Ralf Alistair J.B. Little (born 8 February 1980) is an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
,
writerA writer is anyone who creates a written work, though the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms.-Profession:...
and semi-professional
footballerA footballer is a person who plays in various games known as "football" – especially association football, although the term is also used to refer to participants in Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby league and rugby union in some regions....
, working mainly on television. He is perhaps best known for playing Antony Royle, the son in the series
The Royle FamilyThe Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, with a special episode in late 2006 and another in 2008...
, Jonny Keogh in the first six series of sitcom
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of CrispsTwo Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps is a BBC sitcom created and written by Susan Nickson. It is set in the town of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, and revolves around the lives of five twenty-somethings. Janet, Gaz, Donna, Louise and Jonny...
and Danny in
MassiveMassive is a sitcom broadcast on digital channel BBC Three. It is set in Manchester and stars Ralf Little and Carl Rice as Danny and Shay, who leave their office jobs to set up a record label when Danny inherits £10,000 following the death of his grandmother.The series began airing on BBC Three on...
.
Little was born in
OldhamOldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
,
Greater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.56 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and...
, and grew up in
BuryBury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Bury is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, of which Bury is the...
. Some of his early television roles included minor roles in various programmes such as
Elidor,
Children's WardChildren's Ward was 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 programme was set, as the title suggests, in the children's ward of a hospital, and told the stories of...
,
Sloggers,
Bostock's Cup,
Always and EveryoneAlways and Everyone was a British television drama that ran from 1999 to 2002. It dramatised the hectic everyday lives of the doctors and nurses running the Accident and Emergency department of the large, busy city hospital, St. Victor's. The series has never been released commercially on VHS or...
, and a production of
Aladdin.
Ralf's "big break" came when he was offered to play Antony Royle in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
sitcomA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
,
The Royle FamilyThe Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, with a special episode in late 2006 and another in 2008...
.
Ralf Alistair J.B. Little (born 8 February 1980) is an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
,
writerA writer is anyone who creates a written work, though the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms.-Profession:...
and semi-professional
footballerA footballer is a person who plays in various games known as "football" – especially association football, although the term is also used to refer to participants in Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby league and rugby union in some regions....
, working mainly on television. He is perhaps best known for playing Antony Royle, the son in the series
The Royle FamilyThe Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, with a special episode in late 2006 and another in 2008...
, Jonny Keogh in the first six series of sitcom
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of CrispsTwo Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps is a BBC sitcom created and written by Susan Nickson. It is set in the town of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, and revolves around the lives of five twenty-somethings. Janet, Gaz, Donna, Louise and Jonny...
and Danny in
MassiveMassive is a sitcom broadcast on digital channel BBC Three. It is set in Manchester and stars Ralf Little and Carl Rice as Danny and Shay, who leave their office jobs to set up a record label when Danny inherits £10,000 following the death of his grandmother.The series began airing on BBC Three on...
.
Early life and work
Little was born in
OldhamOldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
,
Greater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.56 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and...
, and grew up in
BuryBury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Bury is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, of which Bury is the...
. Some of his early television roles included minor roles in various programmes such as
Elidor,
Children's WardChildren's Ward was 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 programme was set, as the title suggests, in the children's ward of a hospital, and told the stories of...
,
Sloggers,
Bostock's Cup,
Always and EveryoneAlways and Everyone was a British television drama that ran from 1999 to 2002. It dramatised the hectic everyday lives of the doctors and nurses running the Accident and Emergency department of the large, busy city hospital, St. Victor's. The series has never been released commercially on VHS or...
, and a production of
Aladdin.
The Royle Family
Ralf's "big break" came when he was offered to play Antony Royle in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
sitcomA situation comedy, usually referred to as a sitcom, is a genre of comedy programs which originated in radio. Today, sitcoms are found almost exclusively on television as one of its dominant narrative forms...
,
The Royle FamilyThe Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, with a special episode in late 2006 and another in 2008...
. He took three months out of his 'A' Level studies to record the series, after which he returned to school and scraped the grades he needed to get into his chosen course at university. Shortly after starting his medical degree at university, the first series of
The Royle Family began to air and offers to audition started coming Little's way, as many as five per week. This prompted him to abandon his studies and focus on his acting career.The original run of the series was from Autumn 1998 to December 2000, and returned for a one-off special in 2006.
Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps
After the original run of
The Royle Family, he was cast in another sitcom,
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of CrispsTwo Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps is a BBC sitcom created and written by Susan Nickson. It is set in the town of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, and revolves around the lives of five twenty-somethings. Janet, Gaz, Donna, Louise and Jonny...
(or
Two Pints), as Jonny Keogh. The first series ran from February 2001, and has been running for eight series so far. During an interview for
This MorningThis Morning is a British daytime television programme created by Granada Television and broadcast on ITV. It first aired from Granada's Albert Dock Studios in Liverpool on 3 October 1988. It features celebrity guests, entertainment, advice on health and well-being, competitions, cookery and more...
in September 2007 Little said that he would not be returning for the next series due to an overwhelming schedule, and his character was therefore killed off screen in the first episode of the seventh series.
Other Work (1998-present)
Little was nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in
Notes on Falling Leaves at the
Royal Court TheatreThe Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
.
In 2004, Little played the title character in
Billy LiarBilly Liar is a novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, film, musical and TV series.The semi-comical story is about Billy Fisher, a working-class 19-year-old living with his parents in the fictional town of Stradhoughton in Yorkshire...
at the Theatre Royal in
WindsorWindsor is a suburban town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is best known as the site of Windsor Castle....
.
His film credits include
24 Hour Party People24 Hour Party People is a 2002 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 Winterbottom....
(playing
Joy DivisionJoy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences,...
and
New OrderNew Order were an English musical group formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris . New Order were formed in the wake of the demise of their previous group Joy Division, following the suicide of vocalist Ian Curtis...
bass player
Peter HookPeter "Hooky" Hook is an English bass player.He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until his departure...
) and
Al's LadsAl's Lads is a 2002 British crime/drama film.-Plot:Three Englishmen working as waiters on a cruise ship in 1927 are given a chance to work for the Al Capone gang.-Cast:Marc Warren as Jimmy...
. Little also starred as Stephen, alongside Anne-Marie Duff, in Oscar-nominee Roger Goldby's film
The Waiting Room, released throughout the UK in June 2008.
In television, he also appeared in
Paradise HeightsParadise Heights may refer to:*Paradise Heights, Florida, a town in the United States*Paradise Heights, a BBC TV series, subsequently known as The Eustace Bros....
alongside Neil Morrisey and
Charles DaleCharles Dale is a Welsh actor who is well known for playing Dennis Stringer in Coronation Street, Gary "Chef" Alcock in The Lakes and Clive Eustace in The Eustace Bros.....
.
In October 2007, he appeared in the one man show,
Stacy, written by Jack Thorne at the
Trafalgar StudiosTrafalgar Studios is a West End theatre in Whitehall in the City of Westminster.Also known as Trafalgar Studios at the Whitehall Theatre in honour of its former incarnation, the building consists of two intimate theatres designed by architects Tim Foster and John Muir...
in London and on TV in
Robin Hood as a sinister scientist Joseph, in the episode The Angel of Death.
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
ShelterShelter is a charity registered in England and Scotland that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing. It has offices in England and Scotland, and works in partnership with Shelter Cymru and the Housing Rights Service in Northern Ireland...
.
Little was a member of the cast of
KateModernKateModern was the sister series of lonelygirl15. The series, which was announced on April 16, 2007, began filming on July 9 and the first video, Fight and Flight, was released on July 16. The show is produced by EQAL in partnership with Bebo...
, a
web seriesA web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web serials is continuing to rise, the concept...
which is a spin-off of the more well-known
lonelygirl15lonelygirl15 was an interactive web-based video series which began in June 2006, and ended on August 1, 2008, with a Japanese dub slated for release in 2009....
. The series started in July 2007 and posted its final video in June 2008.
In early 2008 Little appeared in adverts for
McVitie'sMcVitie's is a snack food brand owned by United Biscuits. The name derives from the original Scottish biscuit maker, McVitie & Price, Ltd.ed in 1830 on Rose Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. The firm moved to various sites in the city before completing, in 1888, the St...
digestive biscuits, did the voiceover for
SMA baby formula adverts, as well as in 2009 the
AsdaAsda is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, toys and general merchandise. They also have a mobile network, called Asda Mobile....
Rollback adverts. He also provided the narration for series two and three of Monkey Life.
In September 2008 he starred in
MassiveMassive is a sitcom broadcast on digital channel BBC Three. It is set in Manchester and stars Ralf Little and Carl Rice as Danny and Shay, who leave their office jobs to set up a record label when Danny inherits £10,000 following the death of his grandmother.The series began airing on BBC Three on...
, a BBC comedy about an indie record label, and in the same year narrated the second series of
Last Man StandingLast Man Standing is a BBC reality TV show that was first aired on 26 June 2007. The show features six athletic males travelling around the globe to take part in 8 different tribal or traditional sports...
.
In July 2008 he appeared in
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, a new play at the
Bush TheatreThe Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 above The Bush public house, and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. An intimate venue renowned for its close-up storytelling, the...
which was revised as
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover at Christmas later in the year. In April 2009, he began filming the role of Clint in the ITV comedy drama
Married Single Other. He will also work on the film
Powder.
Football career
Little, a supporter of
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
, 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 UnitedMaidstone United Football Club are an English football team from Maidstone, Kent.The current club is a continuation of the old Maidstone United, former members of the Football League between 1989 and 1992, they were forced out of the league by financial ruin but the youth squad formed the nucleus...
against
AFC WimbledonAFC Wimbledon are a semi-professional English football club affiliated to both the London and Surrey Football Associations. AFC Wimbledon take their name from and trace their origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, although their home ground, Kingsmeadow, is in the neighbouring Royal...
, having previously been training with
Staines TownStaines Town FC are an English football club based in Staines, Middlesex, England. They are currently competing in the Conference South.The team are usually known as 'The Swans'. However, in modern times the moniker 'The Massive' has become popular after Ali G's famous 'Staines Massive' in his...
. He joined Isthmian League side
Edgware TownEdgware Town F.C. is a football club based in Edgware in the London Borough of Harrow, England.The club were forced to resign from the Ryman League in the summer of 2008, and are currently dormant, though the club's name continues to be registered with the Middlesex FA.-History:They were...
in October 2004, making his debut in the
FA VaseThe Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System. For the 2008–09 season 514 entrants were accepted, with two qualifying rounds preceding the six proper rounds, semi-finals and final to be played at...
game against
Waltham AbbeyWaltham Abbey Football Club is an English football club based in Waltham Abbey, Essex. The team currently plays in the Isthmian League Premier Division.-History:...
.
He played for
Chertsey TownChertsey Town Football Club is an football club based in Chertsey, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1890 and, from the Surrey Senior League, joined the Metropolitan League in the 1964-65 season. They have reached the quarter-finals of the F.A Vase twice in their history...
during the 2007-08 season and on 8 July 2008 signed for North West Counties League side
Stone DominoesStone Dominoes F.C. are a football club based in Stone, Staffordshire. They were established in 1987 and joined the Midland League Division Two in 1995. They reached the 5th round of the FA Vase in 2003-04 season. They are currently members of the North West Counties Football League Division One...
. He has also on a few occasions played celebrity football matches for charity and played with members of
Hollywood UnitedHollywood United Football Club is an American amateur soccer club, founded in the late-1980s by a group of British expatriates who frequented the Cat & Fiddle, an English-style pub on Sunset Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood, California.-Origins:...
while in the district for acting career purposes. He also plays for the Arsenal Ex-Pro and Celebrity XI.