‘There's a thug in all of us': James Norton on privacy, playing villains and pushing himself to the limit
To be fair, I've seen Norton in worse shape. The last time I encountered him in person he was naked, crawling around on all fours while being spat at. 'Oh, yeah,' he smiles, realising I'm talking about his performance as Jude in the 2023 stage version of A Little Life. In that play, an adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara's cult tragic novel, he remained on stage at the Savoy theatre in London for its whopping three-and-a-half-hour length, fully immersed in a character who suffers an immense, seemingly never-ending ordeal of sexual abuse and self-harm. 'That was a proper … ' He trails off and exhales. 'That was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.'
Norton has talked in the past about how playing Jude took it out of him – he would find himself unable to stop crying, or rendered catatonic. Despite all this, the moment the play ended he thought, 'What if that's it? What if it's never as challenging again? It's like those people who run a marathon, it nearly kills them, and then two weeks later they want to sign up for another.'
This is what we're here to talk about today: the career equivalent of that second marathon. For Norton, it's two huge TV projects, the kind that could turn him from one of Britain's most admired actors – known for playing complex men in shows such as Happy Valley and films such as Mr Jones – into a global name (not for nothing have rumours persisted that he could be the next Bond). First is King & Conqueror, the new BBC drama he has been working on with his production company, Rabbit Track, for seven years. It tells the epic story of 1066 and the battle between Harold Godwinson (Norton) and William, Duke of Normandy (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) for the English crown. Then there's House of Guinness, a glossy Netflix drama about the Irish stout dynasty, written by Steven Knight who made Peaky Blinders. They are landing at a moment that feels transformative for the actor – and not only because of any just-turned-40 jitters.
A few years ago, Norton had been worried that acting was frivolous – 'dressing up and fucking around' as he puts it. But A Little Life made him realise that, no, it has a purpose. He would meet real-life abuse survivors at the stage door every night and learn how important the show had been for them. It made him think about his own past, as a victim of bullies while a young teen at boarding school. And by literally baring all on stage, he became more open, even if said openness – such as spilling his feelings about his 2023 split with former fiancee and fellow actor Imogen Poots, during a panel at this year's Glastonbury festival, which went viral on TikTok – sometimes leaves him feeling exposed. 'If I'd known there was a journalist in the audience I probably wouldn't have been so honest,' he says with a smile. 'I'm realising more and more everyone has a fucking phone.'
We meet in Ham Yard, fittingly the same Soho hotel where Norton celebrated A Little Life's closing party. He cycled here alone and I spot him wandering around the bar, looking for someone who might feasibly be a journalist. In his baggy trousers and T-shirt, he makes for cheerful, relaxed company, though he assures me he often turns up to interviews dripping in sweat from having pedalled frantically to make it on time. He has a puppyish enthusiasm for his work and when he smiles – which is often – his eyes crinkle up and close. When a passing woman interrupts us to tell him, 'I think you're an amazing actor,' he bashfully thanks her before turning to me and pretending he's writing this piece: 'And at this point, the actor's mum turns up.'
Norton orders tea – Earl Grey with a spot of oat milk – and tells me about King & Conqueror. 'I put my hands up and admit I didn't know the story at all,' he says. 'I just had a vague gloss of it from school. I wasn't aware of the relationship Harold and William had before the battle, that they were friends and allies for many years before they realised that, because of the way Europe was being carved up, they would both inevitably end up on a battlefield – and one of them would have to die.'
The Rest Is History podcast once compared the events leading up to 1066 to Game of Thrones, and Norton agrees. 'It's mad to think nobody has really done it before,' he says. 'And that's one of the reasons we spent so long developing it.'
Producing is clearly new territory for Norton. King & Conqueror was shot in Iceland, and he found himself struggling with concepts that don't normally intrude on an actor's consciousness, such as budget. 'It's the closest I've ever come to feeling like I'd bitten off too much,' Norton says. 'I started using the word 'burnout', which is just, like, oh God.' He likes to play down any struggles he talks about, hyper aware people may be thinking, 'Oh, give it a rest, you're making television.' But he's also keen to point out that being under pressure is really his ideal performance state: 'I just do better. Too much time and space makes me slightly inert.'
Far less stressful, he says, is his forthcoming role – purely as an actor – in House of Guinness. No budget worries here: he plays Sean Rafferty, a whip-cracking hardman who keeps the stout company's workers in line while the Guinness siblings fall into a Succession-style squabble over inheritance, sparked by their father Sir Benjamin's devilishly crafted will. Norton – who used a special accent coach to nail not only the area (Dublin) but also the period (mid-19th century) – says an awful lot of Guinness 0.0 was consumed on set. And off set?
'We shot it in Liverpool, which is full of good Irish pubs. So, yeah, we were splitting the Gs and all that.' He's referring to the art of making sure your first gulp of Guinness leaves the pint settled at the 'G' on the branded glass. Did he perfect it? 'I think I did,' he says, sounding very unsure. 'It usually happened later in the night. I mean … I've got vague memories of jumping around a pub.'
Whether on or off camera, Norton feels comfortable at the centre of the action these days, which hasn't always been the case. Back when he was starting out as an actor, he auditioned for Fifty Shades of Grey. 'And I remember the director saying, 'Can you be a bit more charismatic?'' He laughs. 'That's the hardest thing to just try and do! Especially since I was too young and self-conscious to even really know what she meant.'
These days, he thinks he has acquired the age and experience to perform a darkly magnetic character such as Rafferty. 'And it felt great,' he says. 'Because it taps into that alter ego of who you'd love to be. He's violent, but he's romantic, too. There's a thug in all of us.'
Norton portrayed one of the great villains of British television in Happy Valley's Tommy Lee Royce. The character he helped create – charming, psychopathic, but in glimpses vulnerable, too – is what he does perfectly. His roles often strike a nerve because they wrestle with the pressures and flaws of modern masculinity.
The secret to playing a character like Royce, he says, is that you have to like them on some level. 'In the early stages, someone like Tommy was defined only by cruelty and violence, when in fact he's defined by damage, trauma and fear. So the way in is trying to separate acts that are inherently abhorrent and unforgivable from the context. And the context is that, nearly always, anyone capable of that type of cruelty has been subjected to cruelty. So he's just a deeply sad, damaged man. Maybe 'like' is the wrong word, but empathy for sure.'
Happy Valley made Norton a household name, but he says he has been lucky that his career has involved big next steps rather than giant leaps that might have left him out of his depth. He started in theatre, and did some guest days on TV and film, before Happy Valley was followed by shows such as Grantchester, in which he played sleuthing vicar Sidney Chambers, and McMafia, as the son of a Russian mafia boss living in London. Then came the chance to do A Little Life. The thought of playing the lead terrified Norton – which was the reason Poots and his agent told him he had to do it.
If playing Jude was gruelling, there were other factors that made it even harder for Norton. At 22 he was diagnosed with diabetes and, as a result, is constantly hooked up via Bluetooth to a glucose monitor (he has to self-inject up to 15 times a day). For A Little Life he carefully stashed sugar gels around the stage to help him stay on top of things. If the Bluetooth failed, a stage manager would be on alert to get the message to him. 'Someone might be doing an intimate scene with me, or something violent, and when they were close up they'd whisper 'three point two', then carry on. It was intense.'
On only one occasion did Norton fail to respond in time. 'One horrible thing about having a hypoglycemic moment is you get a kind of clarity at first, which makes you think you don't need sugar. Then what happens next is like a sort of terrible psychedelic trip, where you're so confused you don't know where you are.' It happened during a scene where he was required to run around the stage. 'It was terrifying. I was dripping with sweat, dropping my lines, confused. The actors could all tell something wasn't right.'
When the play first opened, some audience members disobeyed the strict no-cameras rule and snapped Norton during his naked scenes – photos even ended up appearing on MailOnline. He must have felt violated?
'Yeah … I mean, violated is probably too strong. My strongest memory is that it was just a bit sad, a bit gross, this idea that it would be framed in a kind of titillating way when the subject matter was so clearly vicious and upsetting. But I think the reaction, generally, was that it was misjudged, which was gratifying.'
The naked scenes caused a lot of noise around the show. Norton said at the time he thought 'as a culture', we are 'scared of the penis', though he thinks we have since become a lot better at accepting male nudity on screen. Have we, though, I wonder? The biggest (excuse the pun) example of male nudity I can think of is The White Lotus, which involved the use of giant prosthetic ones. If those are what we're all looking at, no wonder society is scared of the penis.
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'Yeah, that is a bit weird,' Norton muses. 'But I think it's deliberate – they want it to be big, right? It's like in Pam & Tommy, where there's an animatronic penis that talks.' He laughs while considering his position on all of this. 'I can say that I have never had a prosthetic or an animatronic penis. All my penis work is my own.'
He falls silent. 'Oh shit, that's going to be the headline, isn't it? Do I need to call my publicist?'
Norton was born in south London but grew up in Malton, North Yorkshire. He has described his childhood as 'idyllic' but that's not exactly true. He was sent to boarding school and found himself being tormented by bullies there. 'It's that thing where a lot of boys are having separation anxiety, feelings of fear and confusion as to why they've been taken out of their home at the age of 11,' he says. 'A lot of people retreat into themselves, and others deal with that same confusion by doing that Lord of the Flies thing and becoming the bully. I was young for my year and I became an exciting target because I would react to things that were thrown my way. I didn't have the self-awareness to just go: whatever.'
Norton has a tendency to play it down, but he acknowledges that the scars have stayed with him. 'Oh, for sure. It's something that is part of the jigsaw puzzle of my 40-now years.' In fact, part of the reason he took on the role of Jude was that he thought it might somehow rid him of the bullied child within. Did it go deeper than that: did he see fame as an act of revenge on the bullies?
'There's a sort of byproduct to the acting thing, which is that the barometer of your success is the public reaction,' he says. 'That can get hijacked by parts of your personality which are needing affirmation, which we all have. That part of me is gratified by the feeling of being on a billboard or whatever. Then you step away from that and realise it's not going to really get rid of that need for affirmation, because nothing will.'
Norton thought he had a decent gauge when it came to not letting work intrude on his personal life. 'I've always been clear about it taking up too much space at the expense of relationships and friendships,' he says. 'But A Little Life, more than any other job, was where that didn't happen. It took everything out of me.'
As an outside observer, it's hard not to wonder if the pressure he put himself under contributed to his split with Poots after six years. But he says no. 'That happened naturally and amicably. Two actors going out is always challenging because of scheduling. We were travelling a lot. And that was one of many factors that brought a very happy relationship to an end.'
Norton has given a decent impression of a man pretty comfortable with all aspects of fame – but since the split he has found the attention on his love life oppressive. 'I've always tried to balance authenticity with privacy,' he says. 'I want to be honest but I don't want to talk about my relationships at all and I don't like it when I get photographed with a friend walking down the street and it's then told the next day like it's a romance. Another romance!'
The week before we meet there has indeed been tabloid speculation about various women in Norton's life. He was photographed with the socialite Flora Huddart; before that he was hanging out at the Lido festival in London with Lily Allen. 'Snogging', one tabloid reported, although if you actually looked at the pictures … 'I'm not snogging them! Funny that, isn't it?' he says. Norton is laughing while we discuss this, but there's a subtle vibe shift in the room. Five minutes ago it felt as if he would have happily sat here chatting away for hours. Now, maybe he has an eye on the clock.
'Look,' he says, 'I'm a man in London going on occasional dates, meeting people, living my life, and it's kind of no one's business really.'
Which is, of course, fair enough. The only reason he talked about his romantic life at Glastonbury, he says, was because Annie Mac asked him if he had experienced any big life changes, and he always tries to answer things honestly. 'I was like, well, I had a breakup and that was a massive change.' He says he has been fortunate to go through life without having to deal with any major grief, but that he came to realise the split was a kind of grief in itself. 'I lost the person,' he told the crowd, 'but I also lost the life I was about to lead, the kids we had named, all that kind of stuff.'
It probably didn't help matters that, as he approached 40, Norton was starting to pick up roles as dads in shows such as Playing Nice (he calls it his 'sad dad era'). 'If you'd asked me at 25, I probably thought I might have a kid by 40,' he says. 'But equally, I had a fucking great 30s, and hopefully kids might still be in my life at some point. That's the privilege of being a man and not having to worry about my biological clock.' In a way, he says, he's more relaxed now than he was a decade ago when everyone around him started having kids. 'I think I did feel that pressure to get on the train, do the same thing.'
If Norton sounds Zen about it all now, there are good reasons why. After the split from Poots he went to Plum Village, a Buddhist retreat in France set up by the Vietnamese monk and activist Thích Nhat Hanh. Norton actually studied theology at Cambridge before he trained at Rada, specialising in Buddhist and Hindu faith, and as a teenager he had a period where he became 'very committed' to Catholicism. But this is different, he says. 'With Buddhism, you don't really talk about faith. The teaching isn't about worship. It's about the self. It's about one's own journey and experience of the world. And it's been amazing for me. It's an incredible community and it's given me an opportunity to just stop and recognise the value of quiet, peaceful space, which I don't often give myself in life. Even just to rest and sleep. I think for a lot of my younger years I thought inaction and stasis was just a waste of time.'
There's certainly not too much sleep or rest going on. Norton's new producing gig is almost a full-time job, and a different one. 'I sit at a desk, discuss ideas and read scripts. It's broader and more empowering than just turning up very late in the development process as an actor.' He will be appearing in about half of the shows Rabbit Track produce, and there are other gigs, too – he has been filming Sunny Dancer, a British comedy about a teenage cancer survivor going to 'chemo camp', and will appear as Ormund Hightower, leading a march on King's Landing, in season three of House of the Dragon.
Norton has been generous with his time, but it's the moment to wrap things up. I sense a hint of relief that there will be no more prying questions. 'Was that OK?' I ask. 'Or was it a bit … ' 'Yeah, you went close,' he says, laughing.
It's only later that I start to wonder what he meant by that. I went close … to what, exactly? Him storming out? Throwing me a Tommy Lee Royce-style punch before drenching me in Earl Grey and oat milk? It's all rather hard to imagine. The James Norton of today seems to be able to smile gracefully, suck up any negativity and take it all in his stride. He seems extremely content; secure in his own skin while restlessly creative. And all of that with a whopping hangover.
King & Conqueror airs on BBC One and iPlayer from 24 August. House of Guinness is on Netflix in September.
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27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Locals living in one of Britain's most famous tourist towns with two million visitors a year say its high street is in 'decline' as shops lay vacant for 15 years
More than two million visitors make a pilgrimage to Stratford-upon Avon every year as they pay homage to the birth place of the most celebrated playwright in history. The medieval market town is beautifully adorned with quaint gift shops and cobblestoned streets, and surrounded by the smell of freshly made fudge. Every summer, crowds of literature fans from across the world queue up outside William Shakespeare's Birthplace museum and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre is packed out as actors take to the stage. From looking at the busloads of international tourists queuing patiently to enjoy Stratford's 800-year history, this bustling town is the last place you would imagine to be in 'decline'. But there is a side of the town locals are less proud of. A host of high street names have shut down, while Turkish barbers and vape shops have popped up, rough sleepers have set up bases on vacant shopfronts, and gangs of yobs roam around wearing balaclavas. One woman, speaking anonymously to the Daily Mail, even opened up about how she was recently sexually assaulted by a man wearing a balaclava in the town centre, and now fears walking alone at night. Meanwhile, cafe workers worry business has fallen, as locals say hardly any shops are lasting. A large Debenhams has sat empty on the high street since 2020, while a derelict BHS has been closed and decaying for more than 15 years. Since the beginning of last year alone, Jack Wills, Fraser Hart, The Body Shop and independent shops such as Wilfred's Sweet Shop have permanently closed. Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia and Edward Moon are just a number of the restaurants that have also shut doors. Last month, the shutters were pulled down at the town's Poundland store. Just a week ago, the town's Pizza Express closed its doors. Mustafa Dogan, owner of the Fresh Baguette Bar, told the Daily Mail: 'The price of everything has gone up now, it's become a luxury for people to eat out. It's not like before, you can't go and get something to eat without worrying. 'The High Street, in my eyes, is struggling. Technology is not helping, it is damaging for us. 'You go to the shops and you buy mayonnaise, it's £1, you go online, it's 80p. What would you do? You buy online. 'That's the main hiccup. 'The rents are so high, and people are buying online. '100 per cent, businesses on the high street are struggling. It's in decline. 'Covid and technology are definitely playing a big part. It's a package of everything.' Explaining that area now feels unsafe, he said: 'It's a bad look to have homeless people outside shops on the main high street. 'It's not just that, it's become fashion for the youngsters to wear balaclavas. 'I don't know why they are doing it. They are wearing them and riding the electric scooters. 'I'm afraid respect is out of the window now. 'My brother-in-law has got two teenage daughters, and they don't go out. It's not safe. 'We are lucky to live here, compared to say Coventry or even Leamington. But even here is not safe. 'You have groups of teenagers taking stuff from shops and just walking away. People don't react because there is nothing they can do. 'I don't think it puts tourists off, this town is a town you visit for one or two days. So they come, see the town, and go. 'But for locals it's a different story.' Urging for more to be done to crack down on antisocial behaviour, he said: 'There is no respect anymore. They don't respect the police or anyone. 'We need to get more police on the street and give the police more powers. 'The High Street needs more policing. 'But it's not just here, it's the whole country, the system is not right. 'We have a friend who grew up here. When she was a teenager everyone used to know each other. Now she says you don't know your neighbours, and you don't feel safe at all. She doesn't walk through town alone at night. 'It's a very touristic place and they put a lot of money to put nice flowers etc. to make it look good. But yet you've got all these problems. 'For the people that live here it's like what about safety?' The cafe also blasted landlords for not allowing empty buildings to be used as community centres while they lay vacant. They said several community members had offered to use some premises to bring in tennis tables and the like to bring young people together until another occupier is found, but these proposals were rejected. Meanwhile, a local passing through the High Street told the Daily Mail about a recent harrowing experience in November last year. She said: 'In November, I was walking by the canal and I was sexually assaulted by a man with a balaclava. 'I reported it to the police but they never did anything. They said they could not identify him because he had a balaclava. 'Now I never walk down there. It is not safe at all. 'And even on my way to work during the day I make sure to walk a route where there are CCTV cameras around. 'It's a shame really. 'The police do have some patrol points around the centre and they say "feel free to come and talk". 'I do have questions but what is the point. What are they going to say. I reported it and they did nothing.' When the Daily Mail visited the town on Tuesday, private neighbourhood police called 'My Local Bobby' were patrolling the area, and told of how they looking to crack down on any shoplifting and antisocial behaviour. They are said to be hired jointly by businesses across the centre. Later in the afternoon, they were seen having a word with a group who seemed to be causing trouble. Just down from the High Street, along the quaint Henley Street where Shakespeare's Birthplace Museum stands in its magnificent architecture, tourists are lined up waiting to get in. And while the thoroughfare has kept its old town character intact, right opposite the museum sits an empty restaurant. A few yards down to the left is an empty jewelers. And around the corner is a souvenir shop which advertises vapes. Greenhill Street, 300 yards away, sits in a derelict state, with boarded up shops and restaurants, and the only remaining shops two mini marts and a Turkish barbers. A Paperways store has been left decaying and unoccupied on the road for at least ten years. And at the other end of Henley Street, by the main junction that connects to the High Street, is Bridge Street. From afar, it is picture perfect with its floral arrangements hanging from shopfronts and planters along the road. But at a closer look, it is a street in disrepair. The old BHS remains empty, as does a Halifax, in front of which rough sleepers have stationed themselves. The Poundland sits closed and a man sits begging tourists outside the Sainsbury's next door. The town centre is adorned with historic buildings and beautiful floral arrangements but also has rows of empty stores One local, speaking outside the closed Paperways store said: 'I was born here. 'And I've seen it change a lot and not for the better, let's put it that way. 'This street, it's terrible. And then if you go down the high street, there's lots of empty shops just sitting there. 'There's only one bright part to this town left and it's the big jewelers. 'I don't know why it's gotten like this. 'There was the old Debenhams then it was going to be changed to a hotel but it's just been empty for some time. There were going to build flats but it's sitting there. 'It's an eyesore. 'The BHS was beautiful, but it's been empty for years too. 'This is not the Stratford I grew up in. 'Paperways here has been empty for years and years. 'If you go from here to Birmingham you go past a place called Digbeth. Up here on this road, it's a bit like Digbeth. 'Let's just say I wouldn't walk down here at night in the dark. 'I think police see a lot of sleeping in doorways, a lot of antisocial behaviour in the town. 'Stratford not like it used to be.' Barry the Butcher, on the High Street, is a family-run business that has been running for over 35 years and is one of the longest lasting stores on the street. Jake Field, 23, who has worked at the butchers since a teenager said: 'The High Street has definitely changed. Massively. 'For locals it's a lot quieter now, there's not many shops for them. 'It's only really tourist shops. 'I think this is probably the the longest running shop. 'All the ones that open up don't really last. New ones keep opening up and closing. 'The change has more or less been since Covid happened. People are coming out less, it's easier to just order online. 'We do high quality meats. You've got to do high end quality products to keep going in this climate otherwise people will just go to the supermarkets. 'I've been working here for 10 years now and the main difference I've seen is that because a lot of the locals were older, you see less faces that you know now. 'And then you've got more of the homelessness, the antisocial behaviour. 'There's definitely more of them now, outside empty premises. They used to hang around the Debenhams, there used to be quite a few around there, but I think they're blocked it off now. 'That's not what people expect or what they know Stratford for. 'You don't expect it to be that way. 'It's meant to be an affluent area but it's turning that sort of way.' Stratford-upon-Avon Town Council and Warwickshire County Council recognised the issues themselves and put forward a bid for Government funds to address it in June 2021. But at the beginning of 2023, the Government announced the bid was unsuccessful. Some locals the Daily Mail spoke to on Tuesday felt the local council should take more of a role in stopping oversaturation of the same types of stores and restaurants. They also pointed to the fact that an increasing amount of tourists and students visit the town as part of a tour and do not spend much money in the town itself. Roy and Sue McMaster, both 65, who live near Stratford said: 'We've lived here since late 70s so we've seen it change. We were here when the BHS was open and so on. 'It's become very much a tourist town now, it always was and continues to be. 'Every town has changed because of buying online etc, but the thing here is that it's all become coffee places and tea shops to attract tourists. 'They've opened up a Gail's too. 'Yesterday there were dozens of young students getting tour guides from different countries, many from Asian countries, but don't actually spend money here. 'They come here by coach, do all the tourist things, visit the museum and theatre, but don't spend. 'There's a lot of empty shops now. There's so many of the same things, it dilutes their profit and they can't survive. 'And there's the Turkish barbers. They say they're fronts for something else, but you don't know. In our small town nearby there's six or seven, but they're never busy.' They continued: 'I guess the one benefit here is that its Shakespeare's birthplace and you've got the theatre. 'If we were any other town we would be really struggling. 'A lot of people hold the town council responsible for planning permissions being given out to every store that wants to open. 'They just need to think carefully and ask, "do we need a sixth pizza place and another hotel?" 'This hotel has been shut for a long time. Debenhams they were going to build a hotel there but you don't need a hotel there. It fell through anyway.' Some businesses though have remained standing and say the town is still faring far better than other regions. Richard Bunn-Major, 56, manager at Music Matters, has been running his store for 27 years. While he acknowledged some shops have been left vacant for years, he thinks they are being replaced by high-end brands. He said: 'The Mercure has sat empty but was bought about two to three years ago and now work has begun. 'It's the chains that are closing down, Cafe Rouge, Pizza Express. Perhaps they are too big and realise they need to scale back. 'We've got two pizza places privately owned, so I guess it's tough competition. 'Gail's has opened recently where Jack Wills was. It seems like there are more high-end brands moving in. 'Jewellery brand Pragnells have bought up empty properties around the town to minimise the demise of the town so they can sell it to higher end brands.' Asked about the BHS that has stood empty for years, he said: 'There's been a lot of interest in it for years but never came to anything. 'The place is rotting it's falling to pieces it's an eyesore. 'I guess the business people are from out of town, probably London, and don't care.' However, he says their store has remained popular for 27 years and feels the area is 'so safe' that they don't have to worry about leaving their store door open. He said: 'Yes, you've got the general drug and drink people. 'But these kind of places of always attract that because of the tourism. 'You're always going to have that. 'I don't worry about them causing any issues though, occasionally you spot them trying to nick something but you can spot them a mile off. 'But we keep the door open. In about 20 years, we've not worried about anything. 'Generally speaking, I've lived here a long time and would say its one of the nicest places to live. 'The only problem is that the local council don't see what potential is outside of the obvious. It's not all about Shakespeare. The river is beautiful. The market is not a local market, and most of us would agree it's terrible, and local stores are having to close for it.' Gill Darby, who lives nearby and has visited the town for decades said: 'It's nice compared with most other high streets, but I've seen it change over the years. 'Quite a few shops have gone. 'Most of the big stores and food places are put away from town in retail parks so now people just drive to them. 'BHS has just sat there for 16 years. I wish they could open, but they can't can they? 'It's all food now isn't it? It's all restaurants.' Matt Castle, 50, moved to Stratford in 2009 and works at the theatre. He said: 'A lot of shops have closed down, I think a lot more eating places have opened up similar to other places. 'There's not really a great variety of stores. And because rent is so expensive, the turnover of shops is very noticeable. 'I've suffered crime here myself. I had a bike stolen, it was locked up outside the theatre and somebody came with chain clippers and just took it. 'It happened about three years ago near Christmas time. 'So there is a bit of that. But I do feel it's safe here and I'm thinking of my kids who are becoming older teenagers and they can go out on their own and I feel fine. 'I have heard Stratford being referred to as a Shakespeare theme park.' For visitors however, they had a different experience of the town. Robert Beatty, 61, from Chester, said he visited Stratford-upon-Avon last month and loved it so much he has returned with his wife just four weeks later. He said: 'It's very nice, the only issue is the parking. 'We're lucky we're on the hotel down there so we can walk up. 'I came here about four weeks ago, and liked it so much we came straight back again. 'The high street itself is very very nice. We were in Wrexham last week, it was so run down, so looking at this it's completely different. 'Elsewhere you've got lots of retail parks coming up everywhere and shops just boarded up. 'This is completely different to where we live about five miles out of Chester. 'It's obviously more for visitors, but it's 100 per cent better than other high streets 'It's definitely good for the tourists. For the tourists it's absolutely lovely.' A Stratford-on-Avon District Council spokesperson, said: 'Stratford-on-Avon District Council remains committed to supporting the vitality of Stratford town centre amid broader retail market challenges. 'While factors such as national business rates and property ownership lie beyond the District Council's control, proactive steps are being taken through initiatives like the vacant high streets programme and support for diversified town centre uses. 'The District Council has worked with the applicants at both Debenhams and BHS to bring forward alternative uses for these large format stores and we continue to work with the owners to find new and suitable viable uses. Although some units remain empty, many are expected to be reoccupied as part of normal market cycles.' The council also addressed concerns about crime and antisocial behaviour, adding: 'A partnership approach is key to the town's success. The District Council collaborates with stakeholders, including the BID, which plays a vital role in promoting the town and supporting businesses - most recently through the introduction of "My Local Bobby". 'Community safety is a priority. The Council's 24/7 CCTV control room works in real-time with Warwickshire Police and local businesses to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. In May, a Public Space Protection Order was introduced to address alcohol-related ASB, empowering police to intervene where necessary. 'In line with national trends, the District has seen an increase in rough sleeping. Stratford-on-Avon benefits from robust partnership working in relation to preventing and tackling rough sleeping. 'The District Council also works with partners to address rough sleeping, offering support and taking enforcement action where individuals cause harm or nuisance. It's important to note that not all individuals seen begging in the town centre are rough sleepers and do have their own accommodation.' Stratford-upon-Avon BID said: 'New businesses are opening up and vacancy rates are lower than the national average. Crime figures are lower than average. 'The town is home to many independent businesses and holds a number of vibrant events which has recently included the Motor Festival attracting 25K footfall and 150 Kate Bushes in the park last weekend. 'There's something for everyone in our town that has more to offer than some cities.'
The Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Sun
TV bosses ask Londoners to star in upcoming Harry Potter series with filming to start at end of month in London
THE upcoming Harry Potter TV series is about to start shooting in the capital – but it's not just the stars who will be involved in filming. We've been told Network Rail staff have been approached to appear as extras when the HBO show starts filming scenes featuring the Hogwarts Express locomotive. 7 The scenes will be shot from August 23 to 25, with staff receiving chances to get their five minutes of fame on screen in the series. A source said: 'The magic of Harry Potter is alive in London and bosses want to help people's dreams come true. They've called out for Network Rail staff to appear as extras in scenes which will be filmed at a station later this month. 'It's been really successful and they have had loads of interest from people who work as conductors and controllers who are keen to get their faces on screen. 'This telly series is a surefire mega-hit so it's not surprising their call-out has proved massively popular. "Bosses at HBO know there's nothing better than having real people in on the action as it will all look totally natural.' And if they are going for this realistic look, I'll be expecting the Hogwarts Express to be delayed on the first day of filming because the wrong kind of summer heat has ruined the train tracks. Oh and the air-conditioning definitely won't be working. A last-minute alteration on platform 9¾ wouldn't appear too much of a stretch either. Show makers HBO previously confirmed they will use an old steam train that was rescued from a scrap heap in Barry Island in Wales as the magical locomotive. The train is currently green, but bosses are staying tight-lipped about whether they will repaint it to match the locomotive seen in the hit Noughties films, which are based on JK Rowling's best-selling books. The first series is expected to run for eight episodes and has been scripted from the first book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. Rising star JK's debut novel was originally released in 1997, while the blockbuster film came out four years later in 2001. The films turned Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint into household names thanks to their portrayals of young wizard Harry and his pals Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. This time around rising star Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry, Alastair Stout is taking on Ron and Arabella Stanton is in place as Hermione. Give it a year or so and they will be some of the most recognised young stars in the country. OZZY WAS MY BLUD BROTHER YUNGBLUD has opened up about the death of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne. The pair became close pals over the past few years, with the rapper – real name Dominic Harrison – doing a cameo at Ozzy and Black Sabbath's Back To The Beginning show at Villa Park in Birmingham last month, days before the rock legend passed. Yungblud, who coverd Black Sabbath's Changes at the gig, said: 'I thought Ozzy had another five albums in him. And then he did the show and then he died. 'I just love him and right till the end he supported me. He taught me self-belief and I'm going to take his spirit and make sure everybody knows who Ozzy was.' NELLY FURTADO looked to have taken inspiration from her Noughties hit I'm Like A Bird when she took to the stage at Boardmasters in green winged sleeves. The American star performed some of her best-loved hits, including Say It Right and Maneater, at the festival headlined by The Prodigy. 7 Raye, Central Cee and Rizzle Kicks were also on the bill at the surfing and event, which takes place across the gorgeous Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach in Cornwall. Katy B was a surprise guest for Nelly at the show and the pair's duet of I'm Like A Bird went down a storm with fans at the festival. Nelly certainly didn't need those wings to rise any higher. Perrie's fringe festival PERRIE EDWARDS strikes gold with her fans by hitting the stage in a shiny tassled outfit. The former Little Mix singer played Ascot Racecourse, where she blasted out songs for the adoring crowd. The audience seemed to love her performance as much as I love the cool black number, adorned with gold tassels. She sang tunes including her former band's classic 2016 single Shout Out To My Ex. After her brilliant show, Perrie wrote on Instagram yesterday: 'Last night was magic.' Her Little Mix bandmate Leigh-Anne Pinnock also performed this weekend with a set at Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall. Perrie, who is engaged to former Liverpool footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, released her first solo tunes last year, and is set to release her debut album this year. She has also landed a £300,000 deal with beauty giant L'Oreal's skincare brand CeraVe. Things are certainly looking pretty for Perrie. KYLIE TO GET MORE A-TENSION KYLIE MINOGUE is on the cusp of releasing a new album . . . but there's a twist. Rather than it being her third studio release in three years, the new record will be a live collection – which was made during her Tension world tour, which ends on August 26 in Mexico. It will mark the end of this era of Kylie's music, which has seen her finally crack America with mega-hit Padam Padam and dominate the airwaves with hit after hit. A source said: 'Kylie has quietly recorded her Tension Tour for a live album. 'The record will be announced in the coming weeks and mark the end of the Tension era.' The insider added: 'The album and Tension II both surpassed all expectations for Kylie. She is on top of the world.' THE White Isle comes to the Cotswolds this weekend with Reserve by Warner Hotels bringing back its famous Ibiza Sunsets Weekend. The event at Heythrop Park will have sets from Take That's Howard Donald, along with DJ Danny Rampling. Warner's epic Ibiza In Symphony also returns. See MODEL ROMANCE FOR CAIT CAITY BASER has revealed she has secretly fallen in love with a male model after meeting him on a video shoot. The Friendly Sex singer revealed she is head over heels for the mystery man and teased that they have discussed marriage. 7 Cait said: 'I fell in love with a man who is so safe and so secure. 'I met him on a video shoot. My first opinion of him was, wow, gorgeous, terrifying also because he is so gorgeous. 'We live together. He's my best friend. I love him.' And Caity, whose romance has inspired her EP There, I Said It, out on August 22, explained that settling down with him has calmed her down. She told the We Need To Talk podcast: 'For my whole life, I feel like I've just been on this treadmill of fight or flight emotionally. And then I met my boyfriend and I just feel so at peace. I feel so calm.' DEMI POPS UP DEMI LOVATO is going back to her dance pop roots for her upcoming ninth studio album. I can exclusively reveal her as-yet-untitled record, her first since 2022's Holy Fvck, will be out in October. The album's lead single Fast was released earlier this month but I'm told it has a more electronic sound than a lot of the record. A source said: 'Demi's album comes out in October and it's really good – she's excelled herself. 'Demi is in such a good place right now and it really shows in her art. Fast is more EDM than the rest of the album. 'Of course there are a few experimental elements but there is also Demi's classic pop sound in there too. One track called Kiss is basically Fast's racy sister. It goes hard.' My insider added: 'The music is worlds away from her last album. The rock era was fun but it's over.' It's been an amazing year so far for Demi, who married her boyfriend, singer Jordan Lutes, back in May. And now it's only getting more exciting for her. We can't wait to hear the album.
The Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Sun
Two huge ex-Neighbours stars in talks for Strictly Come Dancing as they could join Stefan Dennis on the show
NEIGHBOURS stars Delta Goodrem and Natalie Imbruglia are both in talks to join this year's Strictly Come Dancing. The actresses could both end up in the dance contest alongside Stefan Dennis, who also starred on the Aussie soap. 4 4 4 Natalie, 50, and Delta, 40, are in negotiations with Strictly execs who want to announce the line-up for the BBC1 show over the coming week. A TV insider said: 'Talks are at a point where things could go in a number of different directions but if both celebrities signed up then that would be seen as quite a coup for the show. 'Delta and Natalie would bring some glamour to the programme, and be some of this year's most eagerly anticipated competitors. 'If all three former Neighbours stars end up performing, the Strictly dance floor will end up looking more like Ramsay Street. 'But the next 24 hours of discussions between execs and the stars' reps are critical.' Delta made her name on Neighbours, playing Nina Tucker from 2002 to 2004, with a break when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She enjoyed a global hit with the track, Born to Try. Delta was previously engaged to Westlife's Brian McFadden and two months ago married musician Matthew Copley. Meanwhile, Natalie started as Beth Brennan on the soap in 1992 when she was just 16. Her character had a long-standing relationship with Brad Willis, which ended in the pair getting married. Natalie left after five years and went on to release best-selling track Torn in 1997. The mum-of-one, now a British citizen, married singer Daniel Johns in 2003, divorcing five years later. Other stars in the running for Strictly this year include Dani Dyer, EastEnder Balvinder Sopal, Geordie Shore's Vicky Pattison and rugby star Chris Robshaw.
