Harvey Brownstone conducts an in-depth Interview with Lesley Nicol, Renowned Actress, Downton Abbey’s “Mrs. Patmore”.
Lesley Nicol is a beloved actress from England, whose show-stopping portrayal of “Mrs. Patmore” on the iconic television series “Downton Abbey”, and the 2 feature films that followed, has contributed enormously to the popularity and success of that wonderful show.
She and her fellow “Downton Abbey” cast members received 3 Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. But beyond “Downton Abbey”, Lesley Nicol has done much, much more in her remarkable career.
On stage in London’s West End, she played “Rosie” in the original production of the international smash hit show, “Mama Mia”. She originated the role of “Kath” in “Our House”, based on the music of Madness. She played “Little Buttercup” in the revival of “HMS Pinafore”. She originated the role of the nosy neighbor, “Auntie Annie”, not only in the play, “East is East”, but also in the multi-award winning 1999 film and in the sequel, “West is West”. On television, besides “Downton Abbey”, she’s appeared in dozens of series, mini-series and TV movies including “The Practice”, “The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe”, “Staying Alive”, “Casualty”, “Shameless”, “The Bill”, “Heartbeat”, “Hot in Cleveland”, “The Catch”, “Beecham House”, and many more. And you may also recognize her as “Aunt Tea” from a series of TV commercials for Tetley tea.
Lesley Nicol is also very well known for her dedicated service to several important charities. She is a UK Ambassador for “Animals Asia”, which is devoted to ending the barbaric practice of bear bile farming, and to improving the welfare of animals in China and Vietnam. She is also an ambassador for Medical Detection Dogs, which trains dogs to detect human disease and to assist people to manage complex medical conditions.
Harvey Brownstone is a retired judge of the Ontario Court of Justice and was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He is also the bestselling author of “Tug of War: A Judge’s Verdict on Separation, Custody Battles and the Bitter Realities of Family Court” and hosted “Family Matters with Justice Harvey Brownstone,” a television talk show on matters involving the family justice system.
After a distinguished legal career, Harvey was appointed a judge at the age of 38 in 1995. He has presided in family and criminal courts. He has been a trailblazer in several ways. He was the first openly gay judge in Canada. He was the first sitting judge in the world to write a national best seller and to host a TV talk show.
Harvey has been a role model and icon in the LGBTQ community. When same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada in 2003, he was the only judge to make himself publicly available to officiate at weddings for lesbian and gay couples travelling to Toronto from all over the world to get married. In 2007, he officiated at the wedding of Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer, the American couple whose marriage triggered the 2013 United States Supreme Court decision overturning the definition of “spouse” in the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
In February 2021, Harvey launched his online talk show “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” on his own YouTube channel. He saw this as an interesting hobby. Within several months, the show attracted hundreds of thousands – and then eventually, millions – of viewers. Because of the overwhelming success of the show, Harvey decided to retire from the judiciary on December 31, 2021 after having presided as a full-time judge for 26 1/2 years. Free from the constraints imposed upon judges regarding the expression of opinions and the endorsement of private enterprise, Harvey now happily devotes his full-time attention to hosting “Harvey Brownstone Interviews” as a regular member of the public – albeit one with a rather illustrious and unique career history.
Watch Lesley Nicol on Harvey Brownstone Interviews on Youtube here:
The official website for Harvey Brownstone Interviews may be found at https://www.harveybrownstoneinterviews.com
Get “The Talk Show Blend” – Coffee For The Modern Day Trailblazer! By Harvey Brownstone from Breakfast At Dominique’s available at https://www.HollywoodBlends.com
For more information about Harvey Brownstone, here’s his Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Brownstone