Louise Jelley
Support Artist for TV & Film
“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life” – Mark Twain
This page is all about me, Louise Jelley, Support Artist. In June 2022, I decided to fulfil a bucket list wish and dip my toe in the world of TV and showbiz. Having searched online as to how one would go about appearing on television, I registered with a Casting Agency called Casting Collective. Very soon after registering, I received my first availability check (AV) and responded to say that I was available. Having received my brief from ‘wardrobe’, I duly turned up on a set in Coventry. I was portraying the role of a Lawyer at a Careers Fair, set within a fictional school. The TV program being produced was Phoenix Rise. Some three years on, I am hooked. What once started as a bucket list wish has become a hobby that pays; it never feels like work.
Louise Jelley Support Artist – Productions include: BBC Phoenix Rise, BBC Doctors, ITV DI Ray, BBC Casualty, The Crow Girl. Carnival – Downton Abbey – The Finale, Sister Boniface, Father Brown. Netflix – Black Doves, Silent Witness, Netflix – The Witness, ITV – Midsomer Murders, plus many more.
I am registered with a number of Casting Agencies, including: Casting Collective, Creative Casting, Entertainment Partners, Celex. Onset, Wilkins, Phoenix, Talent Talks, Polease, Lucas, Key Casting, Camera Action Extras. Slick, Alessi Hartigan Casting, Sally King Agency, MPG and MFS.
Louise Jelley Support Artist
Debut on TV on BBC Children’s TV – Phoenix Rise. Here I am playing the role of a Lawyer at a careers fair. I had the opportunity to do a scene with one of the lead actors. I had a great first day on set.
First featured and walk-on role with BBC Doctors, this time as a Head Waiter. This was great fun, especially working with a fab crew and cast members. Two fun days of filming and lots of TV exposure.
This time, I played a Tech Officer on an ITV Production called DI, Ray. This was filmed in Birmingham, so not too far from home. Over several days of filming, I most definitely became the ‘fluff’ in the background.
My first step into period drama came in July 2023 on Sister Boniface, a BBC drama set in the early 1960s. My vintage blue two-piece suit paired perfectly with my hat and matching blue shoes. I felt like I had just stepped off a retro Pan Am flight at one of the attendants. Apparently, I also looked just like my mother did in the 1960s!
On a cool day in November 2023, I had the pleasure to work for a day on the set of Black Doves. I was fortunate to cross paths with both Keira Knightley and Ben Wishaw, albeit they would not have noticed me. Here, I am passing Keira on the banks of the Thames just under the London Eye. I think it was my Russian-esque furry hat that made the cut more than me!
This was my first time back in a Police uniform in a long time, but this time it was all pretend! This is from a scene of The Crow Girl. Being an ex-cop, there were aspects of the production which did not ring true to me. But I did respect the Director when he asked for advice on setting up a scene.
A highlight to date was being picked to be ‘crowd’ on the new Downton Abbey – The Finale movie. The cast and crew were fab and really looked after us all so well. Especially, as there were so many of us, 300+ for the race day scenes. Getting to wear vintage 1930s clothes was amazing. My handbag was 100 years old! I then had another opportunity to film the theatre scene too. Thank you, once again, to Casting Collective for the opportunity. I even made the trailer!
My work on set has also led me to create another business called Police Film Advisors. Having donned a uniform on set, I realised how many mistakes productions make. Poor portrayal of real police officers, procedures, plots, scenes and dialogues. Together with my husband, Martin Jelley, we have created Police Film Advisors (PFA). Via PFA, we support and work with authors, actors, directors and crew to ensure an authentic but dramatic portrayal of policing in film and TV. For more information regarding Police Film Advisors, visit www.policefilmadvisors.com
