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]
Ben Ashenden | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1989 or 1990 (age 34–35)[1] Watford, Hertfordshire, England |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian, writer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
Early life
editAshenden 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
editAshenden 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
editFilm
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Morning Has Broken | Waiter | TV film |
| 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 | |
| 2022 | The Bubble | Tip, the MoCap Guy | |
| Jurassic World Dominion | Tyler | ||
| What's Love Got to Do with It? | Sam | ||
| 2024 | Seize Them! | Penda the rebel |
Television
edit| 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?" | |
| 2016-17 | Witless | PC Colin Naysmith | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Henry IX | Damian | 3 episodes |
| Coconut | James | 4 episodes | |
| W1A | Assistant Floor Manager | 1 episode | |
| 2017-18 | 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" | |
| 2018-19 | 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 | Breeders | Teaching Assistant | Episode: "No Surrender" |
| Petrichor | Stuart | 1 episode | |
| 2021-23 | Ghosts | Captain of the Guards | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Deep Heat | Mike | Episode: "The 'Tour'" |
| Ten Percent | Estate Agent | 1 episode | |
| Ellie & Natasia | Various | 3 episodes | |
| 1899 | Darrel | 3 episodes | |
| 2023 | A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou | Fred | TV special |
| Intelligence | Chris Dibbs | Episode: "A Special Agent Special" | |
| Hijack | Adam | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
Stage
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit- ^ 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. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "LONDON SKETCH COMEDY FESTIVAL PERFORMERS ARCHIVE". London Sketchfest. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "The 2016 ARIAS". The Radio Academy. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ ""Everyone" wins Gold at the BBC Radio Awards". Radio Today. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "The 2017 Shortlist". BBC Audio Drama Awards. BBC. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
- ^ "Writers' Guild Award winners 2017". The Writers' Union. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
External links
edit- Ben Ashenden at IMDb
- The Pin on Twitter.
- Ben Ashenden on Hamilton Hodell.
- The Pin official website.
- The Pin on Radio 4.