Acting on advice previously given to me, I left a note for Nicola by the Stage Door manager before I went to the following evening’s performance. I explained to Nicola who I was and I mentioned the Dolly item which I had sent her. After the play, I went round to the Stage Door area and waited for her. I was told that she had friends in, so it took a while before Nicola emerged from the Stage Door. I was glad that I waited for her. When she came through the Stage Door, she took one look at me and said, “You’re the one who gave me the Dolly Parton autographed picture!” Good, she did receive that item. “Yes, that was me,” I answered.
There were other groups of fans waiting for her, so Nicola told me to “hang on” whilst she went off to speak to her other fans. In the meantime, I noticed that Niamh Cusack (who played Siobhan, Christopher’s special needs teacher) was around so I asked for her autograph. She was very nice. After Nicola finished speaking with her other fans, she came back to me and we chatted for a while. Other fans have written about how pleasant and gracious Nicola is, in real life. I thought that that can’t be real. Well it is real, because I now have first hand experience of that.
I told her the play was great, and she praised all the other cast members very graciously. I told her I saw her walking in the street the day before. She said that I should have spoken to her. I said I looked more like a zombie than today and didn’t want to scare her. Then I congratulated her on her new comedy program [Ed : Heading Out]. She cocked her head to the side, eyes wide and asked, “How do you know about that?” “It’s all over the Internet and Twitter,” was my response. Again she gave a knowing nod and then smiled. I mentioned I’d seen her in Chalk. “That was ages ago,” she said, “this [new show] is totally different.” I had to ask her about working with Derek Jacobi in Last Tango in Halifax that will air on the BBC starting in September. “He is a lovely man and wonderful to act with.” I mentioned that Jacobi was one of my favorite actors from an early age. Nicola told me how great the rest of the cast was, especially the talent of Josh Bolt, the young actor playing her son.
“They gave me a young lover [in Last Tango in Halifax]!” Nicola was greatly amused by that. This gave me the chance to mention her husband, actor Barnaby Kay. I asked Nicola what did she do to him between Spooks Series 3 and the recent Wallender series. Barnaby looks so much more fit and buff these days. “It’s a secret,” she smiled as she said it. I told her, “If you’ve chucked him out now lots of other women will line up for him.” She smiled again and said, “I’ll tell him.” Her smile is really infectious.
We agreed that Spooks did her no favors as far as camera angles were concerned. In that show her looks were down played. In real life, she looks so much younger and so beautiful, both outwardly and inwardly. She’s very excited about the comedy she will be filming with the other two actresses. We briefly discussed how it is going to be very different from previous comedies. I took a picture of her and then one of us together. Of course I looked too serious in the photos. What I found most interesting was that Nicola seemed more interested in me as a person than talking about herself. The former reporter in me wondered if it was her technique to keep fans from asking too many personal questions. We ended the chat by Nicola saying how nice it was to meet me and me thanking her for the conversation and autographing my program. I assumed then that that was the only conversation I would ever have with Nicola Walker. I was wrong.
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Dee,
This is a great report, I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip to London.
I’m inspired by this article, you seem like a truly lovely person and I’m glad that you came to London by yourself. It sounds like you had a blast.
My aunt’s granddaughter has special needs and I feel this is something that affects many many people and it’s refreshing to know there are people like you out there helping others.
All the best with your future endeavours, I agree there is a natural reporter in you.
Thank you for your kind words and I do teach in Virginia. Like to think we are better at what we do as we learn more each year especially related to ASD. Many would like for me to return to reporting, but for now I love teaching.
Dee,
Thank you very much for allowing us to share your extraordinary time in London. I still can’t believe that you saw Nicola so many times in such a short time. It was also great that you met with Nicola’s British and European fans.
The play has a strong resonance for me too. One of my sons, adopted from the orphanage of Zagreb, spent 13 years with special needs and autistic children. My filing cabinet is full of IEP and reports from various institutions (which I shall not name) throughout Virginia! I also sub in special ed classes. During the NT live broadcast, which luckily takes place in a dark movie theater, I hope that I won’t burst into tears in watching Nicola. I know too well the difficulties and sometimes the absurdity facing the parents of special needs children.
I became hooked by Spooks and even more so by the relationship between Harry and Ruth. Even though over the years I have enjoyed the performances of regular and guest actors, I am fascinated by the chemistry between Peter Firth and Nicola. As much as I hated the implausible ending of Spooks, Nicola had a point regarding the importance of Jane Featherstone in the creation of Spooks. However, without Peter and Nicola, the show would not have lasted that long.
I am just amazed how Nicola takes the time to chat to all her fans after two grueling performances in one day. I love your lively insights into Nicola’s past and future roles. You capture so well Nicola’s inner and outer beauty. The hugging part made me chuckle. I hope that you can go back to London some time in the future. We, the fans of Nicola, are looking forward to your reportage. You might be a teacher now, but you are still a reporter at heart.