747-7}}).

''' Audio plays '''
* ''2000 AD (Judge Dredd audio) Death Trap''

''' ''Doctor Who'' (and related) '''
* ''Time Travellers: [[Bill & Ben Video|Republica]]''
* ''Time Travellers: [[Bill & Ben Video|Island of Lost Souls]]''
* ''[[Phantasmagoria (Doctor Who audio)|Phantasmagoria]]''
* ''[[Invaders from Mars (Doctor Who audio)|Invaders from Mars]]''

==See also==
* [[List of British actors]]
* [[List of Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons-inline}}
* {{IMDb name|0309693}}
* {{ISFDB name|Mark_Gatiss}}

{{Mark Gatiss}}
{{Shearsmith and Pemberton}}
{{Doctor Who episodes by Mark Gatiss}}
{{OlivierAward PlayActor}}
{{OlivierAward PlaySupportingPerformance}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gatiss, Mark}}
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