Ashley Rice
Ashley Taylor Rice is an English actor, known for his role as Sid Vere on the BBC soap opera Doctors. For his role as Sid, Rice was nominated for various accolades including Newcomer at the 21st National Television Awards and the British Soap Award for Best Actor three times. Prior to appearing in Doctors, Rice appeared in series including The Gemma Factor and portrayed the role of Seth Foreman in Tracy Beaker Returns.
Career
Rice made his professional acting debut in 2007, when he appeared in a stage production of War Horse with the National Theatre. Then in 2009, he appeared in the drama film An Education. He then made brief appearances in British television series including Hope Springs, Emmerdale and Hustle. That same year, he returned to theatre as Curio in a production of Twelfth Night. He then appeared in the stage productions Yellow Moon and Amid the Clouds. From 2011 to 2012, Rice appeared in six episodes of the CBBC sitcom Tracy Beaker Returns as Seth Foreman.In April 2015, Rice began portraying the role of Sid Vere in the BBC daytime soap opera Doctors. When asked for his opinion on his character, Rice stated: "He's so annoying, isn't he? I annoy myself playing him sometimes. And despite being quite bright he can completely miss the point sometimes. But he does have a good heart and only wants to do his best." For his portrayal of Sid, Rice was longlisted for Best Actor at the British Soap Awards in 2017, 2018 and 2019. He also received a nomination for the British Soap Award for Best Leading Performer in 2023. In October 2023, it was announced that BBC had cancelled Doctors. Rice portrayed Sid until its final episode, which aired on 14 November 2024.