One of Britain’s most popular and famous actors, Ricky Tomlinson is best known for his roles as Jim Royle in sitcom The Royle Family and as Mike Bassett in the comedy film Mike Bassett: England Manager where he plays a fictional manager of the England football team. Despite being one of the most famous comedy actors in the country, Ricky is extremely versatile and his breakthrough role came on Channel 4 soap Brookside where he portrayed the character Bobby Grant for six years. This role launched Ricky’s career and following on from this he starred as police officer DCI Charlie Wise in ITV drama Cracker.
The role he is perhaps best remembered for is starring as Jim Royle in popular BBC comedy show The Royle Family. The character was hugely popular with audiences, so much so that ten years after the original series first aired Christmas specials were still being viewed by millions of people. In 2001 he played fictional football manager Mike Bassett in the comedy film Mike Bassett: England Manager, the film featured cameos from Brazilian football legends Pele and Ronaldo and achieved a cult following amongst football fans. On the back of Ricky’s brilliant performance ITV commissioned a six-part television series entitled Mike Bassett: Manager following the manager’s journey after he left the England managerial position.
As well as being one of the most successful actors in the comedy genre, Ricky has also proven his capabilities in more serious roles particularly when he played the father of the Hillsborough disaster victim Ian Glover in the Television film Hillsborough. As a lifelong supporter of Liverpool FC this role was extremely close to his heart and his performance was widely praised. Away from acting Ricky has also taken his stand-up comedy act Laughter Show around the country entertaining thousands of people. Also, a capable documentary presenter he contributed a programme to Channel 5’s Disappearing Britain series in 2006 called When Coal was King. Making regular appearances on comedy panel shows and quiz shows, he has appeared on Countdown, Would I Lie to You and Shooting Stars.
How to hire Ricky Tomlinson
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Ricky Tomlinson for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
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"I think most people in the audience would probably have wanted to hear about his showbiz background, which he did with style and considerable raconteur skills. It was great to see him finish with a game - the member of the audience was totally starstruck by him - and it added to the fun. I thought he went down really well and there was a huge queue of people wanting selfies" - Careshop
