Bashy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bashy
Bashy at the MOBO Awards in 2025
Born	Ashley Thomas (1985-02-04) 4 February 1985 (age 40) Hammersmith, London, England
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Education	BRIT School
Occupation	Actor rapper
Years active	2002–present
Musical career
Also known as	Bashy
Genres	Hip hop British Hip Hop Alternative Rap Grime
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2002–present

Ashley Thomas, known by his stage name Bashy, is a talented British actor and rapper. He was born on February 4, 1985.

Early life and education

Ashley Thomas was born in Hammersmith, West London. His mother's family is from Jamaica, and his father's family is from Dominica. When he was 8 years old, his family moved to Kensal Rise in London.

Ashley went to Cardinal Hinsley High School, where he was very good at drama. After that, he studied theatre at the famous BRIT School for Performing Arts. Before becoming famous, he worked as a postman and later as a London bus driver.

Career highlights

Music journey

When he was a teenager, Bashy became part of the growing grime music scene in the UK. He would rap on pirate radio stations.

In 2007, Bashy released a song called "Black Boys." He wanted to show young people that there were many positive role models they could look up to.

In 2008, Bashy worked on the movie Adulthood. The director, Noel Clarke, heard Bashy's music and was very impressed. Bashy then created the main song for the film, "Kidulthood to Adulthood."

His first album, Catch Me If You Can, came out in 2009. It was nominated for a MOBO Award for Album of the Year. In 2010, he was featured on the song "White Flag" by the band Gorillaz.

Bashy took a break from music in 2013 to focus on acting. However, he released his new album, Being Poor is Expensive, on July 12, 2024. This album was very popular and won the MOBO Award for Album of the Year in 2025. Bashy also won the MOBO Award for Best Hip Hop Act that same year. His song "How Black Men Lose Their Smile" was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award.

Acting roles

Bashy started his acting career in 2010. His first role was Rager in the British action film Shank. That same year, he appeared in the movie 4.3.2.1.. He also played Shylock in a BBC Learning project about Shakespeare.

In 2011, Bashy played Mental Mickey in Cockneys vs Zombies and Tyrone Jones in The Veteran. His first TV role was in the Emmy-winning series Black Mirror in the episode "Fifteen Million Merits".

In 2012, he had a main role in The Man Inside. He also appeared in My Brother the Devil, which won awards at film festivals.

From 2013 to 2019, Bashy played Jermaine Newton in the popular series Top Boy. He also appeared in BBC's The Interceptor in 2015 and ITV's Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands in 2016.

In 2016, Bashy was in the HBO series The Night Of. He also had a lead role as Isaac Carter in the TV show 24. In 2018, he played Luca Quinn's brother in the legal drama The Good Fight. He also starred in the short film Skin, which won an Academy Award.

In 2019, Bashy was cast in the Amazon Prime horror series Them, for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. In 2021, he starred in The Ipcress File on ITV.

In 2022, Bashy played Mr. Jaggers in the BBC's adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. He was the first Black actor to play this role and was nominated for a Royal Television Society Programme Award. Later that year, he was cast as the main male lead in the Hulu series Black Cake. In 2023, he joined the cast of The Serpent Queen.

In March 2024, Bashy was cast in the Netflix political series Hostage. In November 2024, it was announced he would be in the Channel 4 crime thriller In Flight.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes and EPs

• Ur Mum Vol One (2005)
• The Chupa Chups Mixtape (2007)
• Bashy.com (2008)
• The Fantasy Mixtape (2010)
• The Crunchie Mixtape (2011)
• The Great Escape EP (2012)
• Mixtape Legend Compilation (2013)

Singles

Guest appearances

• "Clones" – 2006 (by Akira the Don)
• "Time Is Right Remix" – 2009 (by Frisco, also featuring Jme and Black the Ripper)
• "She Likes To" (England Top 10) – 2009 (by Wiley)
• "White Flag" from Plastic Beach – 2010 (by Gorillaz, also featuring Kano)
• "Dead Butterflies" – Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez (by Gorillaz, also featuring Kano and Roxani Arias)
• "4,3,2,1" – 4.3.2.1 OST (Bashy featuring Paloma Faith and Adam Deacon)
• "It's All Love" (Remix) – 2012 (by Scorcher, also featuring Talay Riley, Kano and Wretch 32)
• "Bad Boys Don't Cry" – 2013 (by Loick Essien)

Filmography

Film roles

Television roles

Awards and nominations