Tobias Menzies reads Evelyn Waugh's blisteringly funny letter about his fans

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4 ай бұрын

In 1952, Nancy Mitford wrote to friend and fellow novelist Evelyn Waugh and asked, “What do you do with all the people who want interviews, with fan letters & with fans in the flesh? Just a barrage of nos?”
To read Waugh’s characteristically caustic reply, Tobias Menzies joined us at the tenth anniversary Letters Live show at London's Royal Albert Hall, in November 2023.
Evelyn Waugh to Nancy Mitford, 27th July 1952, Copyright © 1952, Evelyn Waugh, used by permission of The Wylie Agency (UK) Limited.

Пікірлер: 41

@PrincessJasmin1111 4 ай бұрын

We should let Tobias Menzies do more comedy! He has such great comic timing!

@neilattuk 4 ай бұрын

Ever watched Eternal Law? Excellent single season series. Tobias Menzies superb, as was the rest of the cast.

@LettersLive 4 ай бұрын

Doesn't he just? He's great in Aisling Bea's comedy series This Way Up.

@nicolajackman2809 4 ай бұрын

Tell that to his agent 😉

@janesaanches5197 4 ай бұрын

he has a comedic streak, we have already noticed this in some of his characters, intelligent humor

@callen8908 4 ай бұрын

Magnificent voice and world class presenter! Love this

@shelleylopresti6999 4 ай бұрын

Love this guy! I will watch anything he has done❤️

@denisesf5 4 ай бұрын

Oh my!! Tobias should have played Charles in The Crown! He sounds so much like him already!!😂❤️

@jonlpage 4 ай бұрын

....should I say or naah?

@msjennifer6119 4 ай бұрын

He’s doing the Prince Philip voice! “Spare me!”

@woah6958 4 ай бұрын

His tone is brilliant for this letter.

@mathewdallaway 4 ай бұрын

Beautifully read. Gosh.

@comealongcomealong4480 4 ай бұрын

@matthewdallaway I'm impressed that EW had such an organised, hierarchical system to respond. Some eleven categories of fan. And that he could just summarise this system for Nancy. Perhaps that's a writer's brain? Plot, character development etc. The mail must have been monumental when he was at peak popularity.

@loraineriddell7157 4 ай бұрын

🤣🤣🤣. Very drol. I watch absolutely everything that Tobias acts in - love his incredibly diverse range of acting.

@7733599 4 ай бұрын

So very talented & eloquent! I’d go see Tobias if I could, he’s a great actor, this I know & orator I see… 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿☕️

@bodnica 4 ай бұрын

Magnificent voice ❤

@jasonking3466 4 ай бұрын

I used to work at a bookstore chain. Once a great while the owner's wife would come in. She would often buy a few hundred dollars worth of books, mostly to give as presents. She was nice. And I have no ill will for her at all.

@sandrakellogg2260 4 ай бұрын

Great read! Well done!

@flannerymonaghan-morris4825 4 ай бұрын

Has he ever done a Wes Anderson movie? He should, has the right feel and good sense of comic timing for it!

@johnnotrealname8168 4 ай бұрын

Probably the greatest Catholic writer of the 20th Century, hilarious!

@kathleenkosel9368 4 ай бұрын

terrific as always, what a voice...and more shallowly.....great outfit....should dress like this more often!

@candilubk 3 ай бұрын

He had a nice fit on for his Seth Meyers interview 😊

@neilattuk 4 ай бұрын

Anyone watched Eternal Law? Look it up and watch it.

@hoganrichard9627 4 ай бұрын

Luv that show! I was able to get only limited seasons streaming here in the USA.

@hoganrichard9627 4 ай бұрын

Perfect role for Mr. Menzies. He plays "naughty" so well.

@candilubk 3 ай бұрын

I'm currently trying to watch anything I can find him in so thanks for the rec!

@seanmenzies2897 4 ай бұрын

Tobias Menzies could play famous botanist and ship's surgeon Archibald Menzies!

@kimsherlock8969 4 ай бұрын

The word Pompous came to my conclusion

@errantwinds-up8uu 4 ай бұрын

Evelyn Waugh is so underrated.

@TillyOrifice 4 ай бұрын

Among the greatest novelists, in any language, of the 20th century, and widely recognised as such?

@patrickhorgan8389 4 ай бұрын

@@TillyOrificeabsolutely

@colettebivens6709 4 ай бұрын

He is a treasure. Both serious and comedy genres.

@WantedVisual 3 ай бұрын

I love these videos, and I love that not everyone is speaking in RP, but I can't share 90% of your videos with my friends because you don't add CC's or a transcript. If these were hour-long improvised video essays, maybe that would be understandable; but you have the entire text before you even pick a reader. I'm not angry, I'm genuinely confused. And before anyone mentions the auto-generated captions, I invite you to turn them on and mute the video.

@cmtippens9209 4 ай бұрын

Sounds like Prince Philip.

@ncooty 4 ай бұрын

The letter could've used a touch more recognition of the (ironic?) level of self-involvement.

@christimanley13 4 ай бұрын

He was kinda a big deal. It's not paranoia if they're all after you. Isn't fake humble more annoying than justified satisfaction? Would you expect Mick Jagger to say I don't know if you've heard of my band unironically ?

@ncooty 4 ай бұрын

@@christimanley13 I'd expect anyone, no matter how famous, to get over themselves when talking to friends. Then again, it seems some people are perfectly happy to be obsequious door mats.

@Grievous- 4 ай бұрын

I think the title overshot the mark.

@tileux 4 ай бұрын

Does anyone know if Ned Kelly's Jerilderie Letter is on the list of these videos? Id love to see someone do justice to Ned's famous line: "a parcel of big ugly fat-necked wombat headed big bellied magpie legged narrow hipped splaw-footed sons of Irish Bailiffs or english landlords known as 'officers of justice' or 'Victorian Police' who some call honest gentlemen but I would like to know what business an honest man would have in the Police "

@Dave_Sisson 4 ай бұрын

I think they have a policy of not honouring criminals and Kelly wasn't just a petty crim, he was a mass murderer including three police. So I suspect the likelihood of them covering him is pretty low.

@tileux 4 ай бұрын

@@Dave_Sisson The jerilderie letter wouldnt "honour" Ned Kelly. Its just bloody funny, thats all.