In Spotlight: No Return star Michael Jibson's best film and TV roles

He'll shortly be starring alongside Sheridan Smith in ITV drama No Return, but Michael Jibson is already a familiar face to TV viewers and theatre fans alike.

Hull actor Jibson, 41, made his West End debut at just 14 years old, as one of Fagin’s motley crew in Oliver! before being nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for the Madness musical Our House at 22 years old.

In 2018, Jibson won an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for playing King George III in the hit West End show, Hamilton.

His stellar work on stage has led to work in film and TV, and Jibson has appeared in everything from big-budget films such as Beauty and the Beast, Les Miserables and Star Wars, to BBC productions like Burton and Taylor, to soaps, sitcoms and video games, such as Casualty, Father Brown and Battlefield 1.

Here are some of his best roles. What have you seen him in? 

No Return – Martin Powell 

Jibson plays Martin Powell, the husband of Kathy (played by Sheridan Smith) in ITV’s high-angst drama No Return.

The four-part series sees the Powell family take a much-needed holiday to Turkey with their son Noah and daughter Jessica. But when Noah is accused of a crime he insists he didn’t commit, their beach break becomes a living nightmare. Jibson plays the henpecked husband masterfully alongside Smith’s lioness character.

On working with Smith in No Return, Jibson commented, “We’re both just cut from the same cloth. That’s what worked for this. When we were on set acting together, we were both pinging off each other. That’s what was so interesting about working with Sheridan.”

No Return touches down on ITV on 7 February. 

Four Lives – DC Slaymaker 

Michael Jibson and Sheridan Smith have known each other since they were involved in the National Youth Music Theatre as youngsters. Earlier this year they starred alongside each other in the BBC police drama, Four Lives, which focuses on the real-life crimes of the Grindr killer Stephen Port.

The series was critically acclaimed, with the Telegraph saying it’s “as good as true-crime TV drama gets”. Jibson plays DC Slaymaker, the family liaison officer assigned to the family of Anthony Walgate, the 23-year-old fashion student who was Port's first victim.

Four Lives is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now. 

A Discovery of Witches - Emperor Rudolph II

In 2021, Jibson entered the world of witches, vampires and daemons in series 2 episode 7 of Sky Atlantic fantasy show, A Discovery of Witches.

He plays quirky Emperor Rudolf II (complete with beard and moustache), who Matthew and Diana encounter when they visit Bohemia in search of Edward Kelley and the Book of Life.

A Discovery of Witches is available to stream on NOW. 

Honour - DS Stuart Reeves 

Starring alongside Keeley Hawes and Mark Stanley, Jibson plays police detective DS Stuart Reeves in this two-part ITV drama based on true events. Honour follows the police investigation and police failings in the honour killing of Banaz Mahmod, a 20-year-old Iraqi Kurdish woman that was murdered by her family after leaving her abusive marriage for another man.

Honour is available to watch on the ITV Hub now.

Quiz - Tecwen Whittock

Quiz explores the real-life scandal that happened on the hit ITV show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? According to the drama's narrative, contestants Charles and Diana Ingram concocted a clever plan to make off with the quiz show's million-pound jackpot but got caught up in a cheating story that engrossed the nation.

Jibson plays Tecwen Whittock, a Welsh quizzer who was part of a community that went on quiz shows across the world and tried to beat the system. He was in the fastest buzzer round before Charles took to the hot seat and was accused of coughing to help them win the top prize.

Jibson played alongside his cousin-in-law Michael Sheen, who portrayed Chris Tarrant on the show. He told Entertainment Focus: “Michael’s actually my cousin-in-law so I know Michael as an extended member of my family. My wife is his first cousin so I know Michael personally, I suppose better than most actors. I see him at family dos and things like that so I’m quite used to chatting to Michael when he’s not in character.

"It was fascinating and brilliant to work with him for me because I’ve never worked with him.”

Quiz is available to stream on BritBox now. 

See which other scandals we think could be made into hit TV shows

1917 – Lieutenant Hutton

Oscar-winning war film 1917 is arguably the biggest project Jibson has been a part of so far. In the big-budget production, directed by Sam Mendes, Jibson plays Lieutenant Hutton and admits it was a “once in a lifetime thing to be a part of”.

Coincidentally Mendes had directed Jibson on his West End debut in Oliver! back in 1994.

1917 takes the audience to the front line of the Western Front as two British soldiers race against time to deliver a message that will prevent the deaths of 1,600 men.

1917 is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.

Saints and Strangers - Myles Standish

Jibson playes Myles Standish in the two-part miniseries Saints and Strangers, which premiered on National Geographic in 2015.

The drama chronicles the Pilgrim Fathers' harrowing voyage from England to America aboard the Mayflower and their first year settling in the country.

Jibson’s character is the military representative on the Mayflower, who makes sure things are safe as the pilgrims move farther into the new world.

Saints and Strangers is available to watch on Netflix now. 

The Thirteenth Tale - Charlie Angelfield

Adapted from Diane Setterfield’s 2006 gothic novel, The Thirteenth Tale tells the story of biographer Margaret Lea (played by Olivia Colman) who’s invited to the house of Vida Winter (Venessa Redgrave) a famous novelist dying of cancer. Having brushed off the press throughout her career, Winter is now ready to divulge the story of her unusual childhood at Angelfield House.

Jibson plays Vida’s uncle, Charlie Angelfield. His sister is Isabelle Angelfied.  He’s a violent man who hides an obsessive passion for his sister and who is eventually sent to a mental asylum.

The Thirteenth Tale is available to watch on Prime Video.