Ben Aldridge

Benjamin Charles Aldridge (born 12 November 1985) is an English actor. He is known for his portrayals of Captain James in the BBC military drama Our Girl (2014–2018), Arsehole Guy in the dramedy series Fleabag (2016–2019), and Thomas Wayne in the crime drama series Pennyworth (2019–2023). He has starred in feature films such as Spoiler Alert and Knock at the Cabin (2023), among other work.

Early years and education Aldridge was born in Exeter, Devon, on 12 November 1985. He worked with the National Youth Theatre and graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art with a bursary from the Genesis Foundation for young actors.

Career Aldridge's first professional acting role was in a play titled at Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith in 2004. In 2008, he made his television debut in the Channel 4's four-part miniseries The Devil's Whore, playing Harry Fanshawe, the husband of the title character. That same year, Aldridge was featured on Screen International "Stars of Tomorrow" list. In addition to First Light, Lewis, Toast and Vera, Aldridge also appeared as Daniel Parish in the BBC One period drama Lark Rise to Candleford. In 2011, the American network The CW cast him as the lead character in the pilot Heavenly. Later on he spent time in Belgrade shooting the partially improvised romance short film In the Night for director Ivana Bobic and cinematographer Rain Li, starring along with supermodel Danijela Dimitrovska.

Aldridge is a co-founder of In the Corner Productions. He additionally directed the comedy pilot Pet Shop Girls in late 2011, which he co-wrote and co-produced with actor and screenwriters Luke Norris, Ed Hancock and Kirsty Woodward.

In 2013, Aldridge starred in Almeida Theatre's production of American Psycho as Paul Owen, where he was cast along with Matt Smith, Susannah Fielding, Jonathan Bailey, and Lucie Jones. Aldridge joined the BBC's original drama series Our Girl in September 2024, playing the role of Captain James. He left the series after the third season in 2018. In December 2014, Aldridge joined The CW's series Reign as King Antoine of Navarre.

More recently Aldridge has starred in Fleabag (2016–2019), Pennyworth (2019–2023), Spoiler Alert (2022) and the post-apocalyptic horror movie Knock at the Cabin (2023).

Personal life Aldridge was raised as an evangelical Christian. Both his parents and grandparents were raised in the Plymouth Brethren church, although his parents both left the denomination at the age of 18. Commenting on his relationship with religion as an adult, Aldridge stated in a 2021 interview that there were no religious aspects in his life.

In 2020, Aldridge publicly came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a post on Instagram on the occasion of National Coming Out Day. In a 2021 interview with Attitude magazine, he said that he was gay and stated in another interview for Attitude in 2023 that his recent leading gay roles had helped him explore his own identity, adding that he felt more comfortable playing them than when he was younger. The magazine distinguished him as a "trailblazer" for the LGBTQ+ community in its 2023 article. Paris Song George Gershwin Main role

2019 Thrive Alex Short film 2022 Spoiler Alert Kit Cowan 2023 Knock at the Cabin Andrew

2024 Dear Paris Mike Webster French production

Television Year Title Role NotesRef.2008 Harry Fanshawe Miniseries; episode 1 Compulsion Alex Television film 2009 Lewis Daniel Rattenbury Episode: "The Point of Vanishing"2010 First Light Brian Kingcome Television film Toast Stuart Television film 2010–2011 Lark Rise to Candleford Daniel Parish Starring role; 16 episodes 2011 Heavenly Dashiel Coffee Television film2012 Joe Hazelhurst Television film Vera Ollie/Alex Barton Episode: "Sandancers"2013 Pramface Marcus Episode: "If You Cry, I'll Cry" Luke Miniseries; episode: "Courage" 2014–2018 Our Girl Captain James Main role 2014–2015 Reign Antoine of Navarre 7 episodes 2015 DeTour Michael Sturges Unaired Television Pilot 2016 Stan Lee's Lucky Man DS Ben Grady 2 episodes 2016, 2019 Fleabag Arsehole Guy Recurring role; 6 episodes 2019–2022 Pennyworth Thomas Wayne Main role 2021 The Long Call DI Matthew Venn Main role 2024 Kite Man: Hell Yeah! Jeremy Karne Voice; Episode: "Prison Break, Hell Yeah!"

Theatre

Video games Year Title Role NotesRef. 2012 Saïd (voice) 2022 Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (voice)

Awards and nominations Award Date of ceremony Category Work ResultThe Queerties 28 February 2023 Performance – Film Spoiler Alert