Category: Wolf Hall

In Memory of Hilary Mantel: Revisiting Henry VIII in Wolf Hall

“Henry VIII is a monster, but he’s our monster. No other nation has a king who had six wives and cut the heads off two. We’re perversely proud of Henry.” – Hilary Mantel

The world lost a true literary genius yesterday. Hilary Mantel’s style was unique. So was her imagination. Her wit was matchless. She published 17 books that received literary applause. Yet Wolf Hall Trilogy stands out as her Magnum Opus. She once said she knew Wolf Hall would be the best thing she would produce when she started writing it. Mantel became the first British writer and the first woman who won the prestigious Man Booker Prize with Wolf Hall and its sequel Bring Up the Bodies. As we all know both books have been adapted for a BBC miniseries which I many times called “the best thing that ever happened to TV” as well as for plays produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company. I am privileged to have seen them both. Multiple times. That is how much I love Wolf Hall. Continue reading “In Memory of Hilary Mantel: Revisiting Henry VIII in Wolf Hall”

Happy Birthday, Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall

“Henry VIII is a monster, but he’s our monster. No other nation has a king who had six wives and cut the heads off two. We’re perversely proud of Henry.” – Hilary Mantel

source: BBC
source: BBC

Welcome to year 1535! In the most delightful deleted scene in Wolf Hall,  King Henry declares his age to the women in Thomas Cromwell’s household: “45 in June…”

Well, Henry is 531 years old today and popular as ever — to quote Damian Lewis:

“Henry, as a brand, is right up there with Coca Cola!”

I don’t think anyone can deny the recent contributions of Hilary Mantel’s brilliant work Wolf Hall & Bring up the Bodies — the books, the play and the TV drama to Henry’s as well as Tudors’ popularity in general! Mantel’s final installment in Thomas Cromwell series The Mirror and The Light is finally out and BBC has already confirmed they will adapt The Mirror and The Light  as a sequel to the Golden-Globe winning Wolf Hall and that Mark Rylance will resume his role as Thomas Cromwell. We are hoping that Damian will also return to the show as Henry VIII.

And now, in celebration of King Henry’s birthday, it is my utmost pleasure to re-visit the most memorable Henry moments in Wolf Hall TV Drama.

Long Live the King! Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Henry VIII: Revisiting Damian Lewis in Wolf Hall”

Seven Years with Damian Lewis

DRUMROLL!

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis is seven years old today!

Here we are, a bunch of inspired fans, 2557 days,  1226 blog posts and over  3.15 million views from 229 countries later… absolutely thrilled and totally beaming about how far we have come!

I had a conversation with Lewisto as I was pondering, in the last weeks of 2014, whether it would be worth keeping an online fan diary about Damian Lewis. Being the rational guy that he is, Lewisto suggested I run with this only if I was confident I could commit for at least two years so it would be worth the effort. Continue reading “Seven Years with Damian Lewis”

The Fan Fun with Damian Lewis Holiday Gift Giving Guide 2021 Edition!

Holiday greetings to you all!  I am thrilled to return, once again, for an updated version of our annual gift giving guide. If you have a Damian Lewis fan in your life, this post is for YOU!

‘Tis the season to be Hollie

I am a burlesque performer, who specializes in holiday-themed acts.  Being known as the “Queen of Christmas”, I love merging my two worlds and bringing my love of the holiday season AND my love of all things Damian into one fun post.  Last year I was on the sidelines, due to Miss Rona still making the rounds.  Although she hasn’t quite been vanquished, we have some great vaccines now so I’ve been lucky enough to return to live performing with certain safety protocols in place.

And as always,  here are some of our tried and true gift giving favorites, and some new picks-enjoy!! Continue reading “The Fan Fun with Damian Lewis Holiday Gift Giving Guide 2021 Edition!”

Following Footsteps of Damian in London

Taking inspiration from Vicky’s fun retelling of walking in the footsteps of Milo Shakespeare, here’s me walking in some of the footsteps taken by Damian in his home town. Enjoy!

Gotta love it when a passing thought from one post leads to an entire new fully-fleshed-out post. I had remarked, during my two-week tour in London, I was reminded often of places I’d seen Damian in images and film. In particular, when I was walking from Shakespeare’s Globe west towards Blackfriars Bridge along the Thames Path I looked down to the river and saw the moss covered walls where Damian and Helen leaned and loafed for a photoshoot, as well as the pier under which Hector made a phone call in Our Kind of Traitor.

That bit of Proustian mind-wandering lead Damianista to the thought, “Hey, why not do a post where we follow along in Damian’s footsteps throughout London?” “Isn’t that a bit stalkery?” I worried. “Nah,” we both concluded. Happily, Damian knows we are the most harmless variety of stalkers he could ever have. So, here it is, a catalog of all the places and sites where we “saw” Damian, characters he’s played, and stories he’s been a part of in his beloved home town.

Continue reading “Following Footsteps of Damian in London”