As 2019 fades away, I’m reflecting on what an utterly amazing year it was. The Tibetan monks say travel to a new place at least once every twelve months. Well since January 2019 I’ve been to the east coast of Northern Ireland to film, Frankfurt to visit my bessie being brilliant in his play, visited…
So, on a scale of one to ten how on top of the festive season are you? I think I’m somewhere around 5.5… Actually I love it when Christmas falls at the weekend. It seems to be more contained. Full on close family this year. Youngest son doing Christmas Eve, my household taking care of…
Well, that was my stint in The Mousetrap. Actually I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. I thought I’d be going mad by August, but actually I was really quite weepy on the last night. I’ve made some marvellous life-time friends, and am exceedingly grateful for the experience. It’ll be very strange hearing about the…
I started rehearsals for THE MOUSETRAP on January 4th and this is a week off in the middle of the tour. I have handed my free week over to Big Finish and am spending three days with the legend that is Tom Baker doing a most glorious script written by Marc Platt… and I can…
Louise is the voice of Max, a new online radio station. If you’re in Manchester, they’re appearing on DAB Digital Radio. If you’ve not rescanned your radio (sometimes called Autotune) recently, you may have to do this before Max appears. Listen live at http://tunein.com/radio/Max-s253898/
Noises Off at Colchester – tick Diva Drag at the Brighton Festival – tick A Midsummer Night’s Dream at ALRA – tick Rehearsed Reading of DRIVING ME ROUND THE BEND at Sevenoaks Festival – tick (with a special ‘thank you’ to the organisers for such sympathetic hosting of our new venture) Hardly time to draw…
NOISES OFF I’m in great company xxxxx www.mercurytheatre.co.uk
I think, apart from Easter, this is my last free day until July… so here I am, while I can, catching up with a blog for all you lovely people out there. Here’s how the next few weeks are looking… On Monday I start rehearsals for NOISES OFF at The Mercury Theatre Colchester, which only…
Apart from an attack of the lurgy that most people seemed to have suffered, I hit the ground running. Christmas and New Year now safely behind us, I always feel a little that the festive season has to be tenderly and tactfully negotiated. This year I have already filmed a movie, CROSSING OVER, playing a ball-breaking…
I keep thinking ‘when this job is over I can…’ or ‘when I’ve finished preparing this script I can…’ I’ve been really lucky though, with one job flowing into the next for the last 10 months, but have felt I am chasing my tail at times. Oh for a TARDIS! You could double the amount…
Jan/Feb/March whisked by in a flurry of ‘flu, floods, a new grandson and commuting Sonning for the Ayckbourn… this seems a million years away now. Since that (really lovely) job I have done several ‘shorts’, read several novels for audio, shot an episode of TOAST (see photo left), had really lovely feedback for THE ABANDONED…
Dear friends, I don’t quite know where to begin. So very much happening. I feel utterly blessed at 63 to have such a rich and varied time of it. Not least of all thanks to Doctor Who. To which end I am happy to announce (in partnership with Matt Evenden) our first convention. And we’ve…
Mine has started with rehearsals for ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR for The Mill at Sonning, opening on 22nd January. I’d forgotten what a brilliant play it is. My character is Marion, a right old lush, which is ironic as I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since December 31st! My year has also started with two…
The next six weeks pan out thus:- Tomorrow I am recording with Big Finish, an hysterical Doctor Who yarn, with the wonderful TB of course… not sure I’m allowed to say more at this stage, but it was a laugh out loud read. First time I wished I’d been playing a character other than Leela. …
This blog is specifically for in and around Brighton and Tunbridge Wellians. With my producers hat on:- Calling anyone with a Welsh connection. The Beacon Bar (www.the-beacon.co.uk) has very kindly given me their lower ground room and bar to create fringe theatre and kicking off this season is DIARY OF A WELSHCAKE a one hour comedy which…
GUTTED over, and what an amazing experience it was. Stratford East Theatre Royal is one of the most beautiful theatres in the country, and I felt proud to be part of it, even for a short time. Rikki Beadle-Blair wrote and directed, and I learnt so much with his expert guidance. Plus he made us all do an…
Happy Easter one and all. I hope it’s filled with family and friends and laughter and as much chocolate as you can consume without throwing up! Brunch tomorrow with my new grandson, and then friends in the evening. Bliss. I am currently rehearsing GUTTED – a visceral piece of writing which is challenging and rewarding in equal…
Why aren’t I running around gathering in all those last minute xmas presents and nut roasts and scented candles? Because I’m taking time out to write a ‘have a fabulous time’ message to you all. 2013 has a very firm actor hat on my head. An episode of THE DUMPING GROUND in January, also touring PULLING FACES…
I am really sorry… so much for guaranteeing one a month this year! OK… what’s been happening? I am currently patron of Off West End (www.offwestend.com) – and I also assess for them, which means I have been watching vast amounts of London fringe theatre… The best and the worst, and, if you didn’t catch…
It’s been a roller coaster two weeks which started in a balloon sailing towards a perfectly blue sky followed by champagne. And all before 10.00am on a Monday morning. Then on to Port Isaac to ‘learn lines’ with my gay best friend for MY GAY BEST FRIEND Our world premier will be at The Beacon…
I’ve started Zumba – yay – what fun. No-one telling you to try harder, push further, strain more… just leaping about for an hour to fabulous music, and opening up all those synapses to get routines into your head. Brilliant! I had my car broken into last month, that wasn’t too much fun, hugely inconvenient…
…so technically it Friday 27th and the month is nearly over. I swear January goes faster every year. Isn’t today supposed to be the most depressing day of the year, when all the Christmas credit card expenditure comes plopping through the letter box demanding to paid? PULLING FACES tour trots on a treat, the studio…
So tonight’s the night! I’m so pleased to be in Doc Martin and have had a fabulous summer filming it, followed by several audio adventures with Tom Baker and am about to go to Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland for Dr Who conventions. So the sun continues to shine metaphorically and literally. And… I’m holding my…
So…the last three days have been crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!! I flew back from le sud du France on Thursday… After a really lovely holiday, accompanied by the brilliant Nigel Fairs, having stayed with my niece and her beautiful family. Spent Friday and Saturday reading an engaging adventure children’s book for the RNIB called THE DOG AND HIS BOY.…