With memorable appearances as the beloved "our Antony" in The Royle Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps's Jonny Keogh and the iconic DI Neville Parker in Death in Paradise, Ralf Little has become one of the most recognisable faces on British television. As the narrator of The Yorkshire Farm, his voice is hard to mistake, too.
Now, as the TV detective is set to delve into the record books to uncover his family's history on Who Do You Think You Are?, we take a look at the Bury-born actor's life away from the small screen, including who his real-life partner is and his promising football career.
Here is everything you need to know about Ralf Little.
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Who is Ralf Little's partner?
Ralf got engaged to his partner, the famed American playwright Lindsey Ferrentino, in September 2018. Speaking about the "very romantic" proposal with The Mirror in 2018, he said: "We were in a country house, it was a big surprise. I planned it in advance. I had a total result with the ring, though. She said to me if she ever got engaged there’s only one ring for her — her grandma’s. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
Described as "a brave playwright of dauntless conviction", Ferrentino is best known for her critically acclaimed production Ugly Lies The Bone, which opened in New York in 2016. It was later produced by the National Theatre Company in the UK in which Little starred and is where the two first met. The couple has been dating ever since.
Little has described Ferrentino as his “best friend". In a confession on The One Show, he explained that the coronavirus pandemic had put their wedding plans "pretty much on hold" for now.
Is Ralf Little a footballer?
While carving out his career on stage and screen, Ralf was no stranger to the football pitch. A lifelong supporter of Manchester United, the actor has played for several semi-professional clubs when commitments allow it.
In the early 2000s, he played for Maidstone United and made his debut in the FA Vase as part of the Edgeware Town team. Little has also had starring roles on a number of celebrity teams including the Arsenal Celebrity XI, for England at 2010's Soccer Aid and at the charity match Game 4 Grenfell, in which celebrities donned their boots at Loftus Road to raise funds for the Grenfell disaster fund.
During his time on Who Do You Think You Are?, the actor heads to the Orkney Islands, just off the north coast of Scotland, to explore the history of his grandfather Arthur. While investigating his grandfather’s time serving in the army, Little discovers that Arthur was involved in one of the conflict’s most important battles. Meanwhile, to his delight, The Royle Family star also finds out that he has a Welsh international footballer on his family tree.
Who Do You Think You Are? is on BBC One at 8pm and episodes from the series are available on iPlayer.
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