Lenny Rush

British actor and presenter (born 2009)

Lenny Rush

Born|  (2009-03-17) 17 March 2009 (age 15)
Occupation(s)| Actor and presenter
Years active| 2017–present
Notable work|

* Am I Being Unreasonable?
* Doctor Who
* Dodger

Lenny Rush (born 17 March 2009) is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his work on the Daisy May Cooper comedy drama series Am I Being Unreasonable?, for which he won a British Academy Television Award for Best Male Comedy Performance. He has also appeared in the BBC One series Dodger and the CBBC drama The Dumping Ground. He won a breakthrough award at the 2023 National Comedy Awards, and won the Breakthrough Award and Best Comedy Performance (Male) at the 2023 Royal Television Society Programme Awards.

## Personal life

[edit]

Rush has a medical condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita which affects his growth, resulting in dwarfism.[1][2]

## Career

[edit]

Rush first appeared on camera on the CBeebies documentary Our Family. He began acting locally at the Pauline Quirke Academy in Essex. He played roles on CBeebies series Apple Tree House and CBBC's The Dumping Ground and had played Tiny Tim in versions of A Christmas Carol both on stage at The Old Vic in London in 2017 and 2018, and on-screen in a Steven Knight televised retelling of the Charles Dickens classic in 2019.[3][4]

Rush was given a series regular role in the comedy drama Dodger alongside Christopher Eccleston. Initially a small role called The Sweeper, the part was expanded for Rush and given the character name Morgan.[5] Rush also had the role of Ollie in Daisy May Cooper’s BBC One comedy Am I Being Unreasonable?, in which he improvised lines as well as performing from a script.[6] He received praise for his performance in the show, with Lucy Mangan writing in The Guardian, “What a gift they have in Rush, who has the comic chops and emotional range of an actor twice his age, and the kind of chemistry with Cooper that is an absolute joy to watch."[7]

Rush appeared on the BBC One charity show Children In Need in 2022.[8] Rush won the Breakthrough Award, and was nominated for the Comedy Performance (Male) Award, for Am I Being Unreasonable? at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2023.[9]

In June 2023, it was announced that Rush would portray Morris Gibbons, UNIT's scientific advisor, in the fourteenth series of Doctor Who.[10] He was initially cast as the voice of Eric in "Space Babies" before being offered the larger role.[11][12]

In October 2023, at the age of 14, it was announced that Rush would become the first child presenter to co-host the annual Children in Need appeal.[13]

In November 2023, Rush was the winner of Taskmaster New Year’s Treat 2024.[14][15]

## Accolades

[edit]

Rush was voted Best Breakthrough at the I Talk Telly Awards in December 2022.[16] It was announced in January 2023 that he would receive a breakthrough award at the National Comedy Awards.[17] On 29 March 2023, he won two awards at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards: the Breakthrough Award, and Best Comedy Performance (Male).[18][19] In May 2023, he won the BAFTA for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for his work in Am I Being Unreasonable?[20]

## Filmography

[edit]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Filmography Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2018–2019  | Apple Tree House | Eli  | 4 episodes
2019  | A Christmas Carol | Tiny Tim | Miniseries
2020  | Old Vic on Camera: A Christmas Carol | Tiny Tim  |
2021–2022  | The Dumping Ground | Murphy  | 7 episodes
2021–2023  | Dodger | Morgan/The Sweeper  | Recurring role
2022  | Enola Holmes 2 | Newspaper boy  | Film
2022–present  | Am I Being Unreasonable? | Ollie  | Lead role (12 episodes)
2023  | Best Interests | George  | 1 episode
Haunting of the Queen Mary | Lukas Caulder  | Film
2023–present  | Children in Need | Himself  | Presenter
2024  | Doctor Who | Morris Gibbons  | 2 episodes; "The Legend of Ruby Sunday" and "Empire of Death"
Taskmaster | Himself  | New Years Special
Would I Lie to You? | Himself  | Christmas Special[21]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Amin, Megna (25 November 2022). "Dodger star Lenny Rush explains why it's so good for mums of disabled kids to see him on screen". Metro.
2. ^ "Ormiston Rivers Academy student stars in hit BBC show". Ormiston Academies Trust. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024.
3. ^ Bushby, Helen (2 December 2022). "Scene-stealer: Child star Lenny Rush's rise to fame". BBC News. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
4. ^ Davies, Sean (22 December 2019). "Lenny, 10, is the star of the show this Christmas". Echo. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
5. ^ "I Talk To Lenny Rush". I Talk Telly. 22 December 2022.
6. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (28 November 2022). "Dodger star Lenny Rush says children's TV is "so important" at Christmas". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
7. ^ Mangan, Lucy (23 September 2022). "Am I Being Unreasonable? review – Daisy May Cooper is absurdly brilliant". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
8. ^ Emmett, Millie (22 November 2022). "Lenny Rush comedy skit impressed Children In Need viewers". Maldon and Burnham Standard. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
9. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (7 March 2023). "Kate Winslet, Kit Connor, Billie Piper in the Mix at Royal Television Society Programme Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
10. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (15 June 2023). "Doctor Who casts BAFTA winner Lenny Rush as new character Morris". Radio Times.
11. ^ "Doctor Who: Unleashed - Season 1: 1. Space Babies". BBC. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
12. ^ "Doctor Who guest star Lenny Rush was originally cast in a different role". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
13. ^ Cormack, Morgan (18 October 2023). "Doctor Who star Lenny Rush joins Children in Need presenting line-up". Radio Times.
14. ^ "Burnham actor Lenny Rush 'honoured' as he wins Taskmaster New Year's Treat". Maldon and Burnham Standard. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
15. ^ Lewis, George (23 November 2023). "Taskmaster confirms line-up for celebrity special". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
16. ^ "I Talk Telly Awards – Winners Announced". Beyond The Joke. 4 December 2022.
17. ^ "National Comedy Awards 2023 shortlists revealed". Chortle.
18. ^ Goldbart, Max (29 March 2023). "Kate Winslet Scoops Big Acting Prize At RTS Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
19. ^ Ritman, Alex (29 March 2023). "Kit Connor, Kate Winslet Among Winners of Royal Television Society Program Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
20. ^ Saner, Emine (16 November 2023). "Lenny Rush on his Bafta, swearing and living his best life: 'I love being little. I'm lucky'". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
21. ^ "Would I Lie to You? at Christmas". TV Guide. Retrieved 24 December 2024.

## External links

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* Lenny Rush at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

BAFTA TV Award for Best Male Comedy Performance

* Peter Capaldi (2010)
* Steve Coogan (2011)
* Darren Boyd (2012)
* Steve Coogan (2013)
* Richard Ayoade (2014)
* Matt Berry (2015)
* Peter Kay (2016)
* Steve Coogan (2017)
* Toby Jones (2018)
* Steve Pemberton (2019)
* Jamie Demetriou (2020)
* Charlie Cooper (2021)
* Jamie Demetriou (2022)
* Lenny Rush (2023)
* Mawaan Rizwan (2024)

* v
* t
* e

RTS Programme Award for Best Comedy Performance by a Male Actor

* Steve Pemberton / Reece Shearsmith (2019)
* Ncuti Gatwa (2020)
* Youssef Kerkour (2021)
* Samson Kayo (2022)
* Lenny Rush (2023)
* Hammed Animashaun (2024)

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