Benedict Cumberbatch & Louise Brealey read letters from wartime lovers

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  • čas přidán 29. 04. 2021
  • Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey read letters between Second World War lovers Chris Barker, a solider in Libya, and Bessie Moore, a Morse code interpreter in London.
    In 1943, Chris Barker was serving as a signalman in North Africa when he decided to brighten the long days of war by writing to a former work colleague, Bessie Moore. The unexpected warmth of Bessie’s reply changed their lives forever. They married in 1945.
    Originally read at the Union Chapel, London in March 2019.
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Komentáře • 230

  • @carlhicksjr8401
    @carlhicksjr8401 Před rokem +302

    OK, you **know** it's a good love letter when it makes a reader blush 75 years later.
    Well done, Bessie, WELL done....

  • @Cdodders27
    @Cdodders27 Před 3 lety +600

    Imagine knowing in 70 years time someone will be reading your private correspondence out loud to an audience

    • @ursusmega2803
      @ursusmega2803 Před 2 lety +17

      I am so glad she wrote back!

    • @laurensdesmet70
      @laurensdesmet70 Před 2 lety +43

      Oh god… Whatsapp Chats Live. The horror.

    • @a.t.c.3862
      @a.t.c.3862 Před 2 lety +12

      It won't happen, we don't write letters anymore.

    • @kored8688
      @kored8688 Před 2 lety +10

      @@a.t.c.3862 Of course we do? People have never communicated as much in text as we do now.

    • @spozbucket
      @spozbucket Před rokem +5

      And reflecting upon how beautiful life and love are

  • @GreenRazzles
    @GreenRazzles Před 3 lety +506

    Finally, Sherlock and Molly together at last

    • @kevinlin5323
      @kevinlin5323 Před 3 lety +32

      the season 5 we want

    • @emilyholloway5445
      @emilyholloway5445 Před 3 lety +12

      erm wat? i didn't know sherolly shippers actually existed... well you do you I guess

    • @UTAStudios
      @UTAStudios Před 3 lety +19

      My thoughts precisely. Your comment actually made my day. Can't even count the number of times I watched the opening sequence of The Empty Hearse, just to see that window scene...

    • @christinabeyer9298
      @christinabeyer9298 Před 3 lety +10

      This are Ben and Louise and not Sherlock and Molly. Please don't confuse the actors with they characters they played.

    • @GreenRazzles
      @GreenRazzles Před 3 lety +40

      @@christinabeyer9298 well, they're not Ben and Louise here either, they're Chris and Bessie.
      Don't worry, I know the difference between fiction and reality - the comment was merely a bit of fun.

  • @MelissaThompson432
    @MelissaThompson432 Před 5 měsíci +25

    That's it. It's my "vital, vibrant spot" from now on....

  • @GeorgiaDCA
    @GeorgiaDCA Před 2 lety +115

    How wonderful they went on to get married and raise a family! Together for 50+ years!

  • @frasersgirl4383
    @frasersgirl4383 Před 2 lety +227

    This is exactly how I felt about my lover at sixteen years old who would become my husband thirty years later. ❤️💫❤️. I feel the same today at 61.

    • @zoccolilombardogremillionf9004
      @zoccolilombardogremillionf9004 Před rokem +9

      That’s such a beautiful statement :- )

    • @jonathanwalther
      @jonathanwalther Před rokem +3

      That's so sweet! BUT, what happened the thirty(?!) years in between first crush and marriage? Thirty, really? My dear ....
      Must have been several Wars? Or numerous Arctic, Antarctic and Himalayan expeditions? Building a hidden Moon base? Sailing the World like Magellan? Wandering through endless jungles and discovering new species? Being a lone cave monk?

    • @kristofferhellstrom
      @kristofferhellstrom Před rokem +1

      That's beautiful!

    • @aileen694
      @aileen694 Před rokem

      @@jonathanwalther ?

    • @jonathanwalther
      @jonathanwalther Před rokem +2

      @@aileen694 I just speculated what might have happened in these 30 years. Why it took so long. (It was a joke)

  • @hanna50000
    @hanna50000 Před 3 lety +271

    Louise Brealey is such a talent. She plays such diverse characters and nails every one of them.

  • @JachAnen
    @JachAnen Před rokem +24

    "Talk about untapped resources" brilliant

  • @searsfarmcat3328
    @searsfarmcat3328 Před rokem +88

    I'm 71 and I miss this. Thirty years ago, in an old wooden chest in an abandoned shed on family property, I found a few letters written in the 50's by a distant ancestor. They spoke of ordinary daily dealings of that time. I cherish these and regret that our age of technology has made letters obsolete. To be able to look back in history with actual written words is a gift to treasure.

    • @VictoriaForSale
      @VictoriaForSale Před rokem +3

      I still write letters to my beloved and he happens to answer me from time to time though he said he never learned handwriting very well (what is true) but he even wrote me poems. we live in separate countries since 4 years and I wrote several letters to him though we talk and write every day (even sleeping together at night by using phone and a kind of Skype). I never want to stop even if he has a hard time reading my writing. It's one of the loveliest gifts to give to a beloved person in my opinion. It combines time, thoughts, emotions and tells stories. I wish all people would sometimes write letters to their loves ones.

    • @MelissaThompson432
      @MelissaThompson432 Před 5 měsíci

      Do you mean the 1850s? Surely not the decade you were born.... My grandparents were born during the 1870s. Roughly 10 years after Laura Ingalls, to put it in perspective. My grandfather was born in Minnesota the same year Baby Grace was born in Iowa.

  • @shirleynitka5030
    @shirleynitka5030 Před 3 lety +141

    wow I can imagine how hard it was for Louise to read those early lines with Ben looking & smiling at her. It's really Molly with her lipstick on.

    • @deemura
      @deemura Před 2 lety +12

      She's playing a character. She actually doesn't have a crush on Benedict

    • @shirleynitka5030
      @shirleynitka5030 Před 2 lety +17

      @@deemura have you seen the way she looks at him during the award shows? She genuinely loves him. It doesn't mean she's in love with him but she does care deeply about him as her friend. He chooses what she reads.

  • @sarahsteffanny8963
    @sarahsteffanny8963 Před 3 lety +83

    Oh god! She looks like nervous reading to him😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 she represents us

  • @zeerak4905
    @zeerak4905 Před 2 lety +74

    "you have to be abroad. you have to be really truly hermetically sealed off from your intimates, from your home, to realize what a gift this going home is"

  • @SouthCountyGal
    @SouthCountyGal Před 2 lety +158

    Bessie Moore had a beautiful style of writing, and a delightful, open expression of self. Chris Barker, for all the trauma he experienced, seems to have been steadfast and loving. He's coming home after at least two years, and he's trying to figure out how to give everyone who loves him as much time and attention as possible. I hope they had a long, loving marriage.

    • @Dave_Sisson
      @Dave_Sisson Před 7 měsíci +41

      Good news. Their son discovered their letters after they had lived a long and joyful life together and their granddaughter wrote the preface to the published letters. That's the best possible outcome.

    • @campervannie5948
      @campervannie5948 Před 5 měsíci +7

      That is truly wonderful ❤

  • @Atlantya
    @Atlantya Před rokem +17

    Lordy. I didn’t think anything about Benedict Cumberbatch could get sexier, but the shots of him so intently watching the woman reading her letter, he’s positively smoldering.

  • @realhorrorshow8547
    @realhorrorshow8547 Před 3 lety +177

    It's been said that the younger generation always think they've invented sex, yet Bessie sounds quite the hottie. Chris, don't you pass up a good thing!

    • @annmitchell4663
      @annmitchell4663 Před 3 lety +30

      There's nothing the younger generation do that hasn't been done before...lol

    • @vrhetinst
      @vrhetinst Před 2 lety +24

      @Real Horrorshow He did not. In the larger collection of clips in which I found this piece originally, the narrator said that Chris and Bessie were married, shortly after the war.

    • @realhorrorshow8547
      @realhorrorshow8547 Před 2 lety +6

      @@vrhetinst Good for them.

    • @Priyanka-vr2yi
      @Priyanka-vr2yi Před 2 lety +19

      They married, had children and lived up to 90 years

    • @jamssy3409
      @jamssy3409 Před 2 lety +2

      we don't think we invented sex lmao

  • @eleanorigbymin4355
    @eleanorigbymin4355 Před 3 lety +210

    Where are my SHERLOLLY fans out there?! This one is my most favorite interaction of Ben and Loo in Letters live ❤❤❤

  • @cards0486
    @cards0486 Před 2 lety +141

    Oh, this was so marvelous!!
    The difference in what a woman will open up and tell a man and what a man will tell a woman is so funny.
    “If I were there you wouldn’t need any blankets.”
    “Many people will be wanting time with me, I know you understand.”
    I loved having these two reading the letters. They’re darling together.

    • @SouthCountyGal
      @SouthCountyGal Před 2 lety +28

      I think some of that difference might also have been due to his time as a POW, and the different circumstances at the time each letter was written. It sounds like Chris had written some pretty steamy letters himself, since Bessie says she likes knowing that he is focused on her body and not anybody else's. But it did strike me as funny that she was talking about being changed from ice into fire, and he's talking train timetables. lol!

    • @murrumbidgeekid
      @murrumbidgeekid Před 5 dny +1

      @@SouthCountyGal I thought that same thing. He was in a very different context.

  • @AllTheArtsy
    @AllTheArtsy Před rokem +32

    The man sounds like an aloof jerk.... until you remember that he's a soldier at war taken in as a POW and is just concentrating on getting back home finally after some years. This was a wonderful reading!

    • @qua9
      @qua9 Před rokem +5

      Who would prefer not to get married LOL

    • @deborahlanphear8863
      @deborahlanphear8863 Před rokem +3

      Not only that, but he was so respectful to her, especially for that time. Telling her she didn't need to make a fuss over him, he clearly has respect for exactly who she is. Beautiful.

    • @cczwhite
      @cczwhite Před 2 měsíci

      ​@@qua9yeah I started noticing that every few lines he hinted to keeping them a low key thing. Not getting married. Not getting dressed up. Not being outwardly excited or tell ANYONE about them.
      I think that he is married and wanted to keep his "mistress" and "our affair" secret ngl

    • @noeldown1952
      @noeldown1952 Před měsícem +3

      @@cczwhite Except that they did get married upon his return and spent the rest of their lives together.

  • @HunterElvis11
    @HunterElvis11 Před 3 lety +98

    “You have to be truly, hermetically sealed off from your intimates, from your home, to realize what a GIFT THIS GOING HOME IS.” 🛸☯️🛸

    • @benedictcumberbatch3021
      @benedictcumberbatch3021 Před 3 lety +1

      Thank you for your comments and support, your comments and constant support has brought me this far. Keep supporting❤️❤️
      Send me a mail via gmail : Benedictcumberbatch694@gmail.com

  • @Zonker66
    @Zonker66 Před rokem +56

    I only found 'Letters Live' today... how have I never heard of this channel or production? These are fantastic.

    • @junejunie2284
      @junejunie2284 Před rokem +2

      I found "Letters Live" just a month ago. I share your sentiment 'These are fantastic'! I find myself doling them out one or two at a time to stretch out the enjoyment.

    • @wendysimpson6395
      @wendysimpson6395 Před 9 měsíci +1

      Me too! Have been binging.

    • @feliciagaffney1998
      @feliciagaffney1998 Před 2 měsíci

      Same here. Feb, 2024.

  • @cylimcp508
    @cylimcp508 Před 3 lety +79

    Gah they are always so adorable doing chris and bessie. they need to do a live action miniseries based on these!

  • @monikahanus9183
    @monikahanus9183 Před rokem +27

    The beauty of these letters brought me to tears. So honest and heartfelt.

  • @Bruno-tm3xo
    @Bruno-tm3xo Před 2 lety +59

    These letters are the very reason why since a very early age I was fascinated by the English language, in my view one of the most beautiful languages along with German.
    There is this stuck up stiffed upper lip side, but yet, so much feeling……a lot more daring than what the french would allow themselves to write.
    A top of it, this incredible sense of humour that start with self mockery…….the best way to keep drama at bay.
    These 2 fantastic actors are the best incentive for non English speaking to learn English.

    • @shrutitiwari8886
      @shrutitiwari8886 Před 2 lety +3

      Try listening to Tom Hiddleston Sir. He has a brilliant pronounciation too.

    • @Bruno-tm3xo
      @Bruno-tm3xo Před 2 lety +4

      @@shrutitiwari8886 true…..great actor too

    • @OneMate4Life
      @OneMate4Life Před rokem

      The only problem is, these letters are from decades ago, and far more eloquent than anything anyone writes or speaks today. So, sadly, I feel like these letters would be a great incentive, but the reality would be quite a disappointment/letdown.

  • @paulamusik2509
    @paulamusik2509 Před 3 lety +42

    These were the most hilarious war letters I have ever heard of.

  • @cralphs7505
    @cralphs7505 Před 3 měsíci +3

    I never tire if hearing these letters between the two .

  • @GABISNAIL
    @GABISNAIL Před rokem +13

    They had to stand 45 feet apart or the power of the letters would prove too much 😂

  • @gonnabeok.
    @gonnabeok. Před 3 lety +62

    This is the best reading. They are so funny and good together. Think I'll watch Sherlock again. Xxx

    • @clovermark39
      @clovermark39 Před 2 lety +2

      Watched it recently. It’s still brilliant.

  • @mikecallahan8234
    @mikecallahan8234 Před 3 měsíci +2

    I absolutely love that generation. They had to grow up so fast because of the war. Yet maintained what innocence they could. I have listened to their memories of what was, always a hunger within me to hear more. I shall never forget that generation.

  • @someone-ye8pp
    @someone-ye8pp Před 3 lety +32

    02:15 she's so adorable

  • @darmastutidarmastuti
    @darmastutidarmastuti Před 3 lety +58

    Amazing and brilliant...their were just reading it for us...but i feel like watching love story...
    Both of them it's truly great actor and actress..i loved the way their looking at each other while reading the letter..
    I watch this over and over again, never bored..

  • @lynngillogley1279
    @lynngillogley1279 Před 2 lety +52

    Beautifully read and the pauses were magical. I felt I was looking over the writers' shoulders. New subscriber.

  • @davidlloyd3116
    @davidlloyd3116 Před 2 lety +9

    I wish we all wrote more in the days of texting and social media.

  • @scott2836
    @scott2836 Před rokem +9

    Louise Brealey and Benedict Cumberbatch are such excellent actors and interpreters. They must be so tired of being shipped by us, and yet we cheerfully go on with it, because they are just so wonderful together.

  • @CMDRunematti
    @CMDRunematti Před 2 lety +10

    well, these letters are blatant privacy violation!
    great stuff to listen to :D

  • @maeganmurphy2096
    @maeganmurphy2096 Před 3 lety +21

    This is the funniest thing I have seen in ages.

  • @Abby-xe3sc
    @Abby-xe3sc Před 2 lety +6

    Ohhh Mrs Hudson left England..... Rip *sobbing *

  • @sarmisthabanerjee4234
    @sarmisthabanerjee4234 Před 3 lety +41

    I am a Sherlolly lover. And I want both Ben and Lou together in more and more projects.

  • @VooDooley
    @VooDooley Před rokem +5

    Do I cry or laugh? Such beauty

  • @annetracey5838
    @annetracey5838 Před 2 lety +11

    Totally amazing. Love it.

  • @anitawebster9450
    @anitawebster9450 Před 10 měsíci +4

    That was glorious! And parts reminded me of my feelings when I was texting with my now husband while we were still on separate continents...😏

  • @divakarable
    @divakarable Před 3 lety +19

    Beautiful presentation 😁

  • @shadowjack8
    @shadowjack8 Před rokem +3

    Just beautiful, I loved every syllable.

  • @mariamartamarcolinocava1551

    Congratulations!!!
    Very good!!!

  • @matt_cummins28
    @matt_cummins28 Před 2 lety +10

    Absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much for uploading.

  • @lecinemanaka
    @lecinemanaka Před 2 lety +15

    7:18 "............ How good for us to see each other before I am COMPLETELY bald! 😀"

  • @JadeTheorist3942
    @JadeTheorist3942 Před 10 měsíci +3

    5:51 7:27 Louise is Me whenever I hear Benedict's voice and see his face. He is so gorgeous and a talented actor! 😍

  • @mitchweiner
    @mitchweiner Před rokem +3

    I’ve been binging Letters Live ever since it popped up in my feed!

  • @user-mp8ti3pc8y
    @user-mp8ti3pc8y Před 3 lety +11

    Oh my favourite duet! Perfect 💖

  • @user-ws4gy8hy2c
    @user-ws4gy8hy2c Před 2 lety +9

    Какое наслаждение просто слушать голос Бенедикта.

  • @1chelp
    @1chelp Před 3 lety +10

    Incredibly touching....

  • @user-cj6yw5fu4l
    @user-cj6yw5fu4l Před 3 měsíci

    Oh I do enjoy these readings,talented people breathes life into the letters, glimpses of the past so thankyou 🌹

  •  Před 3 lety +33

    Thank you for this, this is my most helpful healing portion of today

  • @jom3268
    @jom3268 Před rokem +3

    I never tire of hearing these.

  • @noeraldinkabam
    @noeraldinkabam Před 2 lety +10

    God, I hope he came home to her.

  • @iwasalllikeomg
    @iwasalllikeomg Před 2 lety +4

    This should be a podcast!

  • @user-tn4js9sg9j
    @user-tn4js9sg9j Před 3 lety +27

    I have been waiting for this reading! They are so adorable! 😊 Thank you!

    • @benedictcumberbatch3021
      @benedictcumberbatch3021 Před 3 lety

      Thank you for your comments and support, your comments and constant support has brought me this far. Keep supporting❤️❤️
      Send me a mail via gmail : Benedictcumberbatch694@gmail.com

  • @adrianamalvasio5140
    @adrianamalvasio5140 Před 2 lety +4

    Congratulations! I love both, finally together!😍😍😍

  • @anna-brittaandersson4251

    Here we have loveletters between to loving people.❤️❤️ I just love it.❤️❤️😷

  • @ebosaifuobhokhan1587
    @ebosaifuobhokhan1587 Před 3 lety +10

    Awwww I love this.

  • @BeingHuman100
    @BeingHuman100 Před 2 lety +14

    Beautiful. The letters are beautiful….

  • @lg1374
    @lg1374 Před 3 lety +5

    I was asking myself why I havnt wach this before until I saw It was published 1 week ago

  • @karolineboje
    @karolineboje Před 3 lety +13

    AMAZING

  • @mareikedregger1513
    @mareikedregger1513 Před rokem +3

    Cannot but help of thinking of the SNL Skids „letters from war“ which are hilarious… devastating always for the soldier, but hilarious 😆

  • @Apache-lj7tx
    @Apache-lj7tx Před měsícem

    Write a letter..
    ..to a loved one..
    .. bless!

  • @AngelicusImmortus
    @AngelicusImmortus Před 11 měsíci +1

    It took less than 30 seconds to recognise the voices speaking…
    And knowing her blushes came from reading it and looking at Mr.C.

  • @bloodisfrightening1203
    @bloodisfrightening1203 Před 2 lety +4

    We all someday want to feel like an iceberg for someone.

  • @anorawalker441
    @anorawalker441 Před 2 lety +8

    I'm screaming!!! This is the closure we needed from Sherlock lol
    Oh, my heart.

  • @islaamore3027
    @islaamore3027 Před 2 lety +19

    Even here, Sherlock has refused to marry Molly!😂🤣😂🤣😭😭 oh my days!

  • @prachi5899
    @prachi5899 Před 2 lety +5

    2020 - 2021.. coronovirus pandemic.. when we r locked up in our homes.. can relate to the horrible period of war, Spanish flu, etc

  • @archismandas7760
    @archismandas7760 Před 2 lety +9

    Remember....one day your chats will be leaked by facebook or whatsapp too 😂 and maybe after fifty years they will also be read 😂

  • @happyhedgehogfoods9483
    @happyhedgehogfoods9483 Před 3 měsíci +1

    If anyone has audible down load the radio programme of letters of wartime lovers

  • @user-ws4gy8hy2c
    @user-ws4gy8hy2c Před 2 lety +9

    Луиза до сих пор волнуется при виде Бенедикта, видно что до сих пор она к нему не равнодушна. Такой человек, как Бенедикт никого не может оставить равнодушным, просто красавец!

  • @annienmouse9767
    @annienmouse9767 Před 2 lety +4

    Absence makes the heart grow fonder ❤️

  • @nguyenlan4223
    @nguyenlan4223 Před 2 lety +13

    I sent this to my first love months ago. We were in a long distance relationship, kinda related to these letters. And we just broke up yesterday… It breaks my heart and I don’t know what to do.

    • @ud2278
      @ud2278 Před rokem +4

      Are you okay?

  • @murrumbidgeekid
    @murrumbidgeekid Před 5 dny

    wow! How incredible that just reading can bring such vitality. They are so skilled. I wonder what happened to them.

  • @troublessavage
    @troublessavage Před 2 lety +2

    "I must be with you"
    *ad* 😰

  • @rosemorris7912
    @rosemorris7912 Před 3 lety +6

    Bessie! Dayam, girl!

  • @JadeTheorist3942
    @JadeTheorist3942 Před 10 měsíci

    2:09 They are adorable!!!😍

  • @maryblack1356
    @maryblack1356 Před 2 lety +3

    Wouldn't it be fantastic to hear Benedict Cumberbatch read "Hapworth 16, 1924" by Salinger?

  • @nothing.lasts.forever
    @nothing.lasts.forever Před 2 lety +5

    Sherlock Molly 💞

  • @jobelles87
    @jobelles87 Před 3 lety +17

    I see sherlock and molly, i sub

  • @iflipandtumble
    @iflipandtumble Před 2 lety +1

    MY EYES ARE JUST SWEATING I SW-

  • @igoryankilevich9941
    @igoryankilevich9941 Před 2 lety

    Please do sherlock season 5. Pretty please

  • @NomadSubstituteTeacher
    @NomadSubstituteTeacher Před 7 měsíci +1

    😮 oh wow. He was a pow in WWII

  • @mat9813004
    @mat9813004 Před rokem +1

    Well golly.

  • @user-zj7cs2bc2i
    @user-zj7cs2bc2i Před 3 lety +2

    👏👏👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️❤️

  • @JenG-dz3yg
    @JenG-dz3yg Před 3 měsíci +1

  • @Dumballa
    @Dumballa Před rokem +1

    I'd call that a home run.

  • @CMDRunematti
    @CMDRunematti Před 2 lety +1

    did she just go *bump* ooh....shit.? XD

  • @alisonwonderland8680
    @alisonwonderland8680 Před 3 lety +23

    whatever happened to Bessie and Chris? Did they get married?

  • @7ebr830
    @7ebr830 Před 2 lety +4

    There were bits there when I felt I was intruding on something that is none of my business.
    I couldn't finish it.

  • @leylaozen1655
    @leylaozen1655 Před 3 lety +6

    HAHA MOLLY

  • @posie7617
    @posie7617 Před 3 lety +15

    I was just thinking about bendict 😂

  • @yoeshelkarma1494
    @yoeshelkarma1494 Před rokem +1

    Oh god

  • @dc5592
    @dc5592 Před 2 lety +3

    Does anyone know if they get to read these before? Or do they just get it and start talking

  • @Shubham_18_11
    @Shubham_18_11 Před 3 lety +6

    😂😂😂😂😂🔥🔥👍👍👍

  • @chrislj2005
    @chrislj2005 Před 2 lety +7

    Can a someone fall in love with x by the way x reads a letter?

  • @benzykaram
    @benzykaram Před 3 lety +17

    And they invented Boomers when the war was over.

  • @intsfeos2600
    @intsfeos2600 Před rokem +1

    shall Inspect foundation 💀💀

  • @cozybudgetsnz
    @cozybudgetsnz Před 3 lety +4

    When was this filmed ? Recent ?