Since his breakout role in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Race Across The World star John Hannah has been a constant presence on our screens, with his notable roles including Gwyneth Paltrow’s love interest in Sliding Doors.
In his three-decade-long career, the 63-year-old actor has hopped between film, TV, stage, and several Hollywood blockbusters, including The Mummy franchise.
Now, though, BBC fans are familiar with his Scottish dulcet tones as the narrator for Race Across The World, which he has provided commentary for since its first season.
John is currently voicing the fifth season of the hit travel reality series, which follows couples travelling on a shoestring budget and without modern luxuries from China through Nepal to India.
Here is everything you need to know about John’s private life and glittering career.
Who is John Hannah?
John is a Scottish actor who was born in East Kilbride to a Marks and Spencer cleaner mother and a toolmaker father.
In a 2014 interview with The Guardian, he said of his childhood: ‘My family lived in a little terraced council house in East Kilbride, Scotland’s first new town, and it was a brilliant place to grow up. The street was full of parents with young children the same age.
‘My childhood memories are like everyone else’s in the late 60s and early 70s – endlessly playing football in the street and being at each other’s houses.
‘I don’t remember school at all – I remember summer holidays and endless sunshine. There probably wasn’t any sunshine, but it feels like there was.’
After completing an apprenticeship to become an electrician, he studied acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
What films and TV series has he starred in?
John’s major breakthrough was the 1994 Richard Curtis film Four Weddings and a Funeral, which also starred the likes of Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas.
The movie propelled John’s career, and he was later cast as Gwyneth Paltrow’s Monty Python-obsessed love interest in the classic film Sliding Doors.
In the action trilogy The Mummy, he played the lovable comic relief brother of the lead female character Evelyn (Rachel Weisz).
His other film credits include I Accuse, Overboard, Damaged, Enemy Lines and The Hurricane.
On TV, John is known for his starring role in ITV crime drama Cold Blood and for appearances in US shows such as Alias and Frasier.
More recently, he played the recurring role of scientist Holden Radcliffe on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in a recurring role during season three and got promoted to series regular during season four.
He was also in episodes of Black Mirror and The Last of Us in 2023 and had a two-episode role in the long-running BBC drama Silent Witness.
Outside of scripted TV, John has competed on the Channel 4 gameshow, Taskmaster.
Inside John Hannah’s career on Race Across The World
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John has been the narrator of Race Across The World since it burst onto screens in 2019.
In an interview with The Telegraph, he said working on the BBC show had given him ‘serious wanderlust’ and made him want to travel to destinations including Vietnam and Cambodia.
John’s narration style has been a hit with viewers on social media, with @victomfil saying: ‘#RaceAcrossTheWorld it’s great listening to John Hannah’s gentle commentary again.’
Echoing their sentiment, @KDCunflifee wrote: ‘The John Hannah voice over really adds to Race Across The World. #raceacrosstheworld #johnhannah.’
@LiamRudden shared: ‘All caught up on #RaceAcrosstheWorld. Good to hear the dulcet tones of John Hannah narrating the series. #TopTelly.’
@SarahLizzie94 also added: ‘Happy that John Hannah is back narrating this, wouldn’t be the same without him. #RaceAcrossTheWorld.’
Is he married?
John married fellow actor Joanna Roth in 1996 after meeting during a National Theatre production.
He later proposed to her by writing on a tablecloth in Sri Sriam restaurant in London.
Joanna acted alongside her husband in BBC drama New Street Law, ITV’s Rebus, film Sliding Doors, and during a London Bush Theatre production.
The couple share two children, twins Gabriel and Astrid, and are believed to live in Richmond, London.
Speaking about his long marriage with Joanna, John told The Guardian in 2014: ‘I don’t know what our secret is. I guess we got lucky with our choices.
‘But there’s been hardships and ups and downs and all of that. There were times we could have walked away and times we kind of did, but ultimately we’ve come out the other side and we’re better for that.’
Race Across The World airs Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One and Player.
A version of this article was first published on May 1, 2024.
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