Tommy Lee Royce
Tommy Lee Royce is eighteen months into serving a life sentence in a Category A prison, Gravesend. He’s in decent shape compared to when we last saw him - when he looked squalid and weak on the narrow boat.
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Prison life, it seems, suits Tommy. He’s been spending time in the prison gym, and a crucifix tattoo on his neck and head indicate his foray into religion - an attempt at redemption perhaps. But if there’s one thing we know about Tommy, it’s that you can never take him at face value. He may look different, but a leopard doesn't change his spots and inside, he’s still a narcissistic psychopath.
Tommy's prison sentence has earned him a notoriety common with murders and he’s accrued a fan club of women who want to save him and will stop at nothing to please him - such as regular visitor Frances. This thought is disturbing enough without thinking about what would happen if he was to succeed in fulfilling his twisted fantasy of putting Catherine out of her misery and claiming back what’s his…his son Ryan.
James Norton on his character
Has Tommy changed in series two?
No, he is still a psychopath, he is still Tommy Lee Royce. It’s not like he has reformed but the images you see of him in prison may lead you to believe he has changed. The damage was done when he was abused and neglected and I don’t think he will ever change. There are glimmers of hope with Ryan but no sooner than they arrive do they return to this dark, hostile, nasty place.
You have a new look for the new series. How does that feel?
We talked about how we wanted Tommy presented 18 months on from the first series and I think someone like Tommy going into prison would either collapse and be destroyed by it all or take control. We decided that it was going to be the latter – he shaved his head and got fit so that we could tell the story that Tommy took charge. It has been really interesting jumping in 18 months on and seeing where he is at, because in series one you see his mind begin to fall apart and now he is sort of left with that.
Where do we first meet Tommy in series two?
We join Tommy when he is in the middle of being visited by a woman. There are a number of people who find the lives of these men and women in prison fascinating and they want to reach out to them in some way. It can start with a letter or two, then a few visits, and then it starts to become a friendship. This woman is someone who has reached out to Tommy and what is beautiful about Sally’s writing is that you’re never quite sure how much of it is purely manipulation and grooming and how much of it isn’t. It has been a wonderful relationship to explore for me.
Is Tommy out to get Catherine this time round?
What was established in series one was the relationship between Ryan and his dad. Tommy genuinely believes that the world is such a horrible place, he doesn't want his son to live in it. Ryan is the only person he has ever loved. He wanted to take Ryan away from this horrible, hostile place which was a gesture of love. So it is always about Catherine because in his head she's the one who has put him in prison and it's all her fault that he can’t see his son. He wants to get back at Catherine but a lot of it has to do with Ryan.
