Fire Destroys Costumes From The King's Speech

One of the UK’s largest costume collections has been destroyed by a fire. Military uniforms worn in The King’s Speech were among the items burned, as well as costumes worn in BBC period dramas. The owner of the establishment, 76-year-old Lionel Digby, says: “It took me 45 years to build up the collection and now it’s gone, just like that. Some of the military uniforms you just can’t get any more… Everything went up. All of it is key stuff. The uniforms are from the Roman era upwards. Everything you can think of is in there. It is irreplaceable and if you lose part of a uniform you can’t hire it out — it needs to be a complete set.” The blaze was caused by an arsonist; a 29-year-old man has already been charged. Ironically, the company is called Flame Theatrical Costumes.