A Life Worth Living: Acting, Activism and Everything Else

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When the show wrapped however, the phone stopped ringing. So, Tommy decided if he wanted to be a lead actor in a film, he was going to have to make it happen himself. ‘Tommy Goes To Hollywood’ is the new BBC Two documentary which tells the story of Tommy in Tinseltown. Tommy and his big brother, Emmy-nominated documentary maker Will Jessop, tell Emma and Nikki what happened when they tried to break America. You can get Tommy’s book ‘A Life Worth Living: Acting, Activism and Everything Else’ from any good bookshop. Singh, Anita (21 March 2021). "Line of Duty, season 6 ep 1, review: when it comes to cop shows, Jed Mercurio is the gaffer". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 22 March 2021. Tommy is ‘ spectacularly charismatic…a very skilful actor…. makes a tremendous impact on screen‘ – Julie Anne Robinson Director This is not the first time Will, 40, and Tommy have collaborated on a TV programme – together, they made the Grierson-nominated Tommy's Story in 2007 and the Emmy-nominated Growing Up Down's in 2014.

He is an ambassador for Mencap, a patron of the National Down’s Syndrome Policy Group and he was part of a pressure group that championed the 2022 Down’s Syndrome Act, passed at the end of last year, to meet the multi various needs of the Down’s Syndrome community, from health to education. Jessop is one of a number of people with Down’s syndrome who have worked with the NDSPG, and other organisations, giving talks to universities and conferences, and being interviewed on podcasts and in the media. “It involves speaking up, and recording video messages to MPs, speeches, press interviews,” he says. “What [people with Down’s syndrome] need is to have a voice, so they can say what they really want in life.” Myself and my dad participate in a fitness regime. Two days a week, we do warm-ups and weights, working on core strength and cardio. I enjoy walking as well. My New Year’s resolution is going strong," he shares. "I’ve got a health app on my phone, which I’ve found useful." Published on 6th July, the publisher says it is one of the first memoirs written for an adult audience by an author with Down’s syndrome, in their own words. His next project, Radical Beauty, is a series of high-fashion photographs of individuals with Down’s syndrome taken around the world, which will be released as a coffee-table book and major touring exhibition in 2022. His simple words of counsel when his artists face marginalisation? “Listen, this is avant garde – and the world is a bit slow.” It seems it may be catching up at last. New faces: meet the game changersWILL- I was [laughter]. Yeah, I certainly felt like a massive fish out of water; but Tommy just owned…yeah. There are some wonderful things happening. Ralph And Katie's an obvious example, but there are lots of others. As we say in the film, it's an exciting time,” says Will. WILL- That’s exactly it. So, we are pitching in Hollywood a superhero movie called Roger the Superhero; his name inspired by none other than Tommy’s teddy bear. He is advised by an industry colleague that he would need to write his own story to really grab the attention of Hollywood bigwigs, so he starts brainstorming. He comes up with a superhero film concept in which the bad guy wants to eliminate people with Down’s syndrome, and the hero – a part he initially gives to his teddy bear, but later reveals he would like to play himself – has to stop him. The story is inextricably linked to the conversation around the ethics of Down’s syndrome prenatal screening tests. How does he switch off when he’s not working? "I enjoy research time on my iPad and phone. And listening to music, I also go to my singing group and enjoy dancing and watching TV."

NIKKI- It’s funny, and I’ve probably said this to Emma before, but I’ve always been disabled, I didn’t know anyone disabled growing up apart from my sister, I wasn’t part of the thing we now call the disabled community, don’t we, Em. He has commented that disabled actors need opportunities to appear other than as victims or objects of pity. [2] Career [ edit ] Film [ edit ] While Roger The Superhero is still in development, Tommy and Will hope that Tommy Jessop Goes To Hollywood will provide inspiration to people with Down syndrome and other disabilities, showing them that they can achieve their dreams.

In July 2021, Jessop received an honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Winchester for his services to the entertainment industry. I’ve always been intrigued by how the process of theatre works and going behind the scenes. I’m also intrigued by how the camera works, as much as I enjoy being in front of the camera as well," he says. Now, he is celebrating another first with the publication of his debut memoir – A Life Worth Living: Acting, Activism And Everything Else. People with Down syndrome are born with an extra chromosome and will have some level of learning disability. But Jessop is "a man on a mission" to show that this often doesn’t mean what people might assume. In 2007, Jessop appeared in the BBC drama Coming Down the Mountain where his performance was widely praised, and the film was nominated for a Television BAFTA for "Best Single Drama", before winning the RADAR People of the Year Human Rights Media Award 2008. He then made his television debut in Holby City, and has also appeared as guest lead in two episodes of Casualty, Monroe and Doctors.

NIKKI- There’s a scene towards the end where you were in front of he was a big producer talent manager, wasn’t he, guy. WILL- Which was pretty cool. And so I think mum’s way of…because I’m sure she must have been a bit worried about what we were going into, and obviously excited for us, but we’re going the other side of the world to try and pitch a superhero movie in Hollywood, the land of the sharks. And yeah, some of them we did follow and were super helpful, but also I think it’s fair to say we also found our own way. KIT- Interior, underground science lab day. Roger the Superhero is facing off against his nemesis, the billionaire bad guy, Noel Scum. It’s quite simple, Roger: your DNA is a mistake, a glitch in the code. You have an extra chromosome that corrupts the rest of it.He has since been nominated for a Breakthrough Young Journalist award. The documentary revealed that those with a learning disability are more than twice as likely to die from an illness that, if experienced by a non-disabled person, would be treatable. A report by researchers at King’s College London and other academics found that nearly half of the deaths of people with learning disabilities before the age 75 could have been prevented. He spent around six months working on it, often typing on his laptop for a few hours first thing in the morning, fitting it in around other work commitments – which include filming, campaigning and public speaking.