THE BIG INTERVIEW
gauge ribbing and fully cushioned soles for total comfort and heel and toe areas are enhanced with polypropylene for maximum durability. As a celebrity builder, Tommy is regularly changing his shoes from heavy boots to Rigger boots and steel toe-cap safety boots and shoes. The Workforce range includes socks that are comfortable when worn with all these different shoes, meaning he always has the right socks for the job at hand!
he classic Workforce range includes thermal socks, heavy-duty boot socks, Wellington boot socks, Rigger boot socks and protective knee socks. The professional range includes ultimate reinforced socks designed for the construction industry, offering warmth, protection and comfort for any job. “Whatever the job you have to do, itʼs important to have the best equipment that will help you get the job done to the best standard. I believe that Workforce socks are the market leaders in durability and comfort.” I asked Tommy if he got involved in designing the Workforce range and, although he didnʼt, he has visited the factory and design studio to see how they are made and has also made some design suggestions which will become evident as the range grows. While I have Tommy captive, I ask him for his views on workwear in general. I wasnʼt surprised to learn that a few years ago, he had been signed up by an American company to design a workwear range for European buyers. “Itʼs something Iʼd always wanted to do,” he confides. But then the recession hit and the project fell by the wayside. He tells me, however, that a lot of workwear today is designed on price – to make it more economical – and not on practicality. “A lot of it is hardwearing but cheap and uncomfortable. “Workwear has got to be comfortable. We spend so much time at work. Itʼs
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another of Tommyʼs sayings, but I say if its good enough to earn it in, itʼs good enough to spend it in.”
Workwear checklist
ENGINEERED: Workforce’s Ultimate Safety Sock (right) and their new Safety Trainer Socks (below)
For one thing, he says, if he was starting from scratch, he would have a summer range and a winter range. Each garment would need to have flexibility built in. There also needs to be a safe place for money and somewhere for your pen, pencil and phone. “The position of the pockets is also important. Your phone pocket needs to be where itʼs going to have less impact. Itʼs got to be carefully located on a jacket,” he adds I mention the age old problem of builderʼs bum and Tommy has come up with the answer. Braces! “The problem with builderʼs bum is that theyʼve put on the pouch and belt which holds the tools, but the weight of the tools pulls the trousers down. I put a set of braces onto the belt so that the weight of the belt comes up onto my shoulders and onto my
back. It also helps to straighten you up. Itʼs a far more efficient way of working.” I ask Tommy is he is still involved in the building trade. “I tried to have the TV career and the building business for two years. Iʼd do three days a week filming and the rest doing my contract work. But the TV people werenʼt happy because I wasnʼt where they wanted me to be so I made the decision to stop doing the contract work.” Since then, TV work has more than kept him busy. At one stage he was filming six TV series in a single year. “Some people only manage one!” he told me. As well as being a brand ambassador, Tommy has an educational role, visiting colleges and encouraging youngsters to enter the building trade.
ne surprise fact I learned about Tommy was that he had a small cameo role in the film One. “It was actually described as a ʻpivotalʼ role,” he laughs. “I played a hitman called Vince. But when I was first offered the part, I insisted that I wouldnʼt play it with violence because I work with a lot of kids. So I said heʼs going to have to be played either two ways – like Billy Liar or menacing. I wonʼt do violence.”
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The role came about through director Rob Brown, who Tommy had previously known through his TV work. Having initially been offered the role, Tommy didnʼt hear anything for three years. Then a call came out of the blue from Rob Brown, saying: “Iʼve got the money now. Do you still want to do it?” Continues Tommy: “My scene was shot in Leyton at my mateʼs café. I was a complete amateur, although Iʼd played Jesus Christ in a school play and my first acting role was at the Albert Hall – aged about 11 or 12 – in a big show called Adventure Unknown. It was a sell-out, with 12,000 tickets sold. And I was the best King Penguin ever!” Although Tommy was used to facing the TV cameras, acting for a movie required a different skills set. “In most of the work I do I am talking directly to the camera, like having a conversation. For dramatic roles, you have to avoid the camera.” As he was filmed playing Vince, he recalls: “I saw the camera come round and it was all I could do not to give a wink and address the camera.” If you watch the film, Tommy says you can probably detect a hint of a smirk! I wondered if Tommy enjoyed being a celebrity. “Itʼs strange, but I donʼt notice it. I am a well-known face, but Iʼm like the guy next door. I even bought a house in the same street where I grew up. I need to be near my roots.”
As we wind up the interview, he tells me
heʼs off to the Ivy, that well known celebrity haunt, to discuss some new ideas for television programmes. I wished him luck – not that he needs it, and told him to sock it to ʼem! n For more information about Workforce socks call Ian Lomas on 01204 854 800 or email
ian_lomas@ruia.co.uk
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk March 2013 | 41 |
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