and Dolls in 2006. That year Richards became a judge on the second series of Strictly Dance Fever. In 2007, he began playing the role of Nate Roberts in police drama The Bill. He also appeared as Nate for an episode of the German series Leipzig Homicide. The character of Nate became popular and the producers signed Richards to a new one-year contract. However, Richards told Laura Davidson of the Sunday Mail that he still wanted to pursue his career in musical theatre. In 2010, Richards decided to leave The Bill before it was axed by ITV. He then took over Jason Donovan's role of Tick in the West End production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. In 2011, Richards signed up to appear in a production of Peter Pan playing the role of Captain Hook, which premiered at the Grand Canal Theatre. In an interview with RTE, Richards revealed that he had previously auditioned for roles in Coronation Street but was unsuccessful because of his southern accent. In March 2012, while battling illness, Richards returned to his home town of Bognor Regis to perform his own show titled An Evening with Ben Richards. He told a reporter from the Bognor Regis Observer that the show was a one-off to see how it would be received. In June 2012, it was announced that Richards would be playing the part of Franklin Hart, Jr. in the first UK tour production of the Broadway musical, 9 to 5. The tour began at the Manchester Opera House on 12 October 2012. Richards continued to tour the show through 2013. In April 2015, it was announced that he had joined the cast of the soap opera Hollyoaks, playing the role of sergeant Ben Bradley. He also had an additional guest role in Doctors playing Mr Kit. He played a lead role in the 2015 film Monsoon Tide, playing Charles Messenger. In March 2016, it was announced that Richards would be playing Frank Farmer alongside Beverley Knight in the West End revival of The Bodyguard. He later announced that he had filmed his final scenes on Hollyoaks. His character last appeared in the episode broadcast on 28 May 2016. In 2017, he recorded two songs for the album Wit & Whimsy - Songs by Alexander S. Bermange. In October 2021, it was announced by Richards' management that he had been cast in the ITV soap