9:42 AM 15th September 2026
Hugh Bonneville To Headline Fundraising Evening For Ripon Theatre Festival
Hugh Bonneville is coming to Ripon for a fundraising evening in support of Ripon Theatre Festival, appearing at Holy Trinity on Saturday 21 November at 7pm for a conversation spanning his career on screen and in theatre.
All profits will go to the volunteer-led charity, which brings professional theatre, dance, opera and free outdoor performance to the city, with an outreach programme aimed at removing barriers to participation.
Bonneville, best known for playing Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in Downton Abbey and Mr Brown in the Paddington films, will be interviewed on stage by former BBC Radio York presenter Anna Wallace. Ripon has its own connections to the franchise: it is the closest real cathedral city to the fictional Downton estate, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale filmed Royal Ascot scenes at Ripon Racecourse, and creator Julian Fellowes, who was at school at nearby Ampleforth College, considered shooting the series in the area before settling on Highclere Castle.
The evening will also include a signing, hosted by The Little Ripon Bookshop, of Bonneville's new children's book, Rory Sparkes and the Spy Who Loved Tea, published by Bloomsbury in October and illustrated by Loretta Schauer.
Bonneville said: "Theatre and live performance have played such an important part in my life and career, so I'm delighted to be supporting Ripon Theatre Festival and the work it does to bring the arts to audiences across the city."
Katie Scott, director of Ripon Theatre Festival, said: "Having Hugh Bonneville support Ripon Theatre Festival in this way is incredibly special for us. We are a small, volunteer-led organisation with big ambitions for what arts and culture can do for our city, and we cannot wait to welcome him."
The event is sponsored by Hethertons Solicitors and organised for the festival by Cause & Effect PR.