Al Ashton

Al Hunter Ashton was a British actor and scriptwriter who also worked under the names Al Ashton and Al Hunter. He was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire. He wrote scripts from the age of 15 and first acted professionally with an educational theater company in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He was later cast in Willy Russell plays such as Breezeblock Park at the Liverpool Playhouse and Blood Brothers at the Derby Playhouse. On television he appeared in Angels, Crossroads, Emmerdale, London's Burning and Mr. Bean, and he played Fat Dave in the film Mr In-Between (2001). As a writer he contributed to EastEnders from 1987, worked on The Bill and Holby City, created The Broker's Man with Tim O'Mara, and scripted Teaching Matthew for BBC Schools. His play Safe won the 1994 Bafta TV Award for Best Single Drama. He died in 2007.