Tom Hiddleston leads all-star lineup at London charity poetry evening

Tom Hiddleston has led a star-studded cast of actors for an evening of poetry at the National Theatre in an effort to raise money for Ukraine.

The event on Friday evening featured famous faces including Sex Education star Asa Butterfield, and raised funds for the Disaster Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

The British actors read poetry from Allie Esiri’s Poetry For Every Day Of The Year collections on the London venue’s famous Olivier stage.

Gangs Of London star Sope Dirisu, King Lear actress Kate Fleetwood and Ukrainian actor Daria Plahtiy from Battle For Sevastopol completed the line-up.

Throughout the event illustrator Chris Riddell drew the performances live onstage.

Poetry advocate Esiri led the evening, which journeyed through the calendar year, reflecting the changing seasons and linking to events on key dates during the year.

Ahead of the event, she said: “Poetry can stop and make us think and feel, about love, loss, hope – and our shared experiences as humans.

“That is the aim of this Poetry For Every Day Of The Year event which I am honoured to host; to reach out in solidarity to the brave people of Ukraine through the beauty of words, brought to life on stage at our beloved National Theatre by an extraordinary cast of actors.

“My hope is that the evening will be filled with as much laughter as tears, and that you will leave full of hope for the people of this war-torn nation.

“In return, we ask that you donate as generously as you can to the Ukraine appeal so that, in some small way at least, our words may become actions in the fight against oppression.”