Up to last September, Jorden Myrie had done a good job concealing the fact his uncle is BBC newsreader and Mastermind quiz host Clive Myrie.

“But then he went and tweeted about me,” he smiles. “I was going to keep it quiet for as long as possible, but he let that one out of the bag.”

There is certainly no embarrassment on Myrie’s part concerning his famous relative. It is more a wish to be recognised for his own achievements, something that is sure to happen given what he has accomplished over the last year-and-a-half.

Having learned his craft at the Television Workshop in Nottingham, this Bolton-­born, Derby-raised East Midlander had stuck around after graduation to collaborate with his fellow alumni, with one of their projects, the housemate comedy Shepherd’s Delight, finding an appreciative audience on YouTube. On signing with London agency 42, though, he soon landed two prominent TV roles.

ITV’s Stephen, about the murder of London teenager Stephen Lawrence and the 20-year fight for justice that followed, saw him play younger brother Stuart. “I was incredibly honoured to be a part of that story,” he says of the Jed Mercurio-produced series. “You’re telling a story that’s affected so many people, so there was always that awareness on set.”

BBC Three’s Mood, in contrast, showed Myrie in more romantic guise as Kobi, a friend of Nicole Lecky’s social-media influencer Sasha, who at one point seeks to impress her with his dancefloor moves. “I always dread it when dancing comes up,” the actor admits. “My friends think I’m a great dancer, but I wouldn’t say so.” Mood filmed at the same time as Screw, the Channel 4 comedy drama about prison officers in which he played gatekeeping guard Raheem.

He will next be seen in The Strays, a Netflix thriller that marks the feature directing debut of actor Nathaniel Martello-White. Myrie says the character is “way more menacing” than any he has played to date. “I was excited to play a role that’s very different to me personally,” he adds. “Acting is about telling the truth; it’s about being true to your character and what they’re feeling in the moment.”

Contact: Ellie Martin-Sperry, 42

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