In the late 1970s Ashcroft was the frontman of The Push, a
Sheffield band. He started acting in
repertory theatre before working in television and film productions. He played
Ringo Starr in the
biopic TV film Birth of the Beatles (1979), and he has also appeared in various television productions including
Coronation Street. before portraying Ronnie Madsen in
Emmerdale (2003). In 2018, he portrayed Tom Jackson, a Yorkshire miner, in the play
On Behalf of The People. In 2021, he played the lead role of Horace in the short film ''Mr Wong's Lullaby''. == Filmography ==