Ben Willbond

Benjamin Thomas Willbond (born 18 January 1973) is an English actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his numerous roles in a children’s program Horrible Histories (2009–2013), as well as Yonderland (2013–2016), where he also played various different roles, and Ghosts (2019–) where he played The Captain. He is also known for appearing in movies such as St. Trinian's (2007), Bill (2015), and Bridget Jones's Baby (2016). He was part of the comedy duo "Ben & Arn", for which he won Perrier Award for "Best Newcomer" in 1999, and formed the self-proclaimed "thinking man's French pop duo" Priorité à Gauche. He then went on to perform his solo character shows at several Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. He is 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. He is also the co-creator, -writer and -star of Yonderland, a family fantasy comedy series that premiered on SkyOne 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. Other notable television work includes the recurring roles of Steve Warwick in the BBC comedy Rev, Adam Kenyon in BBC Four's The Thick of It and as a television director in the movie-length final episode of the Ricky Gervais comedy Extras (BBC Two). He has also appeared in Katy Brand's Big Ass Show for ITV2 and Mayo for BBC One. His 2010 short film Tooty's Wedding, which he co-wrote with Solon, won numerous international comedy awards and was screened as part of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Other notable film work includes the movie Starter for 10 (2006). In 2007, and he had a short appearance in St Trinian's as a nervous school inspector. Description above is from the Wikipedia article Ben Willbond, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Works

Horrible Histories

Based on the best-selling children's books and liberally splattered with guts, blood and poo, a group of British comedians offer an anarchic and unconventional take on some of history's most gruesome and funny moments, with topics including the Stone Age, the Middle Ages, the Egyptians and the Romans, among others.

Release Date2009-04-16

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Charactersd

Episode Count6

Vote Count59

Danger Mouse

Danger Mouse is back saving London, saving the World and, most importantly, saving Penfold in brand new and fantastically absurd, energetic adventures.

Release Date2015-09-28

Charactersd Prof. Ham Hands (voice)

Episode Count2

Vote Count21

Inside No. 9

An anthology of darkly comic twisted tales, each one taking place behind a door marked 'number 9'.

Release Date2014-02-05

Charactersd Jeremy

Episode Count1

Vote Count237

Ghosts

A cash-strapped young couple inherits a grand country house, only to find it is both falling apart and teeming with the ghosts of former inhabitants.

Release Date2019-04-15

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Charactersd The Captain

Episode Count30

Vote Count206

Good Omens

Aziraphale, an angel, and Crowley, a demon, join forces in order to prevent Armageddon. They attempt to raise the Antichrist in a balanced and human way, but are they focusing their efforts in the right direction?

Release Date2019-05-31

Charactersd Nigel Tomkins

Episode Count1

Vote Count2102

The Thick of It

Set in the corridors of power and spin, the Minister for Social Affairs is continually harassed by Number 10's policy enforcer and dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.

Release Date2005-05-19

Charactersd Adam Kenyon

Episode Count4

Vote Count180

Playing House

A single-camera buddy comedy about what happens when two best friends come back together, just when they need each other most. Inspired by the ultra-close friendship between the series' creators and stars, "Playing House" centers on mother to-be Maggie who asks her single and career-driven best friend Emma to return home from her job overseas to attend her baby shower, having no idea what’s truly in store.

Release Date2014-04-29

Charactersd Dr. Clive Ericson

Episode Count5

Vote Count17

The Cleaner

After CSI have done their stuff, the cleaner mops up the grisly remains. For Wicky, a bloodbath and the pub is all in a day's work.

Release Date2021-09-10

Charactersd Justin

Episode Count1

Vote Count55

Yonderland

A bored young mum steps through a portal and discovers a world of incompetent knights, monks who are incapable of lying, and a race of people intent on firing the cleverest amongst them into the sun.

Release Date2013-11-10

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Charactersd Various

Episode Count25

Vote Count20

Tracey Ullman's Show

Tracey Ullman returns with her unique take on some of the extraordinary characters who make up the global hub that is the UK.

Release Date2016-01-11

Charactersd Emmanuel Macron

Episode Count1

Vote Count10

A Kind of Spark

When she discovers a centuries-old mystery within her town, autistic teen Addie finds her voice and lets her light shine as she stands up for those who were persecuted for being different like her.

Release Date2023-04-17

Charactersd Adam Quinn

Episode Count10

Vote Count10

The Robinsons

The show's central character is a divorced reinsurance actuary, Ed Robinson, who realises that reinsurance is not his passion and decides to rethink his life.

Release Date2005-05-05

Charactersd Lance

Episode Count1

Vote Count4

Mayo

Charismatic detective Gil Mayo wise-cracks his way through a variety of murder mysteries alongside his sexy colleague, Alex Jones. Matters aren't simple between the old flames as flirtation could become something more - but who will make the first move? Life is further complicated by Gil's precocious teenage daughter Julie, who he's bringing up by himself after the disappearance of his wife. The detective does come up with a novel way to deal with the piles of bills he keeps receiving though - hiding them in the cupboard!

Release Date2006-03-12

Charactersd Simon Johnston

Episode Count1

Vote Count4

My Hero

My Hero is a BBC sitcom created by Paul Mendelson. The programme ran for six series, first broadcast in February 2000, and concluding in September 2006. The series follows the antics of the dim-witted superhero "Thermoman", portrayed by Ardal O'Hanlon in series one to five and by James Dreyfus in the final series. The series was regularly directed by John Stroud. In the UK, the digital channel Gold regularly re-runs the programme, although the last series has yet to appear on the channel. In the United States it was shown on PBS and, briefly, BBC America. In Australia, UKTV offered re-runs of the first three series, while BBC Entertainment provided repeats for Scandinavia.

Release Date2000-02-04

Charactersd Dexter Paget

Episode Count1

Vote Count30

Power Monkeys

Following the success of their 2015 election comedy Ballot Monkeys, Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin (Ballot Monkeys, Outnumbered, Drop the Dead Donkey) return to Channel 4 with a six-part satire lampooning the fictional communications and social media ‘experts’ on both sides of the EU referendum, as well as taking audiences a few doors down from the Kremlin and into the imagined world of Donald Trump’s campaign plane.

Release Date2016-06-08

Charactersd Oleg

Episode Count6

Vote Count7

Angelo's

Angelo's is a sitcom created for Five and Paramount Comedy by Bwark Productions. It follows the ups and downs of everyday life in a central London greasy spoon café.

Release Date2007-11-16

Charactersd Paul

Episode Count1

Vote Count1

The Wives

Mystery drama following the explosive unravelling of a family during one hot summer in the Med.

Release Date2024-09-16

Charactersd Frankie Morgan

Episode Count6

Vote Count5

Bridget Jones's Baby

After breaking up with Mark Darcy five years earlier, Bridget Jones' happily-ever-after hasn't quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job as top news producer and surround herself with old friends and new. For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. Then her love life takes a turn - while a weekend away at a music festival, she meets a dashing American named Jack, who is everything Mark is not, and spends a night with him. A week later, she runs into newly-separated Mark, and has a one-night dalliance. In an unlikely twist, she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch - she's not sure of the identity of her baby's father - Mark or Jack.

Release Date2016-09-14

Charactersd Giles

Vote Count2990

Imagine Me & You

During her wedding ceremony, Rachel notices Luce in the audience and feels instantly drawn to her. The two women become close friends, and when Rachel learns that Luce is a lesbian, she realizes that despite her happy marriage to Heck, she is falling for Luce. As she questions her sexual orientation, Rachel must decide between her stable relationship with Heck and her exhilarating new romance with Luce.

Release Date2006-01-27

Charactersd David Steele

Vote Count1049

We Are Not Alone

SF comedy set after Earth has been invaded by a race of aliens, the Gu'un. A hapless human called Stewart is appointed the Gu'un's official liaison, is saddled with an alien housemate and must deliver their message to the masses

Release Date2022-11-28

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Charactersd Darrenth

Episode Count3

Your Highness

A fantasy movie about an arrogant, lazy prince and his more heroic brother who must complete a quest in order to save their father's kingdom.

Release Date2011-04-08

Charactersd Ranger

Vote Count1363

King of Thieves

London, England, April 2015. Brian Reader, a retired thief, gathers an unlikely gang of burglars to perpetrate the biggest and boldest heist in British history. The thieves assault the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company and escape with millions in goods and money. But soon the cracks between the gang members begin to appear when they discuss how to share the loot.

Release Date2018-09-04

Charactersd Building Society Branch Manager

Vote Count431

St. Trinian's

When their beloved school is threatened with closure should the powers that be fail to raise the proper funds, the girls scheme to steal a priceless painting and use the profits to pull St. Trinian's out of the red.

Release Date2007-12-21

Charactersd Damaged Inspector

Vote Count477

Starter for 10

In 1985, against the backdrop of Thatcherism, Brian Jackson enrolls in the University of Bristol, a scholarship boy from seaside Essex with a love of knowledge for its own sake and a childhood spent watching University Challenge, a college quiz show. At Bristol he tries out for the Challenge team and falls under the spell of Alice, a lovely blond with an extensive sexual past.

Release Date2006-09-13

Charactersd University Challenge Coordinator

Vote Count418

Cemetery Junction

In 1970s England, three blue-collar friends spend their days joking, drinking, fighting and chasing girls. Freddie wants to leave their working-class world but cool, charismatic Bruce and lovable loser Snork are happy with life the way it is. When Freddie gets a new job as a door-to-door salesman and bumps into his old school sweetheart Julie, the gang are forced to make choices that will change their lives for ever.

Release Date2010-04-14

Charactersd Martin

Vote Count292

W.E.

In 1998, an auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor causes great excitement. For one woman, Wally Winthrop, it has much more meaning. Wally becomes obsessed by their historic love story. As she learns more about the sacrifices involved, Wally gains her own courage to find happiness.

Release Date2011-09-01

Charactersd Equerry

Vote Count298

I Want Candy

Two hopeful lads from Leatherhead trying to break into the movies stumble upon the opportunity of a lifetime. Frustrated by their arty film teacher, wannabe producer Joe and his talented but neurotic director friend Baggy head to London to sell what they know is a script made of gold.

Release Date2007-03-23

Charactersd Businessman

Vote Count103

Bill

What really happened during Shakespeare's 'Lost Years'? Hopeless lute player Bill Shakespeare leaves his home to follow his dream.

Release Date2015-03-27

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Charactersd King Phillip II of Spain / Earl of Southampton / Grubby Thief / Alexander Dimitrievitch / Head of Guards

Vote Count81

We Are Not Alone

Six weeks after the Gu'un aliens have invaded and completely conquered Earth, hapless Stewart becomes the Gu'uns' official human liaison who ends up saddled with alien Greggs for a housemate. Stewart must help the Gu'uns deliver their message to the masses and win favour with humankind, while also aiding the human resistance and managing his enduring crush on Elodie.

Release Date2023-01-27

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Charactersd Darrenth

Vote Count7

Trimming the Fat

When a hotel barman discovers a guest is an old school friend he becomes determined that they hang out for the night. As boundaries are crossed it can only be a matter of time before it all ends in tears.

Release Date2008-11-20

Charactersd JT

The Gigolos

Sacha is an aging, well-established London 'male escort' with a select clientèle of weekly socialite ladies, such as baroness James, who expect an impeccable service he can only provide thanks to his in-living 'orderly', handsome 'clever Trevor', who moonlights as nude arts class model. Ben is a rising novice, who seeks their coaching. When Sasha makes a bad fall, Trevor must cover during his recovery, but jealous Sasha is far from grateful.

Release Date2006-04-26

Charactersd Ben

Vote Count3

Acoustic Kitty

Acoustic Kitty' is inspired by the true story of the CIA's bungled attempt to spy on the Russians by implanting cats with sound recording devices.

Release Date2015-11-07

Charactersd Agent Cooper

Meeting Daddy

A teenage daughter contacts her absentee father. We watch their first meeting in five years, seeing and hearing their every thoughts. Meeting Strangers is always head, especially when it's your father.

Release Date2012-03-01

Charactersd Daddy

Spinners and Losers

Peter Mannion's speech on immigration, leaking the PM's policy, did not have the effect Tucker desired and now the PM is resigning, leaving the way clear for the Nutters and their leader Tom. Ollie has been promised a job by young Nutter Ben Swain, Tucker's assistant has encouraged Hugh's predecessor Cliff to stand as a stalking horse and Glenn is keen to keep Hugh in the frame whilst his boss is in Australia. Fortunately Tom has a dark secret which is just what Tucker is looking for but will it be enough?

Release Date2007-07-03

Charactersd Adam Kenyon

Vote Count2

Tooty's Wedding

A young couple's marriage hilariously hits the rocks during a weekend wedding in the country.

Release Date2011-11-05

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Charactersd Peter

Vote Count3

Exit Strategy

A black comedy about a dysfunctional marriage in a consumerist dystopia.

Charactersd Husband

Womble

Desperate for a job, Jim Labey interviews for a position at his old school. However, a former classmate of Jim's sits on the opposite site of the desk.

Charactersd Jim Labey

Sequins

Paul's journey of self-discovery takes a unique turn when he embarks on his ambition to become a drag queen, despite fear of ridicule from his peers and being ostracized by his family. Opportunity presents itself when Paul meets drag queen Mimi Le Purr, a seasoned performer at The Sequin Club in Blackpool.

Release Date2019-01-26

Charactersd Alan Bigsby

Vote Count3

Rest Stop

Everything changes one night for Meredith, a young backpacker desperate to find meaning in her life, when she meets a mysterious stranger in a dingy British service station... claiming to know her.

Release Date2014-11-14

Charactersd Guardian Angel

Vote Count2

Pointless Celebrities

Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman present a celebrity version of the general knowledge quiz in which contestants try to come up with the answers that nobody else could think of.

Release Date2011-07-04

Charactersd Self

Episode Count2

Vote Count17

Ghosts

Samantha and Jay throw caution to the wind when they convert their recently inherited country estate into a bed-and-breakfast. Call it mislaid plans. Not only is the place falling apart, but it’s also inhabited by spirits of previous residents -- whom only Samantha can see and hear.

Release Date2021-10-07

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Episode Count72

Vote Count276

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

A band of fearless chickens flock together to save poultry-kind from an unsettling new threat: a nearby farm that's cooking up something suspicious.

Release Date2023-12-08

DepartmentCrew

JobAdditional Writing

Vote Count795

The Catherine Tate Show

Comedy legend Catherine Tate plays all her best-loved characters in this riotous sketch show. Expect sulky teens, offensive nans and the most tactless women in the world.

Release Date2004-02-16

Episode Count1

Vote Count33

Laura, Ben And Him

Release Date2008-03-11

Episode Count8

Horrible Histories’ Big Prom Party

Horrible Histories Prom was a free family concert showcasing the original songs from the British television series Horrible Histories, along with classical music. It was held on 30 July 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and was that year's children's entry in the BBC's annual Proms series.

Release Date2011-09-09