
Jay Simpson
Biography
Jay Simpson is a prolific English film, television and stage actor. Most recently, he has appeared in Chernobyl and Frontier.
Simpson is perhaps best known in television for portraying cockney desk sergeant Ian 'Brookie' Brooke in Foyle's War, and he has also appeared on television in Recovery with David Tennant and Sarah Parish, Hot Money, Bad Crowd, A Touch of Frost, Casualty, Primeval, The Bill, Peep Show, Rome, Ashes to Ashes, Murder in Suburbia and Soundproof. Jay also uses his charm and voice skills as he is the voice of 'The Tree of Temptation' in Big Brother.
His films include Hush Your Mouth, The Holiday, Pride and Prejudice and Erik the Viking and the 1988 TV film The Firm with Gary Oldman. He also voiced a major character, Flea, in the 2008 English language DVD re-release of the cult 2006 Norwegian animated film, Free Jimmy, alongside Woody Harrelson and with dialogue written by Simon Pegg. The character of Flea was something of comedy relief in the film, with a character partly inspired by Sean Ryder.
In 2008 he appeared alongside Ross Boatman and Roger Lloyd-Pack in Patrick Marber's play Dealer's Choice for a run on the West End. In 2011 he appeared as George Redman in the television film The Suspicions of Mr Whicher for ITV.
In 2011, he appeared in "The National Anthem", an episode of the anthology series Black Mirror
On 13 April 2012, he appeared as Stretch in the sitcom Not Going Out and appeared in the ITV series Mrs Biggs as one of the great train robbers, Bruce Reynolds.
Filmography

National Theatre at Home: The Story
2026
as Detective

Blitz
2024
as Timothy Ashdown

The Critic
2024
as Slyfield

Tuesday
2024
as Spike

Sherbet
2024
as Rene

National Theatre Live: Othello
2023
as Brabantio / Gratiano

Ferryman
2022
as Dad

Bull
2021
as Dave

King Gary Christmas Special
2020
as John The Butcher

Enola Holmes
2020
as Conductor (uncredited)

Sitting in Limbo
2020
as Trevor

Brexit: The Uncivil War
2019
as Steve
- No poster
This Little Death
2018
as Mortimer

Terminal
2018
as Danny

Their Finest
2017
as Alf Reynolds

Rearview
2017
as Johno

The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared
2016
as Bas

Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light
2016
as Self

The Guvnors
2014
as Neil

Rush
2013
as British Journalist

The Magnificent Eleven
2013
as Rob

The Great Train Robbery
2012
as Narrator

Acts of Godfrey
2012
as Phil

Wild Bill
2011
as Det. Harry 'Superspeed' Cotty