---
name: "Stephen Tompkinson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/stephen-tompkinson"
fi1m_id: "stephen-tompkinson"
imdb_id: "nm0867017"
tmdb_id: 47629
wikidata_id: "Q2345157"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "15 October 1965"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 5
updated: "2026-10-07T20:00:03.804568+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Stephen Tompkinson

## Identity

Stephen Tompkinson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/stephen-tompkinson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** stephen-tompkinson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0867017
- **TMDB ID:** 47629
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2345157
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Tompkinson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2345157, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0867017/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/47629

Actor. Born 15 October 1965 in Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 15 October 1965, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England
- **Active:** 1990–present
- **Also known as:** استیون تامپکینسون
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 5 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 76 (2), 2000s 66 (1), 2020s 78 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 78 to 74 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 2 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 3, Comedy 2, Crime 2, Mystery 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 2 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $3m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Tompkinson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2345157, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0867017/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/47629

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Drop the Dead Donkey*](https://film.one/tv/drop-the-dead-donkey.md) (74)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Stephen Tompkinson

> Stephen Tompkinson’s strengths are comic timing and a feeling for people with ordinary troubles. We recommend his ensemble work in *Brassed Off* and *Drop the Dead Donkey*; the hard-boiled detective parts give us less to enjoy.

In *Brassed Off* (1996), Stephen Tompkinson’s Phil belongs to a band whose members seem to have things to do when the music stops. Alongside Jim Carter, he helps make the group feel like people with separate lives, rather than a supporting cast assembled around the romantic leads. Mark Herman’s humour depends on that sense of company: the threatened mining community matters because its members have personalities, not simply problems. Tompkinson gives the troubled miner emotional weight without making the rest of the ensemble feel incidental.

The earlier breakthrough was Damien Day, the unethical reporter in *Drop the Dead Donkey* (1990), where his comic timing serves a carefully drawn newsroom. His presence alongside David Swift’s Henry Davenport helps keep the interest spread across the cast, rather than concentrated on a couple of favourites. We warmed to the newsroom staff more than we expected because their individual personalities gave us reasons to stay after the topical joke had passed. Tompkinson fits that company without becoming anonymous in it. The appeal depends on the acting as much as the news being sent up, though some appetite for old headlines remains necessary.

His subsequent television leads gave him more formal responsibility: Father Peter Clifford in *Ballykissangel* (1996), Danny Trevanion in the family drama *Wild at Heart* (2006), and Alan Banks in *DCI Banks* (2010). Priests, vets and detectives recur in his casting, a progression from newsroom misbehaviour to people expected to know what they are doing. The detective work exposes a limitation, though: the hard-boiled manner in *DCI Banks* can feel formulaic. We prefer the more individual company of Phil and Damien.

That preference does not mean *Brassed Off* gets everything right. Its romantic plot takes time we would rather have spent with the wider cast, and Herman does not always manage the changes of tone. Tompkinson is one reason those missed opportunities register: we want more time with the people around the music. For an evening with him, start there and allow for the occasional awkward turn between comedy and distress.

## Biography

Stephen Tompkinson is an English actor. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, graduating in 1987, and began his career in radio and television.

He is known for his television roles as Damien Day in *Drop the Dead Donkey* (1990–1998), Father Peter Clifford in *Ballykissangel* (1996–1998), Trevor Purvis in *Grafters* (1998–1999), Danny Trevanion in *Wild at Heart* (2006–2013) and Alan Banks in *DCI Banks* (2010–2016). His film credits include Phil in *Brassed Off* (1996) and a role in *Hotel Splendide* (2000). He won the British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actor in 1994.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

- *The Long Shadow* (2023), Fi1m 74, as David Gee — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-long-shadow.md)
- *Sherwood* (2022), Fi1m 82, as Warnock — [page](https://film.one/tv/sherwood.md)
- *ShakespeaRe-Told* (2005), Fi1m 66, Actor — [page](https://film.one/tv/shakespeare-told.md)
- *Brassed Off* (1996), Fi1m 79, as Phil — [page](https://film.one/film/brassed-off.md)
- *Drop the Dead Donkey* (1990), Fi1m 74, as Damien Day — [page](https://film.one/tv/drop-the-dead-donkey.md)

## Complete filmography (65)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Fortune* (2026), series, as Boots Mackintosh
- *This Is Not a Murder Mystery* (2025), series, as DCI John Thistletwaite
- *The Long Shadow* (2023), series, as David Gee — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-long-shadow.md)
- *Stumped* (2022), as Samuel Beckett
- *Sherwood* (2022), series, as Warnock — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/sherwood.md)
- *The Other One* (2020), series, as Mr. Shippen
- *The Bay* (2019), series, as Stephen Marshbrook
- *Torvill & Dean* (2018), as George Torvill
- *Britain's Parking Hell* (2018), series, as Narrator
- *The Split* (2018), series, as Davey
- *Walk Like a Panther* (2018), as Paul Peterson
- *Eric, Ernie and Me* (2017), as Eddie Braben
- *Sunday For Sammy 2016* (2016), Actor
- *Hector* (2015), as Derek
- *A Dark Reflection* (2015), as Captain David Morris
- *Once More for Bobby* (2014), as Bobby Robson (voice)
- *Truckers* (2013), series, as Malachi Davies
- *Harrigan* (2013), as Harrigan
- *DCI Banks* (2011), series, as Inspector Alan Banks, Alan Banks
- *Trollied* (2011), series, Actor
- *A Place in The Wild* (2009), series, Actor
- *Wild at Heart* (2006), series, as Danny Trevanion
- *The Taming of the Shrew* (2005), as Harry
- *ShakespeaRe-Told* (2005), series, Actor — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/tv/shakespeare-told.md)
- *Marian, Again* (2005), as Chris Bevan
- *Friends Reunited* (2005), as Simon Dabney
- *In Denial of Murder* (2004), as Don Hale
- *Little Red Tractor* (2004), series, as Stan (voice)
- *New Tricks* (2004), series, Actor
- *Bob the Builder: Christmas With Bob and the Crew* (2003), as Pogo (voice)
- *Lucky Jim* (2003), as Jim Dixon
- *My Dad's the Prime Minister* (2003), series, as Venning
- *The Last Detective* (2003), series, Actor
- *Staying Up* (2002), as Billy Gowland
- *Ted and Alice* (2002), series, Actor
- *Mr Charity* (2001), series, Actor
- *Bob the Builder: A Christmas to Remember - The Movie* (2001), as Tom / Pogo (voice)
- *Bedtime* (2001), series, as Paul Newcombe
- *Shades* (2001), series, as Mark Roberts
- *When Boxing Ruled The World* (2001), as Narrator ( Voice)
- *In Deep* (2001), series, as Garth O'Hanlon
- *Hotel Splendide* (2000), as Dezmond Blanche
- *Black Cab* (2000), series, as Christopher
- *The Flint Street Nativity* (1999), as Tim Moyle / Narrator
- *Grafters* (1998), series, as Trevor Purvis
- *Wallace & Gromit in A Grand Day Out* (1998), series, as Narrator (Voice)
- *Brassed Off* (1996), as Phil — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/brassed-off.md)
- *Dalziel and Pascoe* (1996), series, as Brian Fairmile
- *Ballykissangel* (1996), series, as Fr. Peter Clifford
- *A Very Open Prison* (1995), as Jeremy Craig
- *The Deep Blue Sea* (1994), as Philip Welch
- *Downwardly Mobile* (1994), series, Actor
- *(All Quiet on the) Preston Front* (1994), series, as Spock
- *Shakespeare: The Animated Tales* (1992), series, as Sir Andrew (voice), Autolycus (voice)
- *Twelfth Night* (1992), as Sir Andrew (voice)
- *Amnesty International's Big 30* (1991), as Damien Day
- *Performance* (1991), series, as Philip Welch
- *Prime Suspect* (1991), series, as Sean Philips — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/prime-suspect.md)
- *Drop the Dead Donkey* (1990), series, as Damien Day — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/drop-the-dead-donkey.md)
- *And a Nightingale Sang* (1989), as Eric
- *After Henry* (1988), series, as Julian
- *Treacle* (1987), as Stephen Duffell
- *Casualty* (1986), series, as PC Tony Mitton — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/casualty.md)
- *Minder* (1979), series, as DC Park — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/minder.md)
- *Tania*, as Alan

## Gallery

- ![Stephen Tompkinson](https://film.one/media/person/86859/gallery-4e915bffec6b.png) Stephen Tompkinson — Joost Pauwels, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Stephen_Tompkinson_%282025%29.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Stephen Tompkinson, cropped from original (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/86859/gallery-c5de8bbd26c7.png) Stephen Tompkinson, cropped from original (2013) — whatleydude, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Tompkin_upload.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/stephen-tompkinson