Gielgud's letters published

The Telegraph will be serialising a collection of the letters of Sir john Geilgud, including his fear of being blackmailed.

Geilgud was the toweringly great actor of my lifetime (along with Laurence Olivier). What is extraordinary is that five years before I was even born, he referred to "Really, at my time of life".

So, he was in his sixties when homosexuality was legalised in this country. I can barely imagine the feeling of being prevented from living ife as one should wish, especially being such a public figure.