London visitor

Having succeeded in science-fiction and supernatural adventure, in 1988 Lucasfilm turned its attention to fantasy. The film Willow featured the titular protagonist saddled with the responsibility of protecting a baby that was destined to bring down an evil queen. Starring a relatively unknown Warwick Davis in his first leading role along with Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, and Jean Marsh, the film was Lucasfilm’s first critical and commercial failure. However, in the time since its release, Willow has become a cult classic and garnered enough of a devoted following that Disney+ revived it as a series. Whether you’re going back to watch the original film or engaging in the new series, we hope you’ll enjoy these ten magical facts.

Romance on Set

Actors Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley played foils with a lot of unresolved romantic tension. Their onscreen chemistry eventually gave way to real-life chemistry, and the two married in 1988, the same year the film came out. Though the marriage only lasted eight years, Kilmer and Whalley had two children together and remained friends after their divorce. They weren’t the only ones, as Warwick Davis met his future wife Samantha on set. Their daughter Annabelle Davis plays Willow’s daughter Mims in the new series.

Tailor-Made Role

The part of Willow was written with Warwick Davis in mind. George Lucas had met Davis when the latter was a child playing the Ewok Wicket W. Warrick in 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Lucas was so taken with Davis’s performance that he allegedly told Davis’s mother he’d develop something for him later down the road. David was only 17 when he starred as Willow and went into a prolific career not only in further Star Wars roles but also the Leprechaun and Harry Potter franchises.

No Small Roles

All of the Nelwyn were played by actors with dwarfism, and according to Warwick Davis, the movie had the largest casting call for little people of any film in history. In the end, somewhere between 225 and 240 actors were hired to play the Nelwyn villagers.

A Cold Shower

For the scene in which Queen Bavmorda turns the heroes’ army into pigs, the set was filled with dozens and dozens of real pigs. There was a problem, though, in keeping the pigs from trying to mate with each other. They were literally doused with cold water to keep their libidos in check.

Never Not Working

Kevin Pollak and Rick Overton, who play the Brownies, were stand-up comedians before getting into acting. During their off-hours from filming, the pair would hit up a bar in San Rafael and eventually started doing improv there to entertain the bar patrons. During one performance, they were joined on stage by an audience member—who was none other than Robin Williams. Pollak decided to sit out the performance just to watch Williams work.

Throw It Up—I Mean—In! Throw It In!

As a result of his dwarfism, Warwick Davis walks with a slight limp. This had the effect of giving the twins who played Elora Danan motion sickness. One of them eventually threw up on Mark Northover, who played Burglekutt. Ron Howard opted to keep the literal spit take in the movie. There’s even a reference to it in the new show where the adult Elora says the rocking of the wagon makes her feel sick.

You’ve Had It Before

Blackroot is actually vanilla.

The Word is No—I Am Therefore Filming Anyway

George Lucas wanted to film parts of the movie in South China but was denied permission by the Chinese government. Instead, he sent a group of photographers to shoot pictures of specific areas and then worked the shots into the background via bluescreen.

Director’s Trademark

Well, it’s more like a producer’s trademark, as George Lucas got about three Wilhelm Screams into the movie. Director Ron Howard tried to get his brother Clint into the film (as is usual for Ron’s movies) but couldn’t find a part for him, so he modeled the two-headed dragon on him.

Take That, Critics!

And speaking of that two-headed dragon, while it isn’t named in the film, the script and press documents referred to it as “Eborsisk”, which is a portmanteau of film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.

Perhaps one of the most underrated actors of the 20th Century, Peter Cushing is mostly regarded for his role as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars: A New Hope. However, to horror fans, he is an absolute legend for playing Abraham Van Helsing and Victor Frankenstein in several Hammer Studios movies from the 1950s to the 1970s. And these roles are honestly only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the rather prolific career of this great British actor. To help you understand more about his greatness, we’ve assembled these ten interesting facts about Peter Cushing. Let us know your favorite films and roles in the comments.

A Closed Door and an Open Window

Cushing once auditioned for a production of Born Yesterday in the 1940s that was being produced by Laurence Olivier. The role called for him to do an American accent, which Cushing didn’t believe he could do convincingly. He was very upfront with Olivier about this, and while he didn’t get the part, Olivier told him, “I appreciate you not wasting my time. I shall remember you.” Olivier later cast him as Osric in Olivier’s 1948 version of Hamlet, which helped to launch Cushing as a film and TV star.

“Peter Cushing Lives in Whitstable”

Peter Cushing bought a home in the seaside town of Whitstable in 1959. As related by comedian Alan Davies on the panel show QI, a local band named the Jellybottys even wrote a song about their local famous resident. There’s even a pub dedicated to him in the town, “The Peter Cushing,” which is appropriately housed in an old movie theater and has an art deco interior with plenty of Cushing memorabilia.

Charming, to the Last

During the filming of their scenes for Star Wars: A New Hope, Carried Fisher said she often had trouble seeing Cushing as evil in his role of Tarkin because he was so polite and charming when cameras weren’t rolling. She also said he smelled of linen and lavender. It probably didn’t help that Cushing also wore slippers on set since he found the leather Imperial boots uncomfortable.

Famous Roles

Peter Cushing has inhabited some of the most well-known literary characters on screen. In addition to the aforementioned Van Helsing and Frankenstein, he has also played Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Darcy, and Winston Smith from 1984.

One that Got Away

Every actor has a well-known role that they turned down. For Peter Cushing, he said no to playing Dr. Loomis in 1978’s Halloween, a role that went to Donald Pleasance.

The Horror, the Horror!

Peter Cushing made a total of twenty-two films for Hammer Studios, most in their “Hammer Horror” line. Arguably, one of the only non-horror Hammer films he made was The House of the Baskervilles when he played Holmes with André Morrell as Dr. Watson and Christopher Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville.

Best of Frenemies

While Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were often at each other’s throats in movies (most often as Van Helsing and Dracula), the two were quite close friends in real life. Their friendship began on the set of The Curse of Frankenstein when Lee (who was playing the creature) angrily stormed into Cushing’s dressing room, saying, “I haven’t got any lines!” and Cushing wryly responded, “You’re lucky. I’ve read the script.” Their friendship thus grew from mutual respect and acknowledgment of the other’s professionalism and continued until Cushing’s death from prostate cancer in 1994.

Dr. Who?

While not included in the official canon (at least, not yet) of the Doctor’s regenerations, Peter Cushing had the distinction of playing the Doctor in two films: Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 AD. Rather than being the alien “Doctor,” he was a very human inventor named “Dr. Who” who created his “Tardis” (as opposed to Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) to travel in time. His Tardis, however, still looked like a police box with no reason given in-story for why it had that shape.

And the Oscar Goes To….

Of all the movies he made, only three were nominated for best picture, including Hamlet (1948), Moulin Rouge (1952), and Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). Hamlet is the only one of the three that won.

Living After Death

Even though he was long gone, the Star Wars franchise continued to utilize him as Tarkin. George Lucas had originally wanted to use archive footage for Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith in 2005, but the technology didn’t exist to do it convincingly, so lookalike Wayne Pygram was cast instead for a brief cameo. By 2016’s Rogue One, deepfake-like AI technology allowed Cushing’s face to be morphed onto actor Guy Henry so Cushing’s Tarkin could live again.

It is a dream for many Brits to one day be called “Sir” or “Dame” when they receive a knighthood from the Sovereign.  In the past, we have covered the various orders of chivalry that make up the honors but have not covered the process from beginning to end.  Even the process can have many routes as there are several different times at which individuals can be nominated to receive an honor.  Join us as we cover the times and means by which British citizens can find themselves receiving knighthood from the King. 

The process starts with a nomination for an honors list, which can happen at multiple times in a given year.  The most common are the Birthday and New Year’s Honours, the former taking place on the Sovereign’s Official Birthday (as opposed to their actual birthday, which is a different time of the year).  As it sounds, the New Year’s Honours are awarded around New Year’s Day every year.  A less-common time for honors is the Prime Minister’s Resignation Honours when the Prime Minister ominates individuals for honors prior to leaving office (there have been more than the usual number of those lately…).  Other opportunities include Special Honours, which can happen at any point in the year, Demise Honours at the death of a monarch or consort, and Coronation Honours. 

For Birthday or New Year’s Honours, virtually anyone in the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth can nominate anyone else whom they feel has contributed to either.  However, it should be noted that the individual will need to meet the requirements of the award for which they are nominated (and you can’t nominate yourself).  The Cabinet Office oversees the process, and it is to that office that members of the public submit applications for their nominees.  If the applicant has done their service overseas, the Foreign Office takes those applications.  Applications should include what the person has done and how they have made a difference, with detailed examples of what they have done.  Nominations also require a minimum of two letters of support, though more can be helpful to the nominee. 

The Cabinet Office or Foreign Office will inform the applicant by mail when the application has been received.  The offices then begin going over the application materials to verify qualifications and the nominee’s work.  This process can take anywhere from 18 months to 2 years, so it is not uncommon to wait quite some time for a response.  The Cabinet Office informs applicants not to resubmit their nominee until they hear back about the status of the application, or else the newer application will be rejected.  Nominations are then divided into their various subject areas and assessed by independent experts and senior civil servants.  The committees come up with their lists independent of the government and pass them on to the Prime Minister, who in turn makes recommendations to the monarch. 

The Sovereign then informally approves the list since the truth is that the Prime Minister has already approved the list.  The monarch’s approval is little more than a formality of their office.  The list is formally approved after each nominee accepts or turns down the honor.  The London Gazette, the official Crown newspaper, then publishes the full list twice per year—once for the New Year’s Honours and again for the Birthday Honours.  The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood makes the preparations for the investitures at St. James’s Palace, including setting the dates for the awards and determining which member of the Royal Family will present the honor. 

One last thing to mention is that honors can, and sometimes are, taken away.  The Honours Forfeiture Committee looks at a potential forfeiture candidate to see if their actions “raise the question of whether or not they should continue to be a holder of the honor.”  This typically includes being convicted of a crime, though other actions can also result in forfeiture, such as when Royal Bank of Scotland head Fred Goodwin had his removed for the part he played in the bank’s near-collapse.  Some individuals have returned their honors, such as John Lennon, to protest the British Government’s supportive role in the American war in Vietnam.  Still, others have refused the honor, including such celebrities as French and Saunders, Roald Dahl, and David Bowie. 

When the day comes, it can be quite the sight as a nominee kneels before the King or another member of the Royal Family and rises as a “Sir” or “Dame.”  The Sovereign “dubs” the nominee by tapping them with a sword on the right, then the left shoulder, and announcing their new title.  The award does not come with any tangible benefit but can help raise the person’s profile and any charity work in which they are engaged.  For many honors recipients, it is the greatest award they could hope for, apart from their work, of course. 

Aside: Americans have been awarded honors quite a few times, but as our constitution does not allow us to use honors, we cannot use titles like Sir or Dame (but you can use the initials KBE or DBE after your name). To use the title, you would have to acquire British citizenship. 

While travel to the UK for pleasure might still be a ways off, there are plenty of things from Britain right here in the United States. By this, I’m not talking about the international foods aisle of your grocery store or your local pub, but places and items whose origins were across the pond before coming here. While you can’t visit all of the things on this list, most of them are available to see right in the United States. If there’s something you think we left off, let us know in the comments.

The Resolute Desk

Not likely something you’ll get to see if you go on a tour of the White House, the Resolute Desk is actually the desk that the President uses in the Oval Office. The HMS Resolute had been lost in the Arctic in 1854, itself looking for a lost expedition to the North Pole. An American whaling ship found it a year later, repaired it, and sent it back to the UK as a gesture of goodwill. Queen Victoria then had the timbers fashioned into a desk for President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. It’s been modified twice to add a door to conceal FDR’s leg braces and later a two-inch plinth.

Bacon’s Castle

While built entirely in America, Bacon’s Castle in Surry County, Virginia undeniably has its origins in the United Kingdom. It was constructed by wealthy businessman Arthur Allen in 1665 and is the oldest brick-built home in the United States. It’s also the oldest example of Jacobean architecture in America as well as possessing an excellent example of an English formal garden. It got its name for having been occupied by the followers of Nathaniel Bacon during Bacon’s Rebellion of 1675-1676, the first armed rebellion in the country’s history that ended a hundred years before the American colonies declared independence.

London Bridge

Several London Bridges have existed throughout history, with the first to bear the name being “Old London Bridge”, which was constructed in 1209. “New London Bridge” replaced it in 1831, but by 1967, it was replaced with the modern bridge that crosses the Thames today. “New London Bridge” was purchased from the City of London by Robert P. McColloch, who moved the entire thing stone-for-stone to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where it remains today. A popular rumor suggested that McColloch thought he was purchasing Tower Bridge, but that was flatly denied by all parties.

Agecroft Hall

Another British home located in Viriginia, Agecroft Hall, was actually built in the United Kingdom (originally, anyway). This impressive Tudor mansion was constructed in the late 15th Century, though the original house in Lancashire had stood since 1292. Eventually, the family line failed, and the hall fell into disuse and disrepair until it was purchased by Thomas C. Williams at auction in 1926 for $19,000 (about $293,000 today). There was a bit of protest from the local community and in Parliament over the sale, but it ultimately went through as it was felt that it was better to see it sold than demolished for good. Today, it operates as a museum in Richmond and plays home to annual Shakespeare performances.

RMS Queen Mary

Launched in 1934, the RMS Queen Mary is an ocean liner that once operated as an “express” ocean liner from Southampton to New York. It continued operation for another thirty-one years, barring when it served as a troop ship during World War II, until it was retired in 1967. That same year, it came to rest in Long Beach, California, where the city had purchased it prior to the ship’s last transatlantic voyage, and converted it into a permanently moored hotel, museum, and event hall. It recently re-opened after being closed during the pandemic and going through management changes.

While using images to tell a story dates back to cave paintings and later on to the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and other cultures, political cartoons or comics as we know them are a tool of satire that’s only a few hundred years old. While the art of cartooning and caricature began in Renaissance Italy, historically, the use of pictorial satire began with William Hogarth in the early 18th Century. In his work, Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme, the artist sought to criticize the greed and corruption of the South Sea Company, using real and allegorical persons and places. The print inspired a host of imitators on the Continent and is credited as a precursor to later political cartoons of the era, if not the first.

The medium grew in popularity over the next few decades, with the works of Hogarth and George Townshend often shared as after-dinner entertainment and enjoyed by the lower classes who would view them outside of London’s print shops. While Hogarth was more moralizing in his themes, Townshend was overtly political. The pictorial nature of these early satirical cartoons also lent itself to be easily understood by the illiterate, easily conveying the subject matter and meaning to a wide audience.

Towards the end of the 18th Century, the two primary artists of the genre were James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson. Gillray is sometimes described as “the father of the political cartoon.” He particularly enjoyed lampooning the government and especially King George III, whom he thought of as a fool. While initially supportive of the French Revolution, Gillray’s works turned on the French as the revolution descended into the violence and chaos of the Reign of Terror. He also turned his attention to Napoleon, and a cartoon from 1805 showed the competing global interests of England and France as the French Emperor and Prime Minister William Pitt are depicted carving up the world like a Christmas pudding.

Interestingly, despite the Crown and the government still having a significant influence on publishing in the United Kingdom, the cartoons were taken in good nature. Officials were far more likely to buy up all editions of a satirical cartoon or bribe the publishers to prevent people from seeing them rather than taking action against the cartoonist. What was depicted was often a lot raunchier than what we might see today, and important persons could be depicted vomiting, urinating, or even defecating in the cartoons. One particularly famous work from 1740 satirized Prime Minister Robert Wapole’s love of patronage by having a giant caricature of Wapole in front of the British Treasury, presenting his bare bottom to be kissed before people were allowed to enter.

By the 19th Century, cartoonist magazines such as Punch and political newspapers regularly published political cartoons. As per the norm for caricatures, often one attribute of the subject was overexaggerating to help identify them. Pitt the Younger was often depicted as drunk, Churchill was rarely drawn without one of his trademark cigars, Thatcher was either shown with a handbag or her nose greatly enlarged, and John Major was often depicted wearing his underpants outside of his clothes after Labour spin master Alastair Campbell suggested he tucked his shirt into them.

Today, the importance of political cartoons to free speech and holding officials to account for their actions continues. The history and cultural significance of these works can be found in art museums across the United Kingdom, but most pointedly at The Cartoon Museum in London. With its large collection, The Cartoon Museum features political cartoons heavily in its exhibits, along with non-political humor comic strips, superheroes, and more. It’s highly recommended to visit the next time you’re in London to understand more about one the most important genres of free expression and criticism.

Once upon a time, many a castle stretched towards the heavens across the United Kingdom. Whether constructed for defense or to show off the wealth of the local lord, they were magnificent structures that represented the power of the nobility. However, over time, many of these castles have fallen into disrepair as they were abandoned or their maintenance became too expensive for the families that called them home. The preservation of the ruins and whole castles forms part of the mission of the National Trust, English Heritage, and other organizations to preserve these important pieces of history for future generations.

Over the centuries, as castle maintenance got to be too much for the ancient families, they often sold the castles or entered into agreements with preservation organizations, especially as the castles became tourist destinations in the 19th Century. Families with the money to do so often revitalized their castles and unified their multi-era architectural styles with Gothic Revivalism. Such examples include Windsor Castle as well as Alnwick Castle, the former owned by the Crown while the latter is still owned and maintained by the Percy family. The government also turned its attention to preserving these ancient sites with the Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1882 while private individuals such as William Morris established the first preservation organization, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, in 1877. Less than twenty years later, the National Trust was formed.

In the ensuing decades, other organizations also formed that bought up the castles around the United Kingdom, including the National Trust for Scotland. The English National Trust acquired its first castle in 1926, which was Bodiam Castle. Bodiam had been constructed in the 14th Century and was under the ownership of Lord Curzon, who had purchased it specifically for its preservation and then gave it to the National Trust. The National Trust for Scotland received its first castle, Crookston Castle, from Sir John Stirling Maxwell in 1931 after he was elected the charity’s vice-president. Today, the National Trust owns and maintains twenty-nine castles over England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The National Trust for Scotland owns roughly seven castles across Scotland.

Even more castles are owned by organizations that formed in the 20th Century, such as English Heritage and Historic Scotland. Both organizations began as governmental bodies, the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission and the Ministry of Works, respectively. English Heritage in the 21st Century became its own separate non-governmental charity, while Historic Scotland became Historic Environment Scotland and still serves as a department of the Scottish government. English Heritage owns and maintains approximately 100 castles, while Historic Environment Scotland has roughly 65. The Welsh government, meanwhile, formed Cadw in 1984 to support its own preservation efforts, which include 44 castles, including some World Heritage Sites such as Caernarfon Castle and Conway Castle. Whatever castles you visit across England, Scotland, and Wales, the chances are good that one of these three organizations is responsible for ensuring that visitors can continue to marvel at and learn from these sites.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that all castles in Britain are in the care of these charities and governmental organizations. As mentioned previously, besides castles owned directly by the Crown, some places, such as Alnwick Castle, are still owned by their respective families and maintained through private trusts and by opening themselves to the public. Besides Alnwick, Eilean Donan is another famous castle still in the private ownership of Clan Macrae and maintained by the Conchra Charitable Trust. Arundel, Bamburgh, Ludlow, and Belvoir are other excellent examples of private castles that can be visited today.

Thus, even while many castles across the United Kingdom have lost their defensive uses, they serve today as living museums of British History, maintained by any number of organizations and individuals dedicated to their preservation. No matter which castles you choose to visit; we hope you will keep in mind the enormous efforts and costs that are associated with preserving these sites. Maybe drop something in the donation box or buy a souvenir at the gift shop to show your appreciation for their efforts.

Con Man, Spymaster, and Jedi Sir Alec Guinness took on many unforgettable roles over his career as an actor. Guinness made a name for himself early in his acting career by starring in several Ealing Studios comedy films and showed what a dramatic powerhouse he could be in 1956’s The Bridge Over the River Kwai. Younger audiences, of course, mostly know him as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films before Ewan McGregor took over the role at the turn of the 21st Century. Naturally, such a long and storied career lends itself to a number of great facts about one of Britain’s best actors.

Single Parent Household

Sir Alec was born Alec Guinness de Cuffe in 1914, though his birth certificate did not list a father. At the time, that portion could only be filled out if the father was present and gave his consent per an 1875 law concerning illegitimate children. Since Alec’s father did not sign, we don’t know who he was and he was not a presence in his son’s life. Guinness himself believed that his father was a Scottish banker named Andrew Geddes, who would often visit the family posing as an “uncle” and paid for Alec’s education.

Alec, the Fanboy

The actor was apparently a huge fan of the show Due South, a “dramedy” series about a Mountie and a Chicago cop solving crimes.

And the Award Goes to….

Alec Guinness was no stranger to the Academy Awards. He was nominated for Best Actor for The Lavender Hill Mob but ended up winning the award for playing Colonel Nicholson in Bridge Over the River Kwai in 1957. In 1958, he was nominated in the category we know today as Best Adapted Screenplay for The Horse’s Mouth. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Star Wars: A New Hope and Little Dorrit. To date, he’s the only actor from the Star Wars franchise to be nominated for their role in the movies.

Thanks, but No Thanks

When he found out that he was going to win a Lifetime Achievement Oscar, he wasn’t terribly thrilled about it and refused to attend. The Academy sent out Dustin Hoff to talk him into going, and Hoffman’s similar attitude toward acting convinced him to go to the ceremony.

Need a Place to Stay?

Harrison Ford once said that Guinness helped him find an apartment during the filming of Star Wars: A New Hope.

Studying the Footage

To prepare for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels, Ewan McGregor not only watched the original trilogy (of which he was already familiar through his uncle Dennis “Wedge Antilles” Lawson) but also many of his other early roles to get his speech pattern and mannerisms. McGregor wasn’t the only one who took their cues from Guinness, as Watto’s voice actor, Andy Secombe, based his character’s voice on Guinness’s portrayal of Fagin in the 1948 adaptation of Oliver Twist.

Quite the Contrast

Guinness played a seasick Royal Navy officer in the Ealing Studios comedy All at Sea, but in reality, he served with distinction in the Royal Navy during WWII and commanded landing craft that invaded Sicily and Elba.

Don’t Call Me “Sir”

Alec Guinness was awarded his CBE in 1955, knighted in 1959, and made a Companion of Honor in 1994 by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama. Despite all that, he didn’t care to be referred to as “Sir Alec Guinness.”

Not the Biggest Fan

While the conventional belief is that Alec Guinness hated being remembered as Obi-Wan Kenobi, his main concern was that younger audiences only knew him for Star Wars rather than the wealth of roles he had portrayed prior to the Star Wars films. Guinness was allegedly approached by a young fan in 1980 who said he’d seen the movie 100 times and, horrified, Guinness told him he’d give him an autograph if he never watched it again. Carrie Fisher once said that Guinness paid Mark Hamill £20 to leave him alone because Hamill would constantly badger him with questions about his career or acting advice. However, in his autobiography, Guinness recounted that Star Wars let him “live for the rest of my life in the reasonably modest way I am now used to, that I have no debts, and I can afford to refuse work that doesn’t appeal to me.”

And Also With You

In one of those great misquotes owed to the Mandela Effect, Guinness’s well-known line “May the Force be with you” was actually “The Force will be with you, always.”

The 1990s were a time of “new” in Britain.  New conflicts, new travel options, new government, a new peace, and even a new millennium helped mark the years from 1991 to 2000.  For many, the 90s were certainly a golden time for Britain at home and abroad, and the changes helped bring a better quality of life to the United Kingdom.  From cloned sheep to expanding the Anglican priesthood, we’ve outlined ten of the most important events of the decade by year.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, so you can feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments.

1991 – The United Kingdom Enters the First Gulf War

After then-Iraq leader Saddam Hussein invaded the sovereign nation of Kuwait in 1991, Britain became part of an international coalition to liberate the small country on the Persian Gulf.  Under the operating name “Operation Granby,” 53,462 members of the British Armed Forces participated in the larger Operation Desert Storm and successfully freed Kuwait from the influence of the Iraqi Army.

1992 – The Channel Tunnel Opens

Also known as the Eurotunnel or the Chunnel, the Channel Tunnel is an underground tunnel below the English Channel.  Opened in 1992, it has been a vital link for the trade of goods between the UK and Continental Europe as well as a major player in passenger travel.

1993 – First Premier League Championship

After 1991, 22 top-tier football teams resigned from the Football League to set up their own commercially independent league, the Premier League.  The Premier League became the highest tier of English football, and the 1992-1993 season ended with Manchester United finishing ten points ahead of Aston Villa to secure the league’s first championship.  The Premier League’s success has kept it a driving force in football today and may have partially inspired the ill-conceived European Super League.

1994 – First Women Priests Ordained in the Church of England

March 12, 1994, saw the ordination of thirty-two women as priests into the Church of England.  While previous branches of the Anglican and Episcopalian Churches had ordained women in the past, it was not permitted in the Church of England until the General Synod passed the measure in 1992.  By 2004, one in five priests in the Anglican Church was a woman.

1995 – BSE Outbreak

One of the worst virus outbreaks in Britain until COVID-19, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (more popularly known as “Mad Cow Disease”), was a neurodegenerative disease that struck cattle.  The virus had been identified as early as 1984 but experienced an alarming surge in 1995, with the United Kingdom experiencing 14,562 cases.  It was also discovered during this time that a variant of the virus could be passed to humans by eating BSE-tainted meat.

1996 – Dolly the Sheep

What’s so remarkable about a sheep, you may wonder?  Well, Dolly has the distinction of being the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell.  Prior to this, the only mammals cloned were other sheep from embryonic cells.  It was a leap forward in genetic engineering that no one at the time thought possible.

1997 – New Labour

As the Conservative Party slid further under the premiership of John Major, Tony Blair took charge of Labour’s leadership and formed a more center-left coalition that was dubbed “New Labour.”  The results were striking as Blair’s Labour Party won 145 new seats in the 1997 General Election and reduced the Tories to a mere 165 seats to Labour’s 418.  The Labour government would last for the next thirteen years until the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2010.

1998 – Good Friday Agreement

Also known as the Belfast Agreement, the Good Friday Agreement finally put an end to most violence in Northern Ireland by giving the country a greater say over its affairs through devolved government and demilitarization.  It was signed between the British and Irish governments and political parties in Northern Ireland in 1998. Voters in Northern Ireland accepted the agreement in a referendum on May 22 by an overwhelming majority of 71% (94% in the Republic of Ireland). The agreement aimed to end the decades-long conflict known as “The Troubles” and establish peace and stability in the region. The agreement established a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland, recognized the right to self-determination for Northern Ireland, and provided for the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. The lasting effects of the agreement are that it has brought relative peace and stability to the region, significantly reduced violence and deaths, and paved the way for ongoing reconciliation efforts between the two communities.

1999 – Welsh Parliament and Scottish Parliament Open

Northern Ireland wasn’t the only beneficiary of government devolution in the 1990s.  The Labour government also helped to form and give power to the Senedd Cymru (the Welsh Parliament) as well as the Scottish Parliament.  Both institutions continue to have power over the internal affairs in Wales and Scotland to this day.

2000 – New Millennium

All across the world, the coming of the year 2000 brought both excitement and apprehension.  While some worried about the possibility of a “Y2K” bug shutting down computers, Britain prepared for the coming of the new millennium with the construction of the Millennium Dome and the London Eye.  While the Dome initially failed, it was later reinvented as the O2 Arena, while the Eye continues to be a popular attraction for the city.

Commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with this definitive photographic story of her public and private life. Brimming with tradition, history, glamour, and culture, this book features tours, state functions, weddings, and jubilees, and showcases the glorious photography of such stars as David Bailey, Yousuf Karsh, Harry Benson, and many more.

Born in 1926, married in 1947, crowned as Queen in 1953, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II carried out her duty with great dedication for more than seven decades. TASCHEN celebrates her remarkable royal story with a new edition of Her Majesty, a definitive photographic collection of her public and private life.

Brimming with history, tradition, fashion, glamour, and culture, the book spans the Queen’s early years rightuntil her passing in 2022.. Along the way, we trace her coming of age during World War II; her marriage, motherhood, and coronation; her encounters with such icons of their age as the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, and JFK; and her extensive international travels. We visit the spectacular royal palaces and enjoy the infectious celebration of royal weddings and jubilees. We witness the elegance of official portraits, and the intimacy offamily moments.

As much a showcase of top photographers as a r celebration of her remarkable royal life. Her Majesty includes the work of such luminaries as Cecil Beaton, Studio Lisa, Dorothy Wilding, Karsh, Lord Snowdon, David Bailey, Patrick Lichfield, Annie Leibovitz and many others.

Whether you know her as a regular in Richard Curtis films, her classics roles, or more off-the-wall characters, chances are good that you have seen a film starring Emma Thompson. Thompson has had a long and illustrious career in comedy and drama that started as a member of the Cambridge Footlights alongside such notable actors as Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Ben Elton, amongst others. Whether starring alongside her fellow Cambridge alumni or amongst fresh faces, Emma Thompson gives every character her all. If you have a favorite Emma Thompson role or film, you can share that with us in the comments.

Never Ask a Woman Her Age

One of Emma Thompson’s most well-known roles is that of Elinor Dashwood in Sense & Sensibility. At 36 years old, though, Thompson was 17 years older than the character is in the novel (19). Elinor was aged up to twenty-five for the movie.

Tough Room

Thompson tried her hand at stand-up comedy for a little while, but didn’t feel that it fit her aesthetically, so she moved on to other acting projects.

First in Footlights

Members of the Footlights Club have to be invited to join after auditioning for the group. Emma Thompson was the first woman to be invited to join the club, and her involvement was instrumental to her later career.

Two-Time Award Winner

Thompson has been nominated for four Academy Awards and won two of them. Her first win was for Best Actress in 1992’s Howard’s End (which also features Harry Potter co-star Helena Bonham-Carter). She was nominated for the award two more times for The Remains of the Day and Sense & Sensibility as well as Best Supporting Actress for In the Name of the Father. Her other Oscar win is for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense & Sensibility, which she wrote from Jane Austen’s novel.

Beloved by Children

Emma Thompson is just as well-known for her family movie roles as her adult characters. Her best known are quite possibly Nanny McPhee in the series of the same name and Professor Sybil Trelawney in the Harry Potter franchise. In the case of Harry Potter, her children with husband Greg Wise pushed her to take on the role. Additionally, she’s also played Queen Elinor in Disney and Pixar’s Brave as well as Miss Trunchbull in the film adaptation of Matilda the Musical.

I Always Feel Like, Somebody’s Watching Me

While a guest on Graham Norton, Thompson said that she often walks out to the hot tub in her country home completely nude. One time, she got a knock on her door from the police, who said that someone had spotted a nude man trespassing on her property.

Birthday Twins

Emma Thompson shares a birthday (August 15) with Harry Potter co-star and fellow Emma, Emma Watson.

Going to Bat

When the studio wanted actress Hayley Atwell to lose weight for her role in Brideshead Revisited, Thompson was livid at the demand and threatened to walk off the film. While Atwell wasn’t yet the household name she is today, Thompson’s star power meant the studio backed off pretty quickly to keep her in the movie.

Left Swipe

Emma Thompson’s contentious divorce from Kenneth Branagh was finalized in 1998. At the same time that she was filming Primary Colors, she got a phone call from none other than Donald Trump asking her out on a date. Trump was recently divorced from his second wife, Marla Maples. Thompson politely declined, and the circumstance proved ironic as she was playing a fictional version of Hillary Clinton, Trump’s future 2016 presidential opponent.

The Family Business

Thompson comes from a very talented family where each member has had a pretty significant career in entertainment. Her father, Eric Thompson, was a well-known television presenter and also served as the original English narrator of The Magic Roundabout. Her mother, Phyllida Law, also has a long and equally-illustrious acting career as her eldest daughter. Her sister, Sophie Thompson, has received numerous award nominations for her film and television roles as well. Coincidentally, both sisters are featured in the Harry Potter films, though never in the same movie. While Emma plays Prof. Trelawney, Sophie contributed to the character Mafalda Hopkirk in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One.