Antony Audenshaw (born 6 September 1964) is an English actor and singer. Audenshaw appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside from 1994 to 1996). Then in 2000, he began portraying the role of Bob Hope on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. For his portrayal of the role, he received a nomination for Most Popular Newcomer at the 7th National Television Awards.

Tony Audenshaw
Audenshaw in 2011
Born
Antony Lee

(1964-09-06) 6 September 1964 (age 60)
Denton, Lancashire, England
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active1993–present
TelevisionBrookside
Emmerdale
Spouse
Ruth Audenshaw
(m. 1993; died 2017)
Children2

Life and career

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Audenshaw was born in Denton, Lancashire on 9 September 1964.[1] In 1993, Audenshaw married wife Ruth, and the pair had two children together before her death in 2017.[1] Audenshaw began both his acting and music careers on stage whilst performing songs and sketches that he had written, later taking part in amateur theatre productions. Whilst trying to make it as an actor, he had a job at Thorpe Park and slept in his car on the car park since he could not afford accommodation.[1] Between 1994 and 1996, he played the recurring role of PC Ian Coban in the Channel 4 soap Brookside. His Emmerdale debut was in 1996, when he played the part of security guard Acky.[2] He later appeared as Bob Hope in 2000 and he has been a cast member since. For his portrayal of the role, he received a nomination for Most Popular Newcomer at the 7th National Television Awards.[3] In December 2006, he appeared as himself alongside other members of the Emmerdale cast on a celebrity version of the TV show Family Fortunes, and in 2009, he appeared in and won an episode of Celebrity Mastermind. His specialist subject was birds.[1]

Audenshaw has completed numerous London Marathons, and in 2010, he broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest time set by a runner dressed as a baby, when he completed the London Marathon in 3 hours and 13 minutes.[1] He ran the Robin Hood Marathon in Nottingham on Sunday 12 September 2010 in 3 hours 54 minutes and 29 seconds. Audenshaw often runs in fancy dress for the charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. On 17 April 2011, Audenshaw ran the 2011 London Marathon in 3 hours and 18 minutes dressed as a fairy. He has presented a feature called Tony's Trials on the weekly running podcast Marathon Talk.[4] Audenshaw is the lead singer of a band called White Van Man, who released "Viva Englandia" in support of England's 2010 World Cup campaign.[5] Since his wife died from pancreatic cancer, Audenshaw raised £4100 for Pancreatic Cancer UK on Celebrity Catchphrase in March 2022.[6]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1993 Raining Stones Film
1994–1996 Brookside PC Ian Coban Series regular
1996 Emmerdale Acky Recurring role
1996 Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgement DC Growse Recurring role
1996 Hillsborough Film
1998 Hetty Wainthrop Investigates Ray Lever Episode: "Pursuit by Proxy"
1998 Where the Heart Is PC Blake Episode: "Family Matters"
1998 Heartbeat Ian Lennon Episode: "Hello, Goodbye"
2000 Peak Practice Peter Castle Episode: "Family Values"
2000 Metropolis Locksmith 1 episode
2000 Going Off Big Time Policeman Film
2000–present Emmerdale Bob Hope Series regular
2011 Emmerdale: Paddy and Marlon's Big Night In Bob Hope Guest appearance

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2001 7th National Television Awards Most Popular Newcomer Emmerdale Nominated [3]
2006 The British Soap Awards Best On-Screen Partnership
(with Deena Payne)
Emmerdale Nominated [7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Soap me... real me!". Inside Soap: 52–53. 11–17 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Antony Audenshaw". ITV's Emmerdale Behind the Scenes. 31 January 2004. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b Marshall, Lucy (20 May 2022). "Emmerdale's Tony Audenshaw opens up about devastating loss of wife after tragic cancer battle". Leeds Live. (Reach plc). Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Tony's Trials Archive". Marathon Talk. April 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  5. ^ McCormack, Kirsty (24 February 2022). "Emmerdale Bob Hope actor Tony Audenshaw's surprising side hustle away from ITV soap". Daily Mirror. (Reach plc). Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  6. ^ Sansome, Jessica (27 March 2022). "ITV Emmerdale: Real life of Bob Hope actor Tony Audenshaw - tragic loss, record-breaker and surprising second career". Manchester Evening News. (Reach plc). Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  7. ^ "The British Soap Awards 2006 (2006)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
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