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Phyllida Law lifts curse on burglar who returned her gargoyles
24.09.09
She is a renowned actress in her own right, as well as the mother of Oscar-winner Emma Thompson and the widow of Magic Roundabout creator Eric Thompson.
Now Phyllida Law has discovered a new persona: a witch who can apparently lay a curse on a petty thief.
Two years ago, Ms Law put a joke curse on whoever stole two gargoyles from outside her home in West Hampstead.
Last weekend they were returned with a note saying: “Help me please. I have been very, very ill since I stole these. Please lift the curse, sorry.”
Ms Law, 77, said today: "It is the most fantastic story." She said the sign had been a "complete jokey notice" which she didn't expect anyone to take seriously. She added: "But his guilt was so great. I thought it was just kids, it didn't occur to me it was a grown person.”
The stone gargoyles had been fixed to the outside wall of her home and were popular with neighbours' children. Daughter Emma lives nearby with husband Greg Wise and their two children.
She said that late last week a black rucksack was dumped on her doorstep. She left it for two days, thinking it might have belonged to someone else.
“It stayed there for 48 hours until I thought it's so heavy, what can be in it? Probably bombs. So I very gingerly opened it and it was the two gargoyles, and in the pocket of the rucksack was a little note.”
Ms Law has now put a new notice on a tree in her front garden, saying: “Thank you for returning the stone statues, all curses lifted, hurrah.”
She has had the rucksack cleaned and will hang it on the tree in the hope the thief picks it up.
But she admits to one misgiving: “I'm worried about the person now, being very, very ill.”
The Scottish-born actress has appeared in several films, including Peter's Friends and Nanny McPhee and a number of television series, such as Kingdom and Doc Martin.
Ms Law's first book, Notes To My Mother-In-Law, illustrated by herself, is also about to be published. It is based on the nightly notes she used to leave to her mother-in-law, who lived with the family for 17 years.
