Shrapnel's Hotspur in Henry IV in the Royal Shakespeare Company's critically acclaimed 2008 production was described as 'thrillingly charismatic'. He also has appeared on stage in 2011 in Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea performed at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. He is quoted as saying "Before going in you set a high bar for yourself, but you’ve just got to get into rehearsals, do the work and hope it comes together".