Mark Benton

Did you know?!

1. A first

   Mark Benton was a contestant on the eleventh series of Strictly Come Dancing in September 2013. He was in four dance-offs in a row, the most consecutive in the show's history, and was eliminated in the fourth.

2. Early training

   Benton trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, graduating in 1990, after gaining early acting experience with Middlesbrough Youth Theatre in plays including Atmos Fear and Twist.

3. A change of course

   Benton was the bank manager in eight Nationwide Building Society commercials. Armando Iannucci directed them, and they aired from 2004 to 2010.

4. Beyond film

   In 2013 Benton starred as Edna Turnblad in the UK tour of Hairspray the Musical, which began in February and finished in September that year.

5. Beyond film

   In 2016, the UK progressive rock band Gandalf's Fist said that Benton would supply voices for multiple characters on their album The Clockwork Fable.

6. Beyond film

   Benton took the role of Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed on 21 August 2016 as part of the BBC prom 48 festival.