Joanne Glasbey

As a young actor, Mark Strong says he learned some simple lessons. “Don’t believe the hype. Firstly, remember why you became an actor. For me it was about mastering the work, not becoming famous.” That’s the least interesting bit, he says – something he discovered quickly. Strong is one of Britain’s most respected actors, working pretty much nonstop on stage and film for nearly 40 years. With little appetite for celebrity, despite working alongside the breadth of Hollywood royalty, his credentials may be A-list but, refreshingly, he operates on a strictly no-list policy. Instead, he’s quite possibly one of the most down-to-earth people you could meet. And I really don’t think he was acting that part when I met him last month.

My doctor needs to know my weight so he can calculate the dosage of a prescription. As I kick off my heavy boots to claw back a few pounds before stepping on the scales, he instructs me to “breathe in.” He thinks I’m hilarious. It may well be vanity but it’s also something ingrained in the female psyche and shared the world over. We have an emotional relationship with our bodies that plays into the clothes we choose to wear. It’s what Daisy Knatchbull, founder of her eponymous high-end women’s clothing company, refers to as “the female problem.” She not only understands the complexity of the issues – “Pretty much every woman has the same struggles, whatever their age and size,” she notes – but addresses them, head-on.

One day during my first job as an aspiring journalist at a serious newspaper, the editor told me how much he liked my writing. Flushing with pride, I asked which particular piece I’d penned. “No!” he interrupted abruptly, before I’d even finished my question. “I mean your handwriting.” It was the note I’d scrawled rather than any article I’d labored over that had caught his eye. Curiously, ever since I was calligraphy-shamed by a teacher for blotty, illegible cursive writing at a young age and attempted to recreate the italic script a friend had learned, handwriting has played a significant role in my life. There was the person I’d sent a written message requesting information for a story, who wanted to meet me because he admired my handwriting.

The actor David Suchet, who starred as Hercule Poirot in TV films and on the big screen, has recounted trying to perfect the Belgian detective’s fussy walk, as described by his creator Agatha Christie. In the end, Suchet placed a penny between his butt cheeks and shuffled like a penguin to keep it in place, thus recreating Poirot’s distinctive gait – a testament to his resourcefulness and acting chops. Author Agatha Christie, literary body count, prolific [Alamy/Associated Press] Well, fire up your little gray cells and oil your mustaches: here’s the opportunity to enjoy the inspiration for one of Christie’s best-loved books. With a legacy of more than 70 crime novels, 150 short stories and 25 plays, this year marks the 50th anniversary of her death.