One of our favourite things this month was an episode of BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life, in which host John Wilson talked to actor Bill Nighy about some of the turning points in his career. It struck a chord for two reasons. First, he made mention of a teacher, one Mr Weir, whose apparently throwaway comment about ‘trying his hand at the novel’ sparked his aspirations and altered his life – just as those teachers honoured by our ESU-Rutland Teacher Award change the lives of their pupils. And second was a funny anecdote about his audition for drama school in which – echoing our Performing Shakespeare competition – he had to give a speech. He chose Viola’s monologue from Act II, scene ii from Twelfth Night, but sadly, it didn’t go quite as expected… Our other picks include a new podcast all about words, and James, Percival Everett’s masterful reimagining of the runaway slave in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as told by ‘Jim’ himself.
Read the full article on the members’ hub now.
Find out more about becoming a member and how your support helps us ensure children have the speaking and listening skills and cultural understanding they need to thrive.
