Lenny Rush on his Eric Morecambe vampire comedy and Harry Potter — SkimNews
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- Lenny Rush stars as Val in "The Reluctant Vampire," a BBC One adaptation of Eric Morecambe's 1980s children's book scripted by Neil and Rob Gibbons, with the title role written specifically for him by executive producer Shane Allen.
- Rush, who has spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, won a Bafta at 14 for best male comedy performance for "Am I Being Unreasonable?" and was nominated again this year for the same award.
- The Reluctant Vampire premieres on BBC One on Sunday 4 October at 6.40pm, with a cast including Tom Davis as his father, Sian Clifford as his mother, Asim Chaudhry, and newcomer Gabriel Nagy as his brother.
- Rush has drawn on influences ranging from Mr Bean and Monty Python to David Brent, whose character arc in The Office he describes as "actually a tragedy," and likens the show's tone to The Naked Gun and Airplane!.
- Rush's next role is Dobby the house elf in the new Harry Potter series, which he calls "insane" and "pretty incredible," having also appeared in the latest season of Slow Horses and in two episodes of Doctor Who.
- Rush said he never set out to be an inspiration for disabled young people but receives messages from parents saying his visibility has given their children confidence at school.
Why it matters: At 17, Rush already has a Bafta, a major BBC One vehicle written to his strengths, and a role in the high-profile Harry Potter reboot — a rare trajectory for any actor, let alone one with a visible disability, and one reshaping how British broadcasters cast comic leads.
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