Star of acclaimed television show Downton Abbey and hit movie Paddington, Hugh Bonneville, made an appearance in Petersfield to celebrate the publication of his first book.

At the book signing in One Tree Books in Lavant Street, Hugh also treated the crowd to a reading from his memoirs, Playing Under the Piano.

One Tree Books owner Tim O’Kelly said: “It was a fantastic evening, really fun. Lots of Petersfield people and people from further afar came.

“I love the book –it’s a cracker. It’s what we need right now, a tonic, a real lifter of the spirits.

“Hugh writes well. It’s full of anecdotes and stories about his time on the stage and on television, but at the same time some poignant things about his family and his father who died recently.”

Hugh said: “I write and speak as I think, so the book is a combination of both. I tried to keep the tone light and conversational.

“I love where words sit in a paragraph, how they sit in a sentence, how they sound and how they resonate.

“I hope I share some of the nuts and bolts of the acting industry as well.”

Hugh has lived in Hampshire and Sussex on and off for the past 40 years, and added: “I have lived a blessed life in a beautiful part of the world and I am delighted to be part of the community.”

Liss resident Jenny Fogelin, who played a gambler in Downton Abbey, as well as appearing in Game of Thrones’ House of the Dragon, was there and said it was a wonderful evening.

Also in attendance was theatre director and writer Dominic Dromgoole. He praised the book and said: “It’s brilliant. It’s funny. It’s wise. It’s honest about being an actor and the trials of being an actor – and it’s wonderful about his emotional life and his relationships with his family.

“It cleverly interweaves his personal with his professional life and you feel you really get to know him.”

Holly Warren, who lives in New York State, USA, was visiting friends in Liss with her husband and went to the shop to meet Hugh. She said: “Downton Abbey is one of our favourite shows, I’d never been to a book launch – it was interesting and Hugh was so nice.”

Hugh is currently on a UK and US book tour. For more information visit his website at Hughbonneville.uk