Christian Brassington
Christian Brassington | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 June 1983 Wellington, Shropshire, England |
| Education | Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Spouse | |
Christian Brassington (born 6 June 1983) is an English actor and writer, best known for playing the odious vicar Ossie Whitworth in the third and fourth series of the BBC hit period drama Poldark.[2] Brassington also portrayed a young Boris Johnson in the More4 documentary drama When Boris Met Dave (2009), having previously played a young Tony Blair for Channel 4 in 2006.
Early life and education
[edit]Brassington was born on 6 June 1983 in Wellington, Shropshire, England.[3] He spent much of his youth in Basingstoke, going to the local comprehensive Brighton Hill Community School and then to Queen Mary's College.[4] He also attended a stage school run by his father Colin Flaherty. Determined to become an actor, he studied at London's prestigious Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.[3]
Career
[edit]He made his on-screen debut in the BBC's police procedural drama The Cops back in 1999[1] and got his big break shortly after graduation in Tony Blair: Rock Star (2006),[5] a Channel 4 docudrama recreating the days when the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's ambition was to be on stage.[6] A year later, the young Brassington starred opposite Cate Blanchett as Charles II, Archduke of Austria in Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), and in 2009 he followed up his part as Blair with a portrayal of the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as a younger man in When Boris Met Dave, an account of how Johnson and David Cameron's lives became intertwined.[7]
Brassington welcomes all kinds of roles as long as they are interesting and challenging.[1] In an interview with PBS, he said, "I think you get yourself into trouble if you start thinking about what people's reactions are going to be while you're playing them".[8] His portrayal of the loathsome Reverend Ossie Whitworth in the third and fourth series of the BBC historical drama Poldark (2015–2019) is possibly one of his most recognisable roles.[1] In order to prepare for the part, he had to gain 30 pounds.[9] According to Digital Spy, he said, "Normally actors have to get into shape for a role rather than out of it, but Osborne is described as a large character and a man of a huge appetite, so there was no getting around that. I had to gain a lot of weight."[10]
In 2020, Brassington made his debut as a screenwriter and director with a short film called Screening, starring David Tennant, Georgia Tennant and Stephen Mangan.[11] He also has written Doctor Who audio dramas "Neon Reign" (2018) and "Altered Status" (2021) for Big Finish Productions.[12][13]
In 2022, he appeared as prison officer Dean in Catherine Tate's six-part mockumentary sitcom Hard Cell, released on Netflix.[14][15][16]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Tony Blair: Rock Star | Tony Blair | Television film documentary |
| Incubus | Peter | ||
| 2007 | Web of Deceit | Tom Gunner | |
| Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution | Thomas | ||
| Elizabeth: The Golden Age | Archduke Charles | ||
| 2008 | The German | The German | Short film |
| Easy Virtue | Phillip Hurst | ||
| A Woman in Love and War: Vera Brittain | Roland Leighton | Television film documentary | |
| 2009 | When Boris Met Dave | Boris Johnson | Television film documentary |
| Princess Kaiulani | Duke | ||
| St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold | Peters | ||
| 2010 | Burke and Hare | Charles | |
| 2011 | In Love with Alma Cogan | George | |
| 2012 | Doubt on Loan | Nic | Television film |
| The Carrion Crow | The Stranger | Short film | |
| 2013 | Hummingbird | Max Forrester | Released as Redemption in the USA |
| The Body | Alan | Short film | |
| The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot | Editor | Television film | |
| 2014 | The Smoke | Tom | |
| 2015 | 96 Ways to Say I Love You | Harry | Short film |
| 2016 | Our Kind of Traitor | Secretary to the Cabinet | |
| The Exit | Brian | Short film | |
| Patient Seven | Alan | Segment: "The Body" | |
| Cocaine Conspiracy | Marcus | Video | |
| 2017 | You, Me and Him | Dave | |
| 2018 | Wild Geese | Spencer | Short film |
| 2019 | Fisherman's Friends | Henry | |
| 2020 | Screening | None | Short film; director and writer |
| 2021 | Jolt | Reception Clerk (Julian) | |
| The Last Letter from Your Lover | Dominic |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Cops | Gregor | Episode #2.7 |
| 2008 | The Bill | Darren Smart | Episode: "Fools Rush In" |
| 2009 | Land Girls | Cpl. Cal Gillespie | Episodes: "Childhood's End" and "Secrets" |
| 2010 | Little Crackers | Joe | Episode: "Bill Bailey's Little Cracker: Car Park Babylon" |
| 2014–2015 | Suspects | Newsreader | 10 episodes |
| 2015 | Life in Squares | Cuthbert | Episode #1.1 |
| 2017–2018 | Poldark | Reverend Osborne 'Ossie' Whitworth | 11 episodes |
| 2019 | Hold the Sunset | Percy | Episode: "The Sale" |
| 2020 | Semi-Detached | Humphrey | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | The Pact | Jan | 6 episodes |
| Hard Cell | Dean | 6 episodes |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Moore, Camille (31 March 2022). "10 Things You Didn't Know about Christian Brassington". TVOvermind. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Whats On | Sessions | Beneath The Tunic Writing The Bbc Historical Epic Poldark | London Screenwriters' Festival 2023". Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Shropshire-born Poldark actor reveals 'body transformation'". www.shropshirestar.com. August 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Local actor Christian Brassington plays lead opposite Jason Statham in new movie Hummingbird". Basingstoke Gazette. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Midgley, Dominic (1 August 2017). "Actor Christian Brassington on playing the most hated man on TV". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Tony Blair Rock Star · British Universities Film & Video Council". bufvc.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Parker, Robin (27 July 2009). "Cast emerges for More4's young Tories drama". Broadcast.
- ^ "MASTERPIECE | Cast Interview: Poldark's Christian Brassington". Masterpiece. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "'Poldark,' Old and New". WTTW Chicago. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ James, Sarah (1 August 2017). "This is what Poldark baddie Osborne Whitworth usually looks like". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Screening Starring David & Georgia Tennant Makes Official Selection In Discover Film Awards". 3 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Jenny: the Doctor's Daughter is coming to Big Finish - News - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Jenny's Still Running! - News - Big Finish". www.bigfinish.com. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Kanter, Jake (30 July 2021). "'Hard Cell': Netflix Rounds Out Cast For Catherine Tate Prison Comedy Series". Deadline. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ "Meet the cast of Catherine Tate's prison comedy Hard Cell". Radio Times. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ Tate, Gabriel (8 April 2022). "Hard Cell, review: Catherine Tate's prison sitcom is better than The Nan Movie – but only just". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
External links
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