One of only a handful of people to have won multiple Emmy, BAFTA, Olivier, Tony, and Golden Globe awards, Sir Colin Callender, through his work in television, film, and theater, has brought us Wolf Hall, All Creatures Great and Small, John Adams, Angels in America, La Vie en Rose, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the theatrical productions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy, and countless other delights. Now the founder of Playground Entertainment has launched Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (currently airing on Masterpiece on PBS). The series stars Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, and its final episode will air on April 27. Herewith, Callender shares his key components to the good life. —Ashley Baker
Airline: British Airways. They make the best cup of tea.
App: It hasn’t been invented yet, but it would answer all my e-mails.
Car: A 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports, by H. J. Mulliner.
Child: I am blessed with three—Ian, Caroline, and Charlotte.
Cocktail: Whatever my younger daughter orders. She’s adventurous and has impeccable taste.
Cocktail appetizer: Caviar and potato chips.
Couple: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Date: Anywhere, anytime with my wife, Elizabeth.
Dinner, weekday: The Lowell hotel bar, but don’t tell anyone.
Dinner, weekend: The Lowell hotel bar, but don’t tell anyone.
Excuse: “I’m stuck on location with no cell service.”
Flaw: I can’t remember the names of any of my kids’ friends.
Hotel: The Hôtel Cap Estel, near Èze, France.
Indulgence: Bangers and mash from Myers of Keswick, in New York.
Insult: “Well, the lighting was good.”
Jacket: Any jacket by Boglioli.
Kiss-off: “Come back and see me when you’ve done something,” which was the advice given to me at my first job interview at a TV network after leaving university.
Last Meal: Full English breakfast.
Lunch, weekday: Fish and chips and a Guinness at the Punch Bowl pub, in London.
Lunch, weekend: Sunday lunch with my daughters at Bar Pitti. Their lasagna is only on the menu on weekends. It’s the best in town.
Match: Paris Match. I learned French reading it.
Movie: Anything by Spike Lee.
Nonfiction book: Ways of Seeing, by John Berger.
Novel: Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel.
Pet: Dobby, the house elf.
Piece of advice: “Always listen. You never learn anything by talking.”
Restaurant: Ti’ Corail, in St. Barth’s.
Ride: The little ferry to Ho Hum Beach.
Saying: “The play’s the thing.”
Shoes: Crocket & Jones dark-brown suede Chilterns.
Singer: Marvin Gaye.
Spouse: The formidable Elizabeth.
Street: Coronation Street, my first job as a runner on the studio floor.
Storm: The Gathering Storm, the HBO film with Albert Finney as [Winston] Churchill and Vanessa Redgrave as his wife, Clemmie.
Television series: The Wire.
Time of day: Nine p.m. in L.A., when you can’t call London or New York.
Toast: Burned, with Marmite.
Weekend bag: Takeout from Elio’s on Sunday night.
Work of art: The Brooklyn Bridge.
Writing implement: My father’s 1937 Parker Duofold fountain pen.
Colin’s Essentials
