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Dean Andrews

Dean Andrews

Known for: Acting

Born 06/08/1963
Place of birth Rotherham, Yorkshire, UK

Dean Andrews is an English actor. He is known for his role as DS Ray Carling in the BBC drama series Life on Mars. He continued the role in the sequel series, Ashes to Ashes, until 2010. As of April 2019, he appeared as Will Taylor on ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Andrews left the show on 26 December 2024 when his character Will died of a heart attack. Born in 1963 in Rotherham, Andrews went to Sitwell Junior School on Grange Road and Oakwood Comprehensive School on Moorgate Road. He went to school with Top Gear presenter James May. Dean Andrews started off as a mainstay of cruise ships as a talented entertainer and singer. He was discovered by film director Ken Loach, who was looking for people from Yorkshire to appear in the 2001 film, The Navigators. He then went on to play Barry Shiel in the Channel 4 drama Buried, which won the BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series in 2004. That year, he also had a small role, as Neil, in the Channel 4 series No Angels. In 2005, Andrews appeared in one episode of the ITV drama Wire in the Blood. The following year, he appeared in another BBC drama, Life On Mars, as DS Ray Carling. He then had roles in two BBC dramas, True Dare Kiss and The Street, in 2007. Andrews again played DC Carling in Ashes to Ashes, a 2008 spin-off series of Life on Mars. During the same year, he recorded voiceovers for Currys television advertisements. He had a guest role in 2010 on the BBC One series Waterloo Road. In 2011, Andrews appeared in: the BBC drama The Body Farm as Peter Collins; the BBC Two television film United, about the Manchester United "Busby Babes" team and the 1958 Munich air disaster; ITV's supernatural drama series Marchlands, playing one of the lead roles; and the five-part BBC One series The Case, in which he played the lead role as a man accused of murdering his terminally ill girlfriend. In November 2012, Andrews appeared in all four series of the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax as Robert "Robbie" Greenwood. The following year, he portrayed Pete Lewis in the BBC show Being Eileen. Andrews played local hotel and barman Tom Asher in a 2015 episode of the popular series Midsomer Murders on ITV. In 2019, the actor joined the cast of ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He left the soap on 26 December 2024 when his character Will died of a heart attack. He has stated that he was not told about the character's demise. He narrated the Channel 5 documentary series, Our Great Yorkshire Life, in 2022. He also narrates the UK TV show Casualty 24/7 which centres on Barnsley Hospital.

Filmography

Midsomer Murders Series ★ 7,5

Midsomer Murders

Tom Asher

1997

Vera Series ★ 7,4

Vera

Jonah Regan

2011

Casualty Series ★ 6,2

Casualty

Reg Summerston

1986

Silent Witness Series ★ 7,5

Silent Witness

1996

Father Brown Series ★ 7,6

Father Brown

Michael Negal

2013

Heartbeat Series ★ 7,2

Heartbeat

1992

Waterloo Road Series ★ 7,1

Waterloo Road

Gary Vale

2006

Emmerdale Series ★ 4,3

Emmerdale

Will Taylor

1972

Shameless Series ★ 7,6

Shameless

Geoff Mulligan

2004

GMTV Series ★ 5,8

GMTV

Self

1993

Soccer AM Series ★ 6,3

Soccer AM

Self

1995

Ashes to Ashes Series ★ 7,7

Ashes to Ashes

Ray Carling

2008

Life on Mars Series ★ 7,7

Life on Mars

Ray Carling

2006

Blue Murder Series ★ 6,7

Blue Murder

Will Harmon

2003

Wire in the Blood Series ★ 7,9

Wire in the Blood

2002

Chris Moyles' Quiz Night Series ★ 5,3

Chris Moyles' Quiz Night

Self

2009

Delicious Series ★ 6,0

Delicious

Steven Green

2016

Last Tango in Halifax Series ★ 7,0

Last Tango in Halifax

Robbie

2012

Banana Series ★ 6,9

Banana

Alan

2015

This Morning Series ★ 5,2

This Morning

Self

1988

New Street Law Series ★ 6,6

New Street Law

2006

Jericho Series ★ 6,3

Jericho

2016

Agatha and the Truth of Murder Film ★ 6,4

Agatha and the Truth of Murder

Wade

2018

United Film ★ 6,9

United

Bert Whalley

2011

The Body Farm Series ★ 5,6

The Body Farm

Peter Collins

2011

Marchlands Series ★ 6,9

Marchlands

Eddie Maynard

2011

Between The Sheets Series ★ 5,2

Between The Sheets

Steve Ashby

2003

True Dare Kiss Series ★ 7,0

True Dare Kiss

Vinny

2007

My Summer of Love Film ★ 6,1

My Summer of Love

Ricky

2005

Number One Fan Series ★ 1,0

Number One Fan

Stewart Jones

2026

Buried Series ★ 8,0

Buried

Barry Shiel

2003

The Moorside Series ★ 6,7

The Moorside

PC Steve 'Kinchie' Kinchin

2017

Missing: All Secrets Have a Price Series

Missing: All Secrets Have a Price

2006

Series

Original Drama Shorts

Nick

2014

Missing Film ★ 6,0

Missing

Mark Lanser

2006

Being Eileen Series

Being Eileen

Pete Lewis

2013

Frankie Series ★ 7,3

Frankie

2013

Dark River Film ★ 5,6

Dark River

Matty

2017

Weekender Film ★ 5,4

Weekender

Sergeant Thompson

2011

The Navigators Film ★ 6,9

The Navigators

John

2001

Faith Film ★ 9,0

Faith

Davey

2005

Wish 143 Film ★ 6,4

Wish 143

Bus Driver

2009

Salvage Film ★ 4,9

Salvage

Clive

2009

Just Henry Film ★ 6,6

Just Henry

Bill

2011

Film

Girl Shaped Love Drug

Her Father

2012

Torvill & Dean Film ★ 6,7

Torvill & Dean

Colin Dean

2018

Elfie Hopkins: Cannibal Hunter Film ★ 4,9

Elfie Hopkins: Cannibal Hunter

Villager

2012

Love + Hate Film ★ 6,0

Love + Hate

Derek

2005

The Making of... Ashes to Ashes Film

The Making of... Ashes to Ashes

Himself

2009

Kandahar Break Film ★ 6,4

Kandahar Break

Steve Delamore

2009

Film ★ 7,0

The End of 'Life on Mars'

Self

2007

The Security Men Film

The Security Men

Ray

2013