There are actors who peak early and drift away. Then there’s Craig Roberts, who has spent the better part of two decades quietly building one of the most varied careers in British entertainment. From playing a moody teenager in a Richard Ayoade indie film to writing and directing his own movies, to now starring alongside Dawn French in a BBC comedy that pulled in over five million viewers, Craig Roberts keeps finding ways to stay interesting.
If you’ve only ever caught him in one thing, you’re missing most of the picture.
From Tracy Beaker to Sundance: Craig Roberts’ Early Career
Craig Haydn Roberts was born on 21 January 1991 and raised in Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly, South Wales. He didn’t start out chasing fame. As a young child, Roberts was more interested in playing football than becoming an actor.
Still, he fell into TV young. Roberts began his television career in the dramas Care (2000) and Little Pudding (2003), before landing a recurring role in The Story of Tracy Beaker (2004–2006) and a run on Casualty (2005–2008). He also played vampire enthusiast Robin Branagh in Young Dracula (2006–2008).
These are solid child actor credits, the kind that pay the bills and teach you discipline on set. But none of it really prepared people for what came next.
Submarine: The Film That Changed Everything
In 2011, Roberts starred in the critically acclaimed independent film Submarine, a rare coming-of-age drama about a smart yet awkward teen dealing with an erratic first love and parents on the brink of separation. Richard Ayoade directed it. Ben Stiller produced it. And Roberts was the one on screen carrying nearly every scene.
After the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Roberts was suddenly on everyone’s radar. Critics heaped praise on his engaging yet deadpan portrayal of a confused teen struggling to communicate with his parents and girlfriend.
The awards followed quickly. He won the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actor and the London Critics Circle Film Award for Young British Performer of the Year, and was nominated at the 2011 British Independent Film Awards for Most Promising Newcomer and at the 2012 Empire Awards for Best Male Newcomer.
Submarine is one of those films that gets better every time you rewatch it, and Roberts is a huge reason why. His Oliver Tate is self-serious to the point of comedy, but Roberts never plays the joke too hard. It’s a genuinely skilful performance.
Hollywood Cameos and Broadening His Range
After Submarine, Roberts didn’t get locked into a single type. He moved fast and stayed eclectic.
Notable film credits include Kill Your Friends, Bad Neighbors, The Double, 22 Jump Street, Premature, Jane Eyre, The First Time, A Bright Day, and Red Lights.
Some of these were supporting roles in big studio productions, others were indie films that gave him room to stretch. Playing “Assjuice” in Neighbors alongside Zac Efron and Seth Rogen is a very different acting job than co-starring in Jesse Eisenberg’s existential doppelganger thriller The Double, but Roberts managed both without looking out of place in either.
In 2012, he starred in The Killers’ music video for “Here with Me” with Winona Ryder, directed by Tim Burton. That’s not a sentence you expect to write about a Welsh lad from Caerphilly.
Red Oaks and Finding an American Audience
The move that really expanded Roberts’ profile internationally was Red Oaks, an Amazon Studios original comedy series.
On 9 October 2015, Amazon Studios released season 1 of Red Oaks, where Roberts stars alongside Paul Reiser. The show ran for three seasons.
Roberts played David Meyers, a young guy trying to figure out his future while working at a New Jersey country club in the 1980s. The show became a sleeper hit among people who found it on Prime Video, and Roberts’ American accent held up well enough that plenty of viewers didn’t believe he was Welsh at all.
Roberts also starred in the 2016 film The Fundamentals of Caring alongside Paul Rudd, playing Trevor, a quick-witted 18-year-old boy with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix in June 2016.
That role showed a different side of Roberts entirely. The film is funny and genuinely moving, and Roberts holds his own against Rudd, which is not a small thing.
Behind the Camera: Craig Roberts as Writer and Director
What separates Roberts from many actors of his generation is that he’s never been content just showing up and hitting his marks. He writes. He directs. He has an actual artistic vision.
In 2015, Roberts made his feature-director debut with Just Jim, which he also wrote and starred in.
His second directorial effort, Eternal Beauty (2020), starred Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins and became one of the most talked-about British indie films of that year. Roberts discussed the film with James Corden, alongside star Sally Hawkins, who joked about missing the press that comes with award season.
His latest film as director, The Scurry, stars Ella Purnell, Rhys Ifans, and Paapa Essiedu. The film centres on chaos at an eco-café when a horde of deranged squirrels seeks revenge on the staff and visitors, forcing two pest controllers to face the onslaught. It’s a comedy horror, which feels exactly on-brand for someone whose sensibility has always leaned toward the weird and funny in equal measure.
Apple TV+ and Still Up
Before Can You Keep a Secret? landed, Roberts had already made the jump to premium streaming with Apple TV+.
Still Up is an almost romantic comedy set in the after-hours world of insomniacs Danny (Craig Roberts) and Lisa (Antonia Thomas) who have no secrets except their feelings for each other. Also starring Blake Harrison, Lois Chimimba, Luke Fetherston, and Rich Fulcher.
It’s a niche show, very late-night in tone, but it found an audience that responded strongly to how Roberts and Thomas played the central friendship with genuine warmth rather than manufactured tension.
Can You Keep a Secret? The BBC Comedy Taking Off in 2026
This is where Craig Roberts is right now, and it’s worth paying attention to.
Can You Keep a Secret? is a BBC One sitcom following a pair of retirees and their family after a life-changing bureaucratic error. It stars Dawn French, Mark Heap, Craig Roberts, Mandip Gill, Geraldine McNulty, and more.
The story centres on Debbie Fenton, a domineering granny who loses her reclusive husband William and makes an outlandish decision to safeguard her family’s future. William isn’t dead. Declared deceased by mistake, he’s hiding in the loft while they await the life insurance payout. The scheme shocks their high-strung son Harold (Roberts), whose wife Neha (Gill) is a local police officer.
Roberts plays Harry, the anxious adult son caught between his chaotic mother and his wife, who happens to be the one person who could expose the whole scheme. It’s a beautifully uncomfortable character to play, and the reviews have reflected that.
The show became the BBC’s third biggest comedy launch on iPlayer over the past two years, with its first episodes watched by more than 5 million viewers. That’s a significant number for a BBC comedy in 2026.
All main cast are returning for a confirmed Season 2, with plot details being kept under wraps for now. Paramount+ jumped aboard Season 1 to take U.S. rights, though it hasn’t yet joined Season 2.
FAQ: Craig Roberts
How old is Craig Roberts?
Craig Roberts was born on 21 January 1991, making him 35 years old as of mid-2026.
Where is Craig Roberts from?
He was raised in Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly, South Wales, and attended Lewis School, Pengam.
What is Craig Roberts best known for?
He is best known for lead roles as Oliver Tate in Submarine (2010), David Meyers in Red Oaks (2014–2017), and as Rio Wellard in The Story of Tracy Beaker (2004–2006). More recently, he’s gained a new audience through Still Up on Apple TV+ and Can You Keep a Secret? on BBC One.
Has Craig Roberts won any awards?
Yes. He won the BAFTA Cymru Award for Best Actor and the London Critics Circle Film Award for Young British Performer of the Year for his role in Submarine.
What films has Craig Roberts directed?
He has directed Just Jim (2015), Eternal Beauty (2020), and The Scurry, scheduled for release in late 2026, starring Ella Purnell and Rhys Ifans.
What Makes Craig Roberts Worth Watching
At 35, Craig Roberts sits in an interesting space. He’s not a mainstream Hollywood name, but he’s not obscure either. He’s built a career on consistently interesting choices, picking projects that prioritise character and tone over commercial safety.
The trajectory from child actor to BAFTA winner to indie director to BBC comedy lead is not a common one. Most actors either get stuck in one lane or disappear between phases. Roberts keeps threading the needle.
Can You Keep a Secret? Returning for a second series, The Scurry coming later in 2026, and a creative track record that’s only getting stronger, he’s worth watching more closely than most people currently do.
Read More About: Coyyn
