Ralph Little
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Ralf Alastair John Little (born 8 February 1980) is an English actor, writer, presenter, narrator and former semi-professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
. He has worked mainly in television comedy, including playing Antony Royle in ''
The Royle Family ''The Royle Family'' is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, com ...
'' (1998–2000, 2006, 2009–2010) and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of ''
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' is a British television sitcom that ran from 26 February 2001 to 24 May 2011. First broadcast on BBC Two, it originally starred Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, Natalie Casey, Ralf Little, Kathryn D ...
'' (2001–2006). He was the narrator of Channel 5's documentary series ''Our Yorkshire Farm'' (2018–2022) as well as the spin-offs, ''Beyond The Yorkshire Farm: Reuben and Clive'' and ''Reuben: Life in the Dales''. From 2020 to 2024, he starred as Detective Inspector Neville Parker in ''
Death in Paradise ''Death in Paradise'' is a crime drama, crime television series created by Robert Thorogood, starring Ben Miller (Series 1–3), Kris Marshall (Series 3–6), Ardal O'Hanlon (Series 6–9), Ralf Little (Series 9–13) and Don Gilet (2024 Speci ...
''.


Early life and education

Ralf Alastair John Little was born in February 1980 in
Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
and attended
Bolton School Bolton School is a private day school in Bolton, Greater Manchester. It comprises a co-educational nursery (ages 0–4), co-educational infant school (ages 3–7), single sex junior schools (ages 7–11) and single sex senior schools including ...
(Boys' Division) and later living in Whitefield near Bury. His younger brother, Ross Little, is also an actor and played Michael Gilder in ''
Born and Bred ''Born and Bred'' is a British light-hearted 1950s-set medical drama series aired on BBC One which ran from 21 April 2002 to 3 August 2005. It was created by Chris Chibnall and Nigel McCrery. Initially the cast was led by James Bolam and Mic ...
''. Their parents are accountants. In 1998, Little abandoned his studies at the
University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...
medical school in order to concentrate on his acting career.


Career

Some of his early television roles included minor roles in various programmes such as ''
Elidor ''Elidor'' is a children's fantasy novel by the British author Alan Garner, published by Collins in 1965. Set primarily in modern Manchester, it features four English children who enter a fantasy world, fulfill a quest there, and return to fin ...
'', ''
Children's Ward ''Children's Ward'' (retitled ''The Ward'' from 1995 to 1998) is 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. It ai ...
and '' ''Sloggers''. Little's big break came when he was offered the role of Antony Royle 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 ...
sitcom ''
The Royle Family ''The Royle Family'' is a British sitcom produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series from 1998 to 2000, and specials from 2006 to 2012. It centres on the lives of a television-fixated Manchester family, the Royles, com ...
''. Little appeared in the show's original run from September 1998 to December 2000, before returning in three of the show's five Christmas specials, broadcast in 2006, 2009 and 2010. In 2001, he was cast in a main role as Jonny Keogh for six series of ''
Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps ''Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps'' is a British television sitcom that ran from 26 February 2001 to 24 May 2011. First broadcast on BBC Two, it originally starred Sheridan Smith, Will Mellor, Natalie Casey, Ralf Little, Kathryn D ...
''. During an interview for ''
This Morning This Morning may refer to: * ''This Morning'' (TV programme), a British daytime television programme * ''This Morning'' (radio program), a Canadian radio show which aired from 1997 to 2002 * ''CBS This Morning'', an American morning show, succes ...
'' in September 2007, Little said that he would not be returning for the next series due to an overwhelming schedule, and his character was subsequently killed off. In 1999, Little played the Star of Bethlehem in the ITV comedy drama ''
The Flint Street Nativity ''The Flint Street Nativity'' is a 1999 British television comedy film directed by Marcus Mortimer, written by Tim Firth, and starring Frank Skinner, Neil Morrissey, Jane Horrocks, John Thomson, Stephen Tompkinson, Mark Addy, Ralf Little, Julia ...
'' and appeared in a minor role in Granada TVs ''
Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...
'' in January 1999 as care home assistant Mark Stranks. In December 2000, Little played Wishee Washee in the
ITV Panto The ITV Panto was a series of televised pantomimes originally broadcast on ITV in 1998, 2000, and 2002. They have since been repeated over the 20 years since they were filmed. All were written by Simon Nye, and they included an array of celeb ...
''Aladdin'', which was filmed in the
New Wimbledon Theatre The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on the Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Listed building, Grade II listed Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J. B. Mulholland, w ...
. In 2001, he played the young
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Culture ...
in '' Presence'' at the
Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...
, for which he was nominated for an
Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...
for his performance. In 2004, he played the title character in ''
Billy Liar ''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a Billy Liar (film), film, a Billy (musical), musical and a Billy Liar (TV series), TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popul ...
'' at the Theatre Royal in
Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...
. He appeared in Juliet McKoen's 2005 ghost story/murder mystery film '' Frozen'', set in
Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...
, Lancashire. Between November 2002 and January 2003, he hosted 17 one-hour-long episodes of ''The Ralf Little Show'' on
BBC Choice BBC Choice was a British digital television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 23 September 1998. It was the first United Kingdom, British TV channel to broadcast exclusively in Digital television, digital format, as well as t ...
. Other film credits include ''
24 Hour Party People ''24 Hour Party People'' is a 2002 British biographical comedy drama 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 Wint ...
'' (playing
Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...
and New Order bass player
Peter Hook Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English musician. He was the bassist and co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division and its successor New Order. He often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...
) and ''
Al's Lads ''Al's Lads'' (released in the United States as ''Capone's Boys'') is a 2002 British Crime film, crime drama film directed by Richard Standeven and starring Marc Warren, Ralf Little and Al Sapienza. Plot Three British Scouser merchant sailors ...
''. Little also starred as Stephen, alongside
Anne-Marie Duff Anne-Marie Duff (born 8 October 1970) is an English actress and narrator. She is best known for her BAFTA nominated television roles in '' Shameless'' and '' The Virgin Queen'', and her performance as Grace Williams in '' Bad Sisters'', for wh ...
, in Roger Goldby's film, '' The Waiting Room'', released throughout the UK in June 2008. In television, he also appeared in '' Paradise Heights''. 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
Shelter A shelter is an architectural structure or natural formation (or a combination of the two) providing protection from the local environment. A shelter can serve as a home or be provided by a residential institution. It can be understood as both ...
. He was a cast member of '' KateModern'', a
web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...
developed by the creators of the US YouTube hit ''
lonelygirl15 ''lonelygirl15'' is an American science fiction thriller web series created by Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Greg Goodfried, and Amanda Goodfried. It was independently released on YouTube from June 16, 2006, to August 1, 2008, and was also bri ...
'', which started in July 2007 and posted its final video in June 2008. In July 2008, he appeared in ''50 Ways to Leave Your Lover'', a new play at the
Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. Artistic Directors * Brian McDermott ...
which was revised as ''50 Ways to Leave Your Lover at Christmas.'' In September of the same year, he starred in '' Massive'', a BBC comedy about an
indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...
record label. Also in 2008, Little became the narrator of '' Monkey Life,'' and the second series of ''Last Man Standing''. In 2009, he played Clint in ''
Married Single Other ''Married Single Other'' is a British six-episode comedy-drama television miniseries created and written by Peter Souter. The series is based on the lives of group of people who are either married, single or "other", other being defined as in a r ...
'', alongside
Miranda Raison Miranda Caroline Raison is a British actress who is best known for playing Jo Portman in five seasons of '' Spooks'' (MI5) and Nellie Davenport in HBO's ''Warrior''. She originated the title role in Howard Brenton's ''Anne Boleyn'' at Shakespe ...
He also worked on the film ''Powder''. In the autumn of 2010, he starred in ''The Aliens'', a British premiere of a new play by
Annie Baker Annie Baker (born April 1981) is an American playwright and film director. She is known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''The Flick'' (2013). She has written a string of plays which are set in the fictional town of Shirley: '' Body Awareness' ...
, again at the Bush Theatre. In 2011, he appeared as Richard Dickens in the comedy series '' The Café'', shown on Sky 1, which he co-wrote with
Michelle Terry Michelle Terry (born 1979, Nuneaton, Warwickshire) is an Olivier Award–winning English actress and writer, known for her extensive work for Shakespeare's Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, as well as her tel ...
. In 2013, he made a guest appearance in ''Death in Paradise'' (series two, episode six), and appeared at the
Liverpool Playhouse The Liverpool Playhouse is a theatre in Williamson Square in the city of Liverpool, England. It originated in 1866 as a music hall, and in 1911 developed into a repertory theatre. As such it nurtured the early careers of many actors and actre ...
as the father of a girl with
cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...
, in a production of ''
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg ''A Day in the Death of Joe Egg'' is a 1967 play by the English playwright Peter Nichols, first staged at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland, before transferring to the Comedy Theatre in London's West End. Synopsis The play centres o ...
''. In 2014, he appeared in the TV series ''
Our Zoo ''Our Zoo'' is a British drama television series from BBC One, first broadcast on 3 September 2014. The six-part series, written by Matt Charman and directed by Andy De Emmony, is about George Mottershead, his dreams of creating a cage-free zo ...
''. He also voiced Captain Skip in ''The Unbeatables,'' the English version of Argentine animated film ''
Foosball Table football, known as foosball or table soccer in North America, is a tabletop game loosely based on association football. Its objective is to move the ball into the opponent's goal by manipulating rods which have figures attached resemblin ...
.'' He appeared as the character Steadfast in "
Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...
", the second episode of the 10th series of the BBC1 series ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' in 2017. In August 2018, Little starred as "Alan" in ''
God of Carnage ''God of Carnage'' (originally in French ''Le Dieu du carnage'') is a play by Yasmina Reza that was first published in 2008. It is about two sets of parents; the son of one couple has hurt the son of the other couple at a public park. The parents ...
'' at the
Theatre Royal, Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audien ...
. In October 2019, he was confirmed as the new lead in ''
Death in Paradise ''Death in Paradise'' is a crime drama, crime television series created by Robert Thorogood, starring Ben Miller (Series 1–3), Kris Marshall (Series 3–6), Ardal O'Hanlon (Series 6–9), Ralf Little (Series 9–13) and Don Gilet (2024 Speci ...
'', returning to the series as a new character, DI Neville Parker, six years after his one-episode guest appearance. In May 2020, Little, alongside his ''Royle Family'' co-star
Ricky Tomlinson Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in the soap opera '' Brookside'' (1982–1988), DCI Charlie Wise in '' Cracker'' (1993–2006) and Jim Royle in '' T ...
, presented a six-part travel series titled ''Ricky & Ralf's Very Northern Road Trip'' for
Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
. He confirmed a partnership wit
St. Lucia Distillers
and thei
Chairman's Reserve
rum brand, becoming an ambassador for 2023-24.


Football career

Little, a supporter of
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, 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 United against
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
, having previously been training with Staines Town. He joined
Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...
side Edgware Town in October 2004, making his debut in the
FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...
game against
Waltham Abbey Waltham Abbey is a suburban town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, within the London metropolitan area, metropolitan and urban area of London, England, East London, north-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the Greenwich ...
. He played for Chertsey Town during the 2007–08 season and on 8 July 2008 signed for
North West Counties League The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the North West of England. Since 2019–20, the league has covered the Isle of Man, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Cumbria, northern Staffordshire, northern ...
side Stone Dominoes. He has also played celebrity football matches for charity on a few occasions and played with members of Hollywood United while in the district for acting career purposes. He also plays for the Arsenal Ex-Pro and Celebrity XI. On 6 June 2010, he participated in a
Soccer Aid Soccer Aid is an English annual charity event that has raised over £106 million in aid of UNICEF UK, through ticket sales and donations from the public. The televised event is an exhibition-style football match between two teams, England and ...
game for England on the left wing. On 9 August 2011, he played in the
John Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
testimonial match for
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
against
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
which resulted in a 5–2 win for Celtic. In May 2012, he appeared for the
Sealand national football team The Sealand national football team represents the unrecognized, self-proclaimed micronation of the Principality of Sealand. It is not a member of FIFA or UEFA, but was an associate member of the N.F.-Board, an organisation for teams who are not ...
in a match against the
Chagos Islands The Chagos Archipelago (, ) or Chagos Islands (formerly , and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands is the southernmo ...
as captain. The match was held at the grounds of Godalming Town. In August 2012 and March 2013 he played in two games against
Alderney Alderney ( ; ; ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependencies, Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The island's area is , making it the third-largest isla ...
, a 1–1 draw and 2–1 win respectively. On 2 September 2017, he played in the Game 4 Grenfell match at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
, with the match proceeds going to the Grenfell disaster appeal.


Personal life

Little's great-grandfather, Albert Lockley, was a Welsh international footballer who played for
Chirk Chirk () is a town and Community (Wales), community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south of Wrexham, between it and Oswestry. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 4,468. Historically in the historic counties of Wales, traditional coun ...
. He has been engaged to American playwright and screenwriter
Lindsey Ferrentino Lindsey Ferrentino is an American contemporary playwright and screenwriter. Early life Lindsey Ferrentino is the daughter of comedian and magician John Ferrentino.
, daughter of comedian and magician John Ferrentino since 2018. Little is not religious and identifies as a
humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...
. He was appointed a patron of the humanist charity
Humanists UK Humanists UK, known from 1967 until May 2017 as the British Humanist Association (BHA), is a charitable organisation which promotes secular humanism and aims to represent Irreligion in the United Kingdom, non-religious people in the UK throug ...
in 2020.


Filmography


Film


Television


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Ralf 1980 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Men's association football midfielders English atheists English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States English expatriate men's footballers English men's footballers English humanists English male television actors English male stage actors English male film actors English male voice actors English people of Welsh descent Hollywood United F.C. players Stone Dominoes F.C. players Edgware & Kingsbury F.C. players Maidstone United F.C. players Staines Town F.C. players Chertsey Town F.C. players People educated at Bolton School Male actors from Bury, Greater Manchester English male comedians Comedians from Greater Manchester Footballers from Bury, Greater Manchester 21st-century English sportsmen