Will Jessop

Will Jessop
Will Jessop in 2022
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2007–present
Websitewilljessop.com

Will Jessop is a British writer and director, and the brother of Tommy Jessop. He is an outspoken advocate for disabled talent.[1]

Career

Documentary

Jessop's first broadcast documentary was Growing Up Down's (2014) for BBC Three, which tells the story of his brother Tommy and other actors from Blue Apple Theatre as they create a touring production of Hamlet.[2] The documentary received positive reviews[3] and was nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Documentary.[4]

In 2020, Jessop directed the BBC2 documentary 25 Siblings & Me, which follows a 21 year old British man called Oli Benjamin as he sets out to connect with his dibling family in the United States.[5]

Jessop series directed the Channel 4 / Discovery+ series Investigating Diana: Death in Paris (2022), with unprecedented access to the officers of Operation Paget.[6]

In 2023, Jessop reunited with his brother Tommy for the BBC1 documentary Tommy Jessop Goes To Hollywood, in which the brothers set out to challenge the negative typecasting of disabled talent by creating and pitching their own superhero movie: Roger the Superhero.[7] The documentary features Kit Harington, Will Sharpe, Neve Campbell and Zack Gottsagen.[8]

Theatre

Between 2010 and 2014, Jessop worked as a playwright with the learning disabled actors of Blue Apple Theatre[9] to create adaptations and original productions including A Midsummer Night's Dream,[10] Captain Miserable and the Book Guardian, Gogol's The Government Inspector, Hamlet, Feydeau's Hotel du Paradis,[11] and Much Ado About Nothing.

References

  1. ^ Kahn, Ellie (15 August 2023). "'Will Jessop: It's fashionable to be diverse, but is it true diversity?". Broadcast.
  2. ^ Wright, Jeremy (21 January 2014). "'Growing Up Down's': Tommy's got Talent". The Independent. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  3. ^ Fletcher, Alex (3 February 2014). "'Growing Up Down's' Preview: Powerful Documentary is Brilliant TV:". The Independent. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Britain Leads International Emmy Award Charge". The Guardian. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  5. ^ Agnew, Megan (26 September 2020). "25 siblings and me: the search for my sperm donor father". The Times. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  6. ^ Jeffries, Stuart (21 August 2022). "Investigating Diana: Death in Paris review – like Making a Murderer meets the royals". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  7. ^ Midgley, Carol (21 August 2023). "'Tommy Jessop Goes To Hollywood Review". The Times. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  8. ^ Reay, Cathy (21 August 2023). "Tommy Jessop Goes to Hollywood review – a charming attempt to create a Down's syndrome superhero movie". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  9. ^ "William Jessop". Ink Pellet. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  10. ^ Payne, Warwick (9 June 2010). "Blue Apple tackles the Bard (From Hampshire Chronicle)". Hampshirechronicle.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Blue Apple Theatre | the Hotel". Blue Apple Theatre. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.