Born Ian Roberts in Hillingdon he changed his name in 1989 to adopt his family heritage. He first came to prominence as paramedic Finlay Newton in Casualty (from 1999). As a playwright his play Elmina's Kitchen was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play (2003) and won the Evening Standard's Charles Wintour Most Promising Playwright Award 2003. Other awards include the Screen National Film and Television Award for Favourite TV Actor 2003. His second play Fix-Up was staged at the National Theatre in 2004.