Al Hunter Ashton

Acting

Al Hunter Ashton

Born — Died

1957-06-27 — 2007-04-27

Place of birth

Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

50 titles

Al Hunter Ashton (1957-2007) was a Birmingham born actor and screenwriter. As an actor, he performed mainly under the name Al Ashton (to ensure he appeared high up in any alphabetical credits) and wrote as Al Hunter Ashton. His most famous work was his script for Alan Clarke's seminal football hooliganism film, The Firm.

Known for

Casualty poster
6.2

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Casualty

1986

Gladiator poster
8.2

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Gladiator

2000

Crossroads poster
5.5

Crossroads is a British television soap opera set in a fictional motel near Birmingham, England. Created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, the commercial ITV network originally broadcast the series between 1964 and 1988. Produced by ATV and later by Central it became a byword for cheap production values, particularly in the 1970s and early 1980s. The series was revived in a glossier version by Carlton Television in 2001, but was again cancelled in 2003. The original theme tune was composed by Tony Hatch, and notably covered by Paul McCartney & Wings on their 1975 album Venus and Mars. A new version, which was first aired in 1987 when the series was relaunched as Crossroads, Kings Oak, was composed by Raf Ravenscroft and Max Early.

Crossroads

1964

Bergerac poster
7.0

Jim Bergerac is a detective sergeant in The Foreigners Office who likes to do things his own way. While dealing with his own personal demons Bergerac has a knack of finding trouble, and sometimes causing it.

Bergerac

1981

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Mr. Bean poster
8.0

Mr Bean turns simple everyday tasks into chaotic situations and will leave you in stitches as he creates havoc wherever he goes.

Mr. Bean

1990

Film credits

2000s · 6 titles

Gladiator poster
8.2

After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.

Gladiator

2000

From Hell poster
6.7

Frederick Abberline is an opium-huffing inspector from Scotland Yard who falls for one of Jack the Ripper's prostitute targets in this Hughes brothers adaption of a graphic novel that posits the Ripper's true identity.

From Hell

2001

Incendiary poster
5.4

A woman's life is torn apart when her husband and infant son are killed in a suicide bombing at a soccer match.

Incendiary

2008

Mr In-Between poster
5.7

A terrifying love triangle. An original twist on a story of divided loyalties, the perils of love and ultimate death. A haunting tale set in a London at times beautiful and ugly, but always captivating. A story that plays with the shadows and light of an underworld occupied by the fascinating and terrible.

Mr In-Between

2001

Sisterhood poster
4.5

Catherine St.John-Burke is an independent, uptight, status obsessed, sophisticated, British woman, living alone in London's Chelsea, and doing herself no favors by having an affair with a married man. Her world is turned upside down when she comes home one day to discover an uneducated, Kiwi woman (with very hairy legs) drinking beer in her living room. Shirley Zachary claims to be Catherine's long lost half-sister and that their father, who Catherine thought died when she was a child, is still alive and trying to make claims on both of their properties following the death of their mothers! Furious and frustrated with Shirley's refusal to 'disappear', Shirley reluctantly agrees to undertake a DNA test.

Sisterhood

2008

The Wedding Tackle poster
10.0

The sexual rivalries between a group of friends cause comic chaos during a stag night celebration.

The Wedding Tackle

2000

1990s · 8 titles

EverAfter poster
7.5

Danielle, a vibrant young woman, was forced into servitude after the death of her father when she was a young girl. Danielle's stepmother, Rodmilla, is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off the eldest of her two daughters to the prince. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when, under the guise of a visiting royal, she meets the charming Prince Henry.

EverAfter

1998

Treasure Island poster
5.3

Young Jim Hawkins and peg-legged Long John Silver set sail for adventure in Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of dastardly pirates, swashbuckling heroes, buried treasure and a young boy's amazing courage. The narrative diverges from that of the novel in that Captain Smollett convinces Squire Trelawney and Doctor Livesey to cut Jim out of his rightful share of the treasure and so Jim then teams up with Silver.

Treasure Island

1999

Femme Fatale poster
8.0

Sicilian-born Maddalena has moved to a Devonshire village in England to escape volatile sexual tempers. She marries, but the lust she inspires in the villagers makes them drop dead. Maddalena has a devastating effect on nearly every man she meets – sometimes with unfortunate fatal results for those concerned. Everywhere she goes, Maddalena leaves a trail of bodies behind her.

Femme Fatale

1993

No artwork available
NR

An investigation into the actions of the Parachute Regiment and the protesters, Lord Widgery's subsequent inquiry.

Bloody Sunday

1991

White Goods poster
7.0

Ian Deegan and Charlie Collins are best friends who team up to appear on TV in a popular snooker based game show. But, when they hit their jackpot, their friendship comes under tremendous strain as they find that they cannot agree on how best to split their winnings.

White Goods

1994

The Bullion Boys poster
NR

Based on a true story. In 1940, Britain's gold reserves were transferred for safety to Liverpool because of the threat of a German invasion. The top-secret operation was known only to a handful of security men and senior bank officials... and a group of Liverpool dockers who handle the move. Billy Mac, the dockers' leader, hatches an ingenious plan to steal some of the gold bars from under the noses of the guards.

The Bullion Boys

1993

Alive and Kicking poster
8.0

Gritty and powerful Screen One film that takes an unflinching look at drug addiction. Lenny Henry plays a dealer convinced he is untouchable, Robbie Coltrane the ex-gangster turned drug counsellor who is determined to break him. Writer Al Hunter (The Firm) was inspired by the true story of a football team founded to help drug addicts kick their habit.

Alive and Kicking

1991

The Widowmaker poster
10.0

The Widowmaker is a 1990 made for television film starring Annabelle Apsion, Alun Armstrong, David Morrissey and Kenneth Welsh. The film deals with a woman whose husband has been arrested after going on a killing rampage and the reaction of her local community. It was produced In the United Kingdom by Central Independent Television for the ITV Network and aired on 29 December 1990. It received a nomination for Best Single Drama at the 1991 BAFTA Awards.

The Widowmaker

1990

1980s · 5 titles

Series credits

Casualty poster
6.2

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Casualty

1986

Crossroads poster
5.5

Crossroads is a British television soap opera set in a fictional motel near Birmingham, England. Created by Hazel Adair and Peter Ling, the commercial ITV network originally broadcast the series between 1964 and 1988. Produced by ATV and later by Central it became a byword for cheap production values, particularly in the 1970s and early 1980s. The series was revived in a glossier version by Carlton Television in 2001, but was again cancelled in 2003. The original theme tune was composed by Tony Hatch, and notably covered by Paul McCartney & Wings on their 1975 album Venus and Mars. A new version, which was first aired in 1987 when the series was relaunched as Crossroads, Kings Oak, was composed by Raf Ravenscroft and Max Early.

Crossroads

1964

Bergerac poster
7.0

Jim Bergerac is a detective sergeant in The Foreigners Office who likes to do things his own way. While dealing with his own personal demons Bergerac has a knack of finding trouble, and sometimes causing it.

Bergerac

1981

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Mr. Bean poster
8.0

Mr Bean turns simple everyday tasks into chaotic situations and will leave you in stitches as he creates havoc wherever he goes.

Mr. Bean

1990

Tales from the Crypt poster
8.0

Cadaverous scream legend the Crypt Keeper is your macabre host for these forays of fright and fun based on the classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day. So shamble up to the bar and pick your poison. Will it be an insane Santa on a personal slay ride? Honeymooners out to fulfill the "til death do we part" vow ASAP?

Tales from the Crypt

1989

Inspector Morse poster
7.9

Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, as well as a large cast of notable actors and actresses.

Inspector Morse

1987

Birds of a Feather poster
6.4

Birds of a Feather is a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC One from 1989 until 1998 and on ITV from 2013. Starring Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph, it was created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, who also wrote some of the episodes along with many other writers. The first episode sees sisters Tracey Stubbs and Sharon Theodopolopodos brought together when their husbands are sent to prison for armed robbery. Sharon, who lived in an Edmonton council flat, moves into Tracey's expensive house in Chigwell, Essex. Their next-door neighbour, and later friend, Dorien Green is a middle-aged married woman who is constantly having affairs with younger men. In the later series the location is changed to Hainault. The series ended on Christmas Eve 1998 after a 9-year-run.

Birds of a Feather

1989

The Chief poster
7.0

The Chief is a British crime drama transmitted on ITV from 20 April 1990 to 16 June 1995. Produced by Anglia Television, it centred on the politics at the top of a typical English police force in its continual battle to solve the problems the times, in this case the fictional Eastland of East Anglia.

The Chief

1990

Chef poster
7.6

Sharp knives and even sharper tongues! Meet Britain's finest, most short-fused chef, Gareth Balckstock.

Chef

1993

Bread poster
7.0

Bread is a British television sitcom, written by Carla Lane, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC1 from 1 May 1986 to 3 November 1991. The series focused on the devoutly-Catholic and extended Boswell family of Liverpool, in the district of Dingle, led by its matriarch Nellie through a number of ups and downs as they tried to make their way through life in Thatcher's Britain with no visible means of support. The street shown at the start of each programme is Elswick Street. A family called Boswell had also featured in Lane's earlier sitcom The Liver Birds and Lane admitted in interviews that the two families were probably related. Nellie's feckless and estranged husband, Freddie, left her for another woman known as 'Lilo Lill'. Her children Joey, Jack, Adrian, Aveline and Billy continued to live in the family home in Kelsall Street and contributed money to the central family fund, largely through benefit fraud and the sale of stolen goods.

Bread

1986

Murder in Mind poster
8.3

A series of self-contained stories, each recounting a murder scene as seen from the chilling viewpoint of the killer. Explore the inner workings of a criminal's brain, revealing humanity at its darkest.

Murder in Mind

2001

The Broker's Man poster
6.8

Drama series about an ex-policeman, who now uses his detective skills while working for insurance companies.

The Broker's Man

1997

The Brittas Empire poster
6.6

The Brittas Empire is a British sitcom created and originally written by Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen. Chris Barrie plays Gordon Brittas, the well-meaning but incompetent manager of Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre. The show ran for seven series and 53 episodes — including two Christmas specials — from 1991 to 1997 on BBC1. Norriss and Fegen wrote the first five series, after which they left the show. The Brittas Empire enjoyed a long and successful run throughout the 1990s, and gained itself large mainstream audiences. In 2004 the show came 47th on the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll, and all series have been released on DVD. The creators Andrew Norriss and Richard Fegen often combine farce with either surreal or dramatic elements in episodes. For example in the first series, the leisure centre prepares for a royal visit, only for the doors to seal, the boiler room to flood and a visitor to become electrocuted. Unlike the traditional sitcom, deaths were quite common in The Brittas Empire.

The Brittas Empire

1991

The Basil Brush Show poster
7.3

The Basil Brush Show was a British children's television sitcom series, starring the glove puppet fox, Basil Brush. It was produced for six series by The Foundation, airing on CBBC from 4 October 2002 to 21 December 2007. The show is a spin-off from the original 1960's/1970's BBC television series, but without any of the original cast.

The Basil Brush Show

2002

Watching poster
8.2

A young couple from Merseyside and their off again/on again relationship.

Watching

1987

Surgical Spirit poster
7.8

Surgical spirit is a British situation-comedy television series starring Nichola McAuliffe and Duncan Preston that was broadcast from 14 April 1989 through to 7 July 1995. It was written by Annie Bruce, Raymond Dixon, Graeme Garden, Peter Learmouth, Paul McKenzie and Annie Wood. It was made for the ITV network by Humphrey Barclay Productions for Granada Television.

Surgical Spirit

1989

Urban Gothic poster
4.8

Urban Gothic was a horror based series of short stories shown on Channel 5 running for two series between May 2000 and December 2001. Filmed on a low budget and broadcast in a later time-slot, it nonetheless acquired a following. It has also since been repeated on the Horror Channel. Set around London there is an underlying story thread that only becomes clear in the last episodes of each series. Each episode was different in style from the others, running the gamut of documentary-style independent film to spoof, to slick dramas similar in style to The Outer Limits or The Twilight Zone.

Urban Gothic

2000

Rockliffe's Babies poster
5.8

Rockliffe's Babies is a British television police procedural devised by Richard O'Keefe, and starring Ian Hogg as maverick Detective Sergeant Alan Rockliffe, who is assigned to train seven young recruits to the CID, all fresh out of uniform. Under his irascible guidance, it is hoped that they will blossom into full-blown detectives. But Rockliffe is human – so human that he makes more mistakes than the 'Babies' he's supposed to be training. A follow-up series, Rockliffe's Folly, follows Rockliffe through his relocation to Wessex, dealing with rural crimes as part of a new team of investigators. The seven episode third series proved to be the last, with many citing a change in the programme's formula for the heavy ratings decline. Many viewers stated that the success of the two Babies series came not from Rockliffe himself, but from the popular ensemble cast.

Rockliffe's Babies

1987

Backup poster
6.0

Drama about the working lives of policemen and women in an Operational Support Unit.

Backup

1995

Secret History poster
8.5

Secret History was a long-running British television documentary series. Shown on Channel 4, the Secret History brandname was used as a banner title in the UK, but many of the individual documentaries can still be found on US cable channels without the branding. It can be seen as Channel 4's answer to the BBC's Timewatch.

Secret History

1991

Devices and Desires poster
6.6

Commander Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard, ostensibly on leave to mourn the death of a close friend and settle her estate at a coastal cottage, soon finds himself entangled in a murder investigation when a serial killer dubbed the 'Norfolk Whistler' strikes near a local nuclear power station.

Devices and Desires

1991

See How They Run poster
8.0

After Don Morton testifies against some gangsters, he, his wife and two young daughters are transported to a new life in Australia as part of the Witness Protection Program.

See How They Run

1999

No artwork available
7.0

Kenny Conway is a petty criminal from a family of petty criminals, who, after a recent spell in prison, has decided to go straight.

Time After Time

1994

No artwork available
NR

A six-part comedy drama set in the world of professional wrestling, starring Ma Pecs, her foster daughter and her ex-wrestler half-brother set up a wrestling organization to rival one run by the evil Alan Enstone.

Rumble

1995

Behind the camera

The Firm poster
5.7

Set in the 1980s, Dom is a teenager who finds himself drawn into the charismatic world of football 'casuals,influenced by the firm's top boy, Bex. Accepted by the gang for his fast mouth and sense of humor, Dom soon becomes one the boys. But as Bex and his gang clash with rival firms across the country and the violence spirals out of control, Dom realizes he wants out - until he learns it's not that easy to simply walk away.

The Firm

2009

The Firm poster
6.6

A seemingly respectable estate agent leads a double life as the head of a vicious, well-organised gang of football hooligans. When 'The Firm' decide to confront a rival gang, it ends in tragedy.

The Firm

1989

Safe poster
5.3

Antonia Bird's first feature length film; "Safe" from 1993, focused on the plight of the homeless in London.

Safe

1993

White Goods poster
7.0

Ian Deegan and Charlie Collins are best friends who team up to appear on TV in a popular snooker based game show. But, when they hit their jackpot, their friendship comes under tremendous strain as they find that they cannot agree on how best to split their winnings.

White Goods

1994

White Goods poster
7.0

Ian Deegan and Charlie Collins are best friends who team up to appear on TV in a popular snooker based game show. But, when they hit their jackpot, their friendship comes under tremendous strain as they find that they cannot agree on how best to split their winnings.

White Goods

1994

Alive and Kicking poster
8.0

Gritty and powerful Screen One film that takes an unflinching look at drug addiction. Lenny Henry plays a dealer convinced he is untouchable, Robbie Coltrane the ex-gangster turned drug counsellor who is determined to break him. Writer Al Hunter (The Firm) was inspired by the true story of a football team founded to help drug addicts kick their habit.

Alive and Kicking

1991