Early career By the age of eight, Harman had a manager, and in 1984, he made his first major television appearance in the
BBC One drama series
Tenko, which was followed by appearances in
Alas Smith and Jones (1986) and
The Honey Siege (1987). He then turned his hand to larger theatre roles, appearing in productions such as
Privates on Parade,
Much Ado About Nothing and
Summer Holiday. He trained at
Arts Educational Schools in
London and was in the original cast of
Mamma Mia!. Harman also performed in musicals on cruise ships for six and a half months, but later told
Paul O'Grady that he hated the experience. Having only worked on the stage and in musical theatre since leaving school, Harman was determined to expand into television, and pursued TV roles. He had minor parts in episodes of
Red Cap,
Doctors and
Coupling, but had to support himself by taking jobs at
Pizza Hut and as a driver for supermarket chain
Sainsbury's.
EastEnders In 2003, he was cast in the high-profile role of
Dennis Rickman in the
BBC soap opera EastEnders. At the time, Harman was working as a delivery driver for supermarket chain
Sainsbury's when he learned he had got the role. Harman left
EastEnders on 5 November 2005, and his final episode was aired on 30 December 2005, in which Dennis was stabbed to death in the street by one of
Johnny Allen's (
Billy Murray) henchmen, later revealed to be
Danny Moon.
Theatre work After leaving
EastEnders in December 2005, Harman appeared as Sky Masterson in
Guys and Dolls at the
Piccadilly Theatre, In October 2006, Harman appeared in the Harold Pinter play
The Caretaker at the
Crucible Theatre in
Sheffield, For his performance, he won the
Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical and
Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. In August 2013, it was announced Harman would play the role of
Simon Cowell in the
West End musical ''
I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical, which opened in February 2014 at the London Palladium. Despite positive reviews, the musical closed in May. The same year, Harman was revealed as the director for the UK tour of Shrek The Musical, In March and April 2025 Harman starred in the London première of Jean-Philippe Daguerre’s play Farewell Mister Haffmann
, adapted by Jeremy Sams, at the Park Theatre. Harman played the villain Fleshcreep in the Christmas pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk'' at
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre from December 2025 to January 2026.
Film and television work Harman's success on television and stage has facilitated a move into other television and film roles. In 2006, he played the leading role in the one-off drama thriller
The Outsiders, In 2011, Harman appeared in an episode of ''
Agatha Christie's Marple. From 2013 until the series ended in 2017, he played Bradley Dawson in Mount Pleasant''. In August 2023, it was announced that Harman would appear as a contestant on the
twenty-first series of
Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with
Katya Jones. He had to step down from the competition due to an injury hours before the quarter final on 2 December 2023. == Personal life ==