Line of Duty star Tommy Jessop shares advice for first book release

He was the first actor with Down syndrome to lead in a prime-time BBC drama (2007’s Coming Down The Mountain, starring alongside Nicholas Hoult), to play Hamlet in a professional theatre production and to be selected as a voting member of BAFTA.

Many other acting roles like the popular police drama series Line Of Duty have made him a household name.

Now, he is celebrating another first with the publication of his debut memoir – A Life Worth Living: Acting, Activism And Everything Else.

Speaking to the Press Association, Tommy, 38, said: “My main reason for writing my memoir is for other people to understand us a bit better. To see how we think and feel, and to see we are no different from other people."

READ MORE: Winchester's Tommy Jessop releases memoir on life with Down Syndrome

Tommy Jessop (Image: PA)

“Let us surprise you,” he writes in the book. “A doctor once said I would never learn to read, but I ended up playing Hamlet – and now I’m writing a book.”

Tommy spent around six months working on the memoir, 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.

The actor said he is “proud and honoured” looking back on his career, citing doing his own stunt work for various filming projects as one of many highlights.

Tommy is grateful for the opportunity to get his “feelings out into the open” and reflect on his campaigning work. He said: “It all makes me even more alive and free.”

In 2021, Jessop – who is also an ambassador for the charity Mencap and patron of the National Down Syndrome Policy Group – helped campaign for the passing of the new Down Syndrome Bill, which saw him speak outside Parliament.

Tommy Jessop speaking outside Parliament (Image: PA)

He describes it in the book as the “most important campaign” he’s been part of, writing: “Because for too long people ignored our gifts and hid us away. We didn’t learn anything and did not have jobs or get married. The Down Syndrome Act is to make sure everyone with Down syndrome gets a proper education, with teachers understanding how we learn, better healthcare and real employment opportunities.”

The book is also peppered with humour, snapshots of fun family life, laughter and glitzy showbiz moments.

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Tommy said: “I do tend to not look on the bad side of life. I try to focus on the good things that might be happening.

“My connections are about seeing the good in people, and the goodness I bring to their life as well.

“It’s about bringing more goodness into the world, being a peacemaker, and being a man on a mission to dig out the skills and talents that others have and bring that out into the world.”

The star’s love of performing started early and by his teenage years, it was clear this was something he wanted to pursue.

Only a couple of theatre companies in the country were available for actors with Down syndrome at the time, but they were too far away so in 2005, his mum Jane Jessop founded Winchester’s Blue Apple Theatre.

Recalling one of his early theatre performances, Tommy said: “It was a huge feeling to make the audience laugh and cry and shout and swear, and all for the love of it.”

When not working, the actor enjoys spending time on his iPad and phone, listening to music, attending his singing group, dancing and watching TV.

When asked what advice he would give his younger self. Tommy, 38, said: “Enjoy your life, live your life to the full. And don’t worry, be happy, is the main message.”

“Believe in yourself and be kind. Find your own gifts and talents and use them in the world and live your life to the full.”

A Life Worth Living by Tommy Jessop is published by Wildfire and is available for £20 from Thursday, July 6.