Grantchester and Outlander star Tom Brittney swapped Cumbernauld for rubbing shoulders with Tom Hanks

NEW Grantchester star Tom Brittney has swapped Cumbernauld for rubbing shoulders with Tom Hanks.

Tom, who took over from James Norton as the crime-fighting cleric in the ITV hit, had a happy time in Scotland filming global smash Outlander.

But he’s told iN10 how working alongside superstar Hanks left him in awe and an emotional wreck.

Greyhound, due out in March, is a Second World War epic with Hanks as the commander of the navy destroyer escorting a convoy across the Atlantic. Tom has the key role of Hanks’ second in command.

“It was an incredible experience and he was every bit as nice as he comes across in interviews,” says Tom. “You can’t believe that someone who is one of the biggest movie stars of all time could still be such a nice man.

“But it is possible and he is proof of it. Obviously you have to be professional, but I was crying a little bit when I saw him.

“I couldn’t quite believe that I was standing in the same room with the man who is pretty much responsible for me being an actor.

“I remember being a kid and watching Saving Private Ryan and thinking that was the sort of film I wanted to do. Who would have thought that 20 years later I would be in a World War 2 film next to Tom Hanks?

“It was a very surreal thing.”

It’s only just over five years since Tom made his screen debut in an episode of the BBC’s daytime soap Doctors. But it was Outlander, in which he played Lieutenant Jeremy Foster, that set Tom on the path to stardom.

And he has nothing but good things to say about the Scotland-shot series.

“I owe so much to Outlander,” says Tom. “I never realised when I auditioned for it what an impact it would have.

“It helped me greatly. Everything I have done is down to the exposure that Outlander gave me.

“I didn’t know that fans would like it so much. It was my first experience of having a fan following.

“I got people me sending presents from all over. I got a bottle of Sake from Japan, beers from Sweden and fans would send me birthday cards.

“It was fairly minor part, but the show has such an avid following that people would show up on set and bring cakes and muffins. It was quite incredible.”

The departure of Norton’s Rev Sydney Chambers a couple of weeks back opened the door for Tom to come in as Rev Will Davenport alongside Robson’s Green’s Detective Inspector Geordie Keating.

And he says he’s thrilled at the relationship they’ve established.

“I love the fact that I can call Robson not just someone I work with but also a friend.

“We hit it off so quickly, right from the tests they did with us to see whether we’d have on-screen chemistry.”

The 1950s-set series has millions of fans worldwide but Tom admits he wasn’t one of them, having hardly watched it before signing up.

“I remember seeing the first episode with my mum years ago but I had just missed out on it with working a lot,” he says. “And when I got the role I made a purposeful effort to stay away from it so I could treat it as a new thing that I was coming into.

“I was a big fan of James from things like Happy Valley and I knew how good he would have been in Grantchester. So I wanted to come at Will afresh with no preconceptions.”

But while he hadn’t been a viewer, Tom was still well aware of the expectations.

“I didn’t have to have watched to know what Grantchester meant to people,” added Tom.

“I was aware that it was loved and coming in was quite a daunting prospect.

“From the minute I arrived, though, everyone just made me feel like I was a part of the family. So I didn’t feel the pressure of stepping into a massive role.

“And Grantchester is one of the most beautiful villages I’ve ever been to.

“It has three pubs and no shops, so it’s got its priorities right!”

Grantchester, ITV, Friday 9pm