Ashley Way

Director

Agent Biography Credits Download CV

Biography

Ashley most recently directed, the 4-part series, THE GUEST, for BBC/Quay Street which won Best Drama at the RTS Wales awards. Previously, he directed the multi award-winning single drama, MEN UP, executive-produced by Russell T Davies, also for BBC/ Quay Street Productions. Prior to this he was lead director on WHO IS ERIN CARTER? for Netflix/Left Bank, which reached No.1 in the Netflix charts in 55 countries in its first week of release in August 2023.  

Other credits include the last two episodes of RIPPER STREET for Tiger Aspect/Amazon, the finale of Ron Howard’s MARS for Nat Geo and several episodes on the first two series of Antoine Fuqua’s crime drama, ICE, for Audience Network, starring Donald Sutherland and Ray Winstone. He returned to South Africa, directing on Left Bank’s sci-fi show ORIGIN, for YouTube Red/Sony, followed by the Ibizan drama WHITE LINES for Netflix, before directing all five episodes of the Manchester-set thriller VIEWPOINT for ITV/ Tiger Aspect.

Early credits include prime-time British television shows DOCTOR WHO, TORCHWOOD and MERLIN. Ashley was BAFTA-nominated for his work on THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES and won Best Director (Fiction) for the Welsh miner’s strike drama Y STREIC A FI (The Strike and Me) at the BAFTA Cymru Awards, which also won Best Television Drama.

MEN UP Reviews 

Lucy Mangan – The Guardian – 5* “Tonally, it’s a masterpiece by writer Matthew Barry and director Ashley Way that never undercuts or overeggs a moment.”

Rachael Sigee – iNews – 5* – “As a film with the right balance of laughs, tears and sentimentality and as a sensitive study of masculinity, Men Up was a triumph. The little blue pill might not have been magic, but the drama certainly was.”

Benji Wilson – The Telegraph – 4* “More a love letter to male friendship than to the little blue pills, this touching true-life drama is filled with humour and humanity.”

VIEWPOINT Reviews

Lucy Mangan – The Guardian – 4* “… an intense, stylish, emotionally intelligent and psychologically plausible thriller that controls itself beautifully while still delivering the goods.”

Sean O’Grady – The Independent – 4* “I loved the dark, claustrophobic feel of the piece”

Credits

Television

Production Company Notes
THE GUEST
2025 		BBC/Quay Street Productions

Director and Exec Producer.
4 part series.
Writer: Matthew Barry.
Producer: Karen Lewis.
Exec Producers: Davina Earl, Nicola Shindler, Rebecca Ferguson.
Starring: Eve Myles, Gabrielle Creevy and Sion Young.

* Winner of Best Drama at the RTS Wales Awards
MEN UP
2023 		BBC / Quay Street Productions

Director and Executive Producer.
Writer: Matthew Barry.
Producer: Karen Lewis.
Executive Producers: Nicola Shindler, Davina Earl, Rachel Evans, Russell T Davies and Rebecca Ferguson.
Starring: Iwan Rheon, Aneurin Barnard, and Alexandra Roach.
*Winner for Best Drama, RTS Cymru Awards 2024
*Winner of Best TV Film at the C21 Awards, 2024
*Winner for Best Feature Length Film, Rockie Awards 2024
Nominated for Best Single Drama, RTS Awards 2024
Nominated for Best Feature/TV Film at the BAFTA Cymru Awards 2024
Nominated for Best Director at the BAFTA Cymru Awards 2024
Nominated for Best Writer at the BAFTA Cymru Awards 2024 – Matthew Barry
Nominated for Best Actress at the BAFTA Cymru Awards 2024 – Alexandra Roach
Nominated for Best Sound Team at the BAFTA Cymru Awards 2024
Nominated for Best Single Drama at Broadcast Awards 2025
WHO IS ERIN CARTER?
2022 		Left Bank Pictures/Netflix

Lead Director.
4 Episodes.
Writer: Jack Lothian.
Producer: Nuala O’Leary
Executive Producer: Rob Bullock
VIEWPOINT
2020 – 2021 		Tiger Aspect / ITV

Director (all five episodes) and Executive Producer.
Writer: Ed Whitmore
Producer: Juliet Charlesworth
Executive Producer: Lucy Bedford
WHITE LINES
2019 		Left Bank/ Netflix

Director, 3 episodes.
Showrunner: Álex Pina
Exec Producers: Andy Harries, Sharon Hughff, Álex Pina, Cristina Lopez Ferraz.
When the body of a legendary Manchester DJ is discovered twenty years after his mysterious disappearance in Ibiza, his sister returns to the island to investigate the dark, thrilling world of dance music, super yachts, and lies.
*Nominated for Best Director at BAFTA Cymru Awards, 2021.
ORIGIN
2018 		Left Bank/YouTube Red

Director, 2 episodes.
Writer: Mika Watkins.
Executive Producers: Mika Watkins, Rob Bullock, Andy Harries, Suzanne Mackie.
A chilling scifi drama, in which a group of strangers struggle for survival aboard a spaceship heading to a distant planet.
*Nominated for Best Digital Short Series, C21 Awards
ICE II
2018 		Audience Network/Entertainment One

Director. 1 x 60′. Starring Ray Winstone, Jeremy Sisto, Cam Gigandet, Donald Sutherland.
Showrunner: Robert Munic.
Exec Producer: Antoine Fuqua.
MARS
2017 		Imagine/Nat Geo

Writers: Ben Young Mason, Justin Wilkes.
Executive Producers: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer.
ICE
2017 		Audience Network/ Entertainment One

Director. 2 x 60′. Crime drama exploring the legal and illegal sides of diamond sales and international smuggling.
Starring Ray Winstone, Jeremy Sisto, Cam Gigandet, Donald Sutherland.
Showrunner: Robert Munic.
Exec Producer: Antoine Fuqua.
RIPPER STREET 5
2016 		Tiger Aspect/ Amazon

2 x 60′, including the last two ever episodes.
Writer: Richard Warlow.
Producer: John Rushton.
Exec Producer: Will Gould.
HOMELAND 5
2015 		Fox 21 Television Studios/ Showtime

2nd Unit Director, episodes 10-12.
Starring Claire Danes.
Producer: Michael Klick.
Exec Producers: Alex Gansa, Lesli Linka Glatter.
THE BASTARD EXECUTIONER
2015 		FX/ Fox 21 (US)

2 x 60′, including series finale. New series.
Starring Stephen Moyer, Katey Sagal, Lee Jones, Matthew Rhys.
Showrunner: Kurt Sutter.
Producer: Jon Pare.
Exec Producers: Paris Barclay, Brian Grazer, Kurt Sutter, Francie Calfo.
STELLA 5
2015 		Tidy/ Sky One

2 x 60′.
Producer: Spencer Campbell.
PARCH
2015 		Boom Productions / S4C

4 x 60′.
Producer: Paul Jones.
Y STREIC A FI (THE STRIKE AND ME)
2015 		Alfresco / Boom Pictures Cymru / S4C

Director, 90′ film. Drama centred on events of the Welsh miner’s strike of the 1980’s.
Writer: Gywneth Lewis.
Producers: Lowri Glain, Ronw Protheroe.
*Winner, Best Director: Fiction, and Best Television Drama, BAFTA Wales Awards, 2015.
*Nominated for Best Writer at BAFTA Wales Awards, 2015.
STELLA 4
2014 		Tidy Productions

4 x 60′, including opening episode.
Producer: Spencer Campbell.
Exec Producers: Ruth Jones, David Peet.
CASUALTY
2014 		BBC

Director.
STELLA 3
2013 		Tidy Productions

2 x 60′.
Producer: David Peet.
Exec Producers: Ruth Jones, David Peet.
FRANKIE
2012 		BBC 1

2 x 60′.
Producer: Erika Hossington .
Exec Producer: Hilary Salmon.
MERLIN 5
2012 		Shine/ BBC 1

3 x 45′.
Producer: Julian Murphy.
*Nominated Best Drama Series at National Film and Television Awards, 2013.
MERLIN 3
2010 		Shine/ BBC 1

2 x 45′. ‘The Sorcerer’s Shadow’ and ‘Queen of Hearts’.
Producer: Julian Murphy.
*Nominated for Best International Programme Sales, Broadcast Awards, 2011.
THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES
2010 		BBC Wales for BBC 1

8 x 30′.
Writers: Russell T Davies (2 x eps), Gareth Roberts (2 x eps).
Producer: Brian Minchin.
Exec Producers: Russell T Davies, Nikki Wilson.
*Winner of Best Children’s Drama, RTS Awards, 2011.
*Nominated for Best Drama Series, Children’s BAFTA Awards, 2011.
*Nominated for Best Children’s Programme, Broadcast Awards, 2011.
DOCTOR WHO 5
2009 		BBC 1

Director. 2 x 60′. ‘The Hungry Earth’ and ‘Cold Blood’.
Writer: Chris Chibnall.
Series Producer: Beth Willis.
CRASH
2009 		Red Planet for BBC Wales

Lead Director. 2 x 60′. New series.
Exec Producer: Tony Jordan.
TORCHWOOD 2
2008 		BBC 2

Director, 4 x 50′, series 2.
Exec Producer: Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner.
BELONGING 8
2007 		BBC Wales

6 x 30′. Gritty contemporary drama series, with Eve Myles.
TORCHWOOD
2006 		BBC3

Director, series 1 finale. 2 x 50′ episodes.
*BAFTA Wales winner – Best Drama Series.
SMALL COUNTRY
2006 		Green Bay / S4C

4 x 60′ (dual-language). Period drama with Tom Ellis, Mark Lewis-Jones.
*BAFTA Wales winner – Best Drama Serial.
CASUALTY
2005 		BBC1

2 x 50′ episodes.
BELONGING 7
2005 		BBC Wales

5 x 30′ episodes. Contemporary drama with Charles Dale, Eve Myles.
BELONGING 6
2004 		BBC Wales

5 x 30′ episodes.

Online

Production Company Notes
DOCTOR WHO
2005 		BBC1

1×20′. Interactive episode with David Tennant.
Producer: Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner.
*BAFTA craft nomination.
DOCTOR WHO
2005 		BBC1

13×1′ “Tardisodes”. Mini-episodes for internet transmission.

Film

Production Company Notes
HOODLUM & SON
2003 		Sky

Writer and Director. 35mm feature film.
Starring Robert Vaughn, Ron Perlman, Mia Sara.
ASKARI
2001 		Sky

Writer. 35mm feature film (South Africa).
Starring Marlee Matlin, C.Thomas Howell.

Short Films

Production Company Notes
DAD
2015 		European Broadcast Union

Director.
Producer: Sophie Fante.
*Winner, Best Short Film, Camarthen Bay Film Festival, 2015.
Ashley Way
Ashley Way
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