Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Letter to Downton writer was a game changer for aspiring Scots actress

© Faye ThomasScots actress Eilidh Fisher
Scots actress Eilidh Fisher

She’s originally from the little Scottish island of Stronsay but Eilidh Fisher is now a world-wide name – thanks to The English Game, streaming on Netflix right now.

Before she was even 20, Eilidh had moved to LA and then London, and had contacted Downtown Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.

“I saw an advert for auditions in London for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in LA and my parents let me go down and I was successful. I spent 18 months in LA and, when I was finished, I came back to London and did a series of jobs, while I tried to contact people whose work I admired to ask for advice,” she said.

One of those was Julian Fellowes, who she wrote to via the House of Lords, where he is a peer.

© Netflix
The English Game, which is now streaming on Netflix and was written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes

“I loved Downton Abbey and think he’s a brilliant writer, but I never expected a response, so it was a shock when his wife sent me a postcard with his phone number. They then invited me to meet up. As far as I know, he put me up for the audition in The English Game – he’s been a real champion of me,” she said.

“When I walked on the set last summer in Manchester and saw who I was working with, I knew I needed to learn as much as I could,” said Eilidh.

There has been some criticism about the show’s title, considering it was Scots who were at the forefront of the fledgling game’s success.

“I understand that, but people should hold judgment, because the makers are aware of it,” she said. “When it comes to football, Scotland has a lot to be proud about.”