Ben Rose is one to watch. Stepping into the vintage Levi's and army boots of angst-ridden teen, Bardon Quinn, the Ripley-born star joins the cast of Steven Knight's new drama, This Town.
Set in 1981 amid social tensions and unrest in the Midlands, cousins Dante (Levi Brown) and Bardon (Ben Rose) form a band with pals Jeannie (Eve Austin), Fiona (Freya Parks) and Matty (Shyvonne Ahmmad), using music to figuratively and literally escape their lives.
© BBCAfter signing on to the series, Ben – a seasoned musician and backing guitarist for Miles Kane – bonded with his cast mates behind the scenes, helping the likes of Levi Brown and Eve Austin get to grips with their instruments.
"We had to do a lot of work together to get us sounding and feeling like a band because they'd never done it before," reflected Ben. "Obviously, they're learning everything from scratch and they had a lot of work to do which they did brilliantly, but it was intense."
"From when I met Levi, and he knew he had to play guitar, he came around to mine, and I started showing him stuff on guitar and because he'd never sung in front of anyone we went to an open mic night together," explained Ben.
© BBC"It was just us two so we could sing in front of people, and break that ice for him. So when we're on set and when we were in the studio it's not as new a thing. Dante finds his voice through the show and Levi found his voice as well."
Boasting an incredible ensemble cast, This Town had Ben working closely with Peter MacDonald and Michelle Dockery, who portray his on-screen, and extremely dysfunctional parents, Eamonn and Estella Quinn.
© Banijay Rights/Kudos/Robert ViglaskyAsked about collaborating with the Downton Abbey alum, Ben had nothing but praise for his co-star. "Michelle's so personable," said Ben. "She's the sort of person that I've learned a lot from, just being around her and seeing how she works and carries herself and how she operates when filming a scene.
"As she's got more status, if people had a problem with something then she was really good at looking after people and making sure – because her voice is heard – that she can help everyone, and not just the actors but different departments," he continued. "She's just always looking out for everyone.
© BBC"Her acting chops are just outrageous as well – she's brilliant. It's one of those things where you sort of stop because you're in awe of someone. And then also you're like '[expletive] I need to learn from this as well.'"
This Town premieres on BBC One on Sunday 31 March, with all six episodes available to stream on BBC iPlayer. After tuning in, there's no doubt about it, fans will be begging for a second season, but is it on the horizon?
© Banijay Rights/Kudos/Robert Viglasky"Well, Steven Knight, the writer, keeps mentioning a potential season two. So I'm just gonna nod along with him in regards to that," Ben tells HELLO! "If there is one, obviously I want to be in it. I love the show. It's really special to me."
