Celia Imrie is that rarest of creatures in modern Britain – someone who hasn’t read The Thursday Murder Club. “I didn’t want to spook things, is the truth,” says the actress, who’d “got wind” a while back that she might be in the frame for the film adaptation of Richard Osman’s mega-selling comic crime novel. “SoContinue reading “Celia Imrie: “I’ve spent a long time trying to jump out of any box anybody tries to put me in””
Author Archives: paulkirkley
Grayson Perry: “I think we might have reached peak identity politics”
Now that he’s a knight of the realm, Sir Grayson Perry has given up any pretence of not being part of the establishment. “One of the things that absolutely infuriates me is millionaire cultural celebrities pretending they’re outsider rebels,” says the Turner Prize-winning artist, writer, broadcaster and career provocateur. “I’ve often described myself as beingContinue reading “Grayson Perry: “I think we might have reached peak identity politics””
Lenny Henry: “I’ve earned the right to have opinions about things”
When it comes to national treasures, few are held in greater affection than Sir Lenworth George Henry. So we have to ask: what on Earth possessed the esteemed actor, writer, comedian, activist, academic and knight of the realm to sign up for a new reality show, in which he and a bunch of fellow celebs areContinue reading “Lenny Henry: “I’ve earned the right to have opinions about things””
Inside the factory with John Levene
Why is UNIT’s Sergeant Benton celebrating 50 years of active service with a tour round a workshop in Nottingham? DWM tagged along to find out. In 1973, John Levene was filming Doctor Who in a Welsh coal mine when he spotted a young boy watching nervously from the sidelines. “I went over to him andContinue reading “Inside the factory with John Levene”
Eric Idle: “If I have to turn any more cheeks, my pants will fall down”
How good is Eric Idle – the man who exhorted the world to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – at following his own advice? “I think I’m pretty good, to be honest,” reflects the 82-year-old Monty Python veteran, when Weekend catches up with him at his London hotel. “I always say I’m an optimist in theContinue reading “Eric Idle: “If I have to turn any more cheeks, my pants will fall down””
Jeff Goldblum: ‘I’m in my platinum years, but I feel younger than springtime’
We’re seconds into our interview, and I’m already getting the full Jeff Goldblum charm offensive. “I haven’t seen you for six years, but you look six years younger!” he beams, as if we’re old friends. “I want to know all your secrets,” he adds, conspiratorially. “Is that a guitar behind you? I’d love to hearContinue reading “Jeff Goldblum: ‘I’m in my platinum years, but I feel younger than springtime’”
Phil and Kirstie: ‘Because you’re privileged, it doesn’t mean you don’t have empathy’
Eric and Ernie, Wallace and Gromit, Ant and Dec: some double acts are so famous, they don’t need surnames. And to that list we can surely add Phil and Kirstie, whose reign as the undisputed king and queen of TV property shows has now lasted a quarter of a century. It’s 25 years this week,Continue reading “Phil and Kirstie: ‘Because you’re privileged, it doesn’t mean you don’t have empathy’”
Joanna Lumley: “They asked me to be the voice of the four-minute warning”
To call Joanna Lumley a ‘national treasure’ feels somehow inadequate. In truth, she is closer to a sacred monument – one of that rarefied group of people, like David Attenborough and Michael Palin, who are as essential to Britain’s idea of itself as Shakespeare and spotted dick. From her early days as a 60s cover girlContinue reading “Joanna Lumley: “They asked me to be the voice of the four-minute warning””
Goodbye to all that
I’m not normally one for New Year’s resolutions. But, for the sake of my sanity, I’ve decided that 2025 is the year in which I’m going to take a lot less notice of… stuff. And by stuff, I mean all the sound and fury of a world that is growing increasingly noisy, chaotic and, notContinue reading “Goodbye to all that”
Steve Coogan: “I half agree with a lot of what Alan Partridge says”
“I never really wanted to be an entertainer,” says Steve Coogan. “I mean, I love entertaining people. But I always wanted to do work that had substance – that had some meat on the bones. I went to drama school, but got sidetracked into comedy, and I just went where the work was. My attitudeContinue reading “Steve Coogan: “I half agree with a lot of what Alan Partridge says””
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