DOWNTON ABBEY's Laura Carmichael and Samantha Bond Come to Nuffield

Nuffield have announced a special evening with the stars of the internationally-acclaimed TV series Downton Abbey on Sunday 7 February at the Nuffield Theatre, in Southampton. Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith Crawley) and Samantha Bond (Lady Rosamund Painswick) will talk about their lives in TV, theatre and film at this special one-off event to raise funds for Nuffield's charitable activities. The evening will be hosted by BBC South Today presenter Sally Taylor MBE.

Laura Carmichael, who made her West End debut in 2012, is from Southampton and starred in Nuffield's 2008 production of The President's Holiday. Other theatre credits include Uncle Vanya (Vaudeville Theatre), Plenty (Sheffield Crucible), The Fitzrovia (The Swan at the Globe) and films; Madame Bovary (Left Field Ventures) and Tinker Tailor Solider Spy (Studio Canal/Working Title).

Samantha Bond originally found fame on Nuffield's main stage in the world premiere of Daisy Pulls It Off before it transferred to the West End. Other credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre), Passion Play (Duke of Yorks Theatre); What the Butler Saw (Vaudeville); King James Readings (National Theatre); alongside BBC TV's Outnumbered and as Miss Moneypenny in James Bond.

Sam Hodges, Nuffield Director said, "In today's climate, it's essential to keep reminding everyone, from our audiences to our stakeholders, of what an important role regional theatre can play in developing and nurturing talent who then go onto make a global case for this country's arts ecology."

"It is therefore my pleasure to invite two actresses who started out on the Nuffield stage back to Southampton to reflect on their own experiences.'

Both actresses are Nuffield Associate Actors, alongside actor Tom Hiddleston and actress Celia Imrie, who are ambassadors supporting the vision for Nuffield as the leading producing theatre company in Southampton.

Tickets for Downton Abbey - An Evening with Laura Carmichael and Samantha Bond are available online at nuffieldtheatre.co.uk or from the Box Office 023 8067 1771.