Luke Evans says he's thrilled to be back on the West End stage after 15 years and that you can't beat London at Christmas time.
The Welsh-born star is known for starring in Hollywood films such as The Hobbit and Disney's Beauty & The Beast live action remake, but before that he cut his teeth right here on the stage in shows such as Jonathan Larson's La Bohème-based rock musical Rent, Cameron Mackintosh's Miss Saigon and puppet extravaganza Avenue Q.
He's currently appearing in comedy-drama Backstairs Billy at the Duke of York's Theatre until January 27 and says he's having "the best time".
Speaking to The Standard in association with Save The Children's pop-up shop Story Knits, he said: "I’m very happy to be back. It’s a wonderful play. It’s a super fun and joyous piece and I’m having the best time playing the butler to Penelope Wilton’s Queen Mother.
"It’s nice to see something making people laugh, it’s a tonic when you turn the news on and read about everything that’s going on in the world. It’s nice to give people a little bit of comfort and relief and especially on this run up to Christmas I’m loving it."
Adding: "London is fantastic with lights on and so Christmassy and I often miss all of that."
Being back in the capital has also enabled Evans to get involved with something else close to his heart, Save the Children's latest Christmas Jumper Day campaign, which this year falls on December 7.
He has been an ambassador for the charity since 2016 and a staunch supporter of the vital work that they do, including visiting Pune, India, to see their education programmes in action.
The first Christmas Jumper Day took place in 2012 and has since raised over £35m to help transform the lives of children in the UK and across the world, get the food, healthcare and education they need.
This year, they have opened a unique pre-loved knitwear pop-up store called Story Knits in Covent Garden and is open for one week only from December 1-7.
There are 91 jumpers on sale – the same number of young people helped by the charity around the world every minute. Each jumper has been handpicked and named after a child and is accompanied by a label telling their story. The jumpers cost £30, with 100 percent of proceeds going to Save the Children’s work in the UK and across the globe.
Evans was on hand for the pop up shop's launch and admits he has his eye on a few of the jumpers himself.
"They are beautiful," he said. "I’ve tried on about seven already and have my eye on two of them.
"It’s a lovely concept that Save The Children have done, it's clever and different and for a good cause."
Of his long-time involvement with the charity, he said: "I’ve always believed that when you have a profile or if people recognise you, they will listen to what you have to say. It’s really important to make the most of that tool and I wanted to speak about something that I was passionate about. "I’ve always admired Save the Children's position as a charity that doesn’t just talk about it, they don’t just raise the money, they spend the money and spend it wherever it’s needed.
"They are often in the front line when there is a war, when there is starvation and when there is any trouble in countries where children obviously are the first to suffer, they are there."
