2002:

Actor Colin Firth, currently starring in a new adaptation of the classic Oscar Wilde play The Importance of Being Earnest, is joining a line up of stars to help launch Oxfam's coffee campaign.

Colin, who first sent pulses racing as Mr Darcy in BBC's Pride and Prejudice, is adding his voice to Oxfam's call for a fairer deal for the world's 25 million impoverished coffee farmers. 

Global issues have always been close to Colin's heart.  Although born in the UK, his early childhood was spent in Nigeria where his father worked as a teacher. He clearly remembers the time he spent there and believes that helped shape the international outlook he has today.  Also, his parents were born and raised in India and the family has maintained strong links with the country.  And added to that he has been a long time supporter of Oxfam - his mother was an education officer for Oxfam and ran the local Oxfam shop!

Colin believes that we should all take responsibility for what goes on in the world around us.

He says: "It's easy to live your life in a bubble.  We've found a way to live quite easily with all the inequalities but I believe we should open our eyes to problems in the rest of the world and try and do something about them."

And his support for Oxfam's coffee campaign stems from his belief that consumers should know the true story behind their cups of coffee. "The coffee shop is a dominant feature of the high street; we take it for granted. But the farmers who grow the beans that make the coffee we drink live in destitution; it is the big companies which are making the profits."  Colin knows the problem may seem overwhelming because of its scale but believes that consumer pressure can make a difference.  "It can be difficult to see what we can do about such a huge global problem.  What should you do?  For a start, you can buy Fair Trade coffee.  You can also talk to your friends about the issue.  If people know about it it'll make a great deal of difference.  The first choice is that people support the campaign, wear the t-shirt  and buy Fair Trade coffee  to drink at home." Fair Trade coffee with Colin?  Now there's an offer you can't refuse...