Theatre work Jarvis has acted in many stage productions in London and abroad, including alongside
Diana Rigg and
Natascha McElhone in
Joanna Murray-Smith's
Honour at London's
Wyndham's Theatre in 2006. His other stage work includes
Woman in Mind and
Henceforward... by
Alan Ayckbourn,
Other Places by
Harold Pinter,
Exchange by
Michael Frayn, and
The Importance of Being Earnest by
Oscar Wilde (opposite
Judi Dench).
Radio work Jarvis has had a long association with the
BBC, particularly
BBC Radio 4. In the 1980s
Michael Frayn's columns for
The Guardian and
The Observer, described by some as models of the comic essay, were adapted and performed in many voices for BBC Radio 4 by Jarvis. He read a four part adaptation of
John Gordon's
The Giant Under the Snow in 1981. He performs regularly in radio dramas and readings, both comic and serious. In
David Mamet's
Mind Your Pantheon he played the actor Strabo. He is known for his long series of readings of
Richmal Crompton's
Just William stories, which show his characteristic and flexible reading voices. He has also narrated the
Billy Bunter series by
Frank Richards. As a result of this extensive work, Jarvis has been satirised in the radio show
Dead Ringers by
Mark Perry, highlighting his seeming
ubiquity in Radio 4 programmes. Jarvis has performed the role of Jeeves in multiple radio dramas based on P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories, including the 1997
L.A. Theatre Works adaptation of
The Code of the Woosters, the 2014 BBC radio adaptation of
Ring for Jeeves, and the 2018 BBC radio adaptation of
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves. He performs live dramatic readings of some of the stories in the intermittent radio series
Jeeves Live! (2007–2020). In America, Jarvis and his wife
Rosalind Ayres perform frequently in
audio drama with the L.A. Theater Works and
Hollywood Theater of the Ear. In 2011, Jarvis appeared in a Radio 4 production of
Terence Rattigan's
In Praise of Love.
Television work Jarvis's first television appearance was in the BBC
science fiction series
Doctor Who as Hilio, captain of the butterfly-like Menoptra, in
The Web Planet (1965). He returned to
Doctor Who as the scientist Dr. Butler in
Invasion of the Dinosaurs (1974) and as the beleaguered governor of the planet Varos in
Vengeance on Varos (1985). He became a familiar face on television when he played Jon in the BBC's landmark 1967 adaptation of
The Forsyte Saga, the title role in a BBC serial of
Nicholas Nickleby (1968),
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1970) and
Uriah Heep in the 1974 BBC version of
David Copperfield, and when he was the male lead in the
sitcom Rings on Their Fingers (1978–80) with
Diane Keen. In 1993, he starred with
Ewan McGregor and
Rachel Weisz in a BBC adaptation of
Scarlet and Black. He also appeared in the 2002 BBC children's miniseries
Bootleg. Jarvis appeared as a guest on 161 episodes of
Channel 4's
Countdown between 1990 and 2008. Jarvis's appearances on American television include such series as
Murder, She Wrote,
Walker, Texas Ranger, and more recently
Stargate Atlantis and
Numb3rs. He also made a brief appearance as
George VI in the ABC television miniseries
Ike: The War Years. Jarvis was the subject of BBC television's
This Is Your Life in 1999. Jarvis appeared in ITV 1's
The Bill in July 2008. In March 2010, it was announced that he would appear in the BBC soap opera
EastEnders playing journalist
Harvey Freeman. Jarvis appeared in a 2014 episode of
Law & Order: UK as Eddie Stewart, a man arrested and charged with murder. In September 2022, Jarvis appeared alongside his wife in an episode of the BBC soap opera
Doctors as
John Chilton.
Voice work Among his work, Jarvis did the voiceovers for the 2010 BBC series
Just William and voices the animal characters, as well as Voltaire the wise Weather-Cock (who acts as the narrator), in the 1993
children's television series Fourways Farm. He has also voiced various characters in animated series such as
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and
The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. In the former, he inherited the role of the character
Nergal from his
Titanic co-star
David Warner. In 2000, Jarvis voiced John Dread in the TV series
Max Steel. He has also voiced all the characters in the children's stop-motion animated series
Huxley Pig and narrated "
The Tempest" in
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales. Jarvis has also undertaken audiobooks of
P. G. Wodehouse's works, and won the Audie Award for these. He is the narrator of the 2011
audiobook of
The Selfish Giant by
Oscar Wilde. Further work in 2011 includes an audiobook of the
Wilbur Smith novel
The Leopard Hunts in Darkness. He has also appeared in
Jubilee, a
Doctor Who spin-off audio drama by
Big Finish Productions, alongside his wife.
Focus on the Family used Jarvis' voice for two of their audio dramas,
Ben-Hur and a Father Gilbert Mystery entitled ''The Play's the Thing''. In film, Jarvis appeared in
Disney's 2012 film
Wreck-It Ralph as Saitine, one of the video game villains who attends the Bad Anon self-help groups with Ralph (
John C. Reilly). Jarvis has also performed voiceovers for video games, beginning in 2007 as the role of The Chronicler in the
Spyro the Dragon video game series. He also provided the voice of Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib in
Mass Effect 2 (2010) and
Mass Effect 3 (2012). Also in 2011, Jarvis also performed a voice-over part for the MMORPG
Star Wars: The Old Republic. Jarvis also voiced
Alfred Pennyworth in the
Batman: Arkham series of video games. He first voiced the character in the 2011 video game
Batman: Arkham City and returned for the 2013 video game
Batman: Arkham Origins, the 2014
DC Universe animated movie Batman: Assault on Arkham, the 2015 video game
Batman: Arkham Knight, and the 2024 VR game
Batman: Arkham Shadow. Jarvis read
Charles Dickens'
A Tale of Two Cities for the Chivers Audio Books production on cassette, later released on CD by
Barnes & Noble Audio Classics. ==Personal life==