Aaron Sidwell (born 12 September 1988) is an English actor, singer, musician and producer. He is known for portraying the role of

Steven Beale Steven Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Edward Farrell from 1989 to 1990, Stuart Stevens from 1992 to 1998, Edward Savage from 1998 to 2002, and Aaron Sidwell from 2007 to 2008 and again from 20 ...

on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'', originating the role of Michael Dork in Loserville and being the first British actor to play Johnny in

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

's musical ''

American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...

''.

Career

Sidwell was born in 1988, and grew up in the village of Kingswood,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. He was given a drama scholarship when he was eleven years old, at Bethany School. He started his acting career on stage and was a member of All Saints Choir. He worked for several years on the stage. Shortly after leaving, his big break came when he was cast as

in the

soap opera, ''

''; he took over the role from Edward Savage, who last appeared in 2002. Sidwell left the role in 2008. At the end of April 2010, Sidwell started working on an online show called ''Almost, But Not Quite'', playing the part of Josh Newell. In August 2011, he starred in a new musical called ''The Prodigals'' alongside ''

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

''s

Lucie Jones Lucie Bethan Jones (born 20 March 1991) is a Welsh singer, musical theatre actress, and model. Jones first came to prominence while competing on series 6 of '' The X Factor UK'' in 2009, where she was the fifth contestant eliminated. She repr ...

, which made its debut at the

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

. In 2012, Sidwell made his West End debut in ''Children of Eden'' at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

, starring alongside

Gareth Gates Gareth Paul Gates (born 12 July 1984) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. He was the runner-up in the first series of the ITV talent show ''Pop Idol'' in 2002. As of 2008, Gates had sold over 3.5 million records in the UK. He is ...

and

Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at La ...

. Sidwell took the part of

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written hit musicals such as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin (musical), Pippin'' (1972), and ...

's musical. In June 2012, Sidwell headed up the cast of the brand new production '' Loserville: The Musical'', playing Michael Dork at the

West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds Playhouse is a theatre in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1990 in the Quarry Hill area of the city as the West Yorkshire Playhouse, successor to the original Leeds Playhouse, and was rebranded in June 2018 ...

, alongside Gates,

Lil' Chris Christopher James Hardman (26 August 1990 – 23 March 2015), known professionally as Lil' Chris, was an English singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality. He came to prominence in 2006 after appearing on the Channel 4 series '' Rock ...

and

Eliza Bennett Eliza Bennett (born 17 March 1992) is an English actress and singer. Her most notable roles have been those of Meggie Folchart in the film '' Inkheart'', Tora in the film '' Nanny McPhee'', Susan in '' From Time to Time'' and Holly Manson in th ...

. ''Loserville'' was then transferred to the West End's

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

from October. ''Loserville: The Musical'' closed in January 2013. Sidwell received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Michael Dork, and the show was viewed as a cult hit. Sidwell posted on his Twitter account about the show, saying, "This show has changed my life in more ways than you will ever know. I am proud to say that I was part of something special." Sidwell then returned to ''EastEnders'' in 2016, after an eight-year break from the soap. However, in August 2017, he announced his decision to leave the soap again. In May 2021, he appeared in an episode of the

soap opera ''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

'' as Joel Cooke. In 2022, Sidwell made his debut with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

appearing in their productions of ''Henry VI: Part 2'' and ''Henry VI: Part 3''. The plays were rebranded as ''Rebellion'' and ''Wars of the Roses''. He played

Jack Cade Jack Cade's Rebellion or Cade's Rebellion was a popular revolt in 1450 against the government of England, which took place in the south-east of the country between the months of April and July. It stemmed from local grievances regarding the ...

in both plays as well as ''The Son'' and ''Hastings'' in ''Wars of the Roses''. The following year, Sidwell starred as

Aragorn Aragorn () is a fictional character and a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. Aragorn is a Ranger of the North, first introduced with the name Strider and later revealed to be the heir of Isildur, an ancient King of ...

in the

Watermill Theatre The Watermill Theatre is a producing theatre in Bagnor, Berkshire. It opened in 1967 in Bagnor Mill, a converted watermill on the River Lambourn. As a producing house, the theatre has staged works that have subsequently moved on to the West E ...

's revival of the '' Lord of the Rings (musical)'' musical. The show was semi immersive. Setting the shire in the grounds surrounding the theatre.

Stage

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sidwell, Aaron British male soap opera actors 1988 births Male actors from Maidstone Living people People educated at Bethany School, Goudhurst