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Ricky Tomlinson (born Eric Tomlinson, 26 September 1939) is an English actor and political activist whose screen career began in the early 1980s and continues into the 2020s. He came to prominence on British television as Bobby Grant in the Channel 4 soap Brookside, and reached wider popular recognition for his portrayal of Jim Royle in the BBC sitcom The Royle Family. Tomlinson has worked across film and television, taking both leading and supporting parts in socially grounded dramas and comedies. He is also known for his trade-union activism and for campaigning to overturn his 1970s conviction as one of the Shrewsbury pickets; that conviction was quashed on appeal in 2021. Off-screen he has presented and fronted documentary work and occasional travel programming.

... Born in Bispham, Blackpool, on 26 September 1939 and raised in Liverpool, Ricky Tomlinson worked for many years as a plasterer before turning to performance. He began appearing on television in the early 1980s and established himself as a recognisable screen presence with the long-running role of Bobby Grant in Brookside (1982–1988). Throughout the 1990s and 2000s he alternated between gritty drama and popular comedy, with notable film appearances and a defining comic role as Jim Royle in The Royle Family. Alongside acting, Tomlinson has presented documentaries, taken part in factual and entertainment programmes, and been a public campaigner on labour and legal-justice issues. His public profile combines a working‑class, politically engaged persona with steady character work on stage and screen. He remains active on television, in film cameos and in public life, and has been publicly honoured by his home city of Liverpool. Then & Now The 1980s In the 1980s Tomlinson emerged from a working-class background to become a household name on British television, most notably as Bobby Grant in Channel 4’s Brookside (1982–1988). That long-running role established him as a recognisable, authentic screen presence and opened the door to further work in socially grounded dramas and early film roles. His performances in the decade helped cement a screen persona rooted in working‑class experience and political awareness, setting the tone for his later comic and dramatic work. Now (2026) As of 2026 Tomlinson is regarded as a veteran figure of British screen and public life, his legacy anchored by Bobby Grant and the beloved Jim Royle from The Royle Family as well as by decades of trade‑union campaigning. He has continued to make occasional acting and broadcasting appearances, front documentaries and public events, and has spoken widely about labour and legal‑justice issues, including the successful quashing of his Shrewsbury pickets conviction in 2021. Semi‑retired but still active, he is remembered as a principled representative of working‑class experience in British drama and comedy. Career timeline 1939 Born Eric Tomlinson on 26 September in Bispham, Blackpool; family later settled in Liverpool after World War II. 1950s–1960s Worked as a plasterer and played in several local bands while becoming involved in amateur performance. 1982 Cast as Bobby Grant in the Channel 4 soap Brookside, a role he played from 1982 to 1988. 1991 Appeared in Ken Loach's film Riff-Raff, sharing the screen with Robert Carlyle and Peter Mullan. 1994–1996 Played DCI Charlie Wise in the crime drama Cracker, a recurring role across the mid-1990s. 1998 Began playing Jim Royle in the BBC sitcom The Royle Family, the role that became his best-known comic part. 2001 Played the title role in the football mockumentary film Mike Bassett: England Manager. 2014 Awarded the Freedom of Liverpool in recognition of his contributions to the city and its culture. 2020 Co-presented the travel series Ricky & Ralf’s Very Northern Road Trip with Ralf Little for Gold. 2021 Conviction related to the 1970s Shrewsbury pickets was overturned by the Court of Appeal, a matter on which Tomlinson had campaigned for decades. Public reference sources Public biography and credit reference.Ricky Tomlinson – Wikipedia reference search Public biography and credit reference.Ricky Tomlinson – IMDb name search Biographical and credit details were checked against Ricky Tomlinson – Wikipedia reference search, Ricky Tomlinson – IMDb name search.