Nicholas Shaw

Nicholas Shaw (born 1982) is an English actor known for his work in television, film, and theatre, including roles in Bridgerton, Endeavour, Young Wallander, Munich: The Edge of War, and Ridley Scott's Napoleon, as well as stage work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at Shakespeare's Globe.

Shaw attended McAuley Catholic High School in Doncaster before training at the Drama Centre London, graduating in 2004.¹ He married Michelle Shaw on 25 August 2013. The couple have two children and live in Staffordshire.

Shaw first gained attention in the lead role of Doug in The Rotters Club, the TV series based on Jonathan Coe’s novel, broadcast in 2004. He played guest roles in other TV series, Dalziel & Pascoe, Heartbeat and Afterlife, and appeared as the poet, John Keats in The Romantics.

He was Justin, one of the lead roles, in the eight-part TV series, Goldplated, in 2006, and played the lead in the 2007 TV film, All About Me, co-starring with Phoebe Nicholls, Danny Webb and Phil Davis. In 2008, he played Sandoval in an episode of Heroes and Villains about Hernán Cortés. In 2010 played a role in the "shockumentary" The Possession of David O'Reilly.² The same year, he played Matthew Leicester in 16 episodes of the BBC soap opera Doctors, and DC Hadley in the ITV series Foyle's War. Between 2010 and 2012, he played John Fisher in the BBC series "Land Girls".

In 2014, he played Matt in the drama film In Transit. In 2017, he appeared in the documentary series Murder Maps as Edward Sorrell. He returned to film in 2020 in Running Naked, credited as Nick Shaw, and that year also appeared as Lord Thompson in the Netflix series Bridgerton.

In 2022, Shaw played Jörgen Moberg in three episodes of the second series of the Netflix crime drama Young Wallander. In 2021, he also played Baz Appleby in an episode of Endeavour, Rory Lycett in Holby City, and Parliamentary Aide James Berwick in the Netflix historical thriller Munich: The Edge of War, directed by Christian Schwochow.³ In 2023, he appeared in Ridley Scott's historical epic Napoleon, in a supporting role during the Battle of Austerlitz sequence.⁴

In 2005, Shaw played Benjamin in the UK tour of Oxford Stage Company’s production of Gregory Moton’s translation of August Strindberg’s Easter, directed by Dominic Dromgoole.⁵ The following year, his performance earned him a commendation in the annual Ian Charleson Awards.⁶

In summer 2007, Shaw appeared in two productions at Shakespeare's Globe theatre: The Merchant of Venice, alongside John McEnery and Jack Shepherd’s new play, Holding Fire!, which saw Shaw reunited with Dominic Dromgoole as director. In summer 2008, he played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, both at the Open Air Theatre, London.⁷

He played the title role in the Northern Broadsides production of Hamlet in 2011, receiving critical acclaim. "Like the production itself, he is daringly theatrical and heartbreakingly human", said The Observer.⁸

In March 2012, Shaw played the central character, Misail Alexandrovich Polznev, in Peter Gill's adaptation of Chekhov's 'A Provincial Life', at the National Theatre Wales, Cardiff. He plays a young man who rejects his inheritance as the son of an architect. He adopts the life of a workman before moving to the country to run a school on the estate of the higher-born, dilettante wife, Marie, who eventually deserts him.⁹

In February 2013 he returned to Northern Broadsides to play John in their acclaimed production of Githa Sowerby's 'Rutherford and Son'. With adaptations by Blake Morrison the production toured across the length and breadth of Britain before finishing at St James Theatre, London in June.

Later in 2013, Shaw joined the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, adapted by Mike Poulton from Hilary Mantel's novels and directed by Jeremy Herrin, playing Harry Percy and William Brereton. The production, which starred Ben Miles as Thomas Cromwell, opened at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in the West End and later to Broadway.¹⁰¹¹

In 2016, Shaw played the poet John Dryden in the West End transfer of Jessica Swale's Nell Gwynn at the Apollo Theatre, starring Gemma Arterton in the title role and directed by Christopher Luscombe. Reviewing the production for The Arts Desk, critic Matt Wolf singled out Shaw's performance among the supporting cast.¹²¹³

In 2018, Shaw played the miner Spud in Beth Steel's Wonderland at Nottingham Playhouse, directed by Adam Penford, in a production that toured to Northern Stage, Newcastle, the following year. British Theatre Guide praised his performance, writing that he "moves from jocular lothario to picket-line scab in the blink of an eye and with intense feeling in both."¹⁴¹⁵

In 2022, Shaw appeared in Neil Bartlett's adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde, a co-production between Derby Theatre and Queen's Theatre Hornchurch.¹⁶ In 2023, he worked as assistant director on Claybody Theatre and the New Vic's revival of The Card, based on the novel by Arnold Bennett, directed by Conrad Nelson.¹⁷

Shaw is a member of the Labour Party. He stood as the Labour candidate for the Milford ward in the 2023 Stafford Borough Council election, increasing the Labour vote share in the ward from 22.7% in 2019 to 37.6%, though he was not elected, with the seat retained by the Conservative incumbent.¹⁸¹⁹ Since 2024, he has served as Head of Office for Leigh Ingham, the Member of Parliament for Stafford.