Month: May 2025

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis as Hamlet At Open Air Theatre *UPDATED*

Damian Lewis returned to Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park in Allie Esiri’s brain child Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year – Live! last weekend, thirty-one years after he played the title role in Hamlet.

I assume it was a happy experience for Damian to be on the Open Theatre stage again, and so I would like to celebrate his return to Open Air Theatre by revisiting him as a 23 year old kid, ahem, actor, in Hamlet!

Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis as Hamlet At Open Air Theatre *UPDATED*”

Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Boisdale of Canary Wharf

“A Damian Lewis live show contains fun. Rock’n’Roll. Good music. And an amazing band that I play with.” — Damian Lewis at Latitude Festival Press Day

Yes, sir! All those coupled with a truly engaged and energetic crowd at Boisdale of Canary Wharf made my 48 hour lightning trip to London exactly a year ago more than worth it! Now I am going back to that very day and living it all over again!

Firstly, I thank my brilliant friend Patrick (who happens to be the drummer Will’s dad) for convincing me to go! Believe it or not, I was on the fence since we are now used to going three or four gigs at a time on tours. The Boisdale gig is a one off and it is of course wonderful if you live in London, or somewhere in Europe (short and cheap flights) but you need to factor in a lot in your decision if you fly from the US like me. The good news is that I could get my ticket with miles and Patrick gets a table for us. I tell my friends that I’m going and when they check they find out that the venue does not sell single tickets. And here is my Whatsapp exchange with Patrick when I share this information with him! Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis at Boisdale of Canary Wharf”

Ride4Hugo 2025 in Memory of Hugo and Helen

L-R: Damian, his sister Amanda Yaxley, his brother Gareth Lewis, and brother in-law Charles Yaxley during the bike ride in memory of Hugo and Helen in June 2022

I find it beyond impressive when families turn their tragic losses into good for many others in memory of the loved ones they lost. Ride4Hugo, a campaign Damian’s family run in memory of Hugo Yaxley, Damian and Helen’s nephew, who tragically died in a car accident in November 2020, and also in memory of Helen, who passed away only 5 months after Hugo’s accident, is an extraordinary effort aimed to do good for so many people.

2025 is marking the 5th anniversary of Hugo’s car accident and almost five years since the passing of Helen McCrory. So Hugo’s older brother Tom is getting ready to take on new bike challenges this year with the first one coming up only in a few weeks in the Scottish Highlands!

And Tom is doing this only to raise funds for charities close to Hugo’s and Helen’s and the family’s hearts: Place2Be, Sir HvH Arts, and The Air Ambulances UK.

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Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis in “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?”

I wrote this post just after the closing night of The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? back in 2017 and updated it once. While it feels like yesterday, I published it more than eight  years ago — so it truly deserves a Throwback Thursday.

ENJOY!

UPDATE 06/28/2017: I am over the moon that Damian tweeted to thank for this very post. It is not that I am expecting anything in return but his sweet gesture is everything. Thank you, Damian! Continue reading “Throwback Thursday to Damian Lewis in “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?””

My Decade Long “Wolf Hall” Journey Came Full Circle

Henry VIII is a monster, but he’s our monster. We’re perversely proud of Henry. -Hilary Mantel

My decade-long Wolf Hall journey came full circle at the BAFTA TV Awards on Sunday. It was especially lovely to see that it was a true family affair for Damian — his daughter Manon, his son Gully, and his father, Mr. Watcyn Lewis, were all there to support our favorite guy. And I couldn’t help but be moved seeing the two kids who once adorably called the Emmy Award “Emma” now grown into such poised, beautiful young adults. I just love this family.

I’ll be honest — I always dreamed, perhaps selfishly, that my Wolf Hall journey would come full circle with Damian receiving one of those iconic masks for his phenomenal portrayal of Henry VIII in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light. That recognition wasn’t in the cards. But my decade-long Wolf Hall journey has been nothing short of magical and so all is good.

What follows is my way of saying thank you. To everyone behind and in front of the camera: thank you for bringing us the sharpest, smartest, most brilliant historical drama ever made.

THANK YOU.

Continue reading “My Decade Long “Wolf Hall” Journey Came Full Circle”