NOEL CLARKE

Born in London, Clarke was brought up in Ladbroke Grove by his mother, a native of Trinidad and the person with whom he credits his success, and his avoidance of the many temptations open to young people growing up.The area Clarke grew up in and the diverse atmosphere and heritage provides the vista for the drama in 2006’s gritty urban drama Kidulthood, which Clarke wrote and also starred inClarke’s first exposure to a widespread audience came with the revival of two classic shows of the past in the early 2000’s. In 2002 he landed the role of Wyman Norris, the son of one of the original characters in the third series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. His best-known role to date, in television at least, is that of Mickey, the long-suffering boyfriend of Billie Piper’s assistant in the BBC’s hugely successful Doctor Who.More recently, Clarke has made the  move from in front of the camera to behind it, becoming one of Britain’s fastest rising mainstream writer-directors – and one of its most successful. The producers ofAdulthood, the sequel to Kidulthood, took the brave step of giving Clarke the director’s chair, despite him having no previous experience directing a feature film.Adulthood was a massive success, making over £3m in the UKThe success of that film led to Clarke’s latest project, 4.3.2.1., which again sees Clarke as the director and star. The film is a crime thriller featuring a touch of Hollywood glamour in co-star Emma Roberts, niece of Oscar-winner Julia, plus British stars such as Bionic Woman’s Michelle Ryan and Tamsin Egerton of St Trinian’s fameThe success Clarke has achieved is phenomenal for an actor who’s experienced relatively little time in the spotlight. In 2009, he won the BAFTA Rising Star award, voted for by the public – a moment that still stands as one of the highlights of Clarke’s career.