Godmother profile: Dame Joanna Lumley

If ever a ship godmother needed little in the way of introduction, but rather a lot of explanation regarding her job title, it has to be Dame Joanna Lumley.

Epitomising the very essence of what it means to be British and upscale, while also perfectly capable of footfighting baddies (with dodgy Russian accents) into submission before directing reluctant politicians into approving life-changing policy, is all in a day’s work to Joanna.

Even if you comprehensively list out Dame Lumley’s various job titles – actress, model, narrator, comedy genius, author, charity patron, activist, national icon – chances are, you still wouldn’t have the full picture.

Dame Lumley may speak with a voice that could likely smooth out the crags of a mountain range but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. More commonly known as Purdy from TV’s The New Avengers, the real-life Lumley has formerly confronted a gunman within a Sheffield bar and won the right of abode for Gurkha veterans in the UK.

Behind her glamourous looks and ever so polite conversation is an incredibly determined and steely Dame who shamelessly enjoys a complex career, that was never truly mapped out, while numerous charitable interests remain close to Joanna’s heart.

Is it therefore any surprise to hear that Joanna has been invited to serve as a ship’s godmother not only once, but twice? To us, it seems entirely appropriate for a lady who gained an Order of the British Empire in 1995 and then, in 2022, became a Dame Commander of the British Empire too.

The first of these invites heralded from Princess Cruises in 2005. Joanna was delighted to oblige, christening Sea Princess in Southampton with a mighty bottle of Bollinger while feeling “proud as a peacock and humbled” in her new role as a ship godmother. Little did she realise, but more was to come.

More recently, Joanna was sought out yet again to act as ship godmother, this time utilising her British beauty, wit and humour in Amsterdam to launch Viking Odin on behalf of Viking.

The ceremony was a world-first that saw four new ships propelled into service simultaneously. Each ship’s nominated godmother was chosen to represent a different element of the cruise experience. Among bright garlands of red and white balloons, Joanna represented inspiration as she smashed a bottle of Veuve Clicquot against the bow of Viking Odin.

On her new role Joanna said: “I’m absolutely delighted to become the godmother of the wonderful Viking Odin, she’s magnificent. It’s been a fantastic day and I do hope that Longships will have a long and successful tenure exploring some of the most famous, historic and monumental waterways around the world.”

Should you ponder Dame Lumley’s many achievements, even if only briefly, it will soon become clear how she and Viking Odin make for a well-matched and striking pairing.

The national treasure who took an unchartered path

The meandering path of Joanna Lumley’s life and career has been a tad unplanned, and rather unexpected. However, Lumley herself would tell you that’s just the way she wants it to be.

Joanna holds the mindset that fully knowing what lies ahead is incredibly boring. When you see how far she has come, you may feel inclined to agree.

Born in India to a military family on May 1, 1946 – just as the British Raj was about to conclude - Joanna Lamond Lumley began life far from British turf and almost always on the move.

Alongside her English mother, Thyra Beatrice Rose, and her Scottish-English father, Major James Rutherford Lumley, Joanna’s early years were spent dotting from continent to continent.

Her father’s role as an officer in the British Indian Army’s sixth Queen Elizabeth’s own Gurkha Rifles tailed off with Indian independence arriving in 1947. This kick-started travel throughout Hong Kong and Malaysia before Joanna eventually enrolled at a boarding school in Kent, England.

Joanna quickly acquired aspirations to become an actress, yet the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) promptly rejected her application when she was just 16.

However, what could have proven a very disheartening outcome has equated to no such thing. Lumley confesses that growing up as an “army brat” likely gave her an uncouth manner that served to dispel easy passage into England's esteemed drama school. Equally, that same background delivered a resilience that was to prove priceless.

Instead, Lumley attended the Lucie Clayton Finishing School in London, which became Britain’s top modelling agency in the 1950s and 1960s. Retaining her hopes of acting, Lumley opted for a less obvious approach.

A model citizen

Now, with a polite and refined manner combined with a slim physique and elegant poise, Joanna began work as a model. Over three busy years, she was snapped by the likes of Brian Duffy and Lord Lichfield, who between them had enviable portfolios thanks to connections in celebrity circles and high places.

In turn, Joanna became one of the most frequently booked models of the era. This included a stint as the first house model for British fashion designer Jean Muir. This ignited a close friendship between Joanna and Jean, which would continue beyond the work itself.

Even for its successes, modelling is renowned for only offering a limited career opportunity. It therefore seemed only logical that, as time passed, Joanna would complete fashion shoots with attempts to get onto the books elsewhere.

As modelling served its purpose of being “a back window, as it were, and you climb in”, Joanna undertook a handful of small television roles, starting with a British television advert for Nimble bread. Then followed an uncredited role in the 1969 film Some Girls Do.

Considering that Joanna has admitted "I've never been interested enough to have a career trajectory”, saddling over from modelling into playing the ‘English Girl’ in the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service isn’t what most would regard as a bad move. Especially for someone who never saw a careers advisor.

With a new dye cast, Lumley was determined to keep momentum going. From declining a marriage proposal from Ken Barlow in British TV soap Coronation Street and starring alongside Christopher Lee as the vampire’s bride in The Satanic Rites of Dracula in 1973, the non-existent career plan seemed to be mostly working.

Purdy: The New Avengers

In 1976, Joanna launched into her first major role on British screens, starring as Purdy in The New Avengers. Combining impractical, frilly dresses (with far too much waft) and a distinctive John Frieda hairstyle (forever now known as the Purdy cut) as she fought diabolical masterminds, Joanna was destined for cult status.

The opportunity didn’t come without some unexpected challenges. As the show’s press launch commenced, Joanna found herself having to persuade a lady to take off and pass over her stockings; thanks to journalist threats.

In a scenario that screams of political incorrectness, no photographs from the launch event would be published unless Joanna flashed the top of her stockings. Yes, you read that correctly. It was a scene that could easily have been woven into the Avenger storylines.

Purdy was a spy, martial arts and weapons expert who, at Joanna’s suggestion, was named after a famous shotgun. Working for British Intelligence, in the good company of Gareth Hunt (portraying fellow spy Mike Gambit) and Patrick Macnee (as the indefatigable John Steed), Purdy utilised feminine charm and kicked ass across 26 episodes while RADA privately ate their own hat.

In 1979, Joanna moved into new territory with the TV series Sapphire and Steel, ITV’s rival to the immensely popular Doctor Who. This, alongside small roles in the Pink Panther films and a brief appearance on The Two Ronnies kept Joanna busy until a notable, unexpected character was to land – the infamous Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous.

Joanna Lumley: Absolutely Fabulous

Patsy was a law unto herself and completely unlike any of Lumley’s former characters. Even her name – Eurydice Colette Clytemnestra Dido Bathsheba Rabelais Patricia Cocteau Stone – was riotous.

Mostly referred to as Pats or 'Darling', Joanna’s new character was a fashion editor and self-absorbed, narcissistic drunk. Audiences couldn’t quite believe Lumley’s drastic transformation in Ab Fab’s hilarious satire of trendy public relations people and the desperate refusal to accept nature's ageing process.

Throughout the full run of Ab Fab, American TV presenter Ruby Wax was credited as a script editor. In years prior, Ruby had hilariously wound audiences up on her talk show The Full Wax by ‘revealing’ that Lumley was not clean-cut but in fact a raging alcoholic with empty bottles littering her house. The antics served as Patsy’s genesis.

While Patsy was repeatedly revived and enjoyed throughout the early nineties and 2000s – delivering two BAFTA awards in the process – Joanna mixed the madness with roles in an assortment of films.

From Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach (1996) to The Cat’s Meow (2001), Ella Enchanted (2004) and TV-sitcom Jam & Jerusalem (2006), Lumley barely sat still. The role of Davina Jackson in the BBC Drama Sensitive Skin proved to be one of Joanna’s finest.

Simultaneously, Lumley was also in demand within the theatre and these activities brought an added layer of drama. In 2007, while starring in the play The Cherry Orchard, Joanna was taking some time out at Ruskin’s Bar in Sheffield. While casually enjoying the establishment’s atmosphere – situated near the town’s Lyceum and Crucible theatres – at the table next to Lumley, a gun fell from a man’s bag.

Displaying what was later described in legal proceedings as “remarkable coolness,” Lumley went over to ask the man why he had a firearm and whether he going to use it to cause harm.

Thanks to Joanna’s polite charm and effort to maintain a conversation with the gun’s owner, the former Avenger successfully diffused a dangerous situation.

A Charity Icon: Defender of the Gurkhas

For those familiar with Joanna’s extra-curricular activities as a charity patron and activist, this absence of fear is all too familiar. Ask any UK politician and they’ll confirm that Dame Lumley is a force not to be messed with.

For a good proportion of her life, Joanna has tirelessly supported an eclectic array of charities. Among her lengthy roster are Survival International, Compassion in World Farming, Vegetarian’s International Voice for Animals, Farm Animal Sanctuary, Tree Aid and The Born Free Foundation. However, it was Lumley’s activism in 2008 that forced Westminster to sit up and take notice.

Should one ever wish for a masterclass in how to get things done, and change stubborn governmental policy for the better, you only need watch a few minutes of Lumley serving as the public and impressive face of the Gurkha Justice Campaign to get all the pointers you need.

In 2008, following a petition of 250,000 people, Joanna led a large group – including Gurkha veterans – from Parliament Square to 10 Downing Street. The march asked that the right of abode be granted to all Nepalese-origin Gurkha veterans in the UK who had served in the British Army pre-1997.

Over 50,000 Gurkhas had died in service on behalf of Britain and yet, at the time, many were still being denied UK citizenship or threatened with deportation.

Rather than simply be present as a well-known face, Joanna was clearly passionate about the veteran’s cause when she said: “If this should go wrong for the Gurkhas I'm prepared to hand back my British passport and I'll take up Indian nationality." Right from the off, she wasn’t messing her words.

Subsequently, a meeting between Lumley, a senior member of the Royal Family and the UK prime minister Gordon Brown got underway and, with it, elements of the relevant policy looked as if they might be changed.

Disappointingly, it wasn’t long before the UK government added some sneaky criteria to their list of requirements for Gurkha residency, effectively making it almost impossible for most Gurkhas to settle in Britain.

Incensed by the matter, Joanna opted for more pressing action. At the BBC Westminster studios, she unapologetically confronted immigration minister Phil Woolas. This led to an impromptu and highly-charged press conference in which she pressed the minister to agree to further talks on the issue. You can view some of that footage below.

Fighting for justice

What resulted were a few important, stunning minutes where Joanna - remaining remarkably calm, well-spoken and polite throughout – was stubbornly firm.

Maintaining glaring eye contact with Woolas as they spoke, the minister awkwardly blundered his way through proceedings, looking down at the floor and speaking shyly as if he were a schoolboy being reprimanded. UK Parliament had never seen anything like it.

Shortly afterwards, the home secretary announced that all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 would be allowed to settle in Britain.

Joanna said: “This is a day for celebration. Today a great injustice has been righted. We won’t be looking behind us, we are paying tribute to the future. And for the people of Great Britain, what could be greater than to be able to open our arms and say The Gurkhas are coming!”

As a Damehood winged its way to the determined activist, Joanna invited Woolas round for supper.

Over fish and chips and champagne, Lumley smoothed out any friction that had developed as Gurkhas reaped the benefit of her efforts. Perhaps Woolas didn’t dare complain for there were calls for Lumley to stand as an MP, which she sadly dismissed.

Leonardo DiCaprio's influential crush

In recent years, as Joanna’s dazzling spectrum of activity shows no sign of slowing down, she has found herself laughing at some of the ridiculousness of it all.

In 2013, as she approached her seventies, Joanna surprised audiences yet again by playing the abundantly English 'Aunt Emma' in Wolf of Wall Street (2013), who famously wondered if Leonardo DiCaprio was ‘hitting on her’ in a leafy British park.

Aunt Emma nobly served as the ‘rathole with a European passport’ while being as gorgeous, honest and fearless as Joanna has always been.

In the same year, BBC Radio Four designated Lumley as one of the 100 most influential women in the United Kingdom. And quite right too, Sweetie.

Perhaps the word got round for, in 2021, Joanna proudly authored A Queen for All Seasons: A Celebration of Our One and Only Queen Elizabeth II on Her Platinum Jubilee, a biography on the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II that was hailed as delivering “ the warmest of glows” by The Telegraph.

Continuing to go from strength to strength, Dame Joanna Lumley remains the embodiment of extraordinary charm, grace and sense of adventure. As Aunt Emma would’ve said: “Risk is what keeps us young, isn’t it darling?”

Dame Joanna Lumley and Viking Odin

Taking into account how adventurous and proud Dame Lumley has been throughout her career, it is entirely appropriate for the actress, activist, author and national treasure to serve as godmother to the luxurious Viking Odin.

No doubt Viking took a keen interest as Joanna filmed two travel documentaries – Joanna Lumley’s Nile and The Land of the Northern Lights – making her an ideal cruising ambassador.

The Viking god Odin is associated with battles and victory as well as poetry and magic. You only need see Joanna’s activism for the modern equivalent of the first characteristic, and her modelling and acting career as a suitable match for the latter.

Ecstatic in her new role, Joanna said: “I’ve never been godmother to a god before and Odin is the biggest Viking god of them all!”

Personally, we can’t think of a more qualified icon for the job.

About Viking

Since making their 1997 debut within the river cruising sector, Viking have enjoyed notable passenger numbers and impressive business growth.

Thanks to the line’s offering of high-end, destination focused experiences that are culturally immersive yet also surprisingly modern, demand has been so strong that there are now over 90 vessels on Viking’s books with ceremonies that witness multiple ships launched simultaneously – as Mary Berry once broke records doing.

As Viking nears two decades of operation, the company has expanded into three separate divisions – Viking River Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises and Viking Expeditions.

Of these, provision of river cruising packages occupies 70 of Viking’s total fleet, clearly demonstrating that this genre of cruising remains the company’s priority just as it was when the line was founded in Russia’s St Petersburg.

Viking’s river cruise ships are capable of direct docking in many of Europe’s leading cities, allowing for seamless access to appealing locations. Upon returning to ship, passengers can then take delight from sumptuous luxuries such as heated floors, thermal spa baths, tasteful deck furniture and vintage resources with the onboard library.

Viking Odin is one of four Longships that resulted from a £160 million investment by Viking River Cruises in 2012. Designed by architects Yran & Storbraaten, Viking Odin possesses an appealing blend of classic Scandinavian design that combines stylish hues and detailing with light, airy spaces that result from a generous proportion of windows and glass ceilings throughout.

Not only does the Aquavit lounge offer delicious delicacies but the glass roof above can be retracted for a genuine al fresco dining experience.

While relaxing onboard, passengers can bask in the knowledge that Viking Odin also holds strong green credentials thanks to numerous environmentally-friendly features. These include energy-efficient hybrid engines, solar panels and an onboard organic herb garden.

Catering for up to 190 passengers on each cruise, Viking Odin travels the main rivers – among them the Danube, Moselle and Rhine – across Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, France, Czech Republic and Luxembourg.