Leading Role For Chiswick Boy In BBC Drama 'The Last Post'

Toby Woolf will be seen in story of military families set in 1960's

A local schoolboy who answered an advertisement to play a role in a BBC 1 drama, found himself landing the lead child role and being on set for six weeks in South Africa. Toby Woolf, aged 8, from Chiswick can be seen in the forthcoming BBC drama The Last Post, a 6 part BBC drama series which starts on Sunday 1st October at 9pm.

Image; Faye Thomas

Toby had no acting experience prior to The Last Post. He fell into it, having answered an advert for an open casting for another film. Although he wasn't given a role in that movie, his talent was spotted and his parents were pursuaded to let him audition for a role in the TV drama.

The result was a trip to film in South Africa for six weeks last year.The whole experience in South Africa was amazing and Toby loved being on set. His parents both took it in turns to travel with him and said it was a real privilege to be able to experience a film set. "The cast were amazing and so talented," his proud mum commented.

Toby is a pupil at Caldicott in Farnham Royal, and was previously at The Falcons in Chiswick.

He had participated in school plays but he’d never been the star; he was more involved with rugby at Wasps and Friday Night Football at Rocks Lane. (He plays in a team called Real Chiswick)

Toby attended an open casting for a Spielberg film (The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara) in July 2016 – it was a large international casting and Toby was recalled several times. In fact, he made it to the very last few internationally. The film is on hold, but the casting director at Nina Gold said Toby was a very gifted actor with natural ability. She suggested his parents find an agent for Toby and asked if they would be interested in The Last Post.

The family were initially somewhat reluctant as filming was in South Africa, but they were pursuaded to attend an audition and after meeting Mark Pybus (Producer) and Jonny Campbell (Director) they convinced them that Toby’s education wouldn’t suffer.

"We are so very proud of Toby and can’t wait to see where this adventure takes him next!" says his mother Marnie.

Written by BAFTA winner Peter Moffat for BBC One, The Last Post is based on childhood memories, his father's career as an officer in the Royal Military Police and his mother's struggle between being what the army required her to be and what she felt like being. The Last Post is a close up view of army life set in the heat, glamour and extreme danger of Aden in the 1960s.

Peter Moffat says: “Young married couples in the heart of the Sixties living in extremely close proximity in a very alien and dangerous environment has always struck me as ripe territory for drama. Men full of vim, vigor and a desire to be heroes in a situation where that isn't always possible; alongside young women who are starting to feel the emancipation of the Sixties and a sense of new freedoms but who are living in a constrained setting where their role is supposed to be merely supportive.

"Throw in tumultuous love stories alongside the unexplored territory of this period in our history and you have a pretty heady mix. This was my parent's world and one I have wanted to write about all my career.”

Set in the shimmering heat of Aden (Yemen), the drama centres on a unit of Royal Military Police officers and their families. Their job is two-fold: half soldiers and half policemen who face constant insurgency and threat. Danger is everywhere. Hand grenades, mines and sniper attacks are a constant threat.

Toby loved his acting experience so much, he is hoping to do more in the coming years. He is represented now by Independent Talent.

September 25, 2017