Andrew Lancel was born on 3 August 1970 in Rufford, Lancashire. He started his acting career in local theatre and as a cabaret singer. In 1993 he appeared in the film Wide-Eyed and Legless with Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent. He gained fame as the lead role in the ground breaking medical series Cardiac Arrest with Helen Baxendale. Since then he has become a well established theatre and television actor with a reputation for seeking controversial roles and projects. He was described as the most realistic Doctor on TV and sporadically was TV's most hated man, after roles in City Central, Bad Girls and Queer as Folk.

In 2002 he joined the cast of Bad Girls as Barry Pearce and his character was involved in a controversial domestic abuse story line with on-screen wife Di Barker.

In 2003, Andrew joined The Bill as DI Neil Manson and played the character until the series ended in 2010. His most notable and memorable storyline was the 13-month-long Amy Tennant missing person case, concerning a young child who mysteriously vanished. This was also the longest storyline ever attempted in the history of The Bill.

In 2005, he entered Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes as A-ha singer Morten Harket and won.

In addition to acting, Lancel runs his own production company and has produced and directed numerous productions. In 2008 Lancel became a patron of the Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

On 23 November 2010 Lancel was cast in the long running ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street as Frank Foster, a Business associate of Carla Connor. Another controversial role, Lancel's portrayal won him 'Villain of the Year' at the British Soap Awards in 2012. The role ended 5 March 2012 when the character was found murdered.

In 2012 Lancel returned to the stage when he was cast as former Beatles manager Brian Epstein in Epstein – The Man Who Made the Beatles a new play by Andrew Sherlock which debuted at the Epstein Theatrein Liverpool on 15 November 2012. The newly refurbished theatre being named in honour of Brian Epstein. This two-hander play charts Brian Epstein's adult life and illustrious career from his drama school days to managing the world's biggest pop group. The play transferred to the West End at the Leicester Square Theatre in 2014. The play, and Lancel's performance as Epstein drew huge critical acclaim with Whats on Stage describing his performance as 'phenomenal' and London Theatre calling it 'mesmerising.'

In 2014 Lancel was cast as Adam Snow alongside Diane Keen and Robert Duncan in the world premiere of The Small Hand based on the book by Susan Hill and adapted by Clive Francis. The play, directed by Roy Marsden and produced by Bill Kenwright, premiered at the Theatre Royal Windsor before touring the UK.

In November 2015 it was announced that Lancel would be taking on the role of Brian Clough in a new stage adaptation of The Damned United based on the novel by David Peace. The play is a co-production between Red Ladder and West Yorkshire Playhouse

In May 2016 it was announced that Lancel will be making his musical debut, undertaking the role of Captain Von Trapp in the UK Tour of The Sound of Music

Following a national touring starring as Detective Superintendent Vetch in Ruth Rendells A Judgement in Stone (again directed by a Roy Marsden and produced by Bill Kenwright he once again returned to the role of Brian Epstein in Jeff Popes Cilla the Musical an adaption of his ITV drama Cilla. The musical opened in September 2017 at the Liverpool Empire to rave reviews and has played to sold out audiences throughout the UK