Reading view

Munya Chawawa reads a letter to God

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Munya Chawawa reads his own letter to God.

Munya joined us at a special Earth Day edition of Letters Live at London's Royal Albert Hall in support of Greenpeace in April 2026.

© Munya Chawawa, 2026

Bryan Cranston and Ferdinand Kingsley read a FEROCIOUS letter exchange

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This is one of our favourite all time letter exchanges for a reason, and we couldn't not share this particular performance with you all.

In 1675, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire instructed his army to attack a fortress belonging to the Zaporozhian Cossacks. They were quickly and heavily defeated. Rather than surrender, the Sultan then wrote to the Cossacks and demanded that they submit to him.

Bryan Cranston and Ferdinand Kingsley joined us to read the hilarious exchange of letters between the two opposing forces at Letters Live in New York in June 2025.

Come and see us in NYC at The Town Hall, Midtown, Manhattan on May 14th 2026:
https://www.thetownhall.org/event/letters-live-2
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Benedict Cumberbatch reads a beautiful love letter

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Gerald Durrell and Lee McGeorge first met in 1977, when Durrell — already a celebrated naturalist and writer — was giving a lecture at Duke University, where she was studying animal behaviour. They quickly became close, and within two years were married. In 1978, not long after they met, Durrell wrote her a letter.

Benedict Cumberbatch read this beautiful letter to close our very special Earth Day show at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2026.

The show was in partnership with Vivobarefoot, and in support of Greenpeace.

© Gerald Durrell, with permission of Curtis Brown Group Ltd

Our lectern was adorned with long-lasting sculptural paper florals, created by Polly Green of @longlunch.studio: https://longlunch.studio

Alan Carr reads Kenneth Williams' hilarious letter about an alarming incident

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Anyone who has ever watched a Carry On film will be familiar with Kenneth Williams, a man whose voice and timing made him one of Britain’s great comic icons. In 1964, he wrote to a friend with news of an alarming incident.

Alan Carr opened our show at the Royal Albert Hall in November 2025 with this hysterical letter.

© the Estate of Kenneth Williams, by permission of United Agents

Marlon James reads Lee Scratch Perry's defence of Paul McCartney after he was arrested in Tokyo

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On January 16th of 1980, Japanese customs officials found 7.7 ounces of cannabis in Paul McCartney's luggage as he entered the country, resulting in a 10-day stay in a Tokyo prison and the cancellation of his tour of Japan with Wings.

After being released, McCartney was told never to return. Five days into his stay, reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry sent a letter to Tokyo's Minister of Justice in an effort lend his support.

Award-wining author Marlon James joined us to read this brilliant letter at Letters Live in New York City in June 2025.

© the Estate of Lee Perry
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