Keith Jayne (born 10 December 1960) is a British actor, known for playing the title role in the 1981 television adaptation Stig of the Dump.
A slow growth rate, due to a pituitary gland problem, made Keith a target of bullies at grammar school. To escape them, he enrolled with The Barbara Speake Stage School.
Early roles were in Rumpole of the Bailey, Angels (TV series) and a variety of Children's Film Foundation productions. In 1974, Keith appeared as Wilfred Schoenfeld in the Upstairs Downstairs episode 'The Beastly Hun.'
However, his big break happened in 1979 when he was cast as Tom Arnold, a cabin boy, in The Onedin Line.
This was followed by the lead role in Thames Television’s, BAFTA award nominated, adaptation of Stig of The Dump - which “is probably the part I am most remembered for.”[1]
Keith appeared in all 54 episodes of Central TV's kid’s drama, Murphy’s Mob - as Boxer Reed in Murphy’s Mob.
His appearance as Will Chandler - “one of the most convincing and memorable companions the Doctor never had”[2] – in the Doctor Who serial The_Awakening_(Doctor_Who), led John Nathan-Turner to briefly consider making Keith a series regular.
Typecasting (often as a yokel) persuaded Keith to study for a certificate in Finance and Investment. This coincided with a dark period his life when his earlier health problems came back to haunt him. “As a result of the growth hormone treatment I received as a child, I received a letter from the NHS saying I may have contracted CJD'.”[1]
Keith’s high profile saw him interviewed on ITN, a broadcast that curtailed his acting career. “The fact that it was reported that I was dying did not help me get any further work as no casting director is going to employ you if there is a chance you will keel over before episode two.”[1]
Having run a financial services business for the last 22 years, Keith is planning on a return to acting. Looking for an agent he has already made a brief return to television, as a guest in the Blast From The Past section of The Justin Lee Collins Show.