Netflix viewers were a bit baffled recently when the streaming platform advertised that there would be a new season of the smash hit Channel 4 sitcom Friday Night Dinner available. The reason for the confusion was that the actor who played dad Martin Goodman, Paul Ritter, tragically passed away in 2021 from a brain tumour, meaning the show had to come to an end.
The so-called ‘new season’ on Netflix was actually just the final sixth season (still featuring the late Paul),, which was previously missing, leaving fans disappointed.
But despite the lack of a new season, the cast are all still working on their own projects, including Tom Rosenthall who plays Jonny Goodman.
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Tom, who was born in Hammersmith, West London, is also well known for ITV sitcom Plebs where he was cast as Marcus Gallo – a mischievous ‘pleb’ in ancient Rome living with his friend, Stylax, and slave, Grumio – but this show has also ended after a feature-length special was released in 2020.
During his career he has also had a stab at standup – writing three separate shows: Child of Privilege (2011), благодаря [Russian for Thanks to] (2013), and Manhood (2019–2020).
In 2019, he played Private Pike in Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes, a recreation of three missing episodes of the BBC sitcom Dad’s Army. That same year, his third stand-up show Manhood received critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
More recently he has started in a new ITV reality show – Banged Up: Stars Behind Bars where seven celebrities are locked up in HMP Shrewsbury to see what life is like in a UK prison. The stars share cramped cells with ex-cons, from contract killers to international drug dealers. The show started in October last year.
In his personal life, Tom, an avid Arsenal fan, is dating Gabrielle Sky who he has posed with on his Instagram recently. Before this, he was in a relationship with TV and radio presenter Vick Hope from 2013 to 2017.
Friday Night Dinner follows the Goodmans – a North London Jewish family who come together every Friday night for the traditional meal of Shabbat.
Tom Rosenthall has a Jewish family heritage but has been somewhat critical of some traditions. In 2019, he spoke out about his opposition to circumcision. He said: “The truth is that my parents were put in charge of my welfare and they did something to me that can never be remedied.”
He added: “The aim is to recognise that if this has happened to you and you feel fine about it, that’s great. But if you don’t feel fine, which I don’t, then you’re justified.”
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