A Bafta-nominated actor from Bradford has established his own drama school to assist working-class northern English talents in entering the TV and film industry. The school, called the West Yorkshire Workshop, is led by Samuel Bottomley, who earned a Bafta nod for his role in Channel 4’s Somewhere Boy in 2023. The school offers courses on weekends and evenings, with tuition provided by Bottomley and directors he has worked with, such as Molly Manning Walker and Penny Woolcock. The school is influenced by the Nottingham Television Workshop, which has been supporting working-class artists since 1983 and has produced successful actors and directors. Bottomley believes that the northern region, including Yorkshire, lacks access to the arts and hopes that his school can help change that. He had to tone down his Yorkshire accent and had limited exposure to family connections in the industry, which motivated him to create the school. Fees for the school’s courses are set to be affordable, with £15 for two-hour sessions for teenagers and £80 for weekend sessions for adults.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/27/samuel-bottomley-somewhere-boy-actor-launches-drama-school-in-bradford