Ashley Thomas (born 4 February 1985), also known by the stage name Bashy, is a British actor and rapper.

Early life

Thomas was born in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

, West London. His mother is of

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n heritage and his father is of

Dominica Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of t ...

n heritage. He attended St. Mary's of the Angels RC Primary School. Aged 8, his family moved to

Kensal Rise Kensal Green, also known as Kensal Rise, is an area in north-west London, and along with Kensal Town, it forms part of the northern section of North Kensington. It lies north of the canal in the London Borough of Brent, and also to the south, ...

, in the

London Borough of Brent Brent () is a London boroughs, borough in north-west London, England. It is known for landmarks such as Wembley Stadium, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London, Swaminarayan Temple and the Kiln Theatre. It also contains the Brent Reservoir, W ...

. He attended Cardinal Hinsley High School, where he excelled in drama studies. Thomas then went on to join the BRIT School for Performing Arts as a theatre student. Before finding acting and music success Thomas worked as a postman for the Royal Mail and later as a London bus driver during his early twenties.

Career

Music

By his late teens, Thomas was a part of the UK’s emerging

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust Music * Grime music, a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * "Grime", a 2023 song by Macklemore from ''Ben'' * "Grime", a 2024 song by Kittie from ''Fire ...

scene, rapping on pirate radio stations. In 2007, Thomas released the song "Black Boys". With frequent reports of shootings and stabbings on news bulletins, and with the media focusing on the lack of role models in black communities, Thomas felt that the British inner-city youth could be reminded they had a number of positive role models they could look to for inspiration. In 2008, Thomas started working on ''

Adulthood An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

''.

Noel Clarke Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is an English actor, writer, director and producer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2006, 2008, 2010), he received critical acclaim for writing, directing, and ...

, the writer and director of ''Adulthood'', first encountered Thomas when he was passed a copy of ''The Chupa Chups Mixtape'', which contained samples from Clarke's previous film, ''

Kidulthood ''Kidulthood'' (stylised known as ''KiDULTHOOD'') is a 2006 British teen crime drama film directed by Menhaj Huda from a screenplay by Noel Clarke. It stars Aml Ameen, Red Madrell, Adam Deacon, Jaime Winstone, Femi Oyeniran, Madeleine Fairley, ...

''. Clarke was impressed with what he heard and disregarded concerns around the copyright infringement instead finding a way for Thomas to work on the official soundtrack for Adulthood. Thomas delivered the film's theme song ''Kidulthood to Adulthood''. Thomas released his debut album, ''Catch Me If You Can'' in 2009. The album was nominated for the 2009 MOBO Award for Album of the Year. In 2010, Thomas featured on the song "White Flag" by Gorillaz from their critically acclaimed album ''

Plastic Beach ''Plastic Beach'' is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. ''Plastic Beach'' evolved from an unfinished project entitled ' ...

''. The song saw Bashy feature alongside UK rapper

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria *Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State ** Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries ** Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom betwee ...

and the

Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music The Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music was a Syrian orchestra dedicated to the performance of classical Arabic music, as well as experimental work based on traditional music from the Middle East. The orchestra played regular concerts in the ...

. In 2013, Thomas stepped away from music to focus on his acting career full time. Thomas released his first full-length album in 15 years, '' Being Poor is Expensive'', on 12 July 2024. The album received critical acclaim and won the 2025

MOBO Award The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Bant ...

for Album of Year. Bashy also won the MOBO Award for Best Hip Hop Act that same year. His song ''How Black Men Lose Their Smile'' was nominated for an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

for Best Contemporary Song.

Acting

Thomas landed his first role in 2010 as Rager in British flick, '' Shank'', an independent action film set in a decaying future London. He then went on to feature as Smoothy in the movie '' 4.3.2.1.'' that same year. In April 2010, BBC Learning launched Off By Heart Shakespeare, a recital contest for secondary school pupils, and Thomas was asked to play the role of Shylock from ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

''. In 2011, Thomas played the part of Mental Mickey in ''

Cockneys vs Zombies ''Cockneys vs Zombies'' is a 2012 British zombie action comedy film directed by Matthias Hoene and written by James Moran and Lucas Roche. The plot centres on a group of Cockneys who arm themselves to rescue their grandfather and his friends from ...

''. Later that year, he played Tyrone Jones in '' The Veteran''. His first television role came in the winter of 2011, in the

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

award-winning series ''

Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology series, anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Most episodes are set in near-future dystopias containing Science fiction, sci-fi technology—a type of speculative fiction. The series i ...

'', by

Charlie Brooker Charlton ‘Charlie’ Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English screenwriter, producer, presenter, author, cartoonist, and social critic. He first became known for creating and presenting satirical television shows that featured biting criticis ...

for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

as Judge Wraith in the episode "

Fifteen Million Merits "Fifteen Million Merits" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction anthology series ''Black Mirror''. It was written by the series creator and showrunner Charlie Brooker and his wife Konnie Huq and directed by Euros ...

". In 2012, Thomas played the lead role in '' The Man Inside'', opposite

Peter Mullan Peter Mullan (; born 1959) is a Scottish actor and filmmaker. His credits include '' Riff-Raff'' (1991), '' Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Braveheart'' (1995), '' Trainspotting'' (1996), '' My Name Is Joe'' (1998), '' The Claim'' (2000), '' Neds'' ( ...

David Harewood David Michael Harewood (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor, presenter and the current president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in ''Homeland'' (2011–2012 ...

and

Michelle Ryan Michelle Claire Ryan (born 22 April 1984) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Zoe Slater in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2000–2005, 2025–present). In 2007, she starred in the short-lived American television s ...

. His next film was ''

My Brother the Devil ''My Brother the Devil'' is a 2012 British crime drama film written and directed by Sally El Hosaini. It stars James Floyd, Fady Elsayed and Saïd Taghmaoui. It tells the story of two sons of Egyptian immigrants coming of age in east London. I ...

'', which received critical acclaim, winning awards at both the Sundance Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival. In 2013, he played the recurring character Jermaine Newton in ''

Top Boy ''Top Boy'' is a British crime drama thriller (genre), thriller television series created and written by Ronan Bennett. The series is set on the fictional Summerhouse Housing estate, estate in the London Borough of Hackney. It focuses on two d ...

'', a role he reprised in 2019 after it was announced that

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

was to revive the British drama series. Early in 2015, Thomas guest-starred in 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 ...

series ''

The Interceptor ''The Interceptor'' is a British drama television serial that was first broadcast on BBC One from 10 June until 29 July 2015. The eight-part series was written by Tony Saint and made by BBC Television, BBC Drama Productions. The series was canc ...

''. Thomas' next TV appearance would be as Gil in the short-lived fantasy drama '' Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands'' for ITV in January 2016. Thomas signed up to the ensemble cast of A Hundred Streets released the same year. Early in 2016, it was confirmed Thomas was to appear as Calvin Hart in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

limited series ''

The Night Of ''The Night Of'' is a 2016 American eight-part crime drama miniseries based on the first series of ''Criminal Justice'', a 2008 British series. The miniseries was written by Richard Price and Steven Zaillian (based on the original ''Criminal Ju ...

'' directed by James Marsh and

Steve Zaillian Steven Ernest Bernard Zaillian (born January 30, 1953) is an Armenian-American screenwriter, film director and producer. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for his screenplay ''Schindler's List'' (1993) and has earne ...

. In March 2016, Thomas was set as a lead role in the

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

reboot of franchise series '' 24'' as Isaac Carter. Early in 2018, Thomas played the brother of Luca Quinn (

Cush Jumbo Cush Jumbo (born 23 September 1985) is a British actress and writer. She is best known for her leading role as attorney Lucca Quinn in the CBS drama series ''The Good Wife'' (2015–2016) and the Paramount Plus spin-off series ''The Good Figh ...

) in the legal drama ''

The Good Fight ''The Good Fight'' is an American legal drama television series produced for CBS's streaming service CBS All Access (later Paramount+). It was the platform's first original scripted series. The series, created by Robert King, Michelle King ...

'', airing on

CBS All Access Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily ...

. Later that year Thomas starred in ''Skin'', the film won the

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under numerous names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, ''Best Short Subject, On ...

at the

91st Academy Awards The 91st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2018 in film, films of 2018 and took place on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During th ...

. In 2019 it was announced Thomas would co-star in the ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'' reboot. That same year Thomas was set to headline the Amazon Prime horror series ''

Them Them or THEM, a third-person singular or plural accusative personal pronoun, may refer to: Books * ''Them'' (novel), 3rd volume (1969) in American Joyce Carol Oates' ''Wonderland Quartet'' * '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'', 2003 non-fict ...

''; for his performance he received an

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

nomination. In 2021, Thomas starred in the British limited series

The Ipcress File ''The IPCRESS File'' is Len Deighton's first spy novel, published in 1962. The story involves Cold War brainwashing and includes scenes in Lebanon and on an atoll for a United States atomic weapon test, as well as information about Joe One, ...

on ITV. In February 2022, the cast for the

Steven Knight Steven Knight (born 5 August 1959) is a British screenwriter, producer, and director for film and television. He wrote the screenplays for the films ''Closed Circuit (2013 film), Closed Circuit'', ''Dirty Pretty Things (film), Dirty Pretty Thi ...

's adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' ''Great Expectations'' for the

was announced, with

Olivia Colman Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Award ...

cast as

Miss Havisham Miss Havisham is a character in Charles Dickens's 1861 novel ''Great Expectations''. She is a wealthy spinster, once jilted at the altar, who insists on wearing her wedding dress for the rest of her life. She lives in a ruined mansion with her ...

Fionn Whitehead Fionn Whitehead (; born 18 July 1997) is an English actor. He portrayed the lead role in the 2017 film ''Dunkirk'' and the 2018 film '' Black Mirror: Bandersnatch''. His first acting credit was in the 2016 ITV miniseries '' Him''. Life Whitehe ...

cast as Pip and Thomas cast as Mr Jaggers, becoming the first black actor to play the role; for his performance he received a Royal Television Society Programme Award nomination. Later that year, Thomas had been cast as the male lead in the

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

drama series ''Black Cake'' opposite

Adrienne Warren Adrienne Warren is an American actress, singer and dancer. She made her Broadway debut in the 2012 musical '' Bring It On'', and in 2016 received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical nomination for her performance in '' Shuffle Alo ...

and Mia Isaac. In 2023 Thomas joined the cast of ''

The Serpent Queen ''The Serpent Queen'' is an American historical drama television series about the life of Catherine de' Medici, the 16th century Queen of France, as portrayed by Samantha Morton. The series was created by Justin Haythe and is based on the 2004 ...

'' as Alessandro de Medici. In March 2024 Thomas was cast in the

political television series ''Hostage'' as Dr Alex Anderson, alongside

Suranne Jones Sarah Ann Akers (née Jones; born 27 August 1978), known professionally as Suranne Jones, is an English actress and producer. Known for her numerous collaborations with screenwriter Sally Wainwright, she rose to prominence playing Karen McDonal ...

, filming began that month with the working title ''The Choice''. In November 2024 it was announced Thomas had been cast in the

crime thriller drama series ''In Flight''.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes/EPs

*''Ur Mum Vol One'' (2005) *''The Chupa Chups Mixtape'' (2007) *''Bashy.com'' (2008) *''The Fantasy Mixtape'' (2010) *''The Crunchie Mixtape'' (2011) *''The Great Escape EP'' (2012) *''Mixtape Legend'' ''Compilation'' (2013)

Singles and music videos

Guest appearances

* "Clones" – 2006 (by Akira the Don) * "Time Is Right Remix" – 2009 (by Frisco, also featuring

Jme Jamie Adenuga (born 4 May 1985), known professionally as Jme, is a British grime MC, songwriter, record producer and DJ. He is the co-founder of the crew and label Boy Better Know. He also serves as a sole owner and director of an associated c ...

and

Black the Ripper Dean West (28 December 1986 – April 2020), better known by his stage name Black the Ripper, was a British rapper, grime emcee, activist, cannabis activist, and entrepreneur from Edmonton, London. He ran his own record label, Dank of England ...

) * "She Likes To" (England Top 10) – 2009 (by

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations *Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town *Wiley, Georgia, an U.S. unincorporated community * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People *Wiley (musician), ...

) * "White Flag" from ''

'' – 2010 (by

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...

, also featuring

) * "Dead Butterflies" – '' Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez'' (by Gorillaz, also featuring Kano and Roxani Arias) * "4,3,2,1" – ''4.3.2.1'' OST (Bashy featuring

Paloma Faith Paloma Faith Blomfield (born 21 July 1981) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. After signing with Epic Records in 2008, Faith released her debut album, '' Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?'' (2009), which produced the UK ...

and

Adam Deacon Adam Steven Deacon (born 4 March 1983) is an English actor. He is known for his lead role in the films '' Kidulthood'', sequel ''Adulthood'', and for his directorial debut, '' Anuvahood''. Career Deacon was brought up by his English mother in S ...

) * "It's All Love" (Remix) – 2012 (by Scorcher, also featuring

Talay Riley Mark Olayinka Orabiyi, known professionally as Talay Riley, is a British singer-songwriter. Career At the age of 18, Talay Riley signed his first major publishing deal with Global Publishing. His first appearance was in 2009, when he appeared ...

, Kano and

Wretch 32 Jermaine Sinclaire Scott (born 9 March 1985), better known by his stage name Wretch 32, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. He was a member of the grime collective Combination Chain Gang, before forming The ...

) * "Bad Boys Don't Cry" – 2013 (by

Loick Essien Loick Mark Essien is an English singer signed to record label Sony Music. Essien began his musical career after featuring on rapper Chipmunk's single "Beast". Essien was set to release his debut album, ''Identity'', on 5 March 2012 but was dro ...

)

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1985 births English people of Dominica descent Black British male rappers British male rappers 21st-century male rappers Grime music artists English male film actors Black British male actors 21st-century English male actors English male television actors Rappers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Rappers from the London Borough of Hounslow People from Chiswick Actors from the London Borough of Hounslow Male actors from London People from Hammersmith Actors educated at the BRIT School Living people English people of Jamaican descent Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham