Arthur Hughes (British actor)

Arthur Hughes
Born1992 (age 31–32)
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
NationalityBritish
Alma materRoyal Welsh College of Music & Drama
OccupationActor
Years active2012–present

Arthur Hughes (born 1992) is a British actor known for his roles as Ryan McDaniel in the Netflix series The Innocents[1] and Ruairi Donovan in BBC Radio 4 series The Archers.[2][3] His stage appearances include the role of Laurent in La Cage aux Folles at the Park Theatre, London,[4] Phil in The Solid Life of Sugar Water with Graeae Theatre Company.[5] and the title role in Richard III for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Personal life

Hughes attended Aylesbury Grammar School,[3] and graduated in 2013 from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.[6] He has radial dysplasia affecting his right arm.[1]

In between acting roles, Hughes has worked as a bartender, a meet and greeter, and a sales and marketing representative.[7]

Career

After starting his career in theatre and radio, Hughes landed his first big television role in 2018 with the Netflix series The Innocents, in the series regular role of Ryan McDaniel.[1]

In 2022, he played disability activist Alan Holdsworth in the BBC's Then Barbara Met Alan;[8] The Independent's reviewer said that "Hughes is excellent as the emotionally unstable and tense Holdsworth".[9] In the same year, he took the title role in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Richard III, being the first disabled actor to do so.[10][11][12] The Guardian's reviewer said that "Hughes's Richard is every bit the schemer, dead-eyed and unmoved by the body count he leaves on the way to the throne, but he also has a smarmy mischief about him, delivering news of another dispatched victim in a breezy tone of voice and eking comic asides out of his character's darkness."[13] Other stage credits have included Our Town, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Julius Caesar, Saint Joan and Romeo and Juliet.[14]

Hughes plays the title character in the Disney+ period drama Shardlake, which was released on 1 May 2024.[15]

Screen International named Hughes as one of its 2023 "Stars of Tomorrow".[16]

Filmography

Theatre

Year Title Role Notes
Tracy Tom White Bear Theatre[17]
2015 Alix in Wundergarten Toby Grey The Other Room[17][18]
2016 Romeo and Juliet Mercutio/Lady Capulet Taking Flight[17][19]
The Solid Life of Sugar Water Phil Graeae Theatre Company[17][5]
2016–2017 Saint Joan Ladvenu/The Page Donmar Warehouse[17][20]
2017 Julius Caesar Lucius Sheffield Theatres[17][21]
2018 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Billy Bibbit Sheffield Theatres[17][22]
2019 Our Town George Gibbs Regent's Park Open Air Theatre[17][23]
Vassa Pavel Almeida Theatre[17][24]
2020 La Cage aux Folles Laurent Park Theatre[17][25]
2022 Wars of the Roses Richard, Duke of Gloucester Royal Shakespeare Company[17][26]
Richard III Richard III Royal Shakespeare Company[17][27]

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2017 Saint Joan Ladvenu / The Page Filmed recording of the Donmar Warehouse stage production, streamed in cinemas[28]
2018 Frank Blue Arresting Detective 2
2022 Richard III Richard III Filmed recording of the RSC stage production, streamed in cinemas[29]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Doctors Danny Hooper Episode: "Survivors"
2014 Ordeal by Innocence Jacko 3 episodes
2018 The Innocents Ryan McDaniel 7 episodes
2021 Help Tim Television film
On the Edge Mark Episode: "Mincemeat"
2022 Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators Dean Parolles Episode: "If It Be Man's Work"
Then Barbara Met Alan Alan Holdsworth Television film
2024 Shardlake Matthew Shardlake 4 episodes
2024 The Jetty Liam Ashby 2 episodes

Audio

Year Title Role Notes
2014 Ordeal by Innocence Jacko/Constable BBC Radio, 2 episodes[30]
Andy Warhol's Wig Interviewer BBC Radio Drama on 4[31]
The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde Robbie Ross BBC Radio Saturday Drama[32]
2014–2015 Home Front Archie Tulliver BBC Radio[33][34]
2018–present The Archers Ruairi Donovan BBC Radio[35]

References

  1. ^ a b c Shefferd, Neil (10 September 2018). "The Innocents: Briton with rare disability, lands starring role". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Ruari Donovan". The Archers. BBC. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "From Aylesbury Grammar to Ambridge: Arthur's delight at Archers role". www.bucksherald.co.uk. 31 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  4. ^ Clarendon, Emma (5 February 2020). "Interview With…Arthur Hughes". Love London Love Culture.
  5. ^ a b "The Solid Life of Sugar Water". Graeae. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Arthur Hughes". ws-rwcmd.rwcmd.ac.uk. Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Arthur Hughes". LinkedIn. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  8. ^ "First look images released for BBC's Then Barbara Met Alan". Royal Television Society. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  9. ^ O'Grady, Shaun (22 March 2022). "Then Barbara Met Alan is a moving love story within a revolution – review". The Independent. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  10. ^ Sherwood, Harriet (8 February 2022). "'There's a truth to it': RSC casts disabled actor as Richard III". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  11. ^ Sutherland, Gill (9 July 2022). "Villainy never felt so good". Stratford Herald. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Arthur Hughes: 'We can reclaim Richard III as the disabled man he was'". The Stage. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  13. ^ Akbar, Arifa (1 July 2022). "Richard III review – Shakespeare's supervillain breezes through the bloodbath". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Arthur Hughes". curtisbrown.co.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  15. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (31 March 2023). "Disney+ Sets Series Adaptation of C.J. Sansom's 'Shardlake' Murder Mystery Novels". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  16. ^ Wilkinson, Amber. "Stars of Tomorrow 2023: Arthur Hughes (actor)". Screen International. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Arthur Hughes". curtisbrown.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  18. ^ Garside, Emily (5 December 2015). "Alix In Wundergarten (The Other Room)". walesartsreview.org. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  19. ^ Garside, Emily (21 June 2016). "Taking Flight Theatre: Romeo & Juliet". buzzmag.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Saint Joan". donmarwarehouse.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Julius Caesar (Sheffield Theatres) @ The Crucible". blogs.nottingham.ac.uk. June 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  22. ^ Akbar, Arifa (16 June 2016). "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest review – McMurphy's misogyny laid bare". theguardian.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  23. ^ Billington, Michael (23 May 2019). "Our Town review – Ellen McDougall's Wilder revival hits home with force". theguardian.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  24. ^ Billington, Michael (22 October 2019). "Vassa review – revolutionary attack on moribund politics". theguardian.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  25. ^ Eastham, Terry (20 February 2020). "La Cage aux Folles [The Play] at Park Theatre". londontheatre1.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  26. ^ Brennan, Clare (24 April 2022). "Wars of the Roses review – a little too much shock and awe". theguardian.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  27. ^ Marshall, Alex (24 June 2022). "The 'Most Real Richard III There's Ever Been'". nytimes.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  28. ^ "National Theatre Live: Saint Joan". ifccenter.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  29. ^ "Royal Shakespeare Company's Richard III to be shown in cinemas". thestage.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  30. ^ "Agatha Christie". BBC Radio. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  31. ^ "Andy Warhol's Wig". BBC Radio. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  32. ^ "Nick Stafford - The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde". BBC Radio. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  33. ^ "Characters". BBC Radio. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  34. ^ Spencer, Samuel (31 August 2018). "The Innocents on Netflix: Who is Arthur Hughes? Who plays June's brother Ryan McDaniel?". www.express.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  35. ^ "Ruairi Donovan". BBC Radio. Retrieved 24 May 2023.