One of Britain’s favourite actors and national treasure-elect Bill Nighy has been in York.
The star of Love, Actually was at an intimate gig on Tuesday night (November 8), and then pictured on a trip round the city centre today.
Bill, whose other screen credits include Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Hot Fuzz, was first spotted at the Angel On The Green on Bishopthorpe Road.
He was there watching York singer Holly Taymar Bilton perform her set.
Holly wrote on Facebook: “There were about nine people at my gig tonight, and one of them turned out to be Bill Nighy.”
She added: “Didn’t manage a selfie, he just apologised for having to leave before the end, tapped on his book and said he had to work, then I said ‘yes, get back to work!’ whilst shaking my finger at him. It was magical.
“I think he’s working in York at the moment. He bought a CD too – what a kind fella!”
Awesome man
Daniel Lucas, the York-based singer-songwriter of Boss Caine, has also met Bill. “I fell under his uber cool spell when I handed him Boss Caine CDs. He’s the most rock n roll appearing actor I’ve ever seen,” Daniel posted.
Holly said the thing she most noticed about Bill was “his general niceness. I wish he’d come to every gig. He could make it a Nighy occurrence…”
Another person to meet Bill at the Angel was Linsay Wilkinson. She described him in two words: “Awesome man!”
Then this afternoon Scott Sinclair, a York BID street ranger, met the actor on Coney Street. He did get a selfie with him, tweeting it out with the words “Today we bumped into Bill Nighy walking around our beautiful city.”
Another Yorkie, Nathan Wilson, said the star was very approachable. “He was down near the Shambles so I went up to him, we chatted, it was crazy. He looked like he’d been shopping,” he posted on Facebook.
The actor will soon be seen leading an all-star cast in the BBC One adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence, due to be screened near Christmas.