Stephen Graham wiped away tears as he returned to his home city for the launch of his new book, Letters To Our Sons, at the Liverpool Playhouse on Wednesday, September 23. The event was hosted by legendary DJ Billy Butler, and the authors arrived on stage to a huge round of applause.
Book inspired by Adolescence
The book was inspired by the success of the drama Adolescence, which reshaped the discourse on how parents should interact with their children. The 53-year-old has built on his mission to open up conversations between men with this new book, which is a curation of letters penned by dads from all walks of life.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house as contributors from the book arrived on stage to read out the letters they had penned about what it means to be dad. The men who arrived on stage showed immense courage to pour their hearts out in such candid fashion.
Family affair on stage
It was a family affair for Stephen as his cousin, Joseph Graham, brother, Nathan Fazakerley, and stepdad, Mike Fazakerley, were among the contributors on stage. Referencing his BAFTA Lead Actor win in May, Stephen joked to the crowd: "We got a minibus to the BAFTAs, but we all walked here."
Stephen said his brother, Nathan, had lost his bottle ahead of the daunting prospect of reading his letter to a packed out crowd in Williamson Square. The actor could not hold back the tears when Nathan finished his speech, which was a powerful message on what his young son Isaac meant to him.
There were more tears after his stepdad Mike arrived on stage to talk about how finding love with Stephen's late mum, Mary, helped him find direction in his life. The Heat 2 actor praised the influence of Mike, who ignited his love for movies with a trip to Quarry Green video rental shop all those years ago.
He said: "Pops is not my biological dad, but he fell in love with my mum and he fell in love with me. He's the man that raised me, helped me find my morals and he's guiding me from when I was a little kid. He's been present." Stephen's voice went a bit shaky as he said: "He's the constant in my life and I love him to bits."
Emotional readings and serendipity
Wiping away the tears, the actor said: "I'm not sorry [about crying]. I'm a sobby t**t." Unapologetically showing your emotions was the theme of the evening, and it would benefit anyone to take a little bit of this message into their own lives.
It wasn't just Stephen's family who were in attendance to read out letters. There was an incredibly powerful reading from Johnny Santer, who has relentlessly campaigned for the introduction of Gabe's Law in honour of his late son, who tragically fell to his death from the open roof of the Hanover Street Q-Park on October 3, 2020.
There was also a reading from Stephen's brother-in-law, as well as friends he has met through acting, Jay Johnson and Nick Moss. The evening was particularly special to Stephen as he spoke about his pride from coming from Kirkby and how this had come during a particularly special week for the family.
He said: "There is a really strange serendipity with the way this has worked out this evening. Yesterday was my brother's birthday, tomorrow would have been my mum's birthday. On Friday, it would have been my mum and dad's wedding anniversary. It's like their presence is always here."
The night ended the only way it could as Stephen ended the show with his own letter he has penned to his own son Alfie. Quoting The Beatles classic before he departed the stage, he said: "All You Need Is Love."
Letters To Our Sons is available now.
