Lenny Rush

Rush has a medical condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita which affects his growth, resulting in dwarfism.^[1][2]

Rush first appeared on camera on the CBeebies documentary Our Family. He began acting locally at the Pauline Quirke Academy in Essex. He played roles on CBeebies series Apple Tree House and CBBC's The Dumping Ground and had played Tiny Tim in versions of A Christmas Carol both on stage at The Old Vic in London in 2017 and 2018, and on-screen in a Steven Knight televised retelling of the Charles Dickens classic in 2019.^[3][4]

Rush was given a series regular role in the comedy drama Dodger alongside Christopher Eccleston. Initially a small role called The Sweeper, the part was expanded for Rush and given the character name Morgan.^[5] Rush also had the role of Ollie in Daisy May Cooper’s BBC One comedy Am I Being Unreasonable?, in which he improvised lines as well as performing from a script.^[6] He received praise for his performance in the show, with Lucy Mangan writing in The Guardian, “What a gift they have in Rush, who has the comic chops and emotional range of an actor twice his age, and the kind of chemistry with Cooper that is an absolute joy to watch."^[7]

Rush appeared in the BBC's Children In Need in 2022^[8] and has been a co-host since 2023.^[9] He won the Breakthrough Award, and was nominated for the Comedy Performance (Male) Award, for Am I Being Unreasonable? at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2023.^[10]

In June 2023, it was announced that Rush would portray Morris Gibbons, UNIT's scientific advisor, in the fourteenth series of Doctor Who.^[11] He was initially cast as the voice of Eric in "Space Babies" before being offered the larger role.^[12][13]

In November 2023, Rush was the winner of Taskmaster New Year’s Treat 2024.^[14][15]

In April 2025, he was reported to be joining Brenda Blethyn and Emmett J. Scanlan in a Channel 4 reboot of the Barbara Taylor Bradford bestselling novel, A Woman of Substance.^[16] In December 2025, Rush had the lead role of Chris in Channel 4 seasonal television film Finding Father Christmas alongside James Buckley and including cameo appearances by Stephen Fry and Hannah Fry.^[17][18] That month, he filmed the Eric Morecambe adaptation The Reluctant Vampire written by Neil and Rob Gibbons.^[19]

Rush was voted Best Breakthrough at the I Talk Telly Awards in December 2022.^[20] It was announced in January 2023 that he would receive a breakthrough award at the National Comedy Awards.^[21] On 29 March 2023, he won two awards at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards: the Breakthrough Award, and Best Comedy Performance (Male).^[22][23] In May 2023, he won the BAFTA for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for his work in Am I Being Unreasonable?^[24] He was nominated for the same award again in 2026 for the same role.^[25] In March 2026, he was nominated for best actor in a comedy at the British Academy Television Awards.^[26]