Ben Keaton
BEN KEATON
Actor.Writer.Humorist
About
Olivier Award-winning actor, writer, and director, I began my career on the comedy circuit in the 1980s before moving into leading roles in theatre. That journey took me from national and international touring to the West End stage.
My screen work spans a wide range of TV credits—from a regular on Casualty to Father Austin Purcell on Father Ted. I’ve written five TV series for the BBC and another for Channel 4. Film includes East is East.
I created Brainiac Live, the arena-staged adaptation of SKY’s hit science show, which won the Olivier Award for Best Family Show. Played Groucho Marx in Animal Crackers to pick up an Olivier Nomination and a Perrier Award for the solo show Intimate Memoirs of a Taxidermist. Along the way, I’ve worked with theatre companies, dance companies, puppet companies, clowns, comedians and circus.
These days, I focus primarily on writing, directing, and education—but I’m driven by adventure and thrive on variety. That’s where the joy is.
So, ask me.
I'm worried that the lack of funding for the arts in schools means that the next generation of talent will remain undiscovered. So I set up a charity to find them. It started in one school in 2021. We have since run our three year program in 7 schools.
You can find out more at ....
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It was a huge surprise to find that the show I had written and directed in 2008 was nominated for an Olivier Award all these years later. I guess good lasts. Hats off to a great team.
★★★★★
“Brainiac Live! is a giddy exploration of the world of science with no shortage of hi-jinks. There are exploding dustbins, Airzooka, superpowered spinning chairs and a dash of Beyoncé to top it all off. Don't do this at home.
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★★★★
“Brainiac Live was a show that was a big hit (or should I say big bang!) from start to finish and was perfect fun for the summer holidays for both kids big and small. It was everything that you would want in a science show. The perfect hour to excite with eclectic experiments!
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WINNER
A fantastic year with Blind Summit Theatre co directing and writing The Sex Lives of Puppets with Mark Down. The result is rude, funny and touching - in every sense. I started out a puppet novice, it's been a steep learning curve but the result is delightful.
★★★★★
“ Is it too early to start talking about the best shows of the year?”
Broadway World
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★★★★
“A refreshingly positive message about sharing intimacy, shedding inhibitions and finding your own joy”.
The Stage
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I was involved in a production of Waiting for Godot but the pandemic halted rehearsal before we got on stage. By the time we emerged from isolation I'd lost confidence in my ability to do the performance I wanted. This recording is the only remnant of that time.
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I wasn't long out of depression. I think it haunts this. Artists use everything - nothing is left to waste.
NEW by LUNA PATHS (ft Ben Keaton)
This track features the voice and words of legendary Irish actor and writer Ben Keaton, who Diane worked with back in the days before Lunar Paths came to be. Among his many talents, Ben is a poet, and his YouTube channel features a lot of his beautiful spoken word pieces.
A fan of Lunar Paths, Ben suggested the idea of a collaboration, and so Diane asked him to send her something that he had created. He obliged, and sent her a recording of his poem, New, with the generous instruction that she could do with it as she pleased.
I started working at Morden Wolf Virtual Production Studios in 2021. Together with Blue Canary Films we're developing vertical format promo videos for TikTok and Instagram. I write,direct, perform and coach depending on the project. It's about as much fun as a person can have.
The folk artist Reg Meuross came to me with 14 songs and an outline of Woody Guthries life. That resulted in a commission to write and direct a 12 part podcast series produced by Pete Townshend. The untold story of an American icon. The album is out. The podcast series is yet to emerge. I'm immensely proud of the work we did on the series. It forever changed my writing. If anything it defined my voice. I can't wait to see it released.
