
How the A-List fell in love with snail mail – and you can too
'After we met in 2002 she moved away to Spain for a year as part of a university course. And we decided to stay in touch by letter — this was before we started using emails and before Facebook and all that. So we wrote to each other, handwritten letters. We fell in love by letter, and I also fell in love with letter writing.'
Years later, stuck in a job he 'hated', he started a website. Letters of Note was where Blanco-Usher published what he called 'correspondence deserving of a wider audience', written by figures as diverse as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Iggy Pop. The site gained a cult social following, which in turn spawned a book. For its 2013 launch, the publishing house Canongate's chief executive, Jamie Byng, gathered some of London's cultural lights — Benedict Cumberbatch and Gillian Anderson among them — to read from the book. It was a hit.
Benedict Cumberbatch launches our Dear London competition
London has always been part of me. It's in my bones, it's the background noise of my life — the hum, the sirens, the buses exhaling as they pull away. I've seen it from stages and street corners, in its chaos and its calm. It's the city that shaped me.
It's where I trained. Where I stumbled, steadied myself, and tried again. I've danced through its puddles and trudged through them too. I've watched it change, and I've changed with it. Like so many others, I carry my own London, stitched together from small, private moments.
That's why I love this idea. Dear London is a competition inviting anyone, anywhere, to write a letter to this city. Or to something or somebody within it. Maybe it's to the barista who never forgets your order, the bridge you always cross, the friend you lost, the version of you who lived here once.
Letters ask us to pause. Putting words to paper is an act of connection: slow, deliberate and often more revealing than we expect.
I've written my own letter to London. Now we'd love you to do the same. Pick up a pen, or dust off the old typewriter, or open a new document, and begin. Perfection not required; just honesty. Keep it under 500 words and say what you need to say.
Your letter will be published in The Times and read aloud at Letters Live at the Royal Albert Hall this November. But once it's written, it lives, and London will be larger for it.
For full competition details see below
'I thought my parents, my wife and I would read the website. I literally did, because it sounds like such a dry subject, and then [the readings] went so well and the feedback was universally positive and we just decided to continue doing these events,' Blanco-Usher says.
The concept is disarmingly simple: notable letters, read aloud by the right person, each performer lending a touch of their personality and theatricality to bring the text vividly to life. Now co-produced by Blanco-Usher in partnership with Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland, Letters Live has captivated audiences in New York, Los Angeles and a sold-out Royal Albert Hall with readers including Cynthia Erivo, Carey Mulligan, Idris Elba, Florence Welch and Woody Harrelson. There have also been special editions broadcast live from Brixton prison and the Calais Jungle. Those who love Letters Live really, really love Letters Live; shows sell out almost instantly and most are partnered with a charity — this year's show, announced last week, supports Arts Emergency, a group working to open up careers in the arts for those from less privileged backgrounds.
Cynthia Erivo is one of dozens of Hollywood stars to have read at Letters Live
GETTY IMAGES
Looking back at recordings of those early events, including a lengthy run at London's Freemasons' Hall and literary events like Hay, proves Blanco-Usher's point that there is something deeply personal about these moments of private correspondence. The actress Louise Brealey's reading of Virginia Woolf's suicide note to her husband, Leonard — 'If anybody could have saved me, it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness' — is extraordinarily affecting, the author's pain evident in every word. In 2024 the singer Patti Smith read to an audience a 'goodbye' letter she wrote to her friend the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe — a victim of the Aids epidemic who never lived to read it. Another highlight is a letter to the RNLI from a 71-year-old man whose life was saved by the charity half a century earlier in an incident off the Scottish coast.
GETTY IMAGES
Some are less personal but no less historic. One came from the White House speechwriter to Nixon's inner circle containing the address the president would have given had the moon landings ended in tragedy: 'In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.' Its reading was accompanied by a climactic moment from the score for Christopher Nolan's film Interstellar — a pairing that, Blanco-Usher says, still gives him goosebumps.
Others are at times poignant, comic, even flippant. Olivia Colman's reading of the novelist Lydia Davis's letter to an undertaker — in which she objects to the use of the word 'cremains' to refer to her late father — has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube, and brought a sold-out room to tears of both laughter and sadness. A spectacularly crude letter from the Irish novelist James Joyce to his future wife, Nora Barnacle — in which the Ulysses author describes the many different ways in which he is looking forward to being intimately reacquainted with her — was read by the actor Ferdinand Kingsley at a Wilderness Festival event last year. 'F*** me dressed in your full outdoor costume with your hat and veil on, your face flushed with the cold and wind and rain and your boots muddy' was, by most accounts, the most printable line, and earned the imaginative British Sign Language interpreter a standing ovation.
Many of the letters that Blanco-Usher and his co-producers select are, unsurprisingly, from a bygone era, when sitting down with pen and paper was more commonplace. His study is a library of collected works and letters from authors, musicians, socialites, artists and war generals. Today, he acknowledges that so much of our communication is fragmented and 'pixelised' that it is unlikely ever to be archived.
'But in our own small way we're trying to keep it alive. I think there will always be people, a small percentage of people perhaps, that write letters because there's always a small percentage of the population who reminisce about that kind of thing. I do have faith it's not dying out.'
Letters Live returns to the Royal Albert Hall on November 28. Remaining tickets are available at royalalberthall.com
Dear London competition
The Times's and Letters Live 'Dear London' encourages you to write a letter to London — its people, its places or the city itself. The winning letter writer will be invited to the Letters Live show at the Royal Albert Hall in November and their letter will be read on stage on the evening.
To enter your letter, email it to dearlondon@letterslive.com or send a physical copy to Dear London, PO Box 81900, London, WC1A 9RH, with contact details.
Letters will be read by an independent editor appointed by Letters Live and the winner will be selected from a shortlist by an independent judging panel. Entries must be received by midnight on September 19, 2025, and must be no more than 500 words. Entrants must be 18 or over.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Princess Andre looks effortlessly chic in a black co-ord as she leads stars attending Kisstory Blackheath Live festival in London
Princess Andre looked gorgeous in a chic black co-ord as she led the stars at Kisstory Blackheath Live in London on Saturday. The daughter of Katie Price and Peter Andre, 18, opted for a black midi skirt and a matching long-sleeve cropped top, while keeping it cosy in a pair of sneakers. Princess' brother Junior, 20, was also in attendance alongside his girlfriend Jasmine Orr, 24. He rocked grey denim and a matching jumper, while Jasmine looked beautiful in a black top and print cargo trousers. Familiar faces in attendance also included loved-up couple Molly Rainford and Tyler West. Molly, 24, put on a leggy display in a denim pleated skirt and a white strappy top. Tyler, 29, opted for a short-sleeve varsity jacket and black trunks for the occasion. Strictly Come Dancing star Kai Widdrington, 29, kept it smart in a cream co-ord including a shirt and matching trunks. Elsewhere, Danielle Harold flashed a glimpse of her flat midriff in low-rise denim and a black crop top. The EastEnders star, 33, gave an edgy touch adding a black leather jacket. Rochelle and Marvin Humes couldn't wipe a smile off their faces as they arrived both in stylish looks. Marvin, 40, gave his wife a run for her money in a multiprint hoodie and a total black ensemble, finishing off with squared shades. This Morning presenter Rochelle, 36, was effortlessly cool in a pair of denim trunks and a grey cropped top. She wore a navy zipped hoodie and accessorised with orange-tinted sunglasses.


Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Coronation Street's Alan Halsall looks happier than ever as he flaunts blossoming romance with his glamorous new girlfriend at Jack P. Shepherd's wedding
Alan Halsall looked happier than ever as he flaunted his blossoming romance with his glamorous new girlfriend on Saturday. The Coronation Street star, 42, made a big step in his new commitment with partner Ellie Dolan as they attended Jack P. Shepherd's wedding hand in hand together. Arriving at the ceremony of the Celebrity Big Brother winner, Alan looked classically handsome in a grey suit. The actor layered his two-piece over a crisp blue shirt and a yellow tie which matched his partner's dress. Meanwhile Ellie looked chic as she stepped out in a plunging yellow ankle-length dress which featured a ruffle design. She added inches to her statuesque frame as she slipped into a pair of gold heels and accessorised with a pearl handbag. According to The Mirror, the blossoming relationship was already 'serious' in May despite the pair rarely seen with one another. A source told the publication: 'Alan is really happy. Ellie is a great girl and they have lots of common. And she gets on so well with Sienna, which is so important to Alan. Sienna is his world.' Alan and Ellie reportedly met at the Marriott Worsley Park club, where Alan is a member and Ellie works. A representative for Alan previously declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline. Alan was previously in a relationship with his Coronation Street co-star Tisha Merry, 31, however they split in 2024 after five years together. The star, who plays mechanic Tyrone Dobbs on the soap, met Tisha back in 2014 and they started dating in 2019 when she left her role as Steph Britton on ITV serial. Alan was previously married to Hollyoaks actress Lucy-Jo Hudson before their split in 2018. The pair share daughter Sienna, 11, together. The star, began to display a trimmer appearance after embarking on a healthier lifestyle amid his 2018 divorce from Lucy-Jo, who played Katy Harris. Alan revealed that he embarked on a healthier lifestyle with strict diet and gruelling workouts. In 2019 he told The Sun that he goes to the gym at least three times a week, and undertakes 2.5k on the treadmill, bike, rowing machine and cross trainer. He told the publication at the time: 'I've transformed a little bit myself and people have seen that'. 'I like to come [to the gym). I have a pre-workout meal, I work out, then I have a post-workout meal or a swim and a steam'. He often shares snaps of his gym sessions to Instagram alongside co-star Colson Smith, 26, who has himself lost a staggering 10st. He then trained for another 49 mins and worked off 477 more calories, writing: '4321 calories in 24hrs. Room for a beer now.' The average daily intake for a man is 2,500 calories'. Alan is also a fan of hot yoga, which is a type of yoga that's practiced in a heated studio and is said to help release toxins through sweat and can assist in weight loss. Alan revealed he was burning thousands of calories a day during his gruelling gym sessions and in a 2019 social media post as he worked out for nearly three hours and burned 2144 calories. The following day he smashed a further two workouts in the morning alone. In the first he spent close to two and a half hours exercising - expending 1610 calories.


Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Strictly star reveals brand new career after splitting from partner as she makes her Hollywood debut alongside Bruce Willis' daughter Rumer
A Strictly Come Dancing star has swapped the BBC ballroom floor as she sets her sights on Hollywood with her movie debut. Nicola Adams has revealed she's bagged a role in The Gun on Second Street, which will premiere next year. The two-time Olympic champion's role comes after six years of studying at acting school in a bid to pursue her dream. She'll share the screen alongside Bruce Willis ' daughter Rumer, as well as lead star Jack Kesy and Poppy Delevingne. Speaking about her career change, Nicola told The Sun: 'I just want to work with people that are just as hungry as I am. 'I'm not one of those people that just show up and just expect everything to be fine. 'I put in the work, I put in the graft, just as I do as an athlete as well. I want to take it as far as I can in terms of how I grow as an actor, being able to experience different types of roles, playing different characters that really flex my abilities and my ability to be able to dig deep on the emotions that are needed for the more dark characters.' The film, which is set to go into production this autumn, is described as an allegory movie about the gun crisis in America. Its plot centres around two Pittsburgh police officers who are called two a domestic violence dispute on Second Street. However, during the call out, the officer accidentally shoots and kills his partner and best friend. Adams shot to fame in 2012 after winning gold at her home Olympics, becoming the first female boxer to ever win a medal at the Games, before going on to defend her title at Rio 2016. After winning the WBO flyweight title in 2019, she retired later that year but returned to the public eye with an appearance in the 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020. Featuring as part of the programme's first same-sex couple alongside professional Katya Jones - the pair were forced to withdraw from the show in its fourth week after Jones tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, in May Nicola put her Leeds home on the market two months after splitting from Ella Baig, 27. A month previous, Nicola confirmed that she and Ella had parted ways after Ella's career as an OnlyFans model, which included posing nude snaps and engaging in explicit chat, put a strain on their relationship. Now, the Strictly star is making a fresh start by listing one of her properties - a four-bedroom, two-bathroom property in Leeds - for £950,000. Her Leeds property, which has been described as a 'fantastic family home', extends to almost 2,300 sq. ft, with potential for extension, 'providing ample space for growing families.' The boxer and the model ended their romance in March despite attempting to resolve any potential differences via couples' therapy. Nicola explained: 'I have always been incredibly supportive of Ella's career and the choices she has made, including her work on OnlyFans.' She added: 'However, as much as I respect what she does, I can't deny that it has had an impact on our relationship.' Nicola admitted there have been challenging times as they navigate the break up, especially when co-parenting their son. The couple began dating in 2018 after meeting each other on a night out - and they subsequently opted to use fertility treatments in order to have their first and only child with the egg fertilised by a sperm donor who resembled Ella. Ella carried the baby and gave birth a month early via caesarean section - with their son Taylor being born in July 2022.