TV star Stephen Tompkinson talks about his 'greatest role' as he helps stars of the future

Actor Stephen Tompkinson has every reason to blow his own trumpet, as Brassed Off celebrates its 30th birthday with a tribute concert at the Royal Albert Hall.The TV star, who played Phil Ormondroyd, the troubled trombone player and son of the band leader, who attempts to take his life, says it remains his proudest role.He tells the Mirror: “On October 2, they are holding a concert at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Brassed Off. That is a very rare thing indeed."It was a great film and it just shows its popularity when it sells out after all these years. It is probably the film that I am most proud of and I felt that at the time.”The soundtrack for the film, based on Grimethorpe's struggles against pit closures, was provided by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band.Stephen continues: "It was an amazing script and Pete Postlethwaite was an actor who had this way of making the most of what was written for him. "It was up for a load of awards, including a Peter Sellars award for comedy, an Evening Standard award, the Film César in France, and it was recognised in Spain, and Germany." This year means a double whammy of anniversaries for the actor, as the popular series Ballykissangel also turned 30 in February. Stephen, 60, played Father Peter Clifford, a young English priest who transferred to a rural parish in Ireland. Pub landlady Assumpta Fitzgerald, played by Dervla Kirwan, was the first person he met in the village and they had a chemistry that reflected their romance off screen.Stephen, who is just back from working in Ireland again, continues: "I have just finished The Heights for Channel 5 with Anna Friel, which was set in Dublin.“I got to go back to Avoca in County Wicklow, where we filmed Ballykissangel, for the first time in 30 years, which was wonderful. "It has had a lick of paint and the church looked fabulous. The locals would come up to me and say ‘hello’ and ‘ah, it's yourself,’ like I had never been away. "I loved it. After that first series, it just really took off and we would get bus loads of tourists coming to see us film. "There would be 1,500 people there and we had to turn the cameras around to exclude them from the shot. It reminded me so much of John Wayne and The Quiet Man, which was filmed in Ireland and is one of my all-time favourite films. "It had an element of that, a sort of grandeur. But the tourism boost was just extraordinary. "We had to film there less and less, because so many people came to see it. The setting was so beautiful. It aired early in the year and it was filmed in the summer when the countryside really did look at its best. "I think viewers just wanted to see it for themselves. It was sunshine and picture postcard scenery. We knew that we had really made it big when Daniel O'Donnell came to visit." Stephen’s diverse career, which has ranged from Drop the Dead Donkey to Eric, Ernie and Me, suffered in 2021 when he was accused of punching a drunken man making a noise outside his home in the early hours in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, causing the man to fall and fracture his skull. The star admitted he missed out on parts and was unable to work while waiting two years for the case to come to court. He was found not guilty of causing the man grievous bodily harm at Newcastle Crown Court in May 2023. Afterwards Stephen paid tribute to his then partner, actress Jess Johnson, for standing by him. Stephen, who starred as DCI John Thistletwaite in This Is Not A Murder Mystery (2025) has now put it firmly behind him. The actor, who has been married twice and has a daughter, is now using his fame to help youngsters get into the film industry by promoting a new Tyneside Cinema film talent unit that provides career opportunities for many working-class young people in his native North East. More than 300 applicants were whittled down to 33 talented individuals for the cinema’s first intake.The Graham Wylie Foundation is funding the teaching of skills required to work in all aspects of film, from podcasting to camera operation, editing and production.Stephen says: "I want to dispel the myth that you have to go to London to succeed in our profession. Hopefully, with Andy Burnham, there will be more emphasis on the North and opportunities here. "They have a film studio coming to Sunderland; this new unit is so exciting. There are more than 30 like-minded young adults who will talk about their dreams and aspirations and feed off each other. That is absolutely priceless." New recruits Calum (c) McNair, 18, of South Shields, and Valerie Enriquez, 24, of Newcastle, told of their excitement at winning places on the new course Calum would like to be a director of photography or a cinematographer, while Valerie is interested in film production. They are following in a fine tradition; Hollywood film maker Sir Ridley Scott has a unique connection to the Tyneside, which was founded by his great uncle Dixon Scott in 1937. The talent unit takes Stephen back to his days at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where he studied from 1984-87. He was one of the youngest there and the 'only Northerner' in his year when he travelled down from his home near Blackpool, Lancs., after moving there from Stockton-on-Tees when he was a child.He says: "The things you go through at that age make it nice to have the kindred spirits and friendships they are offering here. "I was there at the same time as James Nesbitt, James Purefoy, Jason Isaacs, Jared Harris, Graham Norton, and Christopher Eccleston. "Graham was younger and Chris was in the year above and helped me where he could. It really was a wonderful time to be there. "Looking back, the TV series Drop the Dead Donkey was my big break. I was 25 and it was such a great show to be a part of. The part of TV reporter Damien was great fun, he was just a psychopath. "When they started showing it, people were very surprised that we were not made of latex, because it was the closest thing to Spitting Image at the time. "It was so nerve-wracking, because 20-25% of the show was written to reflect the big stories of that week, as you were going on air. You never knew what the topical subjects or your character's lines would be. “The show was filmed on the Wednesday in front of a live audience and on the Thursday they would do a voice-over to cover what the show was about. "We were always trying to make it seem spontaneous and unscripted, but there were postage notes all over the set with the lines on them. "We went back on the road with a stage version of it a couple of years ago. It was about how the TV station was going to be closed and felt like an Agatha Christie mystery, because you did not know who was going to take charge of it."In the end, it was South Korea, but for a big part of it, people thought it would be Russia." Stephen recalls learning valuable lessons in his early career making radio drama at the BBC, after winning the prestigious Carleton Hobbs award - a bursary for promising young actors.He recalls: "You were in a huge main studio in Broadcasting House with a single microphone, it was like a big goldfish bowl. "I forgot to speak into the mic the first time around and felt so stupid, because they could not hear what I was saying. I think that made me relax, because I won the award and performed in 54 plays in seven months. "It was an extraordinary turnover, but it was great experience.“The wonderful thing about radio is that it really makes you appreciate the writer, because without the writer, you were nothing. "You had to interpret the script, even if you only had one line with five words, how you emphasised them was key. “I had just left drama school and it was a real lesson for me."