William Ash (actor)

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William Ash
Born (1977-01-13) 13 January 1977 (age 47)
OccupationActor
Years active1987–present

William Ash (born 13 January 1977) is a British actor. He is known for roles in the television dramas Soldier Soldier (Series 3–4), Where the Heart Is (1997–1998), Clocking Off (2001–2002), Waterloo Road (2009–2011), The Tunnel (2016–2017) and Emmerdale (2022–present). His film appearances include Mad About Mambo (2000) and Hush (2008).

Career[edit]

Born in Chadderton, near Oldham, Ash's first TV appearance was as Spike in Coronation Street aged 10. He then had a regular role as Nicky in Making Out (1989–1991), followed by a regular role in the ITV series Where the Heart Is. He has since appeared in Mad About Mambo, Clocking Off, Children's Ward, Lilies, Born to Run, Burn It, All the King's Men, ShakespeaRe-Told (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Doctor Who, the miniseries Conviction, Hush, Waterloo Road and Shameless. In 2006, he portrayed the Manchester United footballer Albert Scanlon in an edition of the BBC series Surviving Disasters about the Munich air disaster of 1958, of which Scanlon was a survivor.[1]

Ash's stage credits include the premiere productions of Presence at the Royal Court Theatre in 2001[2] and of How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found at Sheffield Theatres as well as Of Mice and Men at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh.

In December 2011, Ash had a starring role in a BBC comedy drama, Lapland, as Ray, a role he is reprising for a new series, Being Eileen.[3][4] In 2013 he starred in the ITV comedy drama series Great Night Out as Beggsy. In 2015, Ash appeared as Frank Mellor in the BBC TV series Death in Paradise episode 4.4. In February 2016, he appeared in BBC drama series Moving On. In 2016, he appeared in the ITV/Netflix series Paranoid. He also appeared as the character BB in the second and third series of Sky Atlantic's The Tunnel. In 2017, Ash played Leighton Thomas in ITV's serial killer drama, The Loch. In 2018, he played the role of Marvin in a British TV drama series, Wanderlust.[5]

Ash played a central character in the 2020 film Perfect 10.[6]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Film Role Notes
1987 The Sign of Four Jack Smith Television film
1993 Raining Stones Joe
1996 The Bare Necessities Tony Television film
1998 Anorak of Fire Tim Bixton Television film
1999 Fanny and Elvis Rick
All the King's Men Sergeant Ted Grimes Television film
2000 Mad About Mambo Danny Mitchell
2002 Daddy's Girl DC Neil Hallam Television film
Nicholas Nickleby Frank Cheeryble
2003 Standing Room Only Simon Short
2006 Magnolia Ed Television film
2007 Until Death Serge
2008 Hush Zakes Abbot
2011 Lapland Ray Cooper Television film
2013 The Last Witch Howard Greenwood Television film
The Flea Brooke/Essex
Man in the Moon Joe
2017 Habit Ian
Sophie's Lights Alan Short
2018 Playing Dead Liam Short
2019 Perfect 10 Rob
The Invisible Cal

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1987 How We Used to Live Peter Hodgkins Episode: "1957: Commercial Breaks"
Coronation Street Spike 1 episode
1988 Screen Two Marlene's Kid Episode: "Love Birds"
1989–1991 Children's Ward Darren Walsh Series regular
1989–1991 Making Out Nicky Series regular
1992 Heartbeat Paul Allenby Episode: "Nowt But a Prank"
1993–1994 Soldier Soldier Jack Stubbs 7 episodes
1995 Heartbeat Joe Norton 2 episodes
1996 Beck Ralph Series regular
1997 Born to Run Sammy Fitch 1 episode
1997–1998 Where the Heart Is Stephen Snow Recurring role
2001 Dark Realm Eric Phillips Episode: "Organizer 2000"
2001–2002 Clocking Off Nick Anderson Series regular
2002 Coronation Street Johnny James 1 episode
Having It Off David Series regular
2003 Burn It Jon Moore Series regular
2004 Conviction Chrissie Fairburn Series regular
2005 Jericho Johnny Swan Episode: "The Killing of Johnny Swan"
ShakespeaRe-Told James Episode: "A Midsummer's Night Dream"
2006 Surviving Disaster Albert Scanlon Episode: "Munich Air crash"
2007 Lilies Nazzer Episode: "The Sea"
Doctor Who Riley Vashtee Episode: "42"
Sold Gavin 1 episode
2009–2011 Waterloo Road Christopher Mead Series regular (2009–2011)
2011 Shameless Jesus O'Toole Episode: "Comebacks"
Legacy: High Green Walls Dan
Casualty Harry Reynolds Episode: "System Error"
2012 Life Stories Davey Episode: "Toby's Dad"
2013 Great Night Out Matthew "Beggsy" Begg Series regular
Being Eileen Ray Cooper Series regular
Scott & Bailey Craig 1 episode
2014 Inspector George Gently Mark Tanner Episode: "Gently with Honour"
Vera Linus Campion Episode: "The Deer Hunters"
2015 Father Brown RSM Reginald Davis Episode: "The Sign of the Broken Sword"
Death in Paradise Frank Mellor Episode: "Until Death Do You Part"
The Embrace Charlie
2016 Moving On John Episode: "Scratch"
Paranoid Henry Appley Series regular
2016–2018 The Tunnel Boleslaw 'BB' Borowski Series regular
2017 The Loch Leighton Thomas Series regular
2018 Wanderlust Marvin Walters Recurring role
2020 Silent Witness Major Mark Sealy 2 episodes
The Accidental Medium Frank Series regular
2021 Casualty Kevin Eccles 1 episode
War of the Worlds Mark 1 episode
Wolfe Jeff 2 episodes
2022–present Emmerdale Caleb Miligan Series regular

Stage[edit]

Year Title Role Venue Notes
1999 Juno and the Paycock Johnny Boyle Donmar Warehouse, Covent Garden, London
2001 Presence Paul Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London
2002 Port Danny Miller Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
2003 The Sugar Syndrome Lewis Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London
2005 Electra Restes Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
2007 Mary Barton Jem Wilson Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found Charlie/Adam Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
2008–2009 You Can See the Hills Adam Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London & Young Vic, The Cut, London
2011 The Globe Mysteries Jesus Shakespeare's Globe, Southwark, London
2012 Of Mice and Men George Milton Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

References[edit]

  1. ^ "'Munich Air Crash' (episode, 2006) Surviving Disaster". IMDb. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  2. ^ Presence by David Harrower, London, Faber and Faber, 2001, ISBN 9780571210596
  3. ^ "BBC One commissions new six-part comedy series, Lapland". BBC Online. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Being Eileen". BBC. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  5. ^ Griffiths Bley, Eleanor (25 September 2018). "Meet the cast of Wanderlust". Radio Times.
  6. ^ "Perfect 10". BBC. Retrieved 26 February 2021.

External links[edit]