Will Adamsdale
Will Adamsdale (born 1974) is an English actor, comedian and writer. In 2004, he won the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his show Jackson's Way.[1]
Will Adamsdale | |
|---|---|
 Adamsdale performing live at the Resofit, a benefit event for Resonance FM | |
| Born | 1974 (age 48–49) Hereford, England |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | Oxford School of Drama |
Early Life
Adamsdale was educated at Eton College and the Oxford School of Drama.[2]
Career
In 2004, he starred in a self-penned one man show called Jackson's Way at the Edinburgh Fringe. The intended run for the production was ten days, before the intervention of comedian Stewart Lee. Lee was so impressed by Adamsdale's work that he reportedly threw his full support behind Jackson's Way, lobbying for an extension of the run and using his clout within the industry to garner notice from critics and award committees. Adamsdale secured the Perrier Comedy Award for comedy.
Adamsdale has since created several new shows: The Receipt, The Human Computer, and The Summer House. The Receipt, a collaboration with sonic artist Chris Branch, used innovative sound effects to punctuate a story about the little man in the big city. It ran at the Edinburgh Fringe 2006, winning a Fringe First and a Total Theatre Award. It subsequently toured nationally, and internationally to the Melbourne Comedy Festival and 59E59 Theatres in New York.
In The Human Computer, Adamsdale, a self-confessed technophobe, explored the world of computers. The show premiered in the new Traverse 3 venue at the Edinburgh Fringe 2007.
He made his film acting debut in The Boat That Rocked as Newsreader John, in 2009.
From 2010-2011, he periodically performed with the comedy music collective, The London Snorkelling Team as the tap-dancing security expert.[3]
He was a regular cast member of the Channel 4 2011 series Campus, playing Jason the University accountant.
Adamsdale wrote and starred in the musical-comedy play The Victorian in the Wall, which he co-directed alongside Lyndsey Turner. It made its debut at the Royal Court Theatre in 2011 and toured the UK in early 2013.[4] Following positive reviews, It was later adapted to a BBC 4 Radio play of the same name in 2016, in which Adamsdale and his fellow original cast members reprised their roles.[5][6]
At the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe, he played Fraser Ayres in double BAFTA-winning writer Jack Thorne's adaptation of Stuart: A Life Backwards, Alexander Masters' biography of Stuart Clive.[7] The play continued its successful Edinburgh run into a two-week run at the Crucible Theatre.[8]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Stoned | Andrew Loog-Oldham | |
| 2009 | The Boat That Rocked | News John | |
| 2010 | Four Lions | Alex | |
| Skeletons | Simon | ||
| 2014 | ABCs of Death 2 | Director | In segment "B is for Badger" |
| 2017 | Journey's End (2017 film) | Lieutenant Hamison | |
| 2018 | Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero | Additional Voices | Voice role, english title: Sgt. Stubby: An Unlikely Hero |
| Knights of the Realm | Johnno | Short film. Also producer, composer, and co-writer with Stewart Wright |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Warriors | Army Officer #1 | Television film |
| 2000 | Bomber | Officer | |
| 2001 | Sword of Honour | Officer Erskine | |
| 2002 | Manchild | Justin | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Rosemary & Thyme | Simon Todd | |
| 2009 | Comedy Showcase | Jason Armitage | Pilot for Campus, semi-improvised |
| 2011 | Campus | Main role, semi-improvised | |
| 2015 | The BBC at War | Voice-over | Docuseries, reading written BBC material |
| 2023 | Stonehouse | Harry Evans | |
| A Pack of Lies † | Sebastian Adams |
| † | Denotes television series that have not yet been released |
Stage
| Year | Title | Actor | Director | Writer | Creator | Edinburgh Fringe | Tour | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Small Craft Warnings | Yes | Bobby | ||||||
| Notes from Underground | Yes | Monologue | |||||||
| Dangerous Corner | Yes | Robert Caplan | |||||||
| Arcadia | Yes | Gus Coverley | |||||||
| 2001 | The Winslow Boy | Yes | Dickie | ||||||
| 2004 | Waters of the Moon | Yes | John Daly | ||||||
| Jackson's Way | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Chris John Jackson | Winner of the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Show. Also writer and director | ||
| World Cup Final 1966 | Yes | Bobby Moore | |||||||
| 2005-2006 | The Receipt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Wiley | Co-writer and co-director with Chris Branch |
| 2007 | The Human Computer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Self (Stand-up) | |
| 2011 | Jackson's Way: The London Jacksathon! | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Chris John Jackson | 26-date tour | |
| 2011-2013 | The Victorian in the Wall | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Guy | Co-directed with Lyndsey Turner | |
| 2014 | Borders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Self (Stand-up) | ||
| 2017 | Manwatching | Yes | Anonymous | ||||||
| 2018 | The Lost Disc | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Roger Le Fevre, Tony Noel, AP Williams | |||
| 2019 | Facetime | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Self (Stand-up) | 2020 tour cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
Honours
| Year | Award | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Edinburgh Comedy Award | Jackson's Way | Won | [1] |
References
- Logan, Brian (5 January 2011). "Will Adamsdale: the guru of nonsense". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Will Adamsdale". IMDb. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "About". London Snorkerlling Team. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "The Victorian in the Wall". Fuel Theatre. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "The Victorian in the Wall, Royal Court Theatre - theatre review". Evening Standard. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- Will Adamsdale (24 June 2016), The Victorian In The Wall, retrieved 18 June 2023
- Gardner, Lyn (13 August 2013). "Stuart: A Life Backwards – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Theatre review: Stuart: A Life Backwards at Crucible Studio". British Theatre Guide. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
Further reading
- Love, Catherine (16 May 2016). "Will Adamsdale: 'I just try to not get my knickers in twist over whether it's comedy or theatre'". The Stage. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- Fleckney, Paul (1 August 2014). "Will Adamsdale: sitting at the cheap bar between theatre and comedy". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- Jones, Alice (16 May 2013). "A class act: Will Adamsdale satirises the angst-ridden middle classes". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- Trueman, Matt (5 August 2013). "Will Adamsdale pulls out of Edinburgh play owing to injury". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- Logan, Brian (5 January 2011). "Will Adamsdale: the guru of nonsense". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- Needham, Alex (14 August 2014). "Edinburgh festival 2014 review: Will Adamsdale – subtle, self-deprecating and smart". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2016.