Lenny Rush

Last updated

Lenny Rush
Born (2009-03-17) 17 March 2009 (age 15)
Occupation(s)Actor and presenter
Years active2017–present
Notable work

Lenny Rush (born 17 March 2009) is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his work on the Daisy May Cooper comedy drama series Am I Being Unreasonable?, on the BBC One series Dodger and the CBBC drama The Dumping Ground. He won a breakthrough award at the 2023 National Comedy Awards, and won the Breakthrough Award and Best Comedy Performance (Male) at the 2023 Royal Television Society Programme Awards.

Contents

Personal life

Rush has a medical condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita which affects his growth, resulting in dwarfism. [1] [2]

Career

Rush first appeared on camera on the CBeebies documentary Our Family. He began acting locally at the Pauline Quirke Academy in Essex. He played roles on CBeebies series Apple Tree House and CBBC's The Dumping Ground and had played Tiny Tim in versions of A Christmas Carol both on stage at The Old Vic in London in 2017 and 2018, and on-screen in a Steven Knight televised retelling of the Charles Dickens classic in 2019. [3] [4]

Rush was given a series regular role in the comedy drama Dodger alongside Christopher Eccleston. Initially a small role called The Sweeper, the part was expanded for Rush and given the character name Morgan. [5] Rush also had the role of Ollie in Daisy May Cooper’s BBC One comedy Am I Being Unreasonable? , in which he improvised lines as well as performing from a script. [6] He received praise for his performance in the show, with Lucy Mangan writing in The Guardian , “What a gift they have in Rush, who has the comic chops and emotional range of an actor twice his age, and the kind of chemistry with Cooper that is an absolute joy to watch." [7]

Rush made a notable appearance[ clarification needed ] on the BBC One charity show Children In Need in 2022. [8] Rush won the Breakthrough Award, and Comedy Performance (Male) Award, for Am I Being Unreasonable? at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2023. [9] [ failed verification ]

In June 2023, it was announced that Rush would portray Morris Gibbons, UNIT's scientific advisor, in the fourteenth series of Doctor Who . [10] He had previously been initially cast as the voice of Eric in "Space Babies" before being offered the larger role. [11] [12]

In October 2023, at the age of 14, it was announced that Rush would become the first child presenter to co-host the annual Children in Need appeal. [13]

In November 2023, Rush was the winner of Taskmaster New Year’s Treat 2024. [14] [15]

Accolades

Rush was voted Best Breakthrough at the I Talk Telly Awards in December 2022. [16] It was announced in January 2023 that he would receive a breakthrough award at the National Comedy Awards. [17] On 29 March 2023, he won two awards at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards: the Breakthrough Award, and Best Comedy Performance (Male). [18] [19] In May 2023, he won the BAFTA for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for his work on Am I Being Unreasonable?[ citation needed ]

Filmography

Filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
2018–2019 Apple Tree House Eli4 episodes
2019 A Christmas Carol Tiny Tim Miniseries
2020Old Vic on Camera: A Christmas CarolTiny Tim
2021–2022 The Dumping Ground Murphy7 episodes
2021–2023 Dodger Morgan/The SweeperRecurring role
2022 Enola Holmes 2 Newspaper boyFilm
2022–present Am I Being Unreasonable? OllieLead role (6 episodes)
2023 Best Interests George1 episode
Haunting of the Queen Mary Lukas CaulderFilm
Children in Need HimselfPresenter
2024 Doctor Who Morris Gibbons2 episodes; "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" and "Empire of Death"
Taskmaster HimselfNew Years Special

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny Henry</span> British comedian and actor (born 1958)

Sir Lenworth George Henry is an English comedian, actor and writer. He gained success as a stand-up comedian and impressionist in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in The Lenny Henry Show in 1984. He was the most prominent black British comedian of the time and much of his material served to celebrate and parody his African-Caribbean roots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Tate</span> British actress, comedian and writer (born 1969)

Catherine Tate is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won numerous awards for her work on the BBC sketch comedy series The Catherine Tate Show (2004–2007), as well as being nominated for an International Emmy Award and seven BAFTAs. Tate played Donna Noble in the 2006 Christmas special of the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, and reprised her role for the fourth series in 2008, and the 60th anniversary episodes in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Horne</span> British comedian and musician

Alexander James Jeffery Horne is a British comedian. Horne is the creator of BAFTA award-winning TV series Taskmaster, in which he takes the role of assistant to the Taskmaster Greg Davies. He is the host and bandleader of comedic band The Horne Section. Horne hosts the band's eponymous podcast and television series, and has appeared with them on BBC Radio 4, TV channel Dave, and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Capaldi</span> Scottish actor and director (born 1958)

Peter Dougan Capaldi is a Scottish actor and director. He portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who and Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, for which he received four British Academy Television Award nominations, winning Best Male Comedy Performance in 2010.

Rhys Thomas is a British director, producer, actor, comedian and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Davies</span> Welsh comedian and actor (born 1968)

Gregory Daniel Davies is a Welsh comedian, actor, presenter, and writer. He is best known for his roles as Mr Gilbert in The Inbetweeners (2008–2010), Ken Thompson in Cuckoo (2012–2019), Dan Davies in Man Down (2013–2017) and Paul "Wicky" Wickstead in The Cleaner. Since 2015 he has hosted the comedy panel game show Taskmaster and he has also appeared on Mock the Week, Fast and Loose, Live at the Apollo and Would I Lie to You?

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Wozniak</span> British comedian (b. 1979)

Michael James Wozniak is a British comedian, writer, actor and former medical doctor. He portrays Brian in the Channel 4 sitcom Man Down and is a member of the team that makes Small Scenes for BBC Radio 4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katy Wix</span> Welsh actress, comedian and author (born 1980)

Katy Victoria J Wix is a Welsh actress, writer, author and artist. Her television roles include Carole in Stath Lets Flats, Mary in Ghosts, Barbara in Ted Lasso, and Jules in Big Boys. She has also appeared as a series contestant on Taskmaster and as a recurring character in the science fiction mini-series Torchwood: Children of Earth in 2009. She has written two series of her own: a sitcom for BBC Radio 4, Bird Island and a sketch show for Channel 4, Anna & Katy. In 2017, her painting was chosen for the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition. She has written two books of monologues and in 2021 she published her first memoir, Delicacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathew Baynton</span> English actor, musician and writer (born 1980)

Mathew John Baynton is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. He is best known as a member of the Them There collective in which he wrote and starred in shows including Horrible Histories, Yonderland and Ghosts. He was also the co-creator, writer and star of the comedy-drama The Wrong Mans. Other major television roles include Deano in Gavin & Stacey, Chris Pitt-Goddard in Spy, Simon in Peep Show, William Agar in Quacks, and twin brothers Jamie Winton and Ariel Conroy in You, Me and the Apocalypse. He has appeared in several films, including Bill (2015) and Wonka (2023).

Selin Saime Hizli is an English actress from Flamstead, Hertfordshire, best known for her starring role in the second and third series of the BBC One drama Land Girls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Wokoma</span> British actress (born 1987)

Susan Indiaba Wokoma is a British actress, writer and director. She is best known for her roles as Edith in the Enola Holmes films, Cynthia in Chewing Gum, Raquel in the E4/Netflix show Crazyhead and Fola in Cheaters. Wokoma was listed as one of Europe's Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2017 and named a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit by an international jury the same year.

<i>Taskmaster</i> (TV series) British comedy panel game show

Taskmaster is a British comedy panel game show created by comedian and musician Alex Horne and presented by both Horne and Greg Davies. In the programme, a group of five celebrities – mainly comedians – attempt to complete a series of challenges, with Horne acting as umpire in each challenge and Davies, the titular "Taskmaster", judging the work and awarding points based on contestants' performances. The concept for the programme was first created by Horne for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010; he later secured a deal with Dave to adapt it for television with the first episode premiering in 2015. After the ninth series in 2019, the programme was acquired by Channel 4. The programme has completed eighteen series as well as three Champion of Champions specials and five New Year Treat one-offs by January 2025, and is set to continue for at least three more series until 2026.

<i>This Country</i> British television series

This Country is a British mockumentary sitcom, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Three on 8 February 2017. Created by, written by and starring siblings Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper and directed by Tom George, the series focuses on the day-to-day lives of two cousins living in a small village in the Cotswolds. The programme includes themes of social clumsiness, the trivialities of human behaviour, the eccentricities of living in rural England, and the boredom and social isolation of young people in small communities.

Daisy May Cooper is an English actress and writer. She won the 2018 BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for playing Kerry Mucklowe in the BBC Three series This Country, which she co-created and co-wrote with her younger brother, Charlie Cooper.

Charlie Cooper is an English actor and writer, known for his role as Lee "Kurtan" Mucklowe in the BBC Three series This Country, which he co-created and co-wrote alongside his older sister, Daisy May Cooper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mawaan Rizwan</span> British actor (born 1992)

Mawaan Rizwan is a Pakistani-born British actor and comedian who began his career as a YouTuber. He created and starred in the BBC Three comedy Juice (2023). He won a British Academy Television Award for his performance, in addition to receiving writing nominations.

Dodger is a British family comedy drama series, inspired by the Artful Dodger from the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The series serves as a prequel to the events of Oliver Twist. The first 10 episodes launched on 9 February 2022, on BBC iPlayer and were repeated on BBC One. Series One was followed by three specials, ‘Train’ in November 2022, ‘Christmas’ in December 2022 and ‘Bad Egg’ on Easter Saturday 2023 on BBC One. The series cast was led by Christopher Eccleston as Fagin and Billy Jenkins as Dodger.

Babatunde Aléshé is a British actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for appearing on several Celebrity Gogglebox specials, the 22nd series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2022, and the 18th series of Taskmaster in late 2024.

<i>Am I Being Unreasonable?</i> British television series

Am I Being Unreasonable? is a British comedy-thriller television series produced by Boffola Pictures and Lookout Point and written by, and starring, Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli. The series was broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 26 September 2022. The series premiered in the United States on Hulu on 11 April 2023. A second series was commissioned by the BBC in October 2022.

Rain Dogs is a British comedy-drama television series created, written, and executive produced by Cash Carraway for BBC One and HBO. It premiered on HBO on 6 March 2023 and stars Daisy May Cooper, Jack Farthing, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo and Fleur Tashjian. The series has received critical acclaim, with particular praise for the writing and performances of its cast.

References

  1. Amin, Megna (25 November 2022). "Dodger star Lenny Rush explains why it's so good for mums of disabled kids to see him on screen". Metro.
  2. "Ormiston Rivers Academy student stars in hit BBC show". Ormiston Academies Trust. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024.
  3. Bushby, Helen (2 December 2022). "Scene-stealer: Child star Lenny Rush's rise to fame". BBC News. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  4. Davies, Sean (22 December 2019). "Lenny, 10, is the star of the show this Christmas". Echo. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  5. "I Talk To Lenny Rush". I Talk Telly. 22 December 2022.
  6. Jeffery, Morgan (28 November 2022). "Dodger star Lenny Rush says children's TV is "so important" at Christmas". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  7. Mangan, Lucy (23 September 2022). "Am I Being Unreasonable? review – Daisy May Cooper is absurdly brilliant". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  8. Emmett, Millie (22 November 2022). "Lenny Rush comedy skit impressed Children In Need viewers". Maldon and Burnham Standard. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  9. Ramachandran, Naman (7 March 2023). "Kate Winslet, Kit Connor, Billie Piper in the Mix at Royal Television Society Programme Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  10. Jeffery, Morgan (15 June 2023). "Doctor Who casts BAFTA winner Lenny Rush as new character Morris". Radio Times.
  11. "Doctor Who: Unleashed - Season 1: 1. Space Babies". BBC. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  12. "Doctor Who guest star Lenny Rush was originally cast in a different role". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  13. Cormack, Morgan (18 October 2023). "Doctor Who star Lenny Rush joins Children in Need presenting line-up". Radio Times.
  14. "Burnham actor Lenny Rush 'honoured' as he wins Taskmaster New Year's Treat". Maldon and Burnham Standard. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  15. Lewis, George (23 November 2023). "Taskmaster confirms line-up for celebrity special". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  16. "I Talk Telly Awards – Winners Announced". Beyond The Joke. 4 December 2022.
  17. "National Comedy Awards 2023 shortlists revealed". Chortle.
  18. Goldbart, Max (29 March 2023). "Kate Winslet Scoops Big Acting Prize At RTS Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  19. Ritman, Alex (29 March 2023). "Kit Connor, Kate Winslet Among Winners of Royal Television Society Program Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 March 2023.