Interview by Lindsay Bruce for Press and Journal
Press and Journal reporter Lindsay Bruce sat down with the Downton star during his visit to Braemar.
For the third time in two months, actor Hugh Bonneville is spending the weekend in Braemar.
“It’s very strange, but very welcome,” says the man best known for playing the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey, and Mr Brown in Paddington.
In Deeside this weekend to speak at the Braemar Literary Festival, Hugh – also an author – says he was first introduced to the area by a friend who recommended the Fife Arms.
Keen to know if he’s since caught the Aberdeenshire bug, writer Lindsay Bruce sat down with the Notting Hill star to find out why the north of Scotland keeps calling.
P&J writer Lindsay interviews Hugh Bonneville at the Fife Arms in Braemar. Saturday 26th September 2026. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
Unforgettable Inverness wake-up call
Hugh: “So I came up first for the Braemar Highland Games, and then for Hogmanay, and I sort of got the bug then.
“I’ve just been on a little road trip with my son. Up through the Lake District, through Glasgow and then to Oban and Inverness.
“We stayed on this old trawler – The Boat and Breakfast – in Inverness, but my son was actually too tall for the room I booked.”
Actor Hugh Bonneville talks about his recent Scottish road trip. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
Lindsay: “I know the owner of the boat!” Did he have any idea who you were?”
Hugh: “No, not at all. He came barging in at 7am and turned the light on!
“From there we stopped in Pitlochry, where my father was evacuated during the war. I had always been intrigued to know where he had spent the war years.”
Hugh’s ‘wonderful’ new route to Braemar
A different route from his usual path to Braemar, Hugh and son Felix approached the picturesque village from the south.
“It was stunning. And such a different approach from Aberdeen, which is what I’m used to. It was wonderful. I really began to get a sense of the texture of the Cairngorms versus the Western Highlands.
A guest of Braemar Literary Festival hosted by The Fife Arms, is Hugh Bonneville. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
“I don’t know Scotland hugely well, but I’m beginning to.
“We popped over to Mull on the west. In the sleet and drizzle.”
Lindsay: “But at least you missed the midges…”
Hugh: “Thank goodness!”
New Rory Sparkes book in Year of Reading
Hugh and his partner are in town prior to the official launch of his second children’s book based on the character Rory Sparkes.
This new adventure, entitled Rory Sparkes and the Spy Who Loved Tea, launches on October 8.
It’s perfect timing, in this, the National Year of Reading, organised by the National Literacy Trust, sponsored by DC Thomson, publisher of The Press and Journal.
Lindsay: “Hugh, in your memoir, Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru, you mention that your own childhood memories eventually led to Rory Sparkes.
Lindsay Bruce quizzes Hugh on his love of all things Aberdeenshire. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
“Do you remember your own favourite childhood book, and was reading important in your family?”
Hugh: “I remember my father was a great storyteller. He’d always come and tell me a bedtime story. Which, of course, aged six or seven, I just took for granted.
“I hadn’t really factored in that he was working [as a surgeon] from, you know, 8 am to 8 pm, helping people through their illnesses and saving people’s lives.
“I was a bit cross if he was five minutes late. But he was a wonderful storyteller.
“He created these imaginary worlds, with a character who was loosely based on me, and so I couldn’t wait to hear the next adventure.”
Paddington star’s memories of the nation’s favourite bear
It’s almost serendipitous that one of the first series of books Hugh remembers is Paddington.
Paddington Bear, as depicted in movies and books, and a country-wide sculpture trail. Supplied by StudioCanal.
“I didn’t need someone to read them to me, so I became quite possessive over them.
“The other title I keep coming back to is Stig of the Dump. I don’t know why it stayed with me so long, or why it’s resonated. I do remember it being an important book for me.”
Lindsay: “What can we expect from your new Rory Sparkes adventure?”
A guest of the Fife Arms in Braemar, actor and author, Hugh Bonneville. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
Hugh: “The first book was called Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room, which was largely about my memories of the circus coming to town when I was growing up in Blackheath in Southeast London.
“The second book has emerged again, a childhood memory… or really an adult discovery that my mum worked for MI6, and I had no idea.
“And so really, the gag in this book is that Rory thinks he’s onto a spy ring in Southeast London, having absolutely no idea that his mum’s way ahead of the game. ”
Braemar pupils first to read Hugh’s new book
The first excited bunch of children to experience Hugh’s new page-turner were the children of Braemar.
“I arrived yesterday and went straight to Braemar School. The plane was late, and I was worried the children would want to get home on a Friday afternoon.
The Press and Journal has an exclusive interview with movie star Hugh Bonneville. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
“But when I got there, they were still there. And they were all very sweet. We had a nice chat. What blew me away was walking into the classroom thinking I was going to be talking about my first book, and there in front of me were copies of my second book, which I hadn’t even seen.
“I was quite emotional.”
Gala dinner with Her Majesty Queen Camilla
A first-time attender of the Braemar Literary Festival, Hugh describes it as “wonderfully eclectic.”
“It’s only in its fifth year, and I’d say it’s smaller than other festivals, but you have a wonderfully eclectic mix.
“We’ve got Jojo Moyes.?I’ve just been to see Tom Parker Bowles talking to Iwan and Manuela Wirth about their cookbook. It’s an intersection of art, creativity, restaurants, food, recipes, that sort of thing. So that’s really interesting.
Hugh and his partner arriving at Tom Parker Bowles talk, in St Margaret’s Braemar. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
“Bonnie Garmus is here, who wrote Lessons in Chemistry. That book had such an impact. And I had a fascinating chat with her husband last night, who is a wonderful mathematician who worked for Google and Facebook and now makes puzzles.
“So you do get to meet a wonderful cross-section of people here. It’s very relaxed.
“And the gala dinner last night was amazing. Her Majesty the Queen was there, yet it was a very easygoing atmosphere, just celebrating creativity.”
Seafood restaurants are Hugh’s top pick in Aberdeen and Shire
Lindsay: “When you do visit Aberdeenshire, Hugh, where do you like to go?”
“I have to say the Fish Shop in Ballater. I remember going to it when it first opened, and I think they were still painting the walls. That’s become a local favourite. I had dinner there a few weeks ago, and it was just superb.
“And right at the end of the docks in Aberdeen itself… The Silver Darling? I went there a few years ago. The seafood there was absolutely scrummy.
Actor Hugh Bonneville visited Forest Farm during a visit to the north-east and Highlands. Image supplied by Forest Farm – The Organic Dairy.
“Of course, we can’t forget the ice cream shop at Forest Farm.
“In terms of places, just the hills.
“I remember I was here for New Year a few years ago, and just going for a hike with John Bishop. The views and that sense of achievement when you get your blood pumping to get to the top of a hill… I don’t think there’s anywhere quite like it in the world.
“And here, in late August, September time, when the heather’s out, and you get that sort of mist of purple, and the colour changes so subtly with each cloud that passes over…
The scenery around the Braemar area is a favourite of Hugh’s. (Image: DC Thomson)
“There’s nothing like it on earth, and I can see why it’s so beloved not only by the locals, but by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people who pass through here.”
Hugh’s Downton Abbey Highland memories shared
Lindsay: “You filmed in the Highlands during your time on Downton Abbey – what are your memories from that time?”
Hugh: “That’s right, we were in Inveraray Castle. One thing I do remember is Elizabeth McGovern’s husband, Simon, setting off for a hike in completely inappropriate footwear. I don’t think he even had a water bottle.
“I think we virtually had to get Mountain Rescue to get him down.
“But again, just the landscape being so beautiful. And the local people were so wonderfully welcoming to us. And that wonderful Highland hospitality.
“I think I do remember the costume department having a lot of fun embracing all the tweeds and the outerwear that’s really so familiar in the Highlands. It was a beautiful episode, actually.”
How well does Aberdeen fan Hugh Bonneville know Doric?
Lindsay: Now Hugh, you’re well used to the Scottish tongue thanks to Mrs Bird in Paddington. But how are you managing to understand the dialect in this part of the world?
Hugh: “Oh, I don’t know. ?I used to pride myself on my ability to tour the country and do different accents. I think I’m beginning to be able to tell if someone’s from Aberdeen [he does a very good Aberdonian accent here] or from Glasgow or Morningside…
Lindsay: “So if I try some Doric on you, how do you think you’ll get on?”
A thoughtful Hugh tries to fathom Doric. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
Hugh: “Okay, let’s give it a go.”
Lindsay: “If I said to you ‘fit, fit, fits, fit, fit?’ – what do you think I mean?”
Hugh: “Oh, my goodness me. ?Fit fit, fits, fit, fit? Um, I don’t know… I’m just gonna go with my instinct… is it something to do with ‘if the cap fits, wear it’? Is it that?”
Confused by quines, actor and author Hugh Bonneville. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
Lindsay: “Sadly, no. It’s ‘what foot fits what foot’ or ‘what shoe fits what foot?’”
Hugh: “Oh, I see. Fit, fit, fits, fit, fit!”
Now on to ‘Foos yer doos’
Lindsay: “And if someone asked you: Foos yer doos? How would you reply?
Hugh: “Uh, not bad? I don’t know. What does it mean?
Lindsay: “You would reply: Aye, peckin’, because it’s really something like ‘how’s your pigeons’, and you would reply, ‘aye, peckin,” meaning, well.
“Next question: Which one of us is a quine?”
Hugh: “Oh, a quine. Oh, I think I am, and I don’t know why…”
Good sport: Hugh Bonneville accepted our Doric challenge. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
Lindsay: “No, so a quine is a woman. You would be a loon.
Hugh: “A loon?”
Lindsay: “You’d be a fine loon, and I’d be a quine.”
“Finally, if someone said to you, ‘Gies a Bosie.’ ?What does that mean?
Hugh: “Give us a kiss?”
During an exclusive interview with The Press and Journal actor Hugh Bonneville accepted our Doric challenge. (Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson)
Lindsay: “No, give me a hug!”
Hugh: “Oh, that’s nice.”
On that, Hugh, we’re both agreed.
