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Born Richard Ash in the Historic Meadows area of Nottingham in 1967 It was very early on in life Richard realized he was never going to be a team player or part of the crowd. A very shy boy he found he did not mix well with other children and preferred a more solitary childhood. He hated every day of school, however his attendance was exemplary missing only five days of school in five years, leaving in 1983 at the age of 15 Richard never even collected his exam results saying, "I will prove that I can become super successful without a piece of paper which means nothing, having what most people lack in life, Common Sense". The rest is history how successful Richard became.

Richard became a Cabinet Maker after leaving school learning the fine art of furniture making, firstly on the Governments Youth Training Scheme then securing himself a job as a Cabinet Maker at Thomas Pearson, Netherfield, Nottingham, a fine furniture maker and furniture restorer. This was a major turning point in Richards life going from Boy to Man experiencing the tough life of the world of work, not the false picture that the Thatcher Government were painting. The working and social environment was sexist, racist, homophobic and not politically correct. "I worked with real people who taught me what real life was all about, it was survival taken to a whole new level, again we did what we needed to do to survive, everyday was a comedy, the best six years a teenage boy becoming a man could experience" Richard left Thomas Pearson in 1990 to set up his own Cabinet Making and Joinery business.

Kung-Fu

In 1988 Richard began training in Shaolin Kung-Fu to date he holds the rank of Eighth Dan Grand Master Of Shaolin Kung-Fu. He showed an aptitude for Kung-Fu dedicating his life to this ancient art and in 1989 represented Britain in the German open. In the summer of 1989 Richard took his First Dan Grading earning the Elite Shaolin Red Sash. Progressed onto teach Kung-Fu and also demonstrated his skills on the international circuit. It was through Kung-Fu that Richard progressed onto becoming a Stuntman adopting the very likable and catchy name of Riky Ash. Career

Riky decided that he wanted to take his Kung-Fu skills further being more than a Kung- Fu instructor, Riky wanted to break into the Big Time and make it into the Movies and on Television so he enlisted in Drama School. After graduating Riky started to advertise himself as a Martial Arts Actor. When contacting companies offering his services the one word he was regular greeted with was, Equity Card, without this he could not secure work. Looking into how One obtains an Equity Card Riky decided to sing in working men's clubs around the Midlands with a friend who was already established on the entertainment circuit. Riky worked the clubs as a country singer eventually earning his Equity Card. Now onto getting Television & Film work. A chance telephone conversation with Equity staff member John Barclay introduced him to the possibility of becoming a Television & Film Stuntman, much more than Riky ever thought he would achieve. As Riky once said, "Being a Stuntman is by far The Best Job In The World, No other job even comes close" Riky began training for The Elite Equity Stunt Register in January of 1992 and by the spring of 1993 Riky had all six skills required to gain entry, normally this training takes three to five years, demonstrating Riky's determined and dedicated approach to anything he desires to achieve.

Riky received his first Stunt Job in August 1993 on the BBC Television series "Casualty" Stunt Doubling for a 14 year old boy who walks out on a girder to apply graffiti to the side of a bridge. To date Riky has worked on over 700 productions world wide and been the face of many major Television Commercials notably The "Tango" Man in the 2002 Tango Commercial, where Riky wore a divers helmet filled with oranges that pulled Riky up to a giant magnet 50 feet in the air then dropping him down with the caption, "You Know When You've Been Tango'ed" appearing. In 2009 Riky received what he described as, "The Stunt Job Of A Lifetime" playing the role of an Italian Racing Driver in a Ferrari Commercial shot in Sicily over three weeks. Having Ferrari on his CV was simply amazing, even though his passion lies strongly with Lamborghini, being part of this amazing commercial was very rewarding.

In 2009 Riky had the great honor of being featured alongside business greats Richard Branson and Bill Gates In Business Journalist Jamie X Olivers book "Secret Of My Success" ISBN 978-185458503-5 as one of the most successful business people in the world.

Riky Ash in Last of the Summer Wine (1973)

Pizza Hut commercial - Stunt Doubled Ronnie Corbett

(2013) Hilary Meredith Solicitors Commercial

Other works

Riky Ash

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