Tommy Jessop plays Terry Boyle in Line Of Duty
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Line of Duty series six returns with Terry Boyle in the spotlight

Terry Boyle is a callback to previous series!

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Line Of Duty series six is back – can we get a Thank you, Jesus, Mary and Joseph? – (Sunday March 21), and returning peripheral character Terry Boyle appears to be taking centre stage.

Hardcore fans of the hit BBC crime drama will already have recognised him from previous series.

But when has Terry Boyle been in Line of Duty before and what has he been mixed up in?

kelly macdonald in line of duty
Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson in Line of Duty (Credit: BBC)

What happened with Terry Boyle in other series of Line Of Duty?

In tonight’s episode, DCI Joanne Davidson and her team interrogate Terry Boyle.

They think he has something to do with the murder of journalist Gail Vella. Kind of.

And it’s not the first time Terry Boyle has been in close contact with cops.

In series one, Terry was an acquaintance of gangster Tommy Hunter’s men, rather, boys – Ryan Pilkington, Carly and Dean cruelly exploiting his learning difficulties and manipulated him.

Read more: New Line of Duty: Jed Mercurio admits it’s ‘possible’ top three characters could be killed off

The gang members used Terry’s flat to hide the corpse of Jackie Laverty – Hunter’s associate and an early Line of Duty victim-slash-villain was dumped in his freezer.

When Terry realised that he was being used, he telephoned the police.

He was interviewed by PCs Karen Larkin and Simon Banerjee, who grew frustrated with Terry’s inability to articulate.

They made their excuses and left.

Tommy Jessop plays Tommy Boyle in Line Of Duty
Terry Boyle appeared in series five of Line Of Duty (Credit: BBC)

Has Terry Boyle been in any other series of Line Of Duty?

Terry also popped up in series five.

Elliott Rosen played Terry in the first series, but Tommy Jessop took over the role in the last run.

Ryan Pilkington was still giving him grief, and he, alongside OCG members Miroslav and Lisa McQueen paid Terry a visit after the police had called.

They were angry with him for not telling them about the raid on the print shop, hub of their activity.

Jackie Laverty’s body was still in his freezer, unmoved since 2012.

Does actor Tommy Jessop have Down’s Syndrome?

Yes, actor Tommy Jessop, 36, has Down’s Syndrome.

Tommy became the first Down’s Syndrome actor to appear in a BBC primetime drama.

He showed an interest in acting from a young age, which surprised his mum, Jane.

She said: “We thought, ‘Oh yeah, everyone wants to be on the telly.’

“Let’s fix him up with some football and some swimming, and then get him a job.”

Seeing his love for acting blossom, Jane set up a company in Winchester for actors with learning disabilities.

Tommy Jessop plays Tommy Boyle in Line Of Duty
Tommy also starred in Coming Down The Mountain (Credit: BBC/YouTube)

What has Tommy been in before?

Tommy has appeared in popular BBC medical dramas Doctors, Casualty and Holby City.

He also played the lead role in BBC One drama Coming Down The Mountain.

The one-off 2007 drama told the story of two angst-ridden brothers, David and Ben.

Read more: Line of Duty on BBC One: Martin Compston teases Steve Arnott looking to quit AC-12

He’s also played Hamlet in Shakespeare’s famous play.

Tommy is a groundbreaking actor, but even he has his heroes.

He says: “I admire Johnny Depp for his acting and Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Mark Rylance.

Actors With Down Syndrome Redefining Representation In Film - INNOCENCE

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor

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