Hilary and Michael Whitehall look back: 'I wanted an agent, he wanted a wife'
Hilary and Michael are the parents of actor and stand-up Jack Whitehall, who together have turned their candid, comedic family dynamic into a brand of entertainment. Hilary, an actor known for his television appearances on Miranda and Bad Education, married Michael, a producer and talent agent, in 1986 and went on to have three children. As well as the success of Netflix's Travels With My Father, the Whitehall triumvirate have hosted talk shows, co-written books and presented live shows and YouTube series. Hilary and Michael now go it alone with their first podcast, The Wittering Whitehalls, available on all major podcast platforms.
MichaelA man called Christopher Miles, distinguished director at the he was shooting a feature film in Athens called Lord Elgin and Some Stones of No Value. Nigel Havers played Lord Elgin. I was his agent, and since it was his first film, I went to see it with my new – very young – girlfriend.
From that vacation, it's been a slow trajectory down. Jack came along, then [his siblings] Molly and Barney, so it was always Cornwall or Devon. I took a camping trip but ended up in a hotel up the road. Most of the time I left the campsite to Hilary. After all, I was a busy man looking after international stars 24/7. I didn't have time to walk on the beaches with my beautiful children.
When I asked Hilary's father if I could marry him, her parents looked quite shocked. After we were first introduced, he said to Hilary, "You said he was older - but you never said how much." They weren't very sure of me, especially because I had been married and had since had another girlfriend, and I was driving a Jaguar XJS. Everything was against me. That and the fact that I was an agent.
I must have looked pretty flashy, but we worked well together - got Hilary her first job actress in Minder, and I even produced a series in which she was. That being said, Nigel Havers appeared at the critical moment in the delivery room when Jack was born. I had called friends before the birth and, as Hilary had her feet in stirrups waiting to be stitched up, Nigel showed up in black tie on his way to an event after falling in hospital. He and I were sent with newborn Jack to clean him up. As we were walking down the hall together, a lady approached us. She recognized Nigel and said, "Oh, Mr. Havers, what a pleasure to meet you." He thanked her, and as Nigel held the baby, she looked at Jack in his blanket and said, “Oh! He looks so much like you, Mr. Havers! So like you! What a handsome boy."
There were several reasons why I was first attracted to Hilary - back then she was very beautiful and now Well, she still is. She's also extremely nice. And I liked her sense of humor. That's something Jack obviously has too, but he gets his comedic side from me. friction. Because I'm not such a nice person. I'm horrible.
Comedians aren't usually very generous with their gear. I won't name any names, but there are a lot of successful comedy actors who can be quite difficult. Jack was never like that. He always wanted to share his success or his humor with us, that's why Travels With My Father has done so well function ionized. Jack always said, "I know – why don't you do that?" It would be funnier if you did. I would say: "No, I'm not an actor!" And he would say, "No, Dad, you do." It'll be better." I don't know of any other star who would have that kind of angle on a joke. It's pure kindness, a quality Jack inherited entirely from his mother.
HilaryMichael and I are on top of the Acropolis in front of the Parthenon, which had been closed for filming. It was a rare event, so I went crazy that day taking photos , as it was completely empty other than the crew. Michael's hat and glove were borrowed from the costume department, and I was in my normal holiday attire.
At that point, about 10 months later, my parents were still struggling with the idea that I was dating a divorced man 21 years my senior. Anyway, I thought: "I'm going on holiday with him." We had a fantastic time: in addition to Nigel, there was also Julian Fellowes and a young Hugh Grant. I...
Hilary and Michael are the parents of actor and stand-up Jack Whitehall, who together have turned their candid, comedic family dynamic into a brand of entertainment. Hilary, an actor known for his television appearances on Miranda and Bad Education, married Michael, a producer and talent agent, in 1986 and went on to have three children. As well as the success of Netflix's Travels With My Father, the Whitehall triumvirate have hosted talk shows, co-written books and presented live shows and YouTube series. Hilary and Michael now go it alone with their first podcast, The Wittering Whitehalls, available on all major podcast platforms.
MichaelA man called Christopher Miles, distinguished director at the he was shooting a feature film in Athens called Lord Elgin and Some Stones of No Value. Nigel Havers played Lord Elgin. I was his agent, and since it was his first film, I went to see it with my new – very young – girlfriend.
From that vacation, it's been a slow trajectory down. Jack came along, then [his siblings] Molly and Barney, so it was always Cornwall or Devon. I took a camping trip but ended up in a hotel up the road. Most of the time I left the campsite to Hilary. After all, I was a busy man looking after international stars 24/7. I didn't have time to walk on the beaches with my beautiful children.
When I asked Hilary's father if I could marry him, her parents looked quite shocked. After we were first introduced, he said to Hilary, "You said he was older - but you never said how much." They weren't very sure of me, especially because I had been married and had since had another girlfriend, and I was driving a Jaguar XJS. Everything was against me. That and the fact that I was an agent.
I must have looked pretty flashy, but we worked well together - got Hilary her first job actress in Minder, and I even produced a series in which she was. That being said, Nigel Havers appeared at the critical moment in the delivery room when Jack was born. I had called friends before the birth and, as Hilary had her feet in stirrups waiting to be stitched up, Nigel showed up in black tie on his way to an event after falling in hospital. He and I were sent with newborn Jack to clean him up. As we were walking down the hall together, a lady approached us. She recognized Nigel and said, "Oh, Mr. Havers, what a pleasure to meet you." He thanked her, and as Nigel held the baby, she looked at Jack in his blanket and said, “Oh! He looks so much like you, Mr. Havers! So like you! What a handsome boy."
There were several reasons why I was first attracted to Hilary - back then she was very beautiful and now Well, she still is. She's also extremely nice. And I liked her sense of humor. That's something Jack obviously has too, but he gets his comedic side from me. friction. Because I'm not such a nice person. I'm horrible.
Comedians aren't usually very generous with their gear. I won't name any names, but there are a lot of successful comedy actors who can be quite difficult. Jack was never like that. He always wanted to share his success or his humor with us, that's why Travels With My Father has done so well function ionized. Jack always said, "I know – why don't you do that?" It would be funnier if you did. I would say: "No, I'm not an actor!" And he would say, "No, Dad, you do." It'll be better." I don't know of any other star who would have that kind of angle on a joke. It's pure kindness, a quality Jack inherited entirely from his mother.
HilaryMichael and I are on top of the Acropolis in front of the Parthenon, which had been closed for filming. It was a rare event, so I went crazy that day taking photos , as it was completely empty other than the crew. Michael's hat and glove were borrowed from the costume department, and I was in my normal holiday attire.
At that point, about 10 months later, my parents were still struggling with the idea that I was dating a divorced man 21 years my senior. Anyway, I thought: "I'm going on holiday with him." We had a fantastic time: in addition to Nigel, there was also Julian Fellowes and a young Hugh Grant. I...
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