Hugh Bonneville: From dress-up to Downton
British actor Hugh Bonneville achieved global fame for his role in Downton Abbey. But rejection has always been something he’s had to deal with too — sometimes in unusual ways.
As a boy, British actor Hugh Bonneville started dressing up in his father’s old clothes and putting on plays at home. He booked his first professional part as Ralph Fiennes’ understudy in Hamlet, and later his celebrated roles in Iris, Downton Abbey and the Paddington films. He talks about his unique method of handling rejection, how some people expect him to be like his pompous character Lord Grantham, and about coping with his father’s dementia. (A longer version of this interview was first broadcast in November 2022)
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Maryam Maruf
Get in touch: [email protected]
(Photo: Hugh Bonneville. Credit: Getty Images)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Sat 28 Jan 202309:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sat 28 Jan 202319:32GMTBBC World Service
- Sun 29 Jan 202300:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sun 29 Jan 202309:32GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Sun 29 Jan 202312:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sun 29 Jan 202322:32GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected
