Having acted in both theatre and television support roles, Parkes made his breakthrough in the 1999 film Human Traffic.

Television work includes Lock, Stock..., Servants and Russell T Davies' Casanova and Doctor Who.

He has starred alongside David Threlfall and Neil Stuke in Joe Penhall's award-winning play Blue/Orange in the West End and in Kwame Kwei-Armah's Elmina's Kitchen and at Shakespeare's Globe as Aaron in Titus Andronicus.

Parkes also starred as the lead in BBC Two's detective series Moses Jones, with a supporting cast that included Matt Smith.

Together they have been working regularly on dance tracks featuring Parkes' vocals, and are planning to produce a new album.