# William Ash (actor)

William Ash (born 13 January 1977) is an English 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

Born in Chadderton, 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.
Ash's stage credits include the premiere productions of Presence at the Royal Court Theatre in 2001 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. 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.
Ash played a central character in the 2020 film Perfect 10.

## Filmography
### Film

| 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 | |
| 1999 | 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 |
| 2002 | 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 |
| 2013 | The Flea | Brooke/Essex | |
| 2013 | Man in the Moon | Joe | |
| 2017 | Habit | Ian | |
| 2017 | Sophie's Lights | Alan | Short |
| 2018 | Playing Dead | Liam | Short |
| 2019 | Perfect 10 | Rob | |
| 2019 | The Invisible | Cal | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1987 | How We Used to Live | Peter Hodgkins | Episode: "1957: Commercial Breaks" |
| 1987 | 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 |
| 2002 | 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" |
| 2005 | ShakespeaRe-Told | James | Episode: "A Midsummer's Night Dream" |
| 2006 | Surviving Disaster | Albert Scanlon | Episode: "Munich Air crash" |
| 2007 | Lilies | Nazzer | Episode: "The Sea" |
| 2007 | Doctor Who | Riley Vashtee | Episode: "42" |
| 2007 | Sold | Gavin | 1 episode |
| 2009–2011 | Waterloo Road | Christopher Mead | Series regular (2009–2011) |
| 2011 | Shameless | Jesus O'Toole | Episode: "Comebacks" |
| 2011 | Legacy: High Green Walls | Dan | |
| 2011 | Casualty | Harry Reynolds | Episode: "System Error" |
| 2012 | Life Stories | Davey | Episode: "Toby's Dad" |
| 2013 | Great Night Out | Matthew "Beggsy" Begg | Series regular |
| 2013 | Being Eileen | Ray Cooper | Series regular |
| 2013 | Scott & Bailey | Craig | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Inspector George Gently | Mark Tanner | Episode: "Gently with Honour" |
| 2014 | Vera | Linus Campion | Episode: "The Deer Hunters" |
| 2015 | Father Brown | RSM Reginald Davis | Episode: "The Sign of the Broken Sword" |
| 2015 | Death in Paradise | Frank Mellor | Episode: "Until Death Do You Part" |
| 2015 | The Embrace | Charlie | |
| 2016 | Moving On | John | Episode: "Scratch" |
| 2016 | 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 |
| 2020 | The Accidental Medium | Frank | Series regular |
| 2021 | Casualty | Kevin Eccles | 1 episode |
| 2021 | War of the Worlds | Mark | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Wolfe | Jeff | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | The Rising | Michael Wyatt | Series regular; 8 episodes |
| 2022 | The Window | John Maslin | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2022–present | Emmerdale | Caleb Miligan | Series regular |
| 2023 | Significant Other | Paul | Episode: "Episode 6" |

### Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
| 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 |
| 2007 | 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 |