# William Ash (actor)
William Ash (born 1977) is an English actor known for television roles including Nicky in *Making Out* (1989 to 1991), Chris Mead in the school drama *Waterloo Road* (2009 to 2011), and Caleb Milligan in the soap opera *Emmerdale*, a part he has played since 2022. He began performing on British television as a child and has worked across television drama, film, stage, and radio.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977, Chadderton, Lancashire, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/bio/) |
| Early regular role | Nicky in *Making Out* (1989 to 1991)[2](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/william_ash/) |
| Best-known TV roles | Chris Mead in *Waterloo Road* (2009 to 2011); Boleslaw "BB" Borowski in *The Tunnel* (2016 to 2018, 14 episodes)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/) |
| Current soap role | Caleb Milligan in *Emmerdale*, 2022 onward, listed by IMDb for 494 episodes[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/) |
| Films | Ken Loach's *Raining Stones* (1993); *Mad About Mambo* (2000); *Nicholas Nickleby* (2002); the horror film *Hush* (2008) as Zakes Abbott[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/william-ash) • [5](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/william-ash/) |
| Other name | Sometimes credited as Will Ash, which he prefers[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/bio/) • [6](https://www2-direct.entertainment.ie/person/william-ash/) |
## Early life and start in acting
Ash was born in 1977 in Chadderton, a town in [Greater Manchester](https://www.edgepedia.org/greater-manchester), England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/bio/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/william-ash). As a boy he belonged to the Oldham Theatre Workshop, from which Granada Television frequently drew young performers for its programs[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/william-ash).
Acting was not his first choice of career. For much of his childhood and early teens he hoped to play football professionally, but an accident in his mid-teens left him with a broken leg, and he gradually turned his attention to acting. He then trained at Bretton Hall College of Education[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/william-ash). His English teacher Colin Snell also helped set him on the road to stage and screen, and Ash has described the encouragement as a turning point[7](https://www.inkpellet.co.uk/2012/02/william-ash-the-big-interview/).
## Television career
Ash worked steadily through adolescence in guest and regular parts. His credits through the 1990s include Darren Walsh in *Children's Ward* (1989), Jack Stubbs in *Soldier Soldier* (1993 to 1994), Sammy Fitch in *Born to Run* (1997), and Stephen Snow in the ITV small-town drama *Where the Heart Is* (1997 to 1998)[8](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ash-william-1977-will-ash). In the 2000s he was Nick Anderson in *Clocking Off* (2000 to 2002), Jon Moore in *Burn It* ([BBC Three](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-three), 2003), and Chrissie Fairburn in the crime miniseries *Conviction* (2004)[8](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ash-william-1977-will-ash) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/william-ash).
**Waterloo Road and guest roles.** From 2009 to 2011 he played deputy headteacher Chris Mead in *Waterloo Road*, appearing from Series 5 to Series 7[9](https://bbc-waterloo-road.fandom.com/wiki/William_Ash). He also appeared in *Doctor Who* as Riley Vashtee in the episode "42"[10](https://www.acmodasi.in/amdb/person/86044-william-ash) • [11](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/william-ash/umc.cpc.4cautkaizjh3ixtqt4n7pmv6c).
**Later television.** From 2016 to 2018 he played Boleslaw "BB" Borowski in the crime series *The Tunnel*, appearing in 14 episodes alongside [Clémence Poésy](https://www.edgepedia.org/clemence-poesy) and [Stephen Dillane](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-dillane)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/) • [5](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/william-ash/). Other credits include *Paranoid* (2016), *The Loch* (2017), *Wanderlust* (2018) opposite [Toni Collette](https://www.edgepedia.org/toni-collette), *War of the Worlds* (2021), *The Rising* (2022), *The Window* (2022), and *Significant Other* (2023)[5](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/william-ash/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/).
**Emmerdale.** In 2022 he was cast in the soap opera *Emmerdale* as Caleb Milligan[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/bio/). The role reunited him with Jeff Hordley, who plays his on-screen brother [Cain Dingle](https://www.edgepedia.org/cain-dingle); the two are longtime friends who attended North Chadderton Comprehensive in Oldham[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/bio/). His performance alongside Beth Cordingly, who plays Caleb's wife Ruby Miligan, was shortlisted for Best On-Screen Partnership at [The British Soap Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-british-soap-awards)[12](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/emmerdale-favourite-beth-cordingly-reveals-her-unusual-phobia).
## Film, stage, and radio
Ash made his feature debut in [Ken Loach](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-loach)'s *Raining Stones* (1993)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/william-ash). His film roles include a lead as Danny Mitchell in the comedy *Mad About Mambo* (2000), about a Catholic teen who falls for a Protestant girl played by [Keri Russell](https://www.edgepedia.org/keri-russell), Frank in *Nicholas Nickleby* (2002), Serge in *Until Death* (2007), and the lead as Zakes Abbott in the British horror film *Hush* (2008)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/william-ash) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/).
His stage work includes *Juno and the Paycock* at the Donmar Warehouse (1999), the acclaimed one-man play *You Can See the Hills* at the Manchester Royal Exchange and The Young Vic, *Nora: A Doll's House* at the Manchester Royal Exchange, and *Of Mice and Men* at the Edinburgh Lyceum[5](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/william-ash/). He also played in the premiere production of *How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found* with Sheffield Theatres[6](https://www2-direct.entertainment.ie/person/william-ash/). On radio, on 12 April 2011 he played a young [Yuri Gagarin](https://www.edgepedia.org/yuri-gagarin) in the BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play *Titanium*, broadcast for the 50th anniversary of the first crewed spaceflight[6](https://www2-direct.entertainment.ie/person/william-ash/).
## Voice and other work
Ash has done voice-over work for television advertisements, including a commercial for The Link Mobile Phone Store in 2004[8](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ash-william-1977-will-ash) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/). In 2023 he provided voices for the video game *Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy*, playing Nim, the Clockwork Mage, and the Ratgang Ballistavermin[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/). He is also credited as a writer and director on the 2020 short *Joey*[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/).
## Personal life
Ash alternates between the acting names William Ash and Will Ash and prefers to be known as Will[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/bio/) • [6](https://www2-direct.entertainment.ie/person/william-ash/). His second cousin is the actor Peter Ash[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/bio/).
## References
1. [William Ash Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/bio/)
2. [William Ash, British Comedy Guide](https://www.comedy.co.uk/people/william_ash/)
3. [William Ash, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0038673/)
4. [William Ash Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/william-ash)
5. [William Ash, B-Side Management & Production](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/william-ash/)
6. [William Ash, Entertainment.ie](https://www2-direct.entertainment.ie/person/william-ash/)
7. [William Ash: The Big Interview, Ink Pellet](https://www.inkpellet.co.uk/2012/02/william-ash-the-big-interview/)
8. [Ash, William 1977- (Will Ash), Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/ash-william-1977-will-ash)
9. [William Ash, BBC Waterloo Road Wiki](https://bbc-waterloo-road.fandom.com/wiki/William_Ash)
10. [William Ash, AMDB](https://www.acmodasi.in/amdb/person/86044-william-ash)
11. [William Ash, Apple TV (GB)](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/william-ash/umc.cpc.4cautkaizjh3ixtqt4n7pmv6c)
12. [Emmerdale favourite Beth Cordingly reveals her unusual phobia, WhatToWatch](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/emmerdale-favourite-beth-cordingly-reveals-her-unusual-phobia)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames A to Ba*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license