At the end of last year, Tylan Bailey played one of the main characters, Perry, in the CBBC film The Primrose Railway Children – a screen adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson’s book. Tylan was a guest on Saturday Mash-Up when The Primrose Railway Children released in December alongside his on-screen sisters Ava McCarthy as Phoebe and Ida Brooke as Becks. For Tylan’s first acting role, he played Kessler in Series 1 of the Paramount+ series Halo, and he was invited back as one of the main characters for Series 2, with Halo being based on the video game. As well as his on-screen roles, Tylan has experience in voiceover, having voiced Leroy Jenkins in The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, and he’s been part of the Puffin Mission Imagination Podcast. We caught up with Tylan about filming as Perry in The Primrose Railway Children, his time as Kessler in Halo and voicing Leroy Jenkins in The Brilliant World of Tom Gates.

In the newly-released CBBC film The Primrose Railway Children, you can be seen as Perry, how much did you know about Jacqueline Wilson’s book before auditioning and was there anything that drew you to the character?

I had heard about Jacqueline Wilson’s books as my older sister has read a few of them, but I hadn’t read any myself until I got the part. I now have the Primrose Railway book that’s signed by all the cast and crew. When I was sent the script I realised myself and Perry have quite a few similarities, plus we look alike lol.

How would you describe Perry and what is he like to play?

Perry is super smart, a bit geekish and a fan of facts. Perry is a bit of a loner, but clearly desires friendship and connection which he finds in his new railway ‘family’.

How did you find the experience on set of the Jacqueline Wilson screen adaptation and filming alongside the rest of the cast, which includes Ava McCarthy and Ida Brooke as your on-screen sisters Phoebe and Becks?

Filming for The Primrose Railway Children was so much fun. We got to visit some beautiful locations around Scotland and all of the cast and crew were so nice. I made an instant friendship with Ava and Ida and we had lots of fun on and off set whilst up in Scotland.

Did you have a favourite scene to film, and what are some of your stand-out highlights from playing Perry?

I think my favourite scene to film has to be when Perry was invited to go up front and drive the heritage railway train. There can’t be many 11 year olds that have done that before. The whole journey of filming for Primrose was stand-out really, it was such a great film to be a part of. I loved every day on set.

What do you feel you’ve learnt from working on The Primrose Railway Children and filming as a main character for CBBC?

I have a real passion for acting and it was a dream to play a main character in the film. I feel like I’m always learning when on different sets from everyone I work with that helps me to become a better actor.

What was it like being a guest on Saturday Mash-Up with Ava and Ida in December last year?

It was so exciting when I found out we had been invited onto Saturday Mash-Up as guests because while we were filming we were invited to be part of the audience. It was so much fun being on the show as a guest. It was my first live TV experience and winning the go kart race was probably my favourite part of the day.

You played Kessler in the Paramount+ series Halo, what was the show like to be part of and how was it getting into character?

Playing Kessler in Halo was brilliant, it’s such an amazing show to be a part of. The sets we filmed on were something else and I filmed alongside some fantastic actors. I was the only child in the show so I think the other actors enjoyed their scenes with me because I made them fun in between takes. Kessler has an American accent so I would say a few lines before going to set in an American accent to help me to get into character.

How was it having Kessler as your first acting role and what was it like returning to film the second series?

When I was told by my agency I had been offered the role of Kessler I couldn’t believe it. My uncle was a big Halo game fan so he was so excited I was going to be in the TV series. I was invited back for Season 2 as a main character in a lot more scenes meaning I had a lot more lines to learn, which was great. I spent eight months travelling back and forth to Budapest, which felt like my second home.

What is it like voicing Leroy Jenkins in The Brilliant World of Tom Gates and can you tell us about the character?

Doing the voice of Leroy in The Brilliant World of Tom Gates was so much fun. Leroy is very enthusiastic about most things. He is one of Tom’s good friends and loves to test out his magic tricks on his classmates.

How did you prepare for your role of Leroy and how different do you find voiceover to on-screen acting?

It was my first voiceover role but having the experience of doing ADR for Halo I knew what to expect with regard to being in the booth. I have read most of the Tom Gates books so it was great to be a part of the show. Although people don’t see your voice when you’re voicing a character, you still need to bring your acting skills to the booth so it is quite similar to on-screen acting in a way.

We understand you are part of the Puffin Mission Imagination podcast, can you tell us about this?

This was a super fun job to do, again, very different to jobs I had done previously. The first interview I did alongside Babatunde Aleshe was when we still had some COVID restrictions in place so we did it over Zoom. But the next time we went into a studio which looked like a radio station and recorded it in there. It was so much fun to do and I learnt a lot from Baba.

How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do professionally?

I followed in my sister Shaylah’s footsteps. I used to see her in different films and TVC and asked my mum and dad if I could do it too. I was lucky enough to be signed by the same agent as her, Bonnie & Betty, and I’ve been with them ever since. I’ve never actually done any acting classes so when I got the audition for Halo I didn’t really know what to expect. People say I have natural talent and it seems to be paying off. Acting is definitely something I want to do now and after leaving school full-time.

What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

I love the Sonic and Mario films and I enjoy watching the Marvel and DC films which I would love to be a part of one day. I don’t really spend much time watching TV.

How do you like to spend your time away from acting?

I would also like to be a director or producer when I’m older so I like to write my own scripts and film them. I also like playing on the computer in my spare time and I’ve also recently started piano lessons, which I love.

What are you hoping this year brings for you and do you have any projects coming up that you can share?

I’m hoping for lots more opportunities in 2025 from my amazing agents Bonnie & Betty. I would love a big film role so hopefully that will happen at some point in the near future. I’ve had a few castings over the last couple of weeks so will see if anything comes from them. But what is meant for me won’t pass me and once given the opportunity, I will grab it with both hands.

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