One of the best things about living by the sea is having to catch a ferry to get home. Sandbanks Ferry clanks back and forth across the entrance to Poole Harbour three times an hour, linking glitzy Sandbanks to peaceful Studland, with its miles of unspoiled, sandy beaches and remote heathland walks. Five years after moving here I’m as fascinated by the ferry as ever. It has been operating since ...keep reading
It’s 18 months since I went to see a play called Chewing Gum Dreams at London’s National Theatre and wrote the following words: “Michaela Coel – remember that name because she’s heading for great things.” Today I feel totally vindicated because the first episode of Chewing Gum, her new six-part TV comedy series, goes out on E4 at 10pm. It’s funny, rude, pacy and definitely not for the faint-hearted or prudish ...keep reading
As the National Theatre production of Hotel drew to a close the audience sat ramrod still. The stage was littered with fake blood, furniture was strewn all over the shop and smoke billowed out of a fake fire. Polly Stenham’s new 80-minute play is so startling and thought provoking that once the actors had departed the stage I stayed in my seat for ten more minutes, chatting to the woman sitting ...keep reading
Michaela Coel. Remember that name because she’s heading for great things. I was lucky enough to see her solo play Chewing Gum Dreams at London’s National Theatre last week and haven’t stopped talking about it since. Written and performed by Coel, the 45-minute show covers everything from friendship and school to sex, periods and emergency contraception – all seen through the eyes of a 14-year-old girl. Coel plays Tracey Gordon, ...keep reading
Emil and the Detectives was one of my favourite childhood books. Erich Kastner’s story of young Emil Tischbein and his journey from his humdrum German hometown to the seething metropolis of 1920s Berlin captured my imagination from the start. So when the National Theatre announced that it had chosen the tale as its Christmas production this year I booked tickets straight away, even though it was the height of summer ...keep reading
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a trip to the theatre. My mum always took us to the panto in Bournemouth and I’ve carried on the tradition with my two children. Over the years we’ve seen everything from the RSC’s The Secret Garden (fantastic) to Matthew Kelly in Peter Pan (not so fantastic.) I first took my daughter to a show when she was two. We were living in a remote, ...keep reading