Jimmy Nail 2008, Nail created and starred as Phil Parker in "Parents of the Band", a 6 x 30 mins series on BBC1, broadcast between November 2008 and January 2009. The series revolves around a group of teenagers who form a band just for their own enjoyment, and their parents, who fully expect them to be the next Led Zeppelin. Ratings were disappointing, around three million, and there was no second series. Although he made a living through acting, his first love was music. He had pop hits with "Ain't No Doubt", written by Charlie Dore, "Crocodile Shoes", and "Love Don't Live
Jimmy Nail was actively involved in the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund, established to help young talent in North East England. To aid this, he participated in the "Sunday for Sammy" benefit concerts, until workload forced him to resign from the board. Nail came out of retirement to act and sing in "The Last Ship", a musical by Sting about the shipbuilders of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the hometown of both Nail and Sting. Sting grew up in Wallsend, down the street from the shipyards. Nail worked in the shipyards and is the son of a shipyard foreman. The show opened in Chicago. On Broadway, when