The first album I bought
Maroon 5 – ‘Songs About Jane’
“This is a bit embarrassing but I can remember this album so viscerally. Like, my childhood was going to school discos and hearing Maroon 5 and James Blunt on repeat. I bought the album from HMV and I can still see the cover so clearly – it had this, like, divine goddess-like figure on it. But there were a lot of big songs on this album; it was definitely a banger.”
The first gig I went to
Oasis at Wembley Stadium, 2009
“Me and my mate were in the pit and we were so small that these lovely lads from the East End chucked us over their shoulders so we could see. It was around the time that Liam and Noel were very much falling out and as a kid the drama of their relationship was really fascinating to observe. I remember thinking, ‘Why has Liam gone backstage for some of the songs?’ I appreciated Noel a lot more when I was younger, but now I’m older I can really appreciate all of Liam’s swagger and bravado.”
The first song I fell in love with
Jeff Buckley – ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Over’
“I was really lucky growing up because my sister was three years older than me and would introduce me to so much great music. I remember this song – and the whole ‘Grace’ album, really – affected me on quite a cerebral level when I was in my early teens. I think all the heartbreak around his passing made it hit even deeper for me.”
The song that reminds me of home
Natasa Theodoridou and Paschalis Terzis – ‘Den Thelo Tetious Filous’
“There are so many beautiful Greek folk songs that I love because it’s part of my heritage. This song is by an iconic Greek artist and the title translates as ‘I don’t want these kind of friends’. It has that bouzouki [a traditional stringed Greek instrument] sound that is so present in Greek culture and it takes me back to Greece as a child – just being with my family on the islands. We always play it when we get together as a family and have a Greek dance around the kitchen.”
The song that makes me want to dance
Jamie xx – ‘Gosh’
“I was going to say a disco song, but actually it’s got to be ‘Gosh’. It just really reminds of me of a time when I was going out a lot and it would always be playing at all these Shoreditch clubs. Anything by The xx takes me back to my later teenage years, and I feel like anyone who grew up around me would say the same.”
The song I do at karaoke
Bonnie Tyler – ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’
“My serious choice is ‘Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac, which is such a beautiful song, but my not so serious choice is ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’. When I was making [2023 comedy] Bottoms it was in the script that I had to do an improvised dance sequence. I gave them ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ not thinking that they’d ever be able to get the rights to it, but somehow they managed to blag it and it made it into the film. So I kind of feel very connected to this song now as a cultural moment.”
The song I wish I’d written
Elton John – ‘Candle In The Wind’
“My parents are big Elton John fans, so his music was on a lot when I was growing up. But it wasn’t until a lot later that I went back to his work and really listened to it properly. He wrote so many beautiful songs in this era with his partner [Bernie Taupin] but ‘Candle In The Wind’ is pure poetry.”
The song that makes me cry
Brian Eno – ‘The Big Ship’
“Brian Eno is an icon in the music world and this song was used in a film I really love called Me, Earl And The Dying Girl, so I always feel quite emotional when I listen to it. I think film scores tend to make me more emotional [than songs with vocals] because they’re not performed in the same way, which kind of allows your mind to wander to someplace else.”
The song that reminds me of making Mary & George
The Stone Roses – ‘I Wanna Be Adored’
“I make playlists for each of my characters, but when it’s a period show [like Mary & George], in a way you don’t have a lot to draw on. ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ was perfect because there’s something kind of grungy about the way we shoot this show and my character George definitely wants to be adored. That’s sort of his seduction technique. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t play it every morning on set, but it was a song that I kept going back to.”
‘Mary & George’ is available now on Sky Atlantic and NOW