Asha Alice Banks (born 26 November 2003) is an English actress and singer. She began her career as a child actress on the West End. Her films include ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'' (2022) and '' My Fault: London'' (2025). On television, she is known for her role in the

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

series '' A Good Girl's Guide to Murder'' (2024). She released her debut '' EP'' in 2025.

Early life

Banks was born in

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

, Hertfordshire to parents Sophie and Duncan. She has an older brother. Banks attended the local Abbey Primary School and then Parmiter's School in Garston. She took Saturday drama classes at Top Hat Stage School and participated in Michael Xavier's MX Masterclass on Sundays, of which she is now a patron.

Career

Banks made her television debut in 2011 with minor roles in ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' and ''

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a British period drama television series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, ...

'', both on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

. Banks was seven or eight when she was cast as young Éponine in the long-running musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' at the Queen's Theatre in 2012, marking Banks' West End debut. She appeared in the 2014 Almeida and

Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in ...

runs of the play ''

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

''. Banks went on the 2015 UK tour of '' Annie'', playing the eldest orphan Duffy. She joined the West End production of ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was origina ...

'' at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

as Violet Beauregarde before its closure in 2017. She alternated the roles Pandora Braithwaite in the 2017

off-West End Off West End refers to theatres in London which are not included as West End theatres. The term is a relatively recent one, coined after the similar American term "off-Broadway" (though without the same strict definition). It is usually used synon ...

production of '' The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾'' at the

Menier Chocolate Factory The Menier Chocolate Factory is a 180-seat Off-West End theatre, which comprises a bar and theatre offices. It is located at the rear of a former 1870s Menier Chocolate, Menier Chocolate Company factory at 53 Southwark Street, a major street i ...

and Lisa James in '' The Boy in the Dress'' at the

Royal Shakespeare Theatre The Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) (originally called the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre) is a Grade II* listed 1,040+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company dedicated to the English playwright and poet William Shakespea ...

in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2019. In 2021, Banks played Thea in the London revival of '' Spring Awakening'' at the Almeida Theatre. She was also the understudy for Amara Okereke's Wendla. Banks was cast in as Princess Pamina in the German musical film ''

'', marking Banks' feature film debut. The film premiered at the 2022

Zurich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...

and had a wide release in 2023. Banks also returned to television in 2022 with a recurring role as Brooke in the

BBC iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...

teen drama '' Rebel Cheer Squad'', a '' Get Even'' spinoff. Banks has played the character Cara Ward in the

adaptation of '' A Good Girl's Guide to Murder'' and starred opposite Matthew Broome in the

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime (styled as prime) is a paid subscription service of Amazon which is available in many countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services inclu ...

film '' My Fault: London'', an English-language version of the Spanish film '' Culpa mía''. She then released her debut ''EP'' ‘Untie my tounge’, the first single of which was featured in the credits of ''My Fault: London''.

Filmography

Stage

References

External links

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Asha Banks
at Spotlight {{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Asha Living people 2003 births Actresses from St Albans English child actresses English musical theatre actresses