Hugh Skinner on fear, embarrassing moments and life lessons

Born in London, Hugh Skinner, 41, trained at Lamda and first appeared in the BBC’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles in 2008. From 2014 to 2017 he played Will in the comedy W1A and has appeared in Fleabag and The Windsors, with film credits including Les Misérables and Mamma Mia!

Here We Go Again. In 2024 he starred in The Importance of Being Earnest at the National Theatre; he reprises Will in Twenty Twenty Six and stars in the BBC drama Two Weeks in August. He lives in London. His greatest fear is pigeons after one became stuck in his flat.

His most embarrassing moment was accidentally walking on to set naked when he wasn’t supposed to be. His first celebrity crush was the male cast of late 1990s Neighbours, and as a nine-year-old he told everyone he was starring in West Side Story in the West End, which earned him congratulations at school and a cross mother.

hugh skinner, london, lamda, w1a, fleabag, les misérables, mamma mia, national theatre, the windsors, pigeons