Joanna Lumley Interviewed by Philip Lymbery

One of Britain’s best-known actresses Dame Joanna Lumley talks about the true meaning of ‘compassion’, her love of animals and the natural world, and about her animal welfare campaigning. The event is the festival’s second annual hosting of Compassion in World Farming’s Peter Roberts Memorial Lecture, named in honour of the charity’s founder, a British farmer, who became horrified at the development of factory farming.

Lumley is a longstanding patron of Compassion in World Farming. She has recently campaigned against the keeping of sows in narrow stalls whilst giving birth. She has also supported campaigns to improve conditions for dairy cattle and to ban the use of cages for laying hens.  Lumley will talk about the true meaning of compassion before being interviewed by the chief executive of Compassion in World Farming, Philip Lymbery.

Lumley is an actor, television presenter and former model. She won two Baftas for her role as Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous. Her television work also includes The New Avengers. Film appearances include in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Shirley Valentine, and The Wolf of Wall Street. She is also a well-known campaigner for justice and human rights, most notably for the Gurkha Justice Campaign.

The first Peter Roberts Memorial Lecture was given by John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods Market, in 2007. Subsequent lectures have been given by others including by Lester Brown, founder and president of the Earth Policy Institute and author of over 50 books, and Rajendra Pachauri during his chairmanship of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The festival hosted last year’s lecture by the wildlife presenter Chris Packham CBE. 

This event is part of a series under the banner Pasture to Plate® that looks at the environmental and health benefits of raising food on pasture and getting it to the consumer quickly through a short supply chain.