Ben Willbond

Ben Willbond is an English actor and screenwriter best known as a member of the British Them There collective, for which he has written and starred in productions including Horrible Histories, Yonderland, and Ghosts.

Along with fellow Them There member Laurence Rickard, he co-wrote the 2015 feature film Bill and 2022 feature-length television comedy We Are Not Alone.

Early life Willbond was a Forces child and consequently his family moved around every two years. He was sent to board at Stamford School in Lincolnshire, when he was nine years old. He was bullied whilst attending the school. Willbond, when talking about his experience at the school, said "I don't actually remember that time because it was so shocking". He studied Russian and French at St Catherine's College, Oxford.

Career Along with Arnold Widdowson, Willbond was part of the comedy duo "Ben & Arn", who won the Perrier Award for "Best Newcomer" in 1999, and formed the self-proclaimed "thinking man's French pop duo" Priorité à Gauche.

He is perhaps best known for his regular role in CBBC's Horrible Histories, in which he played a wide variety of historical figures, most memorably recurring roles as Henry VIII and Alexander the Great. Along with the five other members of the Horrible Histories starring cast, Willbond is also the co-creator, -writer and -star of Yonderland, a family fantasy comedy series that premiered on Sky One on 10 November 2013. In addition he is the co-writer of Bill, a BBC-produced comedy film based loosely around the early life of William Shakespeare, which involved the same starring troupe.

Previously, Willbond had starred in a short-lived sketch show for ITV2 called Laura, Ben & Him Adam Kenyon in BBC Four's The Thick of It Other notable film work includes the movie Starter for 10 (2006). In 2007 he had a short appearance in St Trinian's,

Awards

Year Project Award Event Notes 2011 Tooty's Wedding Best Comedy Short Rhode Island International Film Festival 2011 Tooty's Wedding Best Foreign Short & Best Direction (Short) LA Comedy Festival 2011 Tooty's Wedding Jury Prize Best Short Film Friars Club Comedy Film Festival 2011 Tooty's Wedding Best Comedy Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2011 Tooty's Wedding Award of Merit Accolade Competition 2011 Horrible Histories Best Acting Kidscreen Awards Entire cast 2012 Horrible Histories Best Acting Kidscreen Awards Entire cast

Filmography