Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Lumley’s legacy

By Amit Roy

WHEN Joanna Lumley appeared as a guest on Classic FM last Sunday (12), she was introduced by a star-struck presenter John Humphrys – he is no longer the fierce in­quisitor from his Radio 4 Today days – with the gushing words: “There are so many Joanna Lum­leys – there is the very fa­mous 60s model; a serious stage actor; a fierce cam­paigner for causes that she believes in; a Bond girl (in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) who gave a new meaning to the word sexy; and of course, the one who reinvented her­self as an Absolutely Fab­ulous comic actor.”


Asked which role was most important to her, she replied: “The one that I would hate to lose of the flattering list would be being able to help the Gurkhas when they were so in need. It was just be­cause I was the daughter of a Gurkha (officer) and because of being linked to the regiment in that way. I was born in India and ... my early life right up to kind of mid-way of my life has been tied up with the Gurkhas. So be­ing able to help them was just one of the proudest moments of my life.”

Lumley was born in Srinagar on May 1, 1946, the daughter of Major James Rutherford Lumley. Born in Lahore, he served as an officer in the British Indian Army’s 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles. Her maternal grandfather, Lt Col Leslie Weir, was born in Ghaz­ipur and served as an ar­my officer in Kashmir.

In 2008, Lumley be­came the public face of a successful campaign to give all Nepalese-origin Gurkha veterans who served in the British Ar­my before 1997 the right to settle in Britain.

More For You

Comment: Reform split exposes the dangers of unchecked populist rhetoric

Reform UK's new MPs Richard Tice, Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson and Rupert Lowe pose during a presentation of their programme in London on July 5, 2024

Getty Images

Comment: Reform split exposes the dangers of unchecked populist rhetoric

IT took Nigel Farage 30 years to get elected as an MP until the voters of Clacton sent him to the Commons on his eighth attempt last summer. Having broken through by getting five Reform MPs, Farage has taken every opportunity to stoke the media hype in which supporters fantasise and his critics fear a populist wave could sweep him all the way into Downing Street next time. But there has been something of a reality check this month – with the new party splitting as relationships broke down between the leader and Rupert Lowe, the former Southampton FC chairman elected in Great Yarmouth.

The Farage-Lowe battle has many dimensions. It can be seen as a personality clash of political egos – which escalated after US billionaire businessman, Elon Musk, decided he preferred Lowe to Farage. It is an argument about Farage’s control of Reform’s structures – and the slow progress in giving party members any role. The Reform leadership says it is about personal conduct – even reporting Lowe to the police for alleged threats to party chair Zia Yusuf – but acted against Lowe only when he criticised the leader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essence of Ramadan

Ramadan is a time for self-reflection and to become better human beings

Essence of Ramadan

THE word Ramadan conjures images of fasting, shared meals, and a sense of community, but there is a deeper, more profound purpose beneath the surface of this holy month for Muslims.

Ramadan is not just about abstaining from food and drink; it is a transformative journey of self-discovery, offering a chance to shed old habits and cultivate inner peace. It is a month of selfreflection, a time to become better human beings and reconnect with our values.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian health workers paid
heavy price during Covid

The National Covid Memorial Wall on the Covid-19 Day of Reflection, marking five years since the start of the pandemic in London last Sunday (9)

Asian health workers paid heavy price during Covid

BEREAVED families and friends came together last Sunday (9) to remember the loss of loved ones as the UK marked five years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Public memory is remarkably short; there was a time when people were prevented from even saying goodbye to their relatives as they died in hospital. To prevent contamination, their bodies were slipped into body bags for funerals where almost no one could come.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak symbolised how high
ethnic minority talent can rise

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty

Sunak symbolised how high ethnic minority talent can rise

“MY POLITICAL journey was so quick,” former prime minister Rishi Sunak told Nick Robinson during a two-hour BBC podcast on his lessons from Downing Street.

Sunak’s meteoric rise and demise makes him a former prime minister at 44. Was it too much, too young? Did he make a mistake in grabbing a couple of years as prime minister after the implosion of Liz Truss?

Keep ReadingShow less
Are Tamil cinema’s big stars failing the industry?
Indian 2

Are Tamil cinema’s big stars failing the industry?

BOLLYWOOD’S recent string of big box of fice disasters has been well-documented, but Tamil cinema is also experiencing a tough period.

The industry, known as Kollywood, had one of its worst years in 2024, with a jaw dropping amount of money being lost on big-budget blockbusters that were rejected by audiences. Although there were a few successes, like Amaran and Maharaja, 2024, just like previous years, was dominated by expensive flops headlined by big-name stars that didn’t live up to expectations.

Keep ReadingShow less