Finsbury Park. I lived near Brockwell Park, between Herne Hill and Brixton, for a really long time, and only recently moved to the other side of London in a flurry.
Where do you stay in London?
Sometimes I’ll stay in a nice hotel when doing press, but I can’t pretend I would be there unless someone else was putting me up.
Where was your first flat in London?
I was at drama school in west London, so I lived on Lillie Road [in Fulham]. There was a dance studio below us, so we heard lots of tapping, and mice and rats above us. It was so exciting being a student in London and I loved my flatmates, but mainly I remember the mice.
Events waitering. I remember we did a training day where we had to pick up plastic vegetables with a spoon and fork.
Hugh Skinner
Dave Benett
Where would you recommend for a first date?
Garlic & Shots in Soho. Because if you’re doing a bloodshot with loads of garlic on a date, it’s sort of quite a good double bluff isn’t it?
Which shops do you rely on?
Fink’s café in Clissold Park. Majestic Wines. And every single department of John Lewis.
What’s the best meal you’ve had?
Let me take you on a bit of a tour. For a starter, the roti canai from C&R Cafe, which is this amazing Malaysian place in Soho. Then the peanut and cabbage dish from Naughty Piglets in Brixton. Then the beef suet pudding from The Devonshire. And then the Chelsea tart at Fallow, which is absolutely delicious.
What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?
Can the Mayor get rid of student loans? I’d do that. That, or free theatre tickets for everyone. Those are my generous ones. But if I was being selfish I’d melt down the ceremonial chain and make myself a grill.
Who is the most iconic Londoner?
The man in Bedknobs and Broomsticks who does the magic show on Portobello Road.
Where do you go to have fun?
Parks, galleries, theatres, friends’ houses — but no matter where I go, it’s always made better by whizzing there on a Lime bike. I also love The Spurstowe Arms in Dalston — great pizza — 89 Social on Stroud Green Road, and Feel It, the queer club night that just moved from London Bridge to Shoreditch.
You could spot the actor on a Lime bike in London
Ross Lydall
What’s the best thing a cabbie has ever said to you?
I had a really lovely interaction recently where I was taking some ashes in a cab, and he refused to let me pay. I was already having such a weird day and it was just the nicest surprise.
I love a run up the Parkland Walk, from Finsbury Park to Highgate.
Have you ever had a run-in with a London police officer?
No police, but plenty of those street environment officers, who have caught me dropping cigarette butts.
Hugh Skinner at the UK premiere of the BBC series Two Weeks In August
PA
Who do you call when you want to have fun?
Citizens Advice. No, I’m kidding — my friends. And I have loads of them, I promise.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
Nice eggs. I’m a sucker for a really orange yolk.
What’s your London secret?
It no longer exists, but my best London secret used to be this place near Liverpool Street, Mama Irene’s, that was a Thai restaurant mixed with a greasy spoon, where you’d go in, sit down, and Irene would tell you exactly what you were going to eat for dinner, then give you a price at the end.
What are you up to at the moment for work?
I’m currently promoting the BBC series Two Weeks in August, out this month, by Catherine Shepherd, who’s just incredible and wrote the most amazing script. Its tone is so original. It’s about these six friends on holiday, negotiating middle age, trying to make good decisions while the world falls apart around them. It’s a brilliant group of actors led by Jessica Raine.
Ian McKellen. Because he’s a fantastic actor, activist, and he has a pub.
Sir Ian McKellen at the Attitude 101 Awards in London (PA)
PA Wire
Perhaps butter. I do love a nice butter.
What’s your favourite work of art in London?
This is maybe quite a cliché answer, but Lucian Freud’s portrait of John Minton. It’s such a sad painting, but it’s also so immediate, you feel like you’re meeting him.
A personality quiz that I got half way through and then forgot about.
