West End success for young Rochdale man who re-evaluated his life goals while ill with M.E.

Jack Whittle from Rochdale, is now taking on the lead role in The Comedy About A Bank Robbery at London’s Criterion Theatre

Just a few years ago Jack Whittle, now 24, was incapacitated with M.E. and his parents Terry and Janet were wondering if he would ever recover.

In an amazing turnaround Jack - from Bamford, Rochdale - is now taking on the lead role of Sam Monaghan in The Comedy About A Bank Robbery in London’s Criterion Theatre until November 2019.

Jack had been planning to study accountancy at Durham University, when he became ill aged 17 while at Bury Grammar School - spending two years mostly housebound living at home with his parents where he was so ill he couldn’t even get up the stairs. His illness made him re-evaluate his life choices and Jack decided if he ever got better he would do what he wanted to do rather than what was expected of him and try to become an actor.

Jack said: “It’s amazing really. The Comedy About A Bank Robbery is not a normal show - as well as the acting demands, it’s also a massively physical performance. I admired the incredible Mischief Theatre troupe while I was training at Guildford and now I get to work with them on one of their West End hits. It’s a fantastic show, a love story with real old-school farcical humour and some epic stunts thrown in.”

He added: “Given how ill I was just a few years ago it is pretty unbelievable. I’d like my story to give hope to people with M.E. I know not everyone is going to perform on the West End - but I hope my story shows that for people with M.E. there is hope and a full recovery is possible.”

Jack eventually got better and auditioned for a foundation course at local drama school ALRA North in Wigan which led on to a place studying at The Guildford School of Acting (GSA). He graduated from GSA just last year with first class honours and while there was nominated as a finalist for Student Performer of the Year in the prestigious Stephen Sondheim Society Awards.

He continued: “I only started acting while I was unwell at 17 - something just clicked in my brain and I lost all my inhibitions, suddenly I was brave enough to try something new and really it gave me the freedom to express myself creatively. In that sense, having had M.E. still makes me a better actor today. You can’t worry about people judging you or second guess yourself while you’re onstage, you have to trust your impulses while being creative and open enough to try new ideas.” 

Dad Terry said: “As a family we had the most terrible time trying to find something that would make him better, speaking to experts all over the world about what could help. For him to have come through that period and go on to achieve what he has is amazing. We’re hugely proud and had no idea he had such hidden talent.”

Sonya Chowdhury, Chief Executive, Action for M.E., said: “It is fantastic that Jack has recovered from M.E., a serious neurological condition that affects 250,000 children and adults in the UK alone. M.E. is the most common cause of health related long-term school absence, and has a significant impact on every area of a young person’s life; some experience improvement, but many can remain ill for a long time.

"Assessing appropriate specialist care is still a postcode lottery and, for young people, being too ill to attend school can have serious long-term consequences. We are hugely grateful to Jack and his family for taking this opportunity to not only offer hope, but also raise awareness and understanding of M.E., a condition that feels invisible for so many of those living with it every day."