From TV Christmas advert blunder to West End fame: Dear England star, who won the Olivier Award for playing Harry Kane, was once dropped by Tesco for being ‘too annoying’ after being inspired to perform by am-dram mum , who died during Covid

Just a few years ago, Will Close’s most high-profile role was as a rogue mid-year student, but was abruptly axed by Tesco from its TV commercials with Ruth Jones and Ben Miller because his character was ‘too annoying’.

Today, the actor is the toast of the West End after picking up a prestigious Olivier Award for playing Harry Kane in the National Theatre’s hit show Dear England, which also won Best New Play.

Accepting the Best Supporting Actor award – whose previous winners include Eddie Redmayne, Toby Jones and Sir Patrick Stewart – the football-mad Everton fan looked shocked and overwhelmed and poignantly dedicated the gong to his late mother, a lover of amateur dramatists who died during pandemic and inspired him to act.

But he also thanked the England captain himself in his speech – revealing that although he has never met Harry, the footballer’s friends came to see the show and were blown away by the performance.

Speaking on the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall, he said: “I had a few people come to see it who know Harry and are friends with him who were very encouraging and complimentary which was a relief” .

Will said he had studied Kane’s intonation and his overuse of certain bland words in interviews such as ‘nice’ and ‘obvious’. He added: ‘I think if he had been in the audience I don’t think I would have been able to handle it – I would have been too nervous’.

Mr. Close, who is originally from Worcestershire rather than Kane’s native Walthamstow, thanked the Bayern Munich forward Harry and Joseph Fiennes, the star of the show as Gareth Southgate, for being his ‘heroes’.

He also paid tribute to his mother, saying: ‘My mum who died during Covid’, adding: ‘Here’s to all the single mums in council housing.’

After his win, he added: ‘I wouldn’t have been at this if it wasn’t for my mum. She loved it. The Am-dram thing was her greatest passion and pleasure. It spread to me. She was so integral to it that I continued with it’.

The morning after the awards show, Will admitted that he had partied all night and hadn’t gone to bed.

Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester on the night, he said: ‘It’s wrong. It’s weird, I feel like I’m on a cloud, it’s crazy.’

Recalling the moment he heard his name called, Close added: ‘I felt like I was sleeping, like I was dreaming.’

Before Dear England, he was best known for his role as Freddie in Tesco’s fictional family, playing a ‘boomerang child’ living with parents in their 20s for around four adverts.

Ruth Jones, star of TV hits including Gavin and Stacey, played his mother, and Paddington actor and comedian Ben Miller played Close’s father.

In their Christmas ad, they went around a Tesco store looking for items for neighbors who needed gluten-free meals.

Close, whose character said he didn’t know what gluten-free meant, returned to the cart with a pear to eat.

Tesco soon dropped Freddie after a backlash, with only Jones and Miller returning for later ads.

The supermarket’s then brand director Michelle McEttrick admitted it was because the character was too annoying.

“Freddie is on a gap year and he may have emigrated permanently. We’ve listened a lot to customers and looked at a lot of data, so every time we pick out something that’s annoying, there will be adjustments,’ she said.

Will is from humble beginnings. He is a former pupil of Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham – then attended drama school in Peckham, south-east London.

Best known for his comedy work – but most of his mainstream appearances were in TV commercials.

He landed the life-changing role in Dear England after sending a video audition to Dear England writer James Graham.

Mr. Graham admits he ‘literally can’t kick a ball’ – but can clearly spot acting talent.

Despite the play’s success. Close hadn’t been expected to win – and he didn’t think he would himself – but pipped Paul Hilton, Giles Terera, Luke Thompson and Zubin Varla to the award.

‘Olivier’s 2024 tonight. Big game. The biggest of the season. Not expected to come off the bench but happy to have made the squad. Come on (Dear) England…!!’, he said before leaving for the Albert Hall on Sunday.

The Olivier for best new play went to Dear England by James Graham.

He thanked the National Theater for letting him see ‘if we won against France to see if we put the game on’, pointing to an English football match.

Graham thanked the teachers at his Nottingham comprehensive school, which he said was in the ‘red wall’.

He added that he was ‘so grateful’ to his teachers for thinking that ‘working class kids’ should learn theatre.

But there was shock that Joseph Fiennes lost out to Mark Gatiss for The Motive and the Cue.

Sarah Snook is better known for playing Shiv Roy in Succession, but she was the night’s big winner when she picked up Best Actress for The Picture Of Dorian Gray.

Joining TV colleague Sarah Jessica Parker – who played Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City – as well as Sheridan Smith, Sophie Okonedo and Laura Donnelly, Ms Snook, 36, walked away triumphant.

Wearing a custom black velvet Erdem dress, the Australian actress was honored for her critically acclaimed performance at the Theater Royal.

Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, 49, returned to host the event, wearing a sparkly purple dress and opening the ceremony with a performance.

Currently the toast of Hollywood thanks to his Bafta-nominated role in All of Us Strangers and his appearance in Netflix’s Ripley, Andrew Scott, 47, made an impression in a cropped black tuxedo and a sequined black shirt.