Tommy Jessop ‘frustrated’ at not being offered more roles since Line of Duty

Tommy Jessop is “frustrated” at not being offered more roles since Line of Duty.

The 38-year-old actor, who has Down syndrome, hasn’t had many roles. He played murder suspect Terry Boyle in the BBC One crime drama created by Jed Mercurio. So he chose to create the documentary “Tommy Jessop Goes to Hollywood” with his brother Will to explore how to make Hollywood more inclusive for people with disabilities.

He told Metro.co.uk the lack of opportunities was “frustrating” and “annoying” and so he decided he would be the one to sort it out and “hopefully do everything” himself.

His brother Will added: “With a little help from friends.”

He continued: “The problem is that no one can make a film alone. It’s a collaborative medium. So you’re always going to need support and allies along the way.”

“For me, that’s also part of the structure of the film and the reason for making it is to show that if you give people the opportunity to show you what they can do, they can really surprise you.

Will called his brother Tommy an “inspiration” to him personally, but urged people to advocate for people with the condition – which comes from people born with an extra chromosome – who “are not just parents of people with Down syndrome” and hoped the documentary would help to promote understanding.

He added: “I hope the film inspires other people to look with fresh eyes at the wonderful people with Down syndrome and seek opportunities to work with them rather than thinking, ‘Oh, well, we might as well try to include someone.’ But to proactively realise how wonderful and special it is to work with someone like Tommy.”

Tommy admitted he “might” be keen to return to a new series of the BBC series – which also stars Martin Compston, 39, Vicky McClure, 40, and Adrian Dunbar, 65 – while Will said he was playing it cool because his little brother thought being in it was “amazing”.

He said: “It was amazing because when it was in season 6, the first time anyone other than Tommy and my mum found out was when we were watching it. So Tommy kept it completely secret until it aired. I think it’s fair to say you’d probably be up for it, wouldn’t you?”

“Tommy Jessop Goes to Hollywood” will air on BBC One on August 21.