Bashy

Ashley Thomas (born 4 February 1985), also known by the stage name Bashy, is a British actor and rapper.

Early life and education Ashley Thomas was born in Hammersmith, West London. His mother is of Jamaican heritage and his father is of Dominican heritage.

Career Music By his late teens, Thomas was a part of the UK’s emerging grime scene, rapping on pirate radio stations.

In 2007, he released the song "Black Boys". Thomas delivered the film's theme song Kidulthood to Adulthood.

In 2010, Thomas featured on the song "White Flag" by Gorillaz, from the critically acclaimed album Plastic Beach.

Thomas released his first full-length album in 15 years, Being Poor is Expensive, on 12 July 2024. The album received critical acclaim and won the 2025 MOBO Award for Album of Year. Bashy also won the MOBO Award for Best Hip Hop Act that same year. His song How Black Men Lose Their Smile was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song.

Acting Thomas landed his first role in 2010 as Rager in British film Shank,

In 2011, Thomas played the part of Mental Mickey in Cockneys vs Zombies. Later that year, he played Tyrone Jones in The Veteran.

In 2013, he played the recurring character Jermaine Newton in Top Boy , a role he reprised in 2019 after it was announced that Netflix was to revive the British drama series. In March 2016, Thomas was set as a lead role in the 20th Century Fox Television reboot of franchise series 24 as Isaac Carter. Early in 2018, Thomas played the brother of Luca Quinn in the legal drama The Good Fight. That same year Thomas was set to headline the Amazon Prime horror series Them; for his performance he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. In 2021, Thomas starred in the British limited series The Ipcress File on ITV. In February 2022, the cast for the Steven Knight's adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations for the BBC was announced, with Olivia Colman cast as Miss Havisham, Fionn Whitehead cast as Pip and Thomas cast as Mr Jaggers, becoming the first black actor to play the role; for his performance he received a Royal Television Society Programme Award nomination. Later that year, Thomas had been cast as the male lead in the Hulu drama series Black Cake opposite Adrienne Warren and Mia Isaac.

In 2023 Thomas joined the cast of The Serpent Queen as Alessandro de Medici. In March 2024, Thomas was cast in the Netflix political television series Hostage as Dr Alex Anderson, alongside Suranne Jones. Filming began that month with the working title The Choice. In November 2024 it was announced Thomas had been cast in the Channel 4 crime thriller drama series In Flight.

Discography Studio albums +List of studio albums Year Album details Catch Me If You CanReleased: 1 June 2009 Label: Ragz2Richez Being Poor is ExpensiveReleased: 12 July 2024 "Black Boys"2008 —Catch Me If You Can"Kidulthood to Adulthood" 86"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" 2009 —"Your Wish Is My Command" —"Fantasy" 88rowspan="4" "Make My Day" 2010 —"These Are the Songs"2013 87"Bring the Lights Down" 2014 —

Guest appearances "Clones" – 2006 (by Akira the Don) "Time Is Right Remix" – 2009 (by Frisco, also featuring Jme and Black the Ripper) "She Likes To" (England Top 10) – 2009 (by Wiley) "White Flag" from Plastic Beach – 2010 (by Gorillaz, also featuring Kano) "Dead Butterflies" – Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (by Gorillaz, also featuring Kano and Roxani Arias) "4,3,2,1" – 4.3.2.1 OST (Bashy featuring Paloma Faith and Adam Deacon) "It's All Love" (Remix) – 2012 (by Scorcher, also featuring Talay Riley, Kano and Wretch 32) "Bad Boys Don't Cry" – 2013 (by Loick Essien)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

+ FILM / TVYearAwardCategory WorkResultRef.2021MOBO Awards Best Performance in a TV Show/FilmThem 2022 Independent Spirit Awards Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series Them 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards Breakthrough Talent Great Expectations