Ralf Little on:  
[Wikipedia]  
[Google]  
[Amazon]
Ralf Alastair John Little (born 8 February 1980) is an
English actor, writer, presenter, narrator and former
semi-professional
Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a consid ...
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
, working mainly in television comedy. He played Antony Royle in ''
The Royle Family
''The Royle Family'' is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, com ...
'' and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of ''
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' is a British sitcom that ran from 26 February 2001 to 24 May 2011. First broadcast on BBC Two, it starred Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, Natalie Casey, Ralf Little, Kathryn Drysdale and Luke Gell. Cr ...
''. Since 2020, he has starred as DI Neville Parker in ''
Death in Paradise''.
He also is the narrator of Channel 5's ''The Yorkshire Farm'', which follows the life of the Owen family on their Yorkshire Farm (2018-2020).
Early life
Little was born in
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
and attended
Bolton School
Bolton School is an independent day school in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It comprises a co-educational nursery, co-educational infant school (ages 3–7), single sex junior schools (ages 7–11) and single sex senior schools including sixth fo ...
(Boys' Division). His parents are accountants. He had a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
grandmother.
Some of his early television roles included minor roles in various programmes such as ''
Elidor
''Elidor'' is a children's fantasy novel by the British author Alan Garner, published by Collins in 1965. Set primarily in modern Manchester, it features four English children who enter a fantasy world, fulfill a quest there, and return to find ...
'', ''
Children's Ward
''Children's Ward'' (retitled ''The Ward'' from 1995 to 1998) is a British children's television drama series produced by Granada Television and broadcast on the ITV network as part of its ''Children's ITV'' strand on weekday afternoons. The pro ...
and '' ''Sloggers''.
Career
Little's big break came when he was offered the role of Antony Royle in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
sitcom ''
The Royle Family
''The Royle Family'' is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, com ...
''. This prompted him to abandon his studies to become a doctor at the
University of Manchester
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...
medical school and instead to concentrate on his acting career.
The original run of the series was from autumn 1998 to December 2000, and after a one-off special in 2006 returned for a series of Christmas specials from 2008 to 2012, with Little returning to the role of Antony in 2006, 2009 and 2010.
After the original run of ''The Royle Family'', he was cast in another sitcom, ''
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps
''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' is a British sitcom that ran from 26 February 2001 to 24 May 2011. First broadcast on BBC Two, it starred Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, Natalie Casey, Ralf Little, Kathryn Drysdale and Luke Gell. Cr ...
'' (or ''Two Pints''), as Jonny Keogh. The first series ran from February 2001, and the programme ran for nine series in total. During an interview for ''
This Morning'' in September 2007, Little said that he would not be returning for the next series due to an overwhelming schedule. His character was subsequently killed off. In 1999, Little played the Star of Bethlehem in the ITV comedy drama ''
The Flint Street Nativity
''The Flint Street Nativity'' is a 1999 British television comedy film directed by Marcus Mortimer, written by Tim Firth, and starring Frank Skinner, Neil Morrissey, Jane Horrocks, John Thomson, Stephen Tompkinson, Mark Addy, Ralf Little, Jul ...
a''nd appeared in a minor role in
Granada TVs ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'' in early as care home assistant Mark Stranks.
In December 2000, Little played Wishee Washee in the
ITV Panto
The ITV Panto is a series of televised pantomimes originally broadcast on ITV in 1998, 2000, and 2002, and have Rerun for over the last 20 years since they were filmed. All written by Simon Nye, they included an array of celebrities playing the ...
''Aladdin'', which was filmed in the
New Wimbledon Theatre
The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Listed building, Grade II listed Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland. B ...
.
In 2001, he played the young
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
in ''
Presence'' at the
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...
, for which he was nominated for an
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
for his performance. In 2004, he played the title character in ''
Billy Liar
''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popular songs.
The semi-comical story is about William Fisher, ...
'' at the
Theatre Royal in
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
.
He appeared in Juliet McKoen's 2005 ghost story/murder mystery film ''
Frozen'', set in
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census.
Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...
, Lancashire. Between November 2002 and January 2003, he hosted 17 one-hour-long episodes of ''The Ralf Little Show'' on
BBC Choice
BBC Choice was a British digital television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 23 September 1998. It was the first British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in digital format, as well as the BBC's second non-analogue-terres ...
.
Other film credits include ''
24 Hour Party People
''24 Hour Party People'' is a 2002 British biographical comedy-drama film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Win ...
'' (playing
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris.
Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...
and
New Order bass player
Peter Hook
Peter Hook (born Woodhead; 13 February 1956) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...
) and ''
Al's Lads
''Al's Lads'' (released in the United States as ''Capone's Boys'') is a 2002 British crime drama film directed by Richard Standeven and starring Marc Warren, Ralf Little and Al Sapienza.
Plot
Three British Scouser merchant sailors working as ...
''. Little also starred as Stephen, alongside
Anne-Marie Duff
Anne-Marie Duff (born 8 October 1970) is an Irish actress and narrator. She is an accomplished theatre actress and has been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. She has also received acclaim and awards for her television and film work.
After ...
, in Roger Goldby's film, ''
The Waiting Room'', released throughout the UK in June 2008. In television, he also appeared in ''
Paradise Heights''.
In August 2007, he released his first online novel (co-written with Stephen Morris), ''The Golden Generation'', a coming of age tale about a recently single man who is taken under the wings of two city traders who show him the trappings of big money in the big city but that it comes at a price. Money taken from the sale of the novel went to the charity
Shelter
Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger.
Shelter may also refer to:
Places
* Port Shelter, Hong Kong
* Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations
* Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locatio ...
. He was a cast member of ''
KateModern
''KateModern'' was the sister series of ''lonelygirl15''. The series, which was announced on 16 July 2007, began filming on 9 July and the first video, ''Fight and Flight'', was released on 16 July. The show is produced by EQAL in partnership with ...
'', a
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
which developed by the creators of the US YouTube hit ''
lonelygirl15
''Lonelygirl15'' is an American science fiction thriller web series created by Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Greg Goodfried, and Amanda Goodfried. It was independently released on YouTube from June 16, 2006 to August 1, 2008, and was also brief ...
'', which started in July 2007 and posted its final video in June 2008.
In July 2008, he appeared in ''50 Ways To Leave Your Lover'', a new play at the
Bush Theatre
The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...
which was revised as ''50 Ways To Leave Your Lover at Christmas'' later that year, while in September of the same year he starred in ''
Massive'', a BBC comedy about an
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
record label. In 2008, he narrated the second series of ''
Last Man Standing''. Also in 2008, Little became the narrator of ''
Monkey Life
Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
''. In 2009, he played Clint in ''
Married Single Other
''Married Single Other'' is a British television drama created and written by Peter Souter. The series is based on the lives of group of people who are either married, single or "other", other being defined as in a relationship. It began airing ...
'', alongside
Miranda Raison
Miranda Caroline Raison (born 18 November 1977) is an English actress and voice-over narrator.
Early life
Miranda Raison was born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, on 18 November 1977. Her mother is former Anglia News reader Caroline Raison (''née ...
He also worked on the film ''Powder''. In the autumn of 2010, he starred in ''The Aliens'', a British premiere of a new play by
Annie Baker
Annie Baker (born April 1981) is an American playwright and teacher who won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for her play ''The Flick.'' Among her works are the Shirley, Vermont plays, which take place in the fictional town of Shirley: ''Circle Mirror Tr ...
, again at the Bush Theatre. In 2011, he appeared as Richard Dickens in the comedy series ''
The Café'', shown on Sky 1, which he co-wrote with
Michelle Terry
Michelle Terry is an Olivier Award–winning English actress and writer, known for her extensive work for Shakespeare's Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, as well as her television work, notably writing and star ...
.
In 2013, he appeared in ''Death in Paradise'' series two, episode six. As of April 2013, he was appearing at the
Liverpool Playhouse
The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actress ...
as the father of a girl with
cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...
, in a new production of ''
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
''.
In 2014, he appeared in the TV series ''
Our Zoo
''Our Zoo'' is a British drama television series from BBC One, first broadcast on 3 September 2014. The six-part series, written by Matt Charman and directed by Andy De Emmony, is about George Mottershead, his dreams of creating a cage-free zoo ...
''. He also voices Captain Skip in the animated English version of ''
The Unbeatables
The Unbeatables () is a 1993 Chinese drama serial produced by Singapore's Mandarin channel, Channel 8.
''The Unbeatables'' is best remembered for being the first Singaporean show on gambling, and featured early television appearances from Zoe T ...
''.
He appeared as the character 'Steadfast' in "
Smile
A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile.
Among humans, a smile expresses ...
", the second episode of the
10th series of the BBC1 series ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' in 2017.
In August 2018, Little starred as "Alan" in ''
God of Carnage
''God of Carnage'' (originally in French ''Le Dieu du carnage'') is a play by Yasmina Reza that was first published in 2008. It is about two sets of parents; the son of one couple has hurt the son of the other couple at a public park. The paren ...
'' at the
Theatre Royal, Bath
The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audien ...
.
In October 2019, he was confirmed as the new lead in ''
Death in Paradise'', returning to the series as a new character six years after his one-episode guest appearance.
In May 2020, Little, alongside his ''Royle Family'' co-star
Ricky Tomlinson
Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in ''Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in '' Cracker'' and Jim Royle in ''The Royle Family'', and playing the titular char ...
, presented a six-part travel series titled ''Ricky & Ralf's Very Northern Road Trip'' for
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
, repeated in 2022 on sister channel
Yesterday.
Football career
![Ralph little September 2016](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Ralph_little_September_2016.jpg)
Little, a supporter of
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
,
is a keen footballer and has played for a number of semi-professional clubs when other commitments allow. In March 2003 he played for
Maidstone United against
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
, having previously been training with
Staines Town
Staines Town Football Club was a semi-professional Association football, football club based in Staines-upon-Thames, Middlesex.
History
Early days
Staines Town FC was founded in 1892 and was known under various names including ''Staines F.C ...
. He joined
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League () is a regional men's football league covering Greater London, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs.
Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, the league now consists of 82 tea ...
side
Edgware Town in October 2004, making his debut in the
FA Vase
The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...
game against
Waltham Abbey
Waltham Abbey is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, within the metropolitan and urban area of London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the Greenwich Meridian, between the River Lea in the west and E ...
.
He played for
Chertsey Town during the 2007–08 season and on 8 July 2008 signed for
North West Counties League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern S ...
side
Stone Dominoes. He has also played celebrity football matches for charity on a few occasions and played with members of
Hollywood United
Hollywood United is an American amateur soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1988, the team plays in Region IV of the United States Adult Soccer Association, a network of amateur leagues at the fifth tier of th ...
while in the district for acting career purposes. He also plays for the Arsenal Ex-Pro and Celebrity XI. On 6 June 2010, he participated in a
Soccer Aid
''Soccer Aid'' is a British annual (formerly bi-ennial) charity event that has raised over £38 million in aid of UNICEF UK, through ticket sales and donations from the public. The televised event is a friendly-style football match between t ...
game for England on the left wing.
On 9 August 2011, he played in the
John Kennedy testimonial match for
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
against
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
which resulted in a 5–2 win for Celtic.
In May 2012, he appeared for the
Sealand national football team
The Sealand national football team represents the Principality of Sealand. It is not a member of FIFA or UEFA, but was an associate member of the N.F.-Board, an organisation for teams who are not members of FIFA. They were admitted to the N.F ...
in a match against the
Chagos Islands
The Chagos Archipelago () or Chagos Islands (formerly the Bassas de Chagas, and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 kilometres (310 mi) south of the Maldives arc ...
as captain. The match was held at the grounds of
Godalming Town. In August 2012 and March 2013 he played in two games against
Alderney
Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide.
The island's area is , making it the third-largest ...
, a 1–1 draw and 2–1 win respectively.
On 2 September 2017, he played in the
Game 4 Grenfell
Game 4 Grenfell was a charity match played on 2 September 2017 to raise money for those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire, which happened three months previous. It was played at Loftus Road, which is located only a mile from Grenfell Tower. For ...
match at
Loftus Road
Loftus Road is a football stadium in White City, London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers.
In 1981, it became the first stadium in British professional football to have an artificial pitch of Omniturf installed. This remained in ...
, with the match proceeds going to the Grenfell disaster appeal.
Personal life
Little is not religious and identifies as a
humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humani ...
. He was appointed a patron of the humanist charity
Humanists UK
Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious be ...
in 2020.
His great-grandfather,
Albert Lockley
Albert Lockley (20 November 1873 – 26 December 1939) was a Welsh international footballer. He was part of the Wales national football team, playing one match on 19 February 1898 against Ireland.
BBC's ''Who Do You Think You Are'' revealed th ...
, was a
Welsh international footballer who played for
Chirk
Chirk ( cy, Y Waun) is a town and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south of Wrexham, between it and Oswestry. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,468. Historically in the traditional county of Denbighshire, and later Clwy ...
. Little is engaged to playwright and screenwriter
Lindsey Ferrentino who met in 2016 after Little was cast in Ferrentino’s play Ugly Lies the Bone.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Ralf
1980 births
Living people
English atheists
English humanists
English male television actors
English male stage actors
English male film actors
Hollywood United players
People educated at Bolton School
People from Bury, Greater Manchester
Male actors from Oldham
Male actors from Lancashire
Stone Dominoes F.C. players
Edgware Town F.C. players
Maidstone United F.C. players
Staines Town F.C. players
Chertsey Town F.C. players
English footballers
Association football midfielders
English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
English expatriate footballers
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
English people of Welsh descent