Category: Personal and Family Life

Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week: Pentonville Prison

“I was riding home one night on my motorbike. I was in North London. I was on Caledonian Road. I was outside Pentonville Prison. Next thing I knew was I was flying through the air and going straight to the windscreen of a car. This is called Pentonville Prison.” – Damian Lewis

Damian Lewis performing “Pentonville Prison” at St John’s Church in Kingston, UK

Damian Lewis’ second album, Sweet Chaos, is finally here, and with it comes one of the songs fans have been waiting years to hear officially: Pentonville Prison. After making its live debut as “Fate” at Union Chapel in 2023 and becoming a regular highlight of Damian’s concerts, the song has finally found its home on the album.

You can stream or buy Sweet Chaos here. If you want to hear Pentonville Prison and the rest of the album performed live, Damian heads out on his UK tour this October. Tour dates and tickets are available here. And before we dive into the remarkable true story behind the song, if you missed any of our previous Song of the Week features, you can catch up with them all here.

Now, Pentonville is an actual prison on Caledonian Road in Barnsbury, North London. But don’t worry—the track isn’t about Damian doing time there. Instead, it’s inspired by a motorbike accident he had right outside the prison many years ago. Continue reading “Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week: Pentonville Prison”

From Dick Winters to Steve McQueen: The “American” Damian Lewis

“This sounds absurdly pretentious, but the American Damian, I’m sort of oddly comfortable with him.” – Damian Lewis

A Guardian article from July 2015 talks about Brits versus Yanks in Hollywood:

“The invasion of British and Irish leading men in Hollywood has now gone beyond a joke for many in the American entertainment industry. First noticed some time in 2011, the trend was initially dismissed as a novelty: an interesting phase that would pass, rather than as a threat. But this summer actors and directors are calling for action to mobilise American drama teachers and schools to counter it.”

So Hollywood has finally taken notice and is now somehow mobilizing to defend its territory against the British invasion 😀 Well, maybe it is too little too late at this point? I mean, it is not that the Brits are coming, but they have already arrived. Besides, Vanity Fair says “victory is assured” in the video clip below, with fabulous ginger alert at 0:29, about which I blogged about earlier here! Continue reading “From Dick Winters to Steve McQueen: The “American” Damian Lewis”

We Celebrate Damian Lewis as a Dad on Father’s Day

Damian Lewis with children Gulliver McCrory-Lewis and Manon McCrory-Lewis at the Burberry Winter 2025 show during London Fashion Week on February 24, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Burberry)

Damian Lewis is a fantastic actor. A talented musician. A generous philanthropist. He is a skilled player on the football field. But, among all different hats he wears, that of fatherhood stands out as the most precious one. And how beautiful the stories we read and the images we get of Damian as a father. And on this Fathers’ Day, we’re celebrating the kind of father Damian has been — caring, funny, and full of love for both Gully and Manon. Happy Fathers Day, Damian! 

Continue reading “We Celebrate Damian Lewis as a Dad on Father’s Day”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis as a Teacher? Yes, Please! *UPDATED*

Recently, Romesh Ranganathan reminded Damian Lewis that he once said he wanted to be a teacher. Damian’s response? He laughed and said he probably gave that answer to the classic question: what would you do if you weren’t an actor? Still… it’s not a random answer. Because in many ways, he’s already done it. Damian also mentioned that he’s given acting masterclasses over the years—sharing what he’s learned with younger actors. So this feels like the perfect moment to revisit one of those: the masterclass he gave to young stage actors during his West End run in The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? back in 2017. Professor Lewis, anyone? We’re taking notes.

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis as a Teacher? Yes, Please! *UPDATED*”

Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week: Soho Tango

“This one is about meeting someone for the very first time and chatting her up on the streets of Soho and thinking I’d closed the deal and she got in the taxi and went home.” – Damian Lewis

We are getting very close now.

With Damian’s new single “Sweet Chaos” finally here and the album with the same title coming in June, the excitement is building. We’re in that waiting period— in the very best way.

So while we wait for the album to drop, we’re continuing our “Song of the Week” series, going back to the songs Damian has written and the stories behind them. And this week’s song takes us to Soho… because, after all, it takes two to tango 🙂

What sounds like a playful Soho story turns out to be the first chapter of a love story. And before I get to unpacking this song for you, if you missed the previous “Song of the Week” posts, you can catch up with them here.

I love the playful storytelling in Damian’s songs, and Soho Tango is no exception. Boy meets girl, boy flirts with girl, boy does not get the girl… 🙂

Two in the morning
Smokin’ on a Soho street
You told jokes, and I was laughin’
I asked if I could kiss you, please

But you said “no”
And you were gone
“I ain’t kissin’ you”
I said, “Why?”
But you had flown
You said, “‘Cause I ain’t in love with you” Continue reading “Damian Lewis’ Song of the Week: Soho Tango”