User:FishLoveHam/Tommy Foster

Tommy Foster is a fictional character from the BBC police procedural drama Blue Lights, portrayed by Nathan Braniff. Tommy first appeared in the pilot episode of the series, first broadcast on 27 March 2023. Tommy was initially introduced as one of three struggling rookie police officers at the fictional Blackthorn police station.

Development
Upon the cast announcements for Blue Lights, Tommy was billed as a rookie police officer in his probation period who is "desperate to prove himself, despite being disastrously inept at the practical side of frontline response policing".

When Blue Lights was renewed for a second series, Braniff appeared on the BBC Breakfast with co-star Brooke.

"In the first series, Tommy goes through some pretty difficult things and I think throughout the second series they stay with him". "It's interesting to see how he navigates the trauma that he's going through while still trying to do the job as well as he can".

"For Tommy, I think going from the first series to the second series, if he was going to last in this job for a year, he was going to have to make some changes because the way he is in the first series, he might not have stuck it out". "So I decided I wanted to get him a bit more fit, more able, because these guys have to be ready for anything in the streets of Belfast".

Braniff came from a family of kickboxers, who helped him get into shape to play Tommy in the second series.

Braniff described the success of Blue Lights as "the most insane experience ever".

Braniff was enthusiastic to star in a series based in Northern Ireland "-So to have a job in your own accent at home, you know all the context because you've lived here all your life, it's pretty special".

"It's been well over two years that I've been thinking about Tommy; how he is, how he acts, how he reacts, the things he says".

"In series one, a lot of the time Tommy was just getting to grips with this new world that he was in, he's a bit of a nervous character, but I think he's passionate about the kind of stuff that he does, I think he's driven to be the best police officer he can be".

"He's fitter, he can move a bit better, and he's super hungry to get out into the streets of Belfast and put a stop to the crime that's out there".

First major acting role.

https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/mediapacks/blue-lights

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-68770877

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/mar/24/belfast-cop-show-blue-lights-changed-northern-ireland-bomb-gunfire

https://www.irishnews.com/sport/othersports/2023/02/22/news/belfast_s_braniff_brothers_to_the_four_in_history-making_show-3080686/

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/reviews/blue-lights-belfast-front-and-centre-in-police-drama/1714819161.html

https://www.whattowatch.com/features/blue-lights-cast-whos-who-in-the-irish-police-drama

https://inews.co.uk/culture/blue-lights-cast-who-sian-brooke-bbc-one-drama-series-how-many-episodes-2235924

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/blue-lights-season-2-release-date/

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/blue-lights-bbc-cast/

Reception
Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian praised the characters of Blue Lights as being "well drawn and believable", adding that "the partnership between young Tommy, who is on the fast track but is also naive and can’t shoot, and grizzled Gerry, who has seen far more than most, has developed into an almost paternal relationship".

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/blue-lights-season-2-review/