Ben Ashenden (born 1989 or 1990) 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.
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Early life
Ashenden was born in 1989 or 1990 in Watford, Hertfordshire, and grew up in Radlett. His father is a builder and his mother is a bookseller. He has one sister. He went to the Haberdashers' Aske's School for Boys and performed with the Chicken Shed Theatre Company before studying English Literature at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
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.
