Grantchester star Tom Brittney's private life off-screen: from artistic fiancé to famous mum
Grantchester fans are preparing to say goodbye to Reverend Will Davenport as Tom Brittney takes his final turn as the crime-solving vicar in the ninth season of the hit ITV detective show.
Tom, 34, shot to fame back in 2019 when he made his debut in the drama. His career has gone from strength to strength since then, appearing alongside the likes of Tom Hanks in the 2020 war film Greyhound, as well as Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz in Netflix's upcoming action film, Back in Action.
While we know all about his impressive career, what about his life off-camera? Here's all you need to know…
Tom's early life and famous mum
Tom was born and raised in the countryside, having grown up in Gravesend, Kent before moving to Devon when he was 12.
The Outlander actor isn't the only famous name in his family, however, as his mum, Lynn Brittney is a mystery novelist. She's perhaps best known for penning the London-set World War Two series, Mayfair 100.
Both Lynn and Tom's dad were supportive of Tom's dreams of becoming an actor – and his mum even coached him when he was a budding performer. "She was a tough drama teacher. She didn't make it easy for me, which was good," he previously told PBS. "But I grew up watching her do amateur dramatics in our village hall, and she always encouraged me to do it. A lot of people aren't as lucky, to be able to have parents, both her and my dad, who wanted me to become an actor. Actually, I didn't realise it was a proper career. I just kind of liked messing about, trying to make people laugh and performing. And they were like, 'Well, you could make this a job.'"
Sharing his appreciation for his folks, Tom continued: "I was really fortunate to have them be like that because many other people would have parents who'd go like, 'No, come on. You need to get a normal job.' So, yeah, I do have a lot to thank them for."
Tom also has a young sister who is a dancer.
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Tom's life off-screen
When he's not busy working on his next big project, Tom lives in north London with his fiancé. "We have a flat that feels like you're above and away from the hustle and bustle of the city," he told Country & Townhouse last year. "It's a lovely quiet neighbourhood."
Tom's love life and fiancé
Just like his on-screen counterpart, Tom is off the market. The actor is in a relationship with his girlfriend, whose name he has chosen to keep private.
While Tom likes to keep details about his love life out of the limelight, he did reveal that his fiancé works in the art department whilst chatting with Country & Townhouse about leaving Grantchester.
Speaking about their London flat, which his partner has transformed into their "perfect" home, Tom said: "My fiancé is in the art department, so I have happily allowed her to decorate and design the entire flat. She's made it look incredible and like our perfect home. I've never had the skill to interior design so my places have always looked like a standard bachelor pad."
He added: "Now we're going for Japandi sort of style (that's Japanese/Scandi fusion design for those who don’t know. I didn't.) I love it!"
Tom went public with their romance back in March 2023 when he shared a carousel of snaps from their trip to Lyme Regis, which included a sweet photo of the pair locking lips. He wrote in the caption: "Lyme. Photos by B x."
In June last year, Tom announced his engagement during an interview on the MASTERPIECE Studio podcast about his departure from Grantchester.
Drawing parallels between his character Will's dilemma and his real-life decision to leave the series, Tom revealed that he turned to his fiancée for advice when considering his departure.
"It was [executive producer] Daisy [Coulam] and the writers writing in my actual, real-life dilemma… There was the opportunity for a different life and being true to myself and this fight within me to want new challenges, exactly the same as Will," explained Tom.
"It was the same with me talking to my fiancée and saying, 'Is this the right decision? Is this what I should do?' and her saying to me, 'Yeah, be true to yourself and you won't let people down.'"
Tom's career away from acting
Tom has taken his talents behind the camera and founded a production company, Wild Nest Pictures, with his friend during lockdown.
The company has a number of exciting projects in the works, including the feature film, Here I Am, about the life of acclaimed war photographer Tim Hetherington, with Oscar-nominated writer Joelle Touma attached to pen the screenplay.
Tom is also a talented director, having been at the help of the World War Two drama Foxhole, which is executive produced by Grantchester co-star Robson Green and stars Tom Glenister (Sherwood, Grantchester).
Back in 2020, it was announced that Wild Nest Pictures had acquired the rights to The Mayfair 100 novels, penned by Tom's mum Lynn, and had teamed with Patrick Melrose producers Little Island Productions to develop the adaptation.
