Ben Ashenden
Ben Ashenden | |
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Born | 1989/1990 (age 31–32)[1] Watford, Hertfordshire, England |
Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
Occupation | Actor, Comedian, Writer |
Years active | 2009–present |
Ben Ashenden is a British-Irish actor, writer and comedian. He is half of the double-act, The Pin, with Alexander Owen, with whom he has made four series for BBC Radio 4, picking up nominations at the 2017 Writers' Guild Awards.[2] and Radio Academy Awards,[3] and winning the BBC Radio Award for Best Comedy.[4]
Early life[]
Ashenden was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, and grew up in Radlett. His father is a builder and his mother is a bookseller. He has one sister. He went to the Haberdashers' Aske's School for Boys[5] and performed with the Chicken Shed Theatre Company before studying English Literature at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.[6]
Career[]
Ashenden met his double-act colleague, Alexander Owen, at the University of Cambridge. They co-wrote/performed (with Joey Batey, Joe Bannister, Mark Fiddaman and Simon Haines) the sketch show ‘Good Clean Men’.[7][8] Ashenden and Owen then performed with the Cambridge Footlights, as part of the first troupe to tour America, in a show directed by Liam Williams and Daran Johnson.[9]
Upon graduation the pair took their sketch act, The Pin, to the Edinburgh Fringe. Their most recent[when?] show, The Pin: Backstage, was described by The Guardian as “one of Edinburgh’s most dazzling comedy shows”,[10] and is now in development with Sonia Friedman Productions.
As an actor, his film credits include Bridget Jones Baby, Sulphur and White, and Horrible Histories: The Movie. His TV credits include Avenue 5 (HBO), The English Game (Netflix), W1A (BBC1), Stath Lets Flats (C4), Brotherhood (Comedy Central), Plebs (ITV2) and Sky Christmas special, Cinderella: After Ever After.
As a writer, he co-created the animated series Oi, Leonardo! for BBC3, and has written for BBC1 shows Walliams and Friend and Tracey Ullman's Show, BBC3's Famalam, and Showtime’s Who is America?
In 2020 The Pin released “The Special Relationship”[11] an 8-part series on Audible, co-starring Fred Armisen, Cecily Strong, Jamie Demetriou, Lolly Adefope and Kate Berlant. It largely repurposes sketches from their Radio 4 show within the context of a fictionalised attempt to break into the New York comedy scene.
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Bridget Jones's Baby | Pierce | |
2019 | Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans | Messenger | |
After Ever After | Pongo | TV film | |
2020 | Sulphur and White | Sean |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | BBC Comedy Feeds | Episode: "Kerry" | |
2014 | Siblings | Michael | Episode: "Balcombe's Funeral" |
2015 | Drunk History | Drunk Storyteller | Episode: "The Krays/Guy Fawkes" |
Brotherhood | Dan | Series regular | |
2016 | Halloween Comedy Shorts | Nick | Episode: "Jamie Demetriou's Horror: Oh God" |
Crazyhead | Luke | Episode: "Penguin or Cow?" | |
2016-2017 | Witless | PC Colin Naysmith | 2 episodes |
2017 | Henry IX | Damian | 3 episodes |
Coconut | James | 4 episodes | |
W1A | Assistant Floor Manager | 1 episode | |
2017-2018 | Tracey Breaks the News | Various | 3 episodes |
Tracey Ullman's Show | Various | Series regular | |
2018 | Oi Leonardo | Various | Mini-series |
Sick Note | Officer Errol | Episode: "Operation Thunderbolt" | |
2018-2019 | Stath Lets Flats | Tristan | 2 episodes |
2019 | Plebs | Posh Man | Episode: "The New Flat" |
2020 | Avenue 5 | Rick | 2 episodes |
The English Game | Cattermole | 1 episode | |
2021 | Ghosts | Captain of the Guards | 1 episode |
Stage[]
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Wind in the Willows | Badger | Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh | as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
Good Clean Men | Writer/Performer/Director | Corpus Playroom, Cambridge | ||
Barry! Pull Your Finger Out! | Hugo | udderBELLY, Edinburgh | as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe | |
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves | Amara | ADC Theatre, Cambridge | ||
2010 | Armageddapocalypse 2: The Explosioning | Performer | ADC Theatre, Cambridge | |
The Oxford Revue and Friends | Writer/Performer | Oxford Arts Theatre, Oxford | ||
Romeo and Juliet | Gregory | Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge | ||
Cambridge Comedy Fest | Writer/Performer | Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge | ||
Good for You | Writer/Performer | International Tour | with Cambridge Footlights | |
The Pin | Writer/Performer/Director | ADC Theatre, Cambridge | ||
2011 | Pretty Little Panic | Writer/Performer | International Tour | with Cambridge Footlights |
2015 | Ten Seconds with the Pin | Writer/Performer/Director | Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh | as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe |
2020 | The Comeback | Writer/Performer | Noël Coward Theatre |
Awards and nominations[]
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Footlights Harry Porter Award | Barry! Pull Your Finger Out! | Won | [12] | |
2013 | London Sketchfest Prize | Best New Act | The Pin | Won | [13] |
2016 | Audio and Radio Industry Awards | Best Entertainment Production | Nominated | [14] | |
BBC Radio Awards | Best Comedy Production or Moment | Won | [15] | ||
2017 | BBC Audio Drama Awards | Best Comedy With a Live Audience | Nominated | [16] | |
Writers' Guild Awards | Best Radio Comedy | Nominated | [17] |
References[]
- ^ Maxwell, Dominic. "Pin sharp: The comic duo set to storm the West End".
- ^ "Writers' Guild Award winners 2017". Writers' Guild of Great Britain. 2017-01-23. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ "2016 ARIAS Nominees". Radio Academy. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ ""Everyone" wins Gold at the BBC Radio Awards". RadioToday. 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ School, The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' (2012-09-05). "Cambridge Footlights returns to Habs with Ben Ashenden (Meadows, 2008) September 25th. Tickets £5 from school office. Great show for Yr 9+". @habsboys. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ "Ben Ashenden | hhush". www.hhush.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
- ^ "Good Clean Men". Camdram. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- ^ Reynolds, George (6 November 2009). "'Good Clean Men'". Varsity. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- ^ "Footlights Tour Show 2010 - 'Good For You'". Camdram. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ "The Pin review – one of Edinburgh's most dazzling comedy shows". The Guardian. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2020-07-03). "'The Special Relationship': Audible Comedy From The Pin Duo Features Cecily Strong, Fred Armisen, Kate Berlant, Sally Phillips, More". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ "Barry Pull Your Finger Out! Review". Edinburgh Guide. Edinburgh Guide. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "LONDON SKETCH COMEDY FESTIVAL PERFORMERS ARCHIVE". London Sketchfest. London Sketchfest. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "The 2016 ARIAS". The Radio Academy. The Radio Academy. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ ""Everyone" wins Gold at the BBC Radio Awards". Radio Today. Radio Today. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "The 2017 Shortlist". BBC Audio Drama Awards. BBC. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "Writers' Guild Award winners 2017". The Writers' Union. The Writers' Union. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
External links[]
- Ben Ashenden at IMDb
- The Pin on Twitter.
- Ben Ashenden on Hamilton Hodell.
- The Pin official website.
- The Pin on Radio 4.
- British male film actors
- British male stage actors
- British male television actors
- British male comedians
- Living people
- 1989 births