Thomas Howes

About Me

English Actor, Musician and Film Maker

About me

Thomas Howes is an English actor and musician. He portrayed John Booth in the first and second series of the BBC historical drama Gentleman Jack.

 

Thomas Howes is a Screen Actor’s Guild Award-winning Actor of Stage & Screen. He did a BA Hons in Acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he received a Classical training. He was put in the top 1% of the country by MENSA. He also did a Summer course with National Youth Theatre.

He has performed such Classical authors as Terence Rattigan, William Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, & Agatha Christie, as well as more modern classics such as Alan Bennett, Lord Julian Fellowes, & Sally Wainwright.

Thomas went straight from drama school into Alan Bennett’s `The History Boys’, for the National Theatre, starring Desmond Barrit, on No. 1 tour and at the Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End, playing Scripps. He also did the original read-through of `The Habit of Art’.

He has played 4 West End theatres, the Wyndham’s, Trafalgar Studios, St. Martin’s, and the Duchess. He has also toured the UK extensively.

Thomas is probably best known for playing William Mason in Series 1 & 2 of ITV’s `Downton Abbey’, with Dame Maggie Smith & Hugh Bonneville, written by Lord Julian Fellowes, which received international acclaim.

He played Team Captain Mark Jones in BBC film `United’, starring David Tennant, Dougray Scott, Jack O’Connell, & Sam Claflin.

Thomas was part of the 2008 Remembrance Day commemorations in `Armistice 90 : Live from the Cenotaph’ playing Captain Charles May. He played Young Ralph in the `ChuckleVision’ Christmas Special.

On radio, he played Joseph Prado in `Tulips in Winter’ for BBC Radio 3, starring Timothy Spall, and Lennox in `Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare, starring Daniel Evans & Tom Hiddleston.

Thomas played Dickie Winslow in `The Winslow Boy’ at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, and on National Tour, starring Timothy West.

He played Colonel Yashvin in the film `Anna Karenina’, directed by Joe Wright, adapted by Sir Tom Stoppard, and starring Kiera Knightley & Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

Thomas played George Symons in Owen McCafferty’s new verbatim play `Titanic’, opening a new theatre called The MAC in Belfast. He originated the role of Yvan in a new opera `The Lighthouse Keepers’ by David Sawyer and also played Words in Samuel Beckett’s `Words and Music’, both for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.

Thomas was flown to Canada to play a young sword-fighting Sir Winston Churchill in `The Murdoch Mysteries’.

Thomas led the cast of Agatha Christie’s `The Mousetrap’ on its 1st ever tour in 2012, for the 60th Anniversary, playing Detective Sergeant Trotter.

He played Detective Constable Roy Grace in the tour of `The Perfect Murder’ by Peter James, starring Robert Dawes & Dawn Steele.

Thomas played George Ward in `Dark Angel’, reuniting with `Downton”s Joanne Froggatt & Bafta-winning director Brian Percival. He also played Constable Booth in `Houdini & Doyle’.

He played Samuel Hartley in `To Walk Invisible’ by Sally Wainwright, starring Jonathan Pryce, for the BBC.

Thomas originated a role in Musical Theatre, playing Ratty in `The Wind in the Willows : the Musical’ on tour, starring Rufus Hound & Fra Fee, with Music & Lyrics by Stiles & Drewe, & a book by Lord Julian Fellowes.

Thomas gained rave reviews for playing Algernon Moncrieff in `The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde on tour in 2018 with the Original Theatre Company, directed by Alastair Whatley, & starring Gwen Taylor.
Also in 2018, Thomas starred as John Booth in Series 1 & 2 of BBC’s `Gentleman Jack’, starring Suranne Jones, and written & directed by Sally Wainwright.
He played Eddie Tannerman in `Call the Midwife’, and has appeared in a Music Video for band The Rosadocs.
Thomas has appeared in a great many pantomimes, including Widow Twankey in the 1st pro panto at the Dearne Playhouse, Ugly Sisters with Olivier Award-winning Actor Des Barrit, and with QDOS, the World’s biggest panto company, as Dame Sarah Fitzwarren in `Dick Whittington’ at the Wycombe Swan.

Thomas has worked with the finest in the profession, including authors Alan Bennett, Lord Julian Fellowes, and Sally Wainwright, and directors such as Sir Nicholas Hytner and Joe Wright. He has worked with choreographers such as Andrew Wright, Kevan Allen, & Gary Lloyd, fight directors including Kevin McCurdy, and trained with acclaimed Voice Coach Patsy Rodenburg.

 
In addition to his professional work, Thomas keeps an interest in local productions in Doncaster, running his own theatre company, Diamond Theatre Company. He has appeared with 2Act Theatre Company, and has supported groups Superkids, and Friends of the Doncaster Grand.
He did 12 Seasonal Concerts in 1 year in 2019, bringing together several different local theatre groups under one umbrella, & bringing several famous faces to Doncaster as Special Guest Stars. He has also appeared in a series of `What the Dickens’ shows, playing Charles Dickens, doing 6 shows over 5 years, featuring every single Dickens’ Christmas story, and many more.
Currently, Thomas is about to start the new Alan Bennett film, directed by Sir Nicholas Hytner.