Rachel Shenton

 ( 1987 Births ) 

In August 2017, Shenton appeared in The Silent Child, a film which she created and co-produced with her husband Chris Overton. The film was based on Shenton's own experiences as the child of a parent who became deaf. The film features profoundly deaf six-year-old first-time actor Maisie Sly as the titular child. British Sign Language (BSL) is used in the film.

The film won best short film at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in August 2017. That made it eligible for Academy Awards. In December 2017, the film was selected as one of the final ten films in the Live Action Short Film category for the 90th Academy Awards. On 23 January 2018, it was announced that The Silent Child had been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for the 90th Academy Awards, which it won. Shenton kept a promise she had made to the young lead actress and signed her acceptance speech.

In March 2019, Shenton joined the cast of the BBC2 comedy series White Gold, playing Jo Scott, a motivational speaker turned window saleswoman, alongside James Buckley and Joe Thomas.

In September 2020, she began appearing as Helen Alderson in the Channel 5 and PBS adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small. Significant changes were made from the source material (both the previous television series and the memoir), allowing the role of Helen to be greatly expanded. The programme has been renewed for five series as of 2025.

In June 2023, she played Emily in For Her Sins, a TV drama broadcast on Channel 5. Also in 2023, she starred in the short film In Too Deep, directed by her husband Chris Overton.

Shenton is due to star in the upcoming six-part scripted podcast series that she has written called 'Gladstone Girls.' The series tells the story of a group of female workers in the Stoke-on-Trent potteries. They fight to keep their factory traditions alive after a new boss comes along and tries to change things.

Shenton wanted to create opportunities for actors entering the industry in her home town of Stoke-on-Trent.

Classes are designed for up-and-coming actors who are looking to take the next step in their career, however, they do cater to a range of abilities.

The school holds classes once a month at The Catalyst Building within Staffordshire University. There is also an online offering available.

The monthly classes come in a variety of different forms including a six-month long course for juniors and adults, a 12-month long course for juniors and adults as well as drop-in sessions. Online "career surgery" sessions are also offered to give people a chance to focus more on career development and achieving their own goals rather than the technique of acting as is taught in the other classes.

On top of these regular offerings, a selection of one off classes and one-day courses are offered allowing for a deeper dive into specific techniques. These are often led by external industry professionals.

The schools sister company, MSAS Management, offers full agency representation to all students who have not secured this independently. This allows them to secure auditions for major projects.

Notable former industry guests have included BAFTA-Winning director of BBC Ralph and Katie Jordan Hogg, All Creatures Great and Small star Nicholas Ralph, and Adrian Rawlins, known for his portrayal of James Potter in the Harry Potter films.

In March 2011, Shenton completed a skydive in aid of National Deaf Children's Society. In May 2011, Shenton helped to launch a social networking website for deaf people named "Viewtalk". In February 2012, Shenton announced that she was due to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of the charity. In October 2012, she climbed the BT Tower in aid of Action on Hearing Loss.

Shenton married British actor and filmmaker Chris Overton in summer 2018. The couple were engaged in March 2018 when she and Overton accepted the Oscar for best short film, live action. She gave birth to their first child, a boy, in April 2025.

In July 2019, Shenton was commended with an honorary degree from Keele University for her "outstanding contribution in raising awareness for educational support for disabilities in children, as an inspirational role model for young people, and for her commitment to equality and diversity".

In November 2023, Shenton was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts at Staffordshire University for her work as an actress as well as helping aspiring actors through The Midlands Screen Acting School and her work campaigning for the deaf community.

• Official website
• Rachel Shenton at The Spotlight
• Midlands Screen Acting School