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

• Babies — Ralph
• 2026National Theatre at Home: The Story — Detective
• The Hack — Glenn Vian
• 2024Blitz — Timothy Ashdown
• 2024Sherbet — Rene
• 2024The Critic — Slyfield
• The Day of the Jackal — George Hands
• 2024Tuesday — Spike
• 2023National Theatre Live: Othello — Brabantio / Gratiano
• A Spy Among Friends — MI6 cabbie
• 2022Ferryman — Dad
• Pistol — Ron, Steve's Stepdad
• Sister Boniface Mysteries — Alfie Lynch
• 2021Bull — Dave
• Stephen — Peter Birdsall
• The Nevers — Tunnel Foreman
• Des — DS Chris Healey
• 2020Enola Holmes — Conductor (uncredited)
• 2020King Gary Christmas Special — John The Butcher
• 2020Sitting in Limbo — Trevor
• Small Axe — Duty Officer
• 2019Brexit: The Uncivil War — Steve
• Chernobyl — Perevozchenko
• 2018Terminal — Danny
• 2018This Little Death — Mortimer
• 2017Rearview — Johno
• 2017Their Finest — Alf Reynolds
• 2016The 101-Year-Old Man Who Skipped Out on the Bill and Disappeared — Bas
• Cradle to Grave — Ernie
• The Game — Colin Blakefield
• 2014The Guvnors — Neil
• Run — Steven
• 2013Rush — British Journalist
• 2013The Magnificent Eleven — Rob
• Utopia — Detective Richmond
• 2012Acts of Godfrey — Phil
• Call the Midwife — Albert Calthorpe
• Mrs Biggs — Bruce Reynolds
• 2012The Great Train Robbery — Narrator
• 2011Age of Heroes — RMP Company Sergeant Major
• Black Mirror — Rod Senseless, Gordon
• Comedy Blaps — The Pitbull
• 2011Dreams of a Life — Caretaker
• 2011Hattie — Bruce
• 2011Shifter — Huxley
• Silk — Russell
• 2011The Murder at Road Hill House — George Redman
• 2011Wild Bill — Det. Harry 'Superspeed' Cotty
• 2010Round Ireland with a Fridge — London Cabbie
• Ashes to Ashes — Reeks
• 2008Mrs In-Betweeny — Kevin
• 2008Shifty — Trevor
• 2007Hush Your Mouth — Alan Townsend
• 2007Recovery — Johnathan
• Secret Diary of a Call Girl — Punter
• The Sarah Jane Adventures — Jay
• Not Going Out — Stretch
• 2006The Holiday — Limo Driver
• 2005Pride & Prejudice — Meryton Milliner
• Murder in Suburbia — Photographer
• 2004The I Inside — Morgue Orderly
• 2004Wall of Silence — John Weighill
• Peep Show — Foz
• Bodily Harm — Tintin
• 2002Club Le Monde — Mark
• Foyle's War — Sergeant Ian Brooke, Sgt Brooke
• 2002Occasional, Strong — Steve
• 2001Hot Money — Barry Weller
• Murphy's Law — Neil
• 2001South West 9 — Elf
• 1999Beautiful People — Bigsy
• Pilgrim's Rest — Ronnie
• The Thin Blue Line — Baz
• A Touch of Frost — Peter Bainbridge
• Heartbeat — Steve Dempsey
• 1989Death of a Son — John Williams
• 1989Erik the Viking — Leif the Lucky
• Press Gang — Archie
• 1989The Firm — Dominic
• The Fear — Mark
• 1988The Moneymen — Other Dealer
• 1987Empire State — Jeff
• 1986Nobody Here Knows — Mouth
• Screen Two — Dominic, John Williams
• Dramarama — Vincent
• The Baker Street Boys — Wiggins
• Black Cab — Harry
• Blueberry — Daddy
• The Present Times — Clive Westlake

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 2016Alan Clarke: Out of His Own Light — Self