His society connections place Julian Fellowes more naturally at home with Lord Grantham than the butler in his TV hit Downton Abbey.
But the Oscar-winning screenwriter was more than happy to join the serving staff as he turned waiter for the night at The Ivy, the restaurant better known for its celebrity diners.
Other volunteers raising money for the Combined Theatrical Charities included Emma Thompson, her husband Greg Wise and daughter Gaia, Sir Derek Jacobi, Samantha Bond, Imelda Staunton, Griff Rhys Jones and Roger Lloyd Pack as they took the roles of barmen, waiters and front of house managers.
Simon Curtis, director of the film My Week with Marilyn, booked a table especially so wife Elizabeth McGovern — Downton’s Lady Cora — would serve him: “She doesn’t at home.”
