Hugh’s first few lines in a film came in ‘Frankenstein’ (1994) Directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Robert De Niro. He also had a small role in ‘Tomorrow Never dies’ (1997), but he really hit his stride when he appeared in ‘Notting Hill’ alongside Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts (1999). Following this up with ‘Iris’ with Judy Dench (2001), more recent credits include ‘The Monuments Men’ with George Clooney (2014), and of course hugely popular ‘Paddington’ films (2014-2023). Not to mention his extensive time spent on the stage with the National Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company.

He’s best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham in the ITV historical drama series ‘Downton Abbey’. His performance on the show earned him a nomination at the Golden Globes and two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He reprised his role in the two Downton Abbey feature films. Hugh and I chat about how his journey began as a child with a dress up box and what led him to where he is now, we also chat about his new movie for Netflix ‘I Came By’ Stars George MacKay and Kelly Macdonald. This episode may contain spoilers.

Host – Elliot James Langridge.

Thank you to our guest Hugh and thank you to Milk Publicity and Organic-Publicity and Netflix for making this possible.

‘I Came By’ is out in cinemas now and will be on Netflix from on the 31st August. and Hugh’s book ‘Playing Under the Piano’ is out on the 13th October and available to pre-order now.