Actor makes professional stage debut in Only Fools

An actor who has been making his professional stage debut as Rodney Trotter alongside Paul Whitehouse says he never really felt growing up in a seaside town would lead to an acting career.

Tom Major, 23, from Gorleston, Norfolk, is starring in the Only Fools & Horses The Musical UK and Ireland Tour.

Based on the beloved BBC comedy, the show follows Del Boy Trotter, Rodney and Cassandra, Trigger, Boycie and Marlene, and Grandad, and is said to be full of "cockney charm" celebrating London life in 1989.

Major said his hometown and early am-dram roles in Suffolk seemed a world away from London's theatreland and he felt "a bit disconnected from that part of the world and the industry".

He attended East Norfolk Sixth Form College until 2020 and when the show visited Norwich's Theatre Royal for a week he had the opportunity to go back and share how he got into the industry with pupils.

He said: "I grew up doing shows, amateur dramatics in the local area for fun and I really enjoyed doing it... [but] because of where we are from and the lack of links to the performing arts industry I never really saw it as a career.

"When you have these opportunities it opens up your mind and let's you dream big.

"I didn't grow up with Only Fools and Horses... but I knew how iconic it was."

Growing up he was a part of the Lowestoft Players just down the coast in Suffolk before training at Gorleston's D16 Performing Arts College.

Upon leaving sixth form, he took a gap year after not securing a place at drama school, but eventually went on to train at ArtsEd in London.

Playing the role that Nicholas Lyndhurst made his own in the BBC television series, Major said it had been a "surreal journey".

"A lot of people are a bit apprehensive about taking something that was so well loved on to the stage and making it a musical... seeing how much people love it and the surprise of 'wow, they've really honoured it on stage', is so much fun," he said.

Despite going through the audition process for the role, he did not gauge how "big" the show was going to be, until it was on to stage.

He described Paul Whitehouse, who is starring as Grandad, as "a legend".

"He is one of the nicest people I have ever met. So down to earth, so passionate about the work... he is always bursting into characters and telling jokes," said Major.

While he visited his former sixth form, he said he had been given opportunities by the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub, including performing at the Royal Albert Hall.

Krista Ribbons, area manager at the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub said the charity was "working hard to offer access to industry opportunities" locally and nationally.

"We have been delighted to watch Tom's progress and hope to welcome him back for further work with young people in the area very soon," she said.

While he has six months of his contract remaining, he said he was "so happy" to be a part of such a "hard to get into" industry.

"I'm proud to be from Norfolk and from Gorleston, I always have time for it," he said.

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