Review: LETTERS LIVE, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Royal Albert Hall

The eighth edition of Letters Live once again proved that in an age dominated by instantaneous digital communication, nothing quite matches the resonant power of a well-preserved, handwritten letter. Staged as a dazzling, spontaneous event, the latest instalment brought together a truly eclectic mix of celebrated talent, reaffirming the show’s place as an essential fixture in the cultural calendar.

Preceded some weeks ago by a mini-version to celebrate co-founder Benedict Cumberbatch’s new film The Thing With Feathers, the event supports Arts Emergency, a charity helping young people from underrepresented backgrounds break into the arts and humanities.

Central to the enduring appeal of this popular event at the Royal Albert Hall is the fact that the audience never knows who is reading what until they step onto the stage. This year’s assembly, however, promised excellence. Lining up alongside Cumberbatch was a refreshing line-up that included his Sherlock co-star Louise Brealey and The Thing With Feathers writer Max Porter.

They were joined onstage by Joe Alwyn, Simon Amstell, Alan Carr, Sara Cox, Sophie Hunter, Celia Imrie, Nish Kumar, Michael Palin and Samantha Streit. This blend of acting royalty, comic flair, and literary sharpness ensured a night of genuine surprise and profound emotion.

Of those appearing, only Amstell read a letter he had written himself. Dear Mum, dedicated to his mother in the audience, was more than just a note of thanks to a supportive parent but an insight into the man whose words and deeds as the host of rock quiz Don’t Mind The Buzzcocks embodied the concept of chutzpah.

A shy teenager, Amstell's mother stood up to his bullies by promising them a brutal demise should they feel the need to attack her son again. She took him to drama classes, and after she dropped him off, waited outside in case her son needed her; she did this for six months. Amstell’s gratitude flowed through every sentence, the letter a testament of love.

The missives ranged from the absurd to the profound. Carr kicked off matters with a letter sent from a furious viewer to Police 5’s Shaw Taylor; its title “Go and pick your nose or your arse” gives a flavour of the earthy ire expressed.

Anger was also very much in the air in Cumberbatch’s hilarious rendition of “Dear Cretins” (in which Robert Stokes vents at excruciating length about NTL’s incompetence) and Joe Alwyn’s take on the letter from jazz musician George Melly’s exasperated landlord to his unwelcome tenant titled “Please take this epistle as notice to quit”.

Knowing sarcasm was another thread. “I want to thank you” (read by Hunter) lists all the reasons that Kylie is grateful to her ex Jamie for opening her eyes to his failings and a glorious future without him.

Palin joyfully recalls Spike Milligan’s deadpan response to a curious fan in “Oh Christ, the cook is dead” which begins “if you are disappointed in my book Monty so am I. I must be more disappointed than you because I spent a year collecting material for it, and it was choice of having it made into a suit or a book” and ends “anymore questions from you and our friendship is at an end.”

Deep emotion and mortality were also explored. Fearing an imminent demise that never came, John le Carré wrote a moving letter to his sons and Porter poignantly expresses in “Please take comfort from this” the author’s deep love for his second wife Valerie who died two months after he himself passed.

When Phyllis Kelly heard that her lover Eric Appleby had been seriously injured during World War I, she wrote him a message (“Oh God, give him back to me” read by Cumberbatch and Brealey); sadly, news of Appleby’s death reached her before the letter was sent.

The musical interludes this time around featured an array of talents. Myles Smith’s soulful guitar playing reflected the timbre of his lyrics for “My First Heartbreak” while Hohnen Ford took to the grand piano for “Skylight”. Beth Orton had a cold but still managed to give “Friday Night” a good go before Jalen Ngonda rounded off the night with “Come Around And Love Me”.

Once again, Letters Live proved to be a rollercoaster of emotion and celebrity faces, a welcome reminder that — no matter what life throws at you or whatever irks you — there’s a good chance someone has probably already penned a complaint about it.

Letters Live was at The Royal Albert Hall on 28 November.