“I relate to their struggle,” said stand-up comedian Tom Davis. “Their past is similar to mine. I know that overwhelming feeling of disillusion when you are unemployed, treading water for years — the pain of not knowing how to change your situation for the better.”
The actor and writer, best known for his BAFTA- and Royal Television Society-winning comedy Murder in Successville and his BBC One hit King Gary, was reflecting on his journey from scaffolder to screen star, and the plight of the 80,000 young Londoners aged 16-24 who are currently unemployed — as well as the efforts of The King’s Trust, our Destination Unknown campaign partner, to help them.
“Like a lot of young people, I didn’t have a great time at school,” said Tom, now 46. “I had undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, I was dyslexic, and in those days, if you weren’t academic, you were made to feel stupid. I I left school with no GCSEs and a very low opinion of myself.”
Tom started working on building sites in his teens. “It’s harder for young people now,” he added. “Fewer job vacancies, the pressure of social media. Back in my day, if you left school with nothing, you could still find work — I became a scaffolder — and any life failures were not broadcast on social media for all your peers to see.”
Destination Unknown in a nutshell
With one in six young Londoners unemployed, the Standard has joined forces with The King’s Trust to support unemployed young people into work or business. So far, £700,000 has been raised, with £450,000 going to King’s Trust programmes in London and £250,000 to four grassroots youth charities across the capital. We are calling on corporations, foundations, philanthropists — and our readers — to donate. All funds raised will go to King’s Trust programmes in London
He dreamed of becoming a stand-up comedian but lacked the confidence to take the plunge. Several times, during recessions, he found himself back at the Job Centre, taking work as a kitchen porter, and there were spells where he moved between minimum-wage jobs and building sites.
“It’s hard when you are struggling to pay the rent,” he said. “You start to feel unworthy. It takes a bit of your soul.”
The turning point came at 32, after a few personal setbacks and a growing awareness that his peers were moving forward while he was stuck. “I suddenly felt a real urgency to try.”
He signed himself up for an open mic night in Camden. That first gig was terrifying, but it went okay, he said. He started booking more gigs across London and looking further afield, to cities like Manchester.
“I would work on the building site by day and perform on the comedy circuit by night, using my working-class background as material and leaning into a self-deprecating shtik,” he said.
“I felt like I had finally found my calling”
The buzz was addictive. “It was an amazing feeling to be up there. I felt like I had finally found my calling.”
It took another three years — until age 36 — before he left the building site behind for good. Since then, he has co-created and played DI Sleet in Murder in Successville (which spawned a US adaptation, Murderville, on Netflix), starred in Paddington 2 and Judge Romesh, and co-written and starred in King Gary, a sitcom series about a family man living in the outer London suburbs where he grew up.
Tom was introduced to The King’s Trust two-and-a-half years ago when he did a talk on Ant and Dec’s Making it in Media course with the Trust, which targeted young people keen to work in TV. The experience inspired him to go further — and he offered to run week-long creative writing courses for Trust participants keen to get into the industry.
Around 16 young people signed up. “I told them that they reminded me of myself,” he said. “I knew that knot in the stomach — what it was like to have nothing in the bank, no direction, and to feel like the career you dreamed of was out of reach.”
He got them writing scenes and then walked them through a structured process of developing a 10-page script. At the end, some professional actors came and read their scripts, bringing them to life, and they were filmed for the participants to take home.
“There was some real talent in the room,” said Tom. “But more than that, it was amazing to watch their confidence grow. The Trust did such a good job supporting them. I found the whole thing inspiring.”
Now married with a three-year-old child, Tom said he wishes he had known about The King’s Trust when he was younger. “It would have helped my self-esteem and given me a clearer sense of direction.”
He added: “Work is so important. It gives you dignity, independence, and purpose — and it connects you to people who expand your world. With youth unemployment so high, and the confidence of many unemployed young people so low, this campaign by the Standard and The King’s Trust could not have come at a more important time.”
How your money can help
The first £25,000 of public donations will be match-funded so every £1 you give is doubled
£10 could help a young Londoner travel to a job interview
£20 could fund an hour of support from a trained youth worker
£50 could provide appropriate interview clothing
£90 could supply starter equipment, such as hairdressing kit for a salon apprenticeship
£150 could provide training and support through a King’s Trust course
£250 could enable a young person to attend a King’s Trust “Get Hired” event
Photography by Elliott Morgan. Visit kingstrust.org.uk/destination-unknown for more information or to donate
The King’s Trust has contributed £80,000 to help the Standard cover the costs of this appeal. This funding has been used to raise awareness of the Trust’s charitable work, helping it to transform young lives. The King’s Trust is a registered charity incorporated by Royal Charter in England and Wales (1079675) and Scotland (SC041198)
