Home and Community
Home for Sally Phillips is wherever her boys and dogs are. Currently, that is the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, a community hub with a dog-friendly roof terrace bar. She also praises Outsider Tart on the ground floor for having the best brownies in London.
First Flat and Job
Her first flat was a house on Marmion Road in Clapham Junction, shared with a theatre director, a trainee psychologist, and another actor. She recalls mountains of washing up, unflushed toilets, and cat food stuck under the lino. Her first job was behind the bar at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, where she became the fastest washer-upper in west London because the bar was too small for a dishwasher.
First Date and Shopping
For her first date with her partner, she offered three options: board games night at George IV pub in Chiswick, a light show at Kew Gardens, or a dog walk in Richmond Park. He chose the dog walk, and she was sold before seeing their first deer. She relies on Sheen Sports for her son's rugby needs, Feather & Stitch boutique in Richmond, Sheen Uncovered for its owner Jackie, and The Sheen Bookshop for multiple books.
Best Meal and Mayoral Ambitions
Her best meal was at Ekstedt at The Yard, where everything is cooked over an open fire, served in iron bowls on beds of moss and nasturtium. If she were Mayor for a day, she would stop building unaffordable, poor-quality tower blocks and build the housing London needs, as one in 20 children is homeless.
Iconic Londoners and Fun
While David Attenborough is the correct answer for most iconic Londoner, she highlights iconic women like Mary Shelley, Emma Thompson, Tilda Swinton, and both Queen Elizabeths. For fun, she keeps her spots secret but starts evenings with an Elf Lyons show, like Woman on the Edge. She calls zoologist Lucy Cooke to turn a pub trip into a memorable anecdote.
Encounters and Extravagance
A cabbie once told her, "I loved you in Ocean's 8." Her son Olly, who has Down syndrome and autism, went walkabout often, leading her to have PC Christmas on speed dial. She says the police have been awesome. Her biggest extravagance is spending on her hair to avoid looking like Catweazle.
London Secrets and Work
Her London secret is the Brentford Penguins, a Down syndrome football team with over 50 members, playing every Sunday in Gunnersbury Park. She is currently in the play Relics by Ben Ockrent at the Lyric Hammersmith, a dark comedy with a moral dilemma. Her professional hero is Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who she worked with on Veep for always reaching for hilarious performances. She collects Moomin mugs, getting one each time she goes to Sweden.
