British actor and comedian Ben Crompton can stake a claim in one of the biggest television phenomena of all-time. For seven years, he played Eddison Tollett in Game of Thrones, HBO’s groundbreaking fantasy drama series, appearing in over 30 episodes. One of these, ‘The House of Black & White’ is officially the largest TV drama telecast ever, being simultaneously broadcast in 173 countries.

But Crompton’s career is filled with many other diverse and successful roles. Over the last 25 years, he has appeared in all kinds of shows, from family favourites to cult smashes. A native of Stockport, he made his first television appearance in a 1996 episode of Rowan Atkinson sitcom The Thin Blue Line. There followed years of similar small parts in comedy and drama before he won his first major role, Barney Watson in Clocking Off, a BBC drama set in a Manchester textile factory that brought together some of Britain’s finest acting talent. This was soon followed by co-starring roles in BBC Three sitcoms Man Stroke Woman and Ideal¬, the latter alongside legendary comedian Johnny Vegas.

Despite this success, it was 2012 that really proved to be Crompton’s breakthrough. This was the year he first played Eddison Tollett and also the year he began appearing as Keith Prince in BBC comedy-drama, Pramface, which was also picked up for broadcast America and Australia. Crompton has also appeared in numerous films, the most recent including the Manchester-based historical drama Peterloo and a major new version of the classic Daphne Du Maurier novel, Rebecca.