Jimmy Hibbert (James Christian Hibbert)

Background

Hibbert was born on July 15, 1955, in Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom. He grew up in a family associated with writing and journalism; his father was the historian and biographer Christopher Hibbert, and his brother Tom Hibbert became a music journalist.

His early adult life developed in the cultural environment of postwar Britain, when university drama, alternative theatre, comedy performance, and popular music increasingly overlapped. That combination of performance and writing became characteristic of Hibbert’s later work in television animation.

Education

Hibbert studied drama at the University of Manchester from 1969 to 1972. The university, established in its modern form in 2004 from the merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST, has older institutional roots in Manchester’s nineteenth-century civic and scientific education, while the earlier university provided a major setting for study in the arts and humanities.

His drama training preceded his work in comedy music and television. The combination of performance skills and scriptwriting developed during this period became important to his subsequent career as an actor, voice performer, and animation writer.

Career

Hibbert began his public career through music and performance. After studying drama at the University of Manchester, he joined CP Lee and Bob Harding in forming Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias in the early 1970s. He performed vocals and bass with the Manchester comedy-rock group, which combined popular music, parody, and theatrical comedy before ending its activity in 1982.

The Albertos’ work belonged to the experimental Manchester music and theatre culture of the 1970s. Hibbert appeared in the group’s musical Sleak, also known as The Snuff Rock Show, performing the lead character Norman Sleak at London venues including the Royal Court Theatre and the Roundhouse in 1977.

After the band ended, Hibbert moved further into acting and voice performance. His animation work became associated particularly with Cosgrove Hall Films, a British studio known for influential children’s series including Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, The Wind in the Willows, and Noddy’s Toyland Adventures. Hibbert supplied voices and contributed writing to several productions, including Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Victor and Hugo, Avenger Penguins, and related animated programs.

Hibbert has also written for a wide range of British and international children’s productions. His writing credits include Bob the Builder, Bill and Ben, Andy Pandy, The Secret Show, Shaun the Sheep, The Octonauts, Chuggington, Mr. Bean: The Animated Series, Pip Ahoy!, and other animated series. His voice work has included characters in Noddy’s Toyland Adventures, The Jungle Book, The Secret Show, Little Red Tractor, and many other productions.

In 2010, Hibbert shared the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain award for Best Children’s Television Drama/Comedy for Shaun the Sheep. The award recognized the writing team’s contribution to a children’s television production that used largely visual storytelling, recurring characters, and comic situations across an animated series.

Achievements

• Hibbert was a founding member of Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias, a Manchester comedy-rock group that combined music, parody, and theatrical performance during the 1970s and early 1980s.

• He developed a long career in British animation as a voice actor and writer, contributing to influential children’s productions including Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, Noddy’s Toyland Adventures, Avenger Penguins, and Shaun the Sheep.

Works

• album

  • Italians from Outer Space

    (Album by Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias, reflecting the g...)

    1977

  • Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias

    (Album by the comedy-rock group of which Hibbert was a fou...)

    1976

• ep

  • Snuff Rock

    (Music release associated with the Albertos’ theatrical pr...)

    1977

• TV series

  • Shaun the Sheep

    (Aardman animated series for which Hibbert wrote episodes ...)

    2007

  • Avenger Penguins

    (Animated series in which Hibbert voiced several character...)

    1993

  • Danger Mouse

    (Animated television series for which Hibbert provided voi...)

    1981

  • The Secret Show

    (Animated comedy series for which Hibbert wrote episodes a...)

    2006

  • The Octonauts

    (Children’s animated series for which Hibbert received wri...)

    2010

  • Mr. Bean: The Animated Series

    (Animated comedy series for which Hibbert wrote episodes.)

    2015

  • Count Duckula

    (Animated comedy series in which Hibbert voiced Dr. Von Go...)

    1988

Religion

Hibbert is identified with Christianity. Christianity is a diverse monotheistic tradition centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, with major historical branches including Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant communities.

His public career has primarily been documented through writing, acting, voice performance, and music rather than through religious office or theological writing.

Interests

• Animation, comedy performance, children’s television, and voice acting.

• Music & Bands

  Hibbert’s documented musical work centers on comedy rock and theatrical popular music through Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias, where he performed vocals and bass.

Connections

Hibbert is the son of historian and biographer Christopher Hibbert and Susan Hibbert. His younger brother was the music journalist Tom Hibbert.

He formed Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias with CP Lee and Bob Harding after studying drama at the University of Manchester. His later professional connections include writers, performers, directors, and production teams working in British animation and children’s television.

Father:

Christopher Hibbert

Historian and biographer.

Mother:

Susan Hibbert

Brother:

Tom Hibbert

Music journalist.

References

• Just Voices agency profile Documents Hibbert’s professional identity as an actor and writer, his animation credits, vocal range, and recording work.
• Writers’ Guild Awards 2010 Documents Hibbert as a winner of the Best Children’s Television Drama/Comedy award for Shaun the Sheep.
  2010
• British Comedy Guide: Jimmy Hibbert Provides a production-by-production record of Hibbert’s television writing, acting, and voice credits.
• Manchester Digital Music Archive: Jimmy Hibbert statement on C. P. Lee Documents Hibbert as a founding member of Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias and identifies his roles as bassist and vocalist.
  2020