Ben Ashenden

Ben Ashenden (born ) is a British-Irish actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is half of the duo The Pin, with Alexander Owen. Together they co-wrote and starred in Deep Cover to critical acclaim. As an actor, he is best known for his appearances in Black Mirror, Stath Lets Flats and Jurassic World Dominion.

Early life Ashenden was born in

Career Ashenden 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’. 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.

Upon graduation the pair took their sketch act, The Pin, to the Edinburgh Fringe. Their recent show from August 2018, The Pin: Backstage, was described by The Guardian as “one of Edinburgh’s most dazzling comedy shows”, and is now in development with Sonia Friedman Productions.

They made four series for BBC Radio 4, picking up nominations at the 2017 Writers' Guild Awards. and Radio Academy Awards, and winning the BBC Radio Award for Best Comedy. Ben Ashenden with Co-Writers Alexander Owen and Colin Trevorrow, and the cast of DEEP COVER at the International premiere, Tribeca Film Festival 2025. As an actor, his film credits include Bridget Jones's 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. In 2019 he also appeared in a Rina Sawayama music video "STFU!", playing her obnoxious date in the introductory sequence.

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” 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.

In early 2025, he featured in Black Mirror, episode 2, season 7: Bête Noire.

In 2025 it was announced by the BBC that he and Alexander Owen had been commissioned to write Bill's Included, a BBC1 sitcom series starring Rob Brydon, with Babycow productions producing.

In September 2025, it was announced that Ashenden would portray DC Ethan Cole in the second series of BBC detective series Ludwig.

Filmography Film

Television

Stage

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2009 Footlights Harry Porter Award Barry! Pull Your Finger Out! 2013 London Sketchfest Prize Best New ActThe Pin 2016 Audio and Radio Industry Awards Best Entertainment Production BBC Radio Awards Best Comedy Production or Moment 2017 BBC Audio Drama Awards Best Comedy With a Live Audience Writers' Guild Awards Best Radio Comedy