Ben Willbond’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Benjamin Thomas Willbond (born 18 January 1973) is an English actor and screenwriter with numerous credits in television, radio and film best known as a member of the British Horrible Histories troupe in which he starred in the TV series Horrible Histories, Yonderland and Ghosts. He is best known for his numerous roles in the CBBC children’s program “Horrible Histories”, running from 2009 to 2013. As well as starring as various characters throughout the shows run, he also wrote many episodes, along with the other 5 main actors. He also stars as “Captain” in the 2019 TV series, “Ghosts”, with the other 5 actors he played alongside in “Horrible Histories”.

Early life

Willbond was educated at Stamford School in Lincolnshire, boarding at the school, and read 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 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, the last being in 2005 which also starred Katy Brand and Jim Field Smith.

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 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, which involved the same starring troupe.

Previously, Willbond had starred in a short-lived sketch show for ITV2 called Laura, Ben & Him with Marek Larwood and sometime writing partner Laura Solon. He also appeared in Solon’s BBC Radio 4 sketch show, Laura Solon: Talking and Not Talking. 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.

Willbond’s other radio credits include BBC Radio 4 series Deep Trouble, Double Science (co-written with Justin Edwards), Recorded for Training Purposes and the first series of Electric Ink. He also starred in the YouTube romantic comedy “Nigel and Victoria.”

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 (UK 2006). In 2007 he had a short appearance in St Trinian’s, as a nervous school inspector.

Personal life

Willbond is a keen cricketer and plays for the Thunderers. He has a degree in French and Russian from Oxford University and he can play the violin. He and his wife Charlotte have two sons.

Awards