Draft:Neil Ashton (actor)

Neil Ashton (born 11 December 1969) is an English actor known for his wide-ranging, often comic, performances in television programmes, notably Channel 4's It's A Sin and Sky's Brassic.

Life and education
Ashton was born Neil Smith in Kendal, Cumbria, and attended Stramongate Primary School and Kirkbie Kendal School. When he was growing up, he lived above a newsagents on Highgate in the town. He began acting at Kendal's Brewery Arts Centre.

After leaving school he became a fashion editor for teen magazine Just Seventeen. He moved to London in the 1990s and became an actor.

His notable television performances include 'Grizzle' in It's A SIn and Davey MacDonagh in Brassic. He has worked several times with screenwriter and Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies. Ashton's lifetime nickname has been 'Nelly' and this was the name of the character he played in Davies' Cucumber.

Personal life
Ashton took his stage surname from the Lancashire town where his mother was born. He has described his time growing up as a young gay man in Kendal in the 1980s as difficult. He now lives in Manchester.