Lenny Rush

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?, on 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

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

Career

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 made a notable appearance^{[clarification needed]} on the BBC One charity show Children In Need in 2022.^[8] Rush won the Breakthrough Award, and Comedy Performance (Male) Award, for Am I Being Unreasonable? at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2023.^{[9][failed verification]}

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 had previously been 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

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 on Am I Being Unreasonable?^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

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 (6 episodes)
2023	Best Interests	George	1 episode
	Haunting of the Queen Mary	Lukas Caulder	Film
	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

References

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.

External links

• Lenny Rush at IMDb