Ben Norris is a writer, actor, theatre-maker and film-maker. His new play, ‘The Distance’, premiered at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to critical acclaim, winning a Fringe First and hailed as a highlight of the festival by The Times, The Telegraph and the New York Times.

His debut solo show, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Family', won the 2015 IdeasTap Underbelly Award at the Fringe before touring the UK and Australia, and his first short film, commissioned by Channel 4, was nominated for a Royal Television Society Award. Ben’s second short, commissioned by the BBC and BFI, is now on Short of the Week, and his third (and first as writer-director) premiered at LFF and is currently completing its festival run. Other commissions include work for BBC Radio 4 and the Southbank Centre.

Ben is an associate artist at Lincoln Arts Centre and is a former writer-in-residence at Theatr Clwyd and Nottinghamshire Libraries, and creative associate at Nottingham Playhouse. His second pamphlet of poems, Some Ending, was published by Verve Poetry Press in May 2019 and he is a two-time UK national poetry slam champion, performing everywhere from Glastonbury Festival to the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

Ben’s debut play, ‘Autopilot’, premiered at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it was named by The Stage as one of the Best Shows of the Year and nominated for the Popcorn Prize for New Writing.

Ben wrote the monologues for the hit jukebox musical ‘The Choir of Man’, and originated the part of The Poet when the show debuted in 2017. He reprised his role for the show’s inaugural run in the West End at the Arts Theatre in 2021-22, where it was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play and continued to play until 2025. It’s currently on its first UK & Ireland Tour and will return to the West End for a ten-week season for Christmas 2026.

Ben is the voice of Ben Archer in ‘The Archers’ on BBC Radio 4, Rogier in the video game ‘Elden Ring’ and Ludvig in ‘Crimson Desert’.

He trained as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, after studying English with Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham.