Elliot Brown

A BUDDING young actor made an unexpected cameo on a BBC documentary about Tourette’s Syndrome.

Elliot Brown with Alesha Dixon at the Barn Theatre [Picture: MeltingPot Pictures]

As an actor, you would normally know when you’re due to appear on television.

But when Elliot Brown appeared in a BBC documentary about Tourette’s Syndrome, it came as a complete surprise.

Elliot, a former pupil at Monk’s Walk School in WGC, only found out he was on the box after his brother received a text saying the 20-year-old had been spotted in Tourette’s: I Swear I Can Sing.

The BBC3 documentary followed the story of Tourette’s sufferer Ruth Ojadi, a promising young singer whose life and career had been ruined by the condition.

Elliot Brown with 2011 Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Scarborough at the Barn Theatre in Welwyn Garden City [Picture: MeltingPot Pictures:

In the programme, Elliot met Ruth to find out what it was like living with Tourette’s, as part of his research into a role he was preparing for at the prestigious Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.

Although he knew cameras were rolling during their conversation, Elliot had no idea he’d make the final cut.

“It was quite a surprise – my family and I were sitting down for dinner and then my brother got a text saying ‘Your brother’s on tele!’,” he said.

“The documentary followed Ruth as she aspired to conquer her Tourette’s and fulfil her love of singing at gigs.

“I simply went to visit Ruth to talk about Tourette’s Syndrome because I was playing a role at Mountview of a young man with Tourette’s.

“The director was aware of me meeting Ruth and asked if I’d be willing for them to film our little chat, which then turned into a pretty big chat.”

It’s capped a great year for Elliot, which saw the Barn Theatre regular produce the “Barn Theatre presents...” with Olivier Award-winning actor Adrian Scarborough and WGC beauty and fellow Monk’s Walk alumni Alesha Dixon, a judge on Britain’s Got Talent.

Now he’s won a scholarship to study at Mountview.

“It’s exceeded all my expectations,” said Elliot.

“I’m doing my weekly Shakespeare class with the man who played Gandalf on the West End; how often can you say that?”

But Elliot is not the first Monk’s Walk student to make headlines – his former school colleague is golf sensation Tom Lewis. “There must be something in the water,” Elliot said.

“Monk’s Walk is a great school to grow up in. I was given a lot of freedom whilst there to do a lot of extra-curricular things, run events for other students and generally had a lot of support from my teachers.”