The Pin (comedy act)

The Pin is the comedy writing and acting partnership of Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen. ^[1] They co-wrote and performed in the Amazon MGM Studios film, Deep Cover, which played at SXSW London and Tribeca Festival 2025 before being released on Amazon Prime.^[2][3][4] They also wrote and starred in The Comeback in London’s West End,^[5][6][7] and recorded multi award winning BBC Radio 4 sketch show The Pin from 2015 to 2019.^[8]

The double act met at the University of Cambridge, where they joined the Cambridge Footlights. Whilst members, they co-wrote and performed the sketch show ‘Good Clean Men’ with Joey Batey, Joe Bannister, Mark Fiddaman and Simon Haines,^[9][10] and they co-wrote and performed in two Footlights international tour shows: 2010's 'Good For You,'^[11] directed by Liam Williams and Daran Johnson, and 2011's 'Pretty Little Panic'^[12] directed by Keith Akushie and James Moran. They were also the satire editors of Varsity newspaper.^[13]

'The Pin' was originally the title of a show written and performed by Ashenden, Owen, and original member Mark Fiddaman in their final year at Cambridge in 2011.^[14] After graduating, the three moved to London and started developing shows at the Invisible Dot comedy club^[15][16][17] to take to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.^[18] The Pin became a duo when Fiddaman left to pursue graduate studies at the University of Oxford.^[19]

They co-wrote the feature film, Deep Cover, along with Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. They also had supporting roles in the film as detectives.^[2]

The pair wrote and starred in a new play The Comeback at the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End which opened on 8 December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic (with a socially distanced audience). The run was due to end on 3 January 2021, however due to the London Tier 3 restrictions announced by the government, the run was paused after 16 December 2020. It reopened on 7 July 2021 and ran until 25 July 2021.

Their shows at Edinburgh have garnered great critical acclaim from the likes of The Guardian,^[20][21] The Sunday Times,^[22][23] The Daily Telegraph,^[24][25][26] and more.^{[27][28][29][30][31][32]}

In 2015 the pair's debut BBC Radio 4 series aired, called "The Pin", with four 15-minute episodes. It is characterised by self-referential humour and breaking the fourth wall, with each sketch followed by brief commentary. It was followed by a second series in 2016, and a third series in 2017, this time in the 6.30pm slot, with half-hour long episodes. A fourth series was broadcast in 2019.

Together Ashenden and Owen have acted in BBC comedy Ghosts,^[33] Netflix drama 1899,^[34] Studio Canal feature What's Love Got to Do with It?, ^[35] Judd Apatow film The Bubble, ^[36] Jurassic World Dominion, ^[37] Stath Lets Flats, and A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou.^[38]

They have created BBC Three animated series Oi, Leonardo!,^[39] BBC Digital series What's Happening?,^[40] YouTube series Overheard,^[41] and Audible Original The Special Relationship,^[42] and wrote U&Dave series Live at the Moth Club.^[43]

The Pin was the 2013 winner of London Sketchfest's prize for 'Best Act,'^[44][45] and the first series of their Radio 4 show won them the award for 'Best Comedy' at the 2016 BBC radio awards.^[46]

There were nominated for the South Bank Sky Arts Award 'Breakthrough Act' 2021.^[47]