Leon enrolled on a one-year course in basic plastering at the College of North West London in Willesden last September, after finding TV fame as the suave, sophisticated Doctor Chris Oakley in ITV’s Heartbeat – when he was described as “the George Clooney of the 1960s”.
He has starred in the BBC1 drama series Heroes & Villains and the Channel 5 soap Family Affairs, and last year played a leading role in the fringe theatre drama Plague Over England during its successful run at the Finborough Theatre, Earl’s Court.
Written by theatre critic by Nicholas de Jongh, Plague Over England focuses on a scandalous episode in the life of the country’s legendary thespian Sir John Gielgud, who in 1953 was arrested for “cottaging” in a public toilet.
Leon was offered the chance to reprise his part as a closet gay policeman when the play transferred to the Duchess Theatre in the West End early this year – but he had to cancel his two evenings a week plastering class to attend rehearsals.
He was keen to stay at College until June to finish his qualification, so staff at Willesden, invited him to drop in to any class during the day when he could manage it – which he did.
Trowel trades curriculum manager Tim Weston said Leon had explained at the start of the course that he might not always be available, but the College liked to be flexible and was more than happy to accommodate him.
“Leon has an excellent speaking voice, and he looks vaguely familiar. When he came to us, he had been doing TV commercials – I think he was in the Homebase ads,” said Tim.
“The play has a small cast but has done fantastically well. Leon is a very nice character, and he’s also a very good plastering student – he has a good work ethic and gets stuck right in.”
Leon grew up on a council estate in a Cornish fishing village near Looe with his single mum and younger brother Ryan.
He left school at 16 to train as a baker and pastry chef, but later decided he wanted to act and enrolled at Plymouth College of Further Education, where he won a scholarship to LAMDA. From there he went straight into small TV roles.
Why plastering? Because, he says, there are swings and roundabouts in the acting profession and he wanted a hands-on trade which would allow him to be self-employed.
“Getting normal work in between jobs is difficult when you are an actor, and I don’t enjoy waiting tables. Plastering is very therapeutic and quite soothing, and it’s not too far removed from making dough and icing cakes,” says Leon.
“I also chose this trade because I thought I could start earning money more quickly. I definitely want to continue to Level 2 next year, because I love coming to College, although at the moment I am still working part-time in the cake shop Bake-a-Boo in West Hampstead.
“The College is like a little oasis where I can do something practical, in complete contrast to what I do for a living. The tutors have been brilliant at accommodating me, and the students too have been really supportive.”
PICTURE SHOWS:
Leon Ockenden (left) tackles plastering at the College with tutor Martin Conlon
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