Jonathan Wilkes
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Wilkes is an English
television presenter, actor
and musician
. Jonny Wilkes is currently performing as Billy Flynn in Chicago at The Cambridge Theatre, London. He is also the best friend of singer Robbie Williams
. He was a former student of midlands based Holden Lane High School
.
and Chester
as well as playing for Silverstone FC. He then gave up football to pursue a career in show business.
In 2004 Wilkes appeared in Sky One
's The Match
where he played a football match at St James' Park
for a team of celebrities against a team of legends, including Paul Gascoigne
. Jonathan was made captain by the old England manager Graham Taylor, he also scored a late equaliser in the game to make it 1-1, but the celebrities lost the match 2-1, after conceding a goal in the last minute. Robbie Williams
and Wilkes fronted Soccer Aid
, a celebrity football match in the run up to the 2006 World Cup, with the proceeds going to UNICEF. The match was an England team of celebrities and legends, against the rest of the world team including Diego Maradona
. Wilkes also scored in this match and helped England win 2-1. Two years later Robbie williams and Wilkes organised another Soccer Aid
match at Wembley
. The rest of the world had legends such as; Jaap Stam
, Franco Baresi
and Paolo Di Canio
.
Wilkes scored the winning goal from a free kick and was again the only celebrity to score, as the game ended 4-3 to England.
In June 2010 he played in his third Soccer Aid match for England at Old Trafford
, this time he was up against players like Zinedine Zidane
, Henrik Larsson
, Ryan Giggs
and Luis Figo
. They drew 2-2 but the rest of the world won 7-6 on penalties, Wilkes scoring England's first penalty.
Young Entertainer of the Year award in 1996, Wilkes headed to Blackpool Pleasure Beach to become the youngest person to star in their own end-of-pier-style show. This led to television work on the BBC Choice
(now BBC Three
) programme Hype. He soon signed a three-year contract with ITV
, fronting You've Been Framed
, Love on a Saturday Night
, and SMTV. His television work was short-lived though; Love on a Saturday Night was axed after just a series and a half after poor reception, and Wilkes' involvement with SMTV coincided with it being ended. Other TV credits include The Match
, Soccer Aid
, and All Star Cup. He also made weekly guest appearances on the ITV
show Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway from February 2009 in Ant's team for Ant vs Dec.
" went to #24 in the UK charts.
In 2006, he joined Robbie Williams
on his 2006 Close Encounters Tour
, singing the songs "Me and My Shadow
" and "Strong
", as well as playing games of football with Williams on stage. The duet with Williams for "Me and My Shadow" was recorded live and featured on Williams's Number 1 selling album, DVD and video Swing When You're Winning
.
In February 2002 Wilkes took the lead role in the musical Godspell, which premiered in Liverpool, where Wilkes and Daniel McPherson alternated the roles of Jesus and Judas each night. Following the success of this, Wilkes accepted the lead role of Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the 30th-anniversary national tour. The tour began in October 2002, and was extended to November 2003 due to its enormous success.
Towards the end of 2003, Wilkes played the lead role of Danny in a special five-week sell-out Christmas and New Year production of Grease.
In 2007, he toured with the Donmar Warehouse performance of Guys and Dolls, playing the role of Sky Masterson. Then, in 2008, Wilkes toured in the debut UK theatre production of The Wedding Singer.
He took up the role of Khassoggi in Queens We Will Rock You Uk Tour and he is due to return to the role in the 2nd Uk Tour. Confirmed performances as Khassoggi are in Glasgow. He has also been in the production of Dick Whittington at Stoke-on-trent's Regent Theatre playing the role of Dick.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
television presenter, actor
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. Jonny Wilkes is currently performing as Billy Flynn in Chicago at The Cambridge Theatre, London. He is also the best friend of singer Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
. He was a former student of midlands based Holden Lane High School
Holden Lane High School
Holden Lane High School is a comprehensive / community school located in Sneyd Green, Stoke on Trent, England. It was established in 1963 and educates pupils of ages 11–16. It became a specialist Sports College in 2001 and is the hub for the development of P.E...
.
Personal life
Jonathan met his wife Nikki in 1999. They married in 2004 and their son Mickey was born in April 2006.Football career
Wilkes had ambitions to become a footballer in his teenage years, and was a part of Everton F.C's youth set-up in 1993. He went on to trials at CreweCrewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
and Chester
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
as well as playing for Silverstone FC. He then gave up football to pursue a career in show business.
In 2004 Wilkes appeared in Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
's The Match
The Match (TV series)
The Match is a reality TV show on Sky One in which a group of celebrities form a football team to compete against a team of former professional footballers . The show begins with a large squad of celebrities who train and live together, all aiming to be selected for "The Match" against the team of...
where he played a football match at St James' Park
St James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
for a team of celebrities against a team of legends, including Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
. Jonathan was made captain by the old England manager Graham Taylor, he also scored a late equaliser in the game to make it 1-1, but the celebrities lost the match 2-1, after conceding a goal in the last minute. Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
and Wilkes fronted Soccer Aid
Soccer Aid
-Event schedule:*22 May 2006 – Start of the television coverage, presented by Ant and Dec. Rest of the World defeats England in a penalty shoot-out*23 May 2006 – Practice match: England 1–0 England Legends...
, a celebrity football match in the run up to the 2006 World Cup, with the proceeds going to UNICEF. The match was an England team of celebrities and legends, against the rest of the world team including Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
. Wilkes also scored in this match and helped England win 2-1. Two years later Robbie williams and Wilkes organised another Soccer Aid
Soccer Aid
-Event schedule:*22 May 2006 – Start of the television coverage, presented by Ant and Dec. Rest of the World defeats England in a penalty shoot-out*23 May 2006 – Practice match: England 1–0 England Legends...
match at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. The rest of the world had legends such as; Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam
Jakob "Jaap" Stam is a retired Dutch football player who was twice voted best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. He played for several European clubs like PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, S.S. Lazio, A.C. Milan and AFC Ajax before retiring in October 2007...
, Franco Baresi
Franco Baresi
Franco Baresi is an Italian football youth team coach and former player. He played as a sweeper and spent his entire career with Serie A club AC Milan, acknowledged as one of the greatest defenders ever to play the game. Baresi was nicknamed "Piscinin", Milanese for "Little one"...
and Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio
Paolo Di Canio is a Italian former professional footballer and current manager of League Two side Swindon Town. Di Canio made over 500 league appearances and scored over 100 league goals as a player....
.
Wilkes scored the winning goal from a free kick and was again the only celebrity to score, as the game ended 4-3 to England.
In June 2010 he played in his third Soccer Aid match for England at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, this time he was up against players like Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
, Henrik Larsson
Henrik Larsson
Henrik Edward Larsson MBE is a retired Swedish footballer and current manager of Landskrona BoIS.Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. He moved to Helsingborg, where he was one of the key players when they qualified to Allsvenskan 1993. Larsson then moved to Feyenoord for four years before...
, Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
and Luis Figo
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, is a Portuguese former international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009...
. They drew 2-2 but the rest of the world won 7-6 on penalties, Wilkes scoring England's first penalty.
Television
After winning the Cameron MackintoshCameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
Young Entertainer of the Year award in 1996, Wilkes headed to Blackpool Pleasure Beach to become the youngest person to star in their own end-of-pier-style show. This led to television work on the BBC Choice
BBC Choice
BBC Choice was a BBC TV station which launched on 23 September 1998 and closed on 9 February 2003. It was the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format, and was the first new channel from the BBC since BBC Two launched in 1964...
(now BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
) programme Hype. He soon signed a three-year contract with ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
, fronting You've Been Framed
You've Been Framed
You've Been Framed is a British television show, produced by ITV Studios for ITV where viewers send in humorous home videos. It is currently narrated by the comedian Harry Hill....
, Love on a Saturday Night
Love on a Saturday Night
Love on A Saturday Night was a London Weekend Television produced game show that aired on ITV between 7 February and 22 May 2004. It was a replacement show for Blind Date, and lasted only one and a half series before being axed.-The main game:...
, and SMTV. His television work was short-lived though; Love on a Saturday Night was axed after just a series and a half after poor reception, and Wilkes' involvement with SMTV coincided with it being ended. Other TV credits include The Match
The Match (TV series)
The Match is a reality TV show on Sky One in which a group of celebrities form a football team to compete against a team of former professional footballers . The show begins with a large squad of celebrities who train and live together, all aiming to be selected for "The Match" against the team of...
, Soccer Aid
Soccer Aid
-Event schedule:*22 May 2006 – Start of the television coverage, presented by Ant and Dec. Rest of the World defeats England in a penalty shoot-out*23 May 2006 – Practice match: England 1–0 England Legends...
, and All Star Cup. He also made weekly guest appearances on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
show Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway from February 2009 in Ant's team for Ant vs Dec.
Music career
In 2000, Wilkes signed a deal with Virgin and begun to write and record material for his album, along with songwriters such as Guy Chambers, Bryan Adams and Elliot Kennedy. His debut single "Just Another DayJust Another Day (Jonathan Wilkes song)
"Just Another Day" is a song by Jonathan Wilkes, released in March 2001.The single was written by Jonathan and songwriter Elliott Kennedy.Released on Virgin's Innocent Records, the single underperformed on the UK singles chart reaching 24 in the charts....
" went to #24 in the UK charts.
In 2006, he joined Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
on his 2006 Close Encounters Tour
Close Encounters Tour
The Close Encounters Tour is Robbie Williams' 2006 worldwide concert tour. It kicked off in Durban's ABSA Stadium on 10 April, and ended in Melbourne on 18 December. The tour was a great success financially, with every date selling out the morning the tickets went on sale...
, singing the songs "Me and My Shadow
Me and My Shadow
"Me and My Shadow" is a 1927 popular song. Officially the credits show it as written by Al Jolson, Billy Rose, and Dave Dreyer; in fact, Billy Rose was exclusively a lyricist, Dreyer a composer, and Al Jolson a performer who was often given credits so he could earn some more money, so the actual...
" and "Strong
Strong (song)
"Strong" is a song by Robbie Williams, released as the third single from his 1998 album, I've Been Expecting You in early 1999. The song managed to break into the top five in the United Kingdom. The b-side is the live version of Let Me Entertain You recorded at the 1999 BRIT Awards, the performance...
", as well as playing games of football with Williams on stage. The duet with Williams for "Me and My Shadow" was recorded live and featured on Williams's Number 1 selling album, DVD and video Swing When You're Winning
Swing When You're Winning
Swing When You're Winning is a swing cover album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams.-Background:After the success of his third studio album, Sing When You're Winning, Williams wanted to take another musical direction...
.
In February 2002 Wilkes took the lead role in the musical Godspell, which premiered in Liverpool, where Wilkes and Daniel McPherson alternated the roles of Jesus and Judas each night. Following the success of this, Wilkes accepted the lead role of Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the 30th-anniversary national tour. The tour began in October 2002, and was extended to November 2003 due to its enormous success.
Towards the end of 2003, Wilkes played the lead role of Danny in a special five-week sell-out Christmas and New Year production of Grease.
In 2007, he toured with the Donmar Warehouse performance of Guys and Dolls, playing the role of Sky Masterson. Then, in 2008, Wilkes toured in the debut UK theatre production of The Wedding Singer.
He took up the role of Khassoggi in Queens We Will Rock You Uk Tour and he is due to return to the role in the 2nd Uk Tour. Confirmed performances as Khassoggi are in Glasgow. He has also been in the production of Dick Whittington at Stoke-on-trent's Regent Theatre playing the role of Dick.