Allen Leech on Downton Abbey, new projects, and Cork teacher who introduced him to acting

As Allen Leech returns to our screens for Downton Abbey's third movie spin-off, he talks to Esther McCarthy about the role that has changed his life  

Irish actor Allen Leech plays Tom Branson in Downton Abbey, one of the biggest screen successes of recent decades

Allen Leech already knew a fledgling series he was in called Downton Abbey was going down well with audiences. But if he had any doubt how huge the show was about to become globally, he was about to discover that fact during an encounter with US immigration officers.

The Irish actor — who plays Tom Branson in one of the biggest screen successes of recent decades — was going through airport security when he got a “telling off” over his Downton character. It was 2010, and the period drama was starting to become a worldwide water cooler moment.