Tobias's video self-portrait for the Guardian

Man, I could just sit and listen to him talk for hours. lol. I like that he addressed the lines in his face, I didn't think they were scars, but I was kinda wondering. Love his sense of humor...

You can listen for a couple of hours via the BBC radio adaptation of James Lees-Milne's autobiography, which is available on iplayer worldwide for a couple more weeks. A bit campy but only in service to the material. And a peek into the fascinating (in the manner of a car crash) Mitford family.

This is the web page for the BBC Radio 4 drama.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b036k3sc


I am relieved that they didn't fudge the Mitfords, though they get an even harsher treatment in the actual diaries. I'd say that fascinating in the manner of a car crash is how Lees-Milne felt about them too, as much as he despised their Nazi sympathies, he could never distance himself from them completely.
Tobias's world-weary, dandy-like vocal rendition of Lees-Milne is a hoot. Maybe not his subtlest work, I agree, but it fits the character perfectly



I am a Cat-aholic, cats are my religion.

Many years ago I lived across Regent St from Jessica Mitford in Oakland, CA. The family consumed an amazing amount of booze (I saw their curbside recycling) and Jessica herself was a small, angry woman, seen late at night dragging an enormous dog without much success (when it tugged too hard on its leash she just sat on the pavement, a maneuver taught to belayers) and scolded it, obscenely, in an attenuated British English. I didn't realize it was her and thus could not greet her properly, as done in my native Brooklyn: 'Hi, Hon!'

He seemed self conscious of the lines on his face. He has a patrician profile which makes him look severe though I like his eyes which look vulnerable.