Ahoy!!

I recently took part in a charity rowing challenge as one of a team of six. The aim was to row 8.5 miles down the river Thames from Westminster to Deptford. Not only did we manage to complete the challenge, we came third out of seven, only six minutes behind the leaders, so we were rather pleased!

Alongside the challenge itself, individual team members organised other activities to raise additional funds for the charity we were rowing on behalf of, the Ahoy Centre, who work with disadvantaged and disabled youngsters. A charity disco, guided walks (one of the team is a London tour guide) and, my own contribution, a couple of guided pub history walks. All went very successfully and have added to the overall total.

I had mentioned my pub walks and the charity row to a London artist friend, Marc Gooderham. Marc’s work is outstanding (as his website testifies) and I was blown away when he just casually offered to donate one of his original London themed works to raise even more money for Ahoy. The image shows St Bride’s Church, off Fleet Street, the current church having been in this location since 1675:

After some deliberation, it was decided we would raffle (rather than auction) this piece, to give as many people as possible a chance of owning it. Not only has Marc donated the artwork, he has also gone to the trouble of mounting it behind glass and tastefully framed it as well. All the winner will have to do therefore is simply hang it on their wall!

Also, ticket prices are affordable, in keeping with giving as many people as possible the chance to win - £2 per ticket, with no minimum purchase requirement (so if you want to buy just one that’s up to you!). Here are the two ways you can obtain tickets:

1) For those who know me on Twitter and are London based, I can meet you to hand over any tickets purchased.

2) For everyone else, please visit the Ahoy Charity Rowing Challenge charity page here and do the following:

·       Make your donation in accordance with your ticket requirements (for example, if you’d like to purchase 3 tickets, pay £6; for 5 tickets, pay £10 etc)

·       Enter your details, including your name and Twitter handle. Alternatively, DM me directly on Twitter and leave contact details there, informing me you’ve donated and the number of tickets you’ve purchased. If you win, I will then contact you via Twitter to take further details and arrange the handover/delivery of the artwork.

The cut-off date for ticket purchases will be Friday 30 September, so don’t delay or you’ll lose out on the chance of owning this excellent piece of artwork. 100% of all ticket purchase income will be going to the charity. You will be helping a very worthy cause. For more information about the work Ahoy do, please check out their website.

And that’s it! Now, it’s over to you. For those that decide to take part, I wish you every success. Good luck and thank you!

The Vault Festival

This is a first for me. I'm writing this blog - about the Vault Festival - while at the festival itself. Ok, so I've posted it today. From home. Several days later. BUT, I promise you, hand on heart, the content is all written (even that last bit!) with a beer nearby and chattering hoards aplenty all around me, in the venue's Underbar on a Friday evening (20 February to be precise). Smart phones are wonderful things aren't they?

The entranceway in to the Underbar

Anyway, back to the blog. Here I am, having a few drinks post-show, during my second visit to what has now become one of my favourite arts festivals. I discovered the festival last year and subsequently attended several shows from the line-up on offer. It was a pretty diverse and wide ranging programme back then, but I was amazed to learn when I saw this year's (the Vault's third by the way) that the number of individual events has pretty much doubled this time round. Over 100 artistic groups are involved. There is something for everyone; from dance to comedy, music to drama, even a helping of opera and much, much more. Check out their website for the full listing. It runs for six weeks, from late January to early March.

Early evening in Leake Street and already a performer is out doing his thing

The approach to the venue is an experience in itself: Leake Street, off York Road, a long tunnel covered in graffiti art, was initially created during the "Cans Festival" organised by Banksy in May 2008. The road was pedestrianised shortly afterwards and has remained so ever since. The street artists are always out, creating new work, and the smell of spray paint fills the nostrils. Many people take pictures of the work or simply stand and observe the artists. Even late at night, the artists are out in force continuing to paint, along with a variety of street performers, and audiences gather to watch them, often on the way home from their evening's entertainment at The Vaults.

Late night entertainment in Leake Street, as passers-by stop to watch the street performers

The festival is unthemed, which allows it greater flexibility in what it can offer and is one of its key strengths. All the shows I've seen here so far - this year and last - have demonstrated that diversity and it's undoubtedly one of the main reasons I look forward to returning.

Another strength, helping to create different degrees of nuance to the visual aspect of the performances, is in the venue itself. The Vaults is a network of tunnels and performance spaces situated beneath Waterloo rail station. It covers an area of some 30,000 square feet and uses the space very effectively. Each of the performance areas are individually named; The Studio, The Cage, The Cavern, The Pit, etc. Some are smaller in size, others more expansive. Everything is stripped bare. Plain walls exposing brickwork, stone floors which are not always even and, I remember at one show I came to last year after a bad rainfall, there were small puddles of water that had collected in the uneven ridges around the flagstones. It all contributes to the ambience. In many ways, it helps draw you even more into the performances, many of which are interactive in nature anyway. I should point out while it occurs to me that within these spaces proper stage lighting and sound is implemented, along with various stage sets and props. In case that wasn't entirely evident from my description! And of course both lighting and sound add more to the general atmosphere. 

A beer is at hand as I continued to write this blog!

I'm also impressed that the venue has not rested on its laurels in terms of its layout. The performance spaces and bar have been redesigned and relocated from where they were last year, giving people like myself, who attended in 2014, a whole new perspective and a general sense of it feeling 'different'. Which of course the programme is. But they could so easily have just configured the floor space identically to how it was in 2014. I hope this approach continues next year.

The organisers are clearly supportive of upcoming performers and theatre companies and another pleasure for me is in discovering original talent being given the opportunity to shine. There is so much out there and it's great to see them getting the chance to show what they can do. Other acts are more well established. It's a good mix. I imagine that from time to time it can be a somewhat thankless task playing to some audiences for these touring performers. Here, the audiences are warmly appreciative.

A great space for partying into the early hours

If theatre isn't your thing, the festival is also running a series of late night events, at which you can have fun into the early hours. The Underbar is a pretty funky addition to the tunnel space and a great place to party. Or just come along to hang out and soak up the vibe with a beer or two.

It really is a different kind of night out, so I'd urge you to come and experience it before it ends for another year on 8 March. I'll certainly be returning for a show or two before then.

A cosy little nook near the bar to hang out with friends

And yes, I do not lie, every word of this blog was written at the venue on the night of my second show this year. I've been moving around the venue as I've been writing and these last few lines are being composed whilst seated in a deckchair in a room just off the main bar area! I'll be leaving soon for my last train, but already a live band is setting up ready to play on the main stage in the Underbar as another Lates event commences. If only I still lived in London! Of course, if someone would offer me a bed for the night ...

Entrance to The Vaults in Leake Street

Oh, and I'm fairly certain that earlier this evening I caught sight of the author and journalist Will Self, so you might even bump into a celeb - who knows? I'm no celeb myself of course, but do feel free to come up and say hello if you see me!

The Vault Festival. On until 8 March. Get a ticket. You really don't want to wait another year now do you?

Tim Arnold at The 12 Bar Club

I had the great pleasure of attending a gig last week by Tim Arnold, a singer/songwriter of some repute, who has been recording albums, mainly as a solo artist, since 1997. His first success came as singer and songwriter of Britpop band Jocasta. Since 2012 he has also performed under the name of The Soho Hobo. 

It was the first time I’d seen Tim play; the set was full of jaunty numbers, interspersed with some more introspective pieces. The gig took place at The 12 Bar Club, an iconic establishment close to Soho, and being quite 'cosy', I thought it might be just Tim and his guitar, but the stage did allow room for a drummer, bassist and guitarist in addition to Tim, beefing out some great songs. The musical style was reminiscent of the halcyon days of Britpop, with a ring of Blur and a smattering of Ray Davies, blended with a quality that was all Tim's own - catchy ditties belting out one after the other and performed with energy and enthusiasm.

Tim described the club as a place he'd loved playing at over the years and would often try out new songs there, as indeed he did at this gig, treating the audience to several brand new numbers. Behind all the jollity lay the poignant reminder that The 12 Bar Club was due to close just days later. So it was Tim's last ever gig there and must have been an emotional experience, as indeed I'm sure it was for many of the audience.

For me, another bittersweet aspect was that, to my shame, having worked in London most of my life, I'd never been to the club before. And here I was, at the venue for the very first time, really enjoying it, but knowing I'd never be able to experience it again. I will say in my defence however, that the main reason for this is that I rarely attend music events these days because I suffer with tinnitus, ironically caused (I believe) through noise damage during my own days playing in bands (nearly twenty years on and off). But this gig sounded extra special and I didn't want to miss it.

Why is the club closing? The age old reason; the owner wanting to sell up to big business. I spoke to the club manager, Andy Lowe, who had managed the venue and booked all the excellent acts that had appeared there for the past 20 or so years. He was understandably very sad at the prospect of leaving, but informed me that The 12 Bar Club will resurface again at another location very shortly. It had been there, in Denmark Street, for 20 years and had been a launching pad for a number of now well known artists, such as KT Tunstall, Regina Spektor, The Libertines, Seasick Steve, Adele and the late Jeff Buckley. One positive note was that Andy believed the building would not be razed to the ground by whoever ended up in ownership, because it was now protected after a successful campaign to get it listed. It was once, he informed me, a Jacobean forge, which was in use right up until the beginning of the First World War. The original forge fireplace is still visible at the back of the stage. It first became a music venue in the early 1990s, as 'The Forge Folk and Blues Club', but in 1994 it was expanded and renamed The 12 Bar Club.

While Andy acknowledged that there was still a tiny glimmer of hope that the club might return to this location, it seems unlikely in reality. And so it goes, with other parts of London's cultural and creative heritage also under threat. One prime area under particular threat at present is Soho itself, with the recent closure of Madame JoJo's and the uncertainty of other venues as developers eye up the area in the upheaval caused by the ongoing Crossrail project.

And this is also where Tim Arnold has a strong connection and influence. A Soho resident himself, he recently founded the 'Save Soho' campaign, which describes itself as 'a coalition of performers, residents and politicians who have now come together out of concern after the closure and repossession of world renowned club Madame JoJo's'. Famous faces aplenty have lined up to become involved, including Stephen Fry, who is the campaign chair. It has already resulted in what is hoped will be a positive dialogue between campaigners, businesses, Westminster Council and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, keen to keep the uniquely bohemian vibe that Soho has been so well known for, nurturing new creative and artistic talent for decades. If you love the area yourself, I'd urge you to take a look at the website, leave comments and spread the word. London simply wouldn't be the same without Soho.

Tim is currently in the process of recording a single to help promote the campaign, a song he's written called 'Don't Go Changin' Soho', which includes contributions from a number of famous faces in the music world; already confirmed to appear on the track are Marc Almond, Gary Kemp, Boy George and Adam Ant. More are expected to be announced shortly. A certain Mr McCartney has even been approached (his MPL offices are in Soho)!

You can hear the song at Tim's next gig, which will be at the St Moritz Club in Wardour Street, Soho, on 23 January. Come along and enjoy and don't forget to check out Tim's website, his Soho Hobo website and of course the Save Soho website. 

The real return.

Since my last post in 2014, it has become clearly evident that I wasn't ready at all to return to blogging. One of the key reasons for this was, that within a few short months of that post, I had a bit of a life crisis; I left my job of more than 14 years and decided to take my chances and look for another job opportunity. A bit risky in the current economic climate but, after temping on and off for a few months, I finally fell back into full time employment and I'm now settled in a new workplace and earning a regular crust.

And so I say that NOW is the time I can think about a return to writing the blog! No, really. As I mentioned in the last post, people still read the old ones (to my continuing surprise) and for those that enjoyed them I wanted to get some new posts up. I think it's about time!

So, I hope you enjoy my future ramblings. And thank you in advance for reading!

2013: the missing months.

After such a busy and enjoyable run of social/cultural excursions in 2012, I wasn't certain whether or not I could keep up the momentum of activity throughout 2013. There was no need for doubt however, as my ingrained enthusiasm to continue onwards ultimately ensured that, by year's end, I had actually managed to surpass the total number of outings of the year previous. Many of those experiences I would have liked to blog about; indeed, with some I did and with others may still attempt to, but most will probably now go unrecorded, as there were just too many. Suffice to say, it was another busy year and I treated myself to a wide variety of activities. 

To give you a flavour, here's a brief summary of just some of the things I got up to last year: a visit to the London Short Film Festival at the ICA; Stargazing LIVE event at Regents Park; Fuerzabruta at the Roundhouse; Helen Keen's Spacetacular! at the Leicester Square Theatre; The Architects: Shunt at The Biscuit Factory; Light Show at the Hayward Gallery; Rich Hall's Hoedown at the Soho Theatre; How Do Surgeons Learn to Operate? at The Dana Centre; Sandi Toksvig in conversation at the Stratford Picturehouse; Have I got News for Thee! at Dr Johnson's House; several days in Norwich (taking in a number of historic venues); In the Beginning was the End at Somerset House; Helicopter experience over London; An Evening with William Russell (Doctor Who companion) at The Cinema Museum; Music, Ho! Shakespearean Music Concert at The Underglobe; Kino #50 at The Horse Hospital; Surgery by Gaslight at The Old Operating Theatre; an evening with Lucy Worsley at the Banqueting House; Bullet Catch at The Shed; several visits to Wilton's Music Hall; Zoo Lates at ZSL London Zoo; Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor at Elstree Studios; Oedipus and Antigone at The Scoop at More London; several events at The Royal Institution of Great Britain; several events at Barts Pathology Museum; Twelfth Night or What You Will at The Rose Theatre; candlelit viewing at Sir John Soane's Museum; a visit to the Museum of Brands in Notting Hill; Aldwych Underground Station Tour; Ernest at the Etcetera Theatre; The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable at Temple Studios; Gliding experience in the skies of Oxfordshire at Bicester Gliding Centre; a couple of days in Brighton; and many, many more examples ... 

For now, it's the end of February and I've already notched up the same number of outings as this time last year. I was out pretty much every night for the first couple of weeks of January and am now settling back into a slightly calmer schedule as the weeks progress. As the rest of 2014 beckons, there's hopefully lots more ahead.

Back in the world.

When I started writing this blog, a friend of mine, who'd been instrumental in helping me set it all up in the first place, told me I shouldn't attempt to blog about absolutely everything I do, as it would simply be impossible to keep on top of. And, while I certainly took that advice on board, inside I kind of considered it to be something of a challenge: of course I could do it if I really tried ... couldn't I? But ultimately, the truth of the matter was, my friend was right. With two jobs that collectively take up six days of my week and a social life that once prompted Matt Brown, founder of the Londonist website, to once remark to me "Even I don't go out that much!", it was always going to be an uphill struggle finding the time to write about my activities.

Initially, the blog writing started fairly well, but then tapered off a bit as I became busier and busier. This continued for a few months, and then, something terrible happened. Completely unexpectedly, in the middle of last year, my mother had a fall at her home and was taken to hospital. A very difficult period followed, culminating, sadly, in her passing away in September. She never made it back home. I was devastated. I had spent the last six days of her life by her bedside. In the months leading up to that moment, I had endeavoured to continue with my cultural/social pursuits. I was aware she derived pleasure from the fact that I wasn't taking life for granted and that I was always out and about and this knowledge kept pushing me forward, as I tried to continue with normality. And it was nice from time to time to be able to tell her all about my activities and she seemed to enjoy hearing my stories. Now, she has gone, and it's more important than ever that I keep busy and continue doing the things I love.  

In terms of the blog, which had already been quite a demand before, after my mother's fall, it naturally dried up altogether. But now, here we are, a new year just begun, and I have finally reached a place where I feel ready to begin writing some new entries again. 

People still seem to be reading the older entries, which has been a very pleasant and unexpected surprise, but I hope I can now provide some newer posts for those who enjoy them (and it appears there are one or two of you out there). I hope you'll bear with me while I get back up to speed. 

It's good to be back in the world again.

Have I got News for Thee!

Before the advent of newspapers (which first appeared in English around 1620) a popular way of disseminating information was via a broadsheet (also known as a broadside) - a single piece of paper, printed on one side, often containing news, woodcut illustrations, ballads and rhymes.

They first appeared in the sixteenth century and were sold for as little as a penny. The ballads on these sheets were sung in the streets, taverns and theatres, in an attempt to attract customers. They could be viewed in the same way that tabloid newspapers are today, containing stories of scandal, gossip, murder trials and other major news of the day, along with more light-hearted (and bawdy) content. They were set to popular tunes of the period, many of which have survived to the present day. 

So it was with great interest that I went along to Doctor Johnson's House in London on Thursday 14 March to see Have I got News for Thee! - a performance by Lucie Skeaping and Douglas Wootton, which recreated some of these ballads, using the music and lyrics taken from original broadsheets of the time.

I'd never been to Doctor Johnson's House before; an interesting venue, it was the home of the writer Samuel Johnson, from 1748 to 1759. It is situated in a small, pedestrianised, L-shaped court, off some small alleyways not far from Fleet Street.

The performance took place in a room at the very top of the five story house. Lucie (who presents The Early Music Show on BBC Radio 3, as well as performing early music in a number of groups, notably The City Waites, and has also written on the subject) talked the audience through the history of Broadside Ballads (as they were known), using a set of around fifty slides to illustrate many points of note.

Interspersed throughout, we were treated to performances of many of the ballads, sung by Lucie and accompanied by Douglas Wootton on Lute and Cittern (who also took vocal charge on a number of the songs). Audience participation was encouraged and we soon found ourselves singing along with Lucie and Douglas, which was all very enjoyable.

Not always was the choice of song to accompany the lyrical content particularly appropriate, given the context of the news story being related. One such (unintentionally amusing) example that Lucie gave of this was the ballad entitled 'The barbarous and bloody son who shot his father as he was going into the church', a news story of an actual event, which was sung to the tune of 'I love you dearly'! Below is a facsimile of that original broadside (apologies for the poor quality - this was hard to find!) and, if you want to know how it sounded, a recording of the ballad can be heard here (not performed by Lucie by the way!).

It was also rather interesting to learn that the reason we have as much knowledge as we do about these ballads in England is because a small number of significant individuals in society chose to collect them, most notably the diarist Samuel Pepys, who had amassed a collection of some 1800 or more during his lifetime! 

After the performance ended there was a drinks (and sandwiches) reception with Lucie, Douglas and all attendees in one of the rooms on the floor immediately below and a chance to buy Lucie's book on the subject or one of her CDs. Or indeed to simply have a chat. But sadly I couldn't participate, as I was going away for the weekend the next day and still had some things to do back home, so headed straight off to my station. Otherwise I'd have loved to.

The house has a modest programme of events but it is open to the public every day bar Sundays and Bank Holidays. I'd like to go back at some point and explore this fine old house in more detail.

How To Get Almost Anyone To Want To Sleep With You

It was off to the Southbank Centre last Wednesday (1 May) to catch one of the shows in the Udderbelly Festival season. Southbank Centre run the festival every year, in which a variety of performers from the worlds of comedy and circus lay on an array of entertainment ranging from the comical, to the breathtaking, to the downright bonkers!

I somehow managed to miss the entire festival last year, but was determined to check out the schedule this time round and bowl along for a night of laughter and amusement. And that's exactly what I got with Deborah Frances-White's How To Get Almost Anyone To Want To Sleep With You. And no, er, I didn't go literally for that reason ... of course not. Ahem!

In case you've never heard of Udderbelly, its name is derived from the venue itself; a large tent-like construction designed to resemble a giant purple cow, lying on its back, legs and udder pointing straight upwards! Unfortunately, photography inside was strictly forbidden, but I managed to get this shot of the gardens area outside the venue, which gives you some idea.

Inside it's actually quite basic - banks of seats laid out in theatre style, and the show is performed at floor level. Deborah came out and launched into a very funny stand-up set, which was heavily audience-involved and contained, as the title of the show would suggest, plenty of risque content. I had suspected audience participation in advance and made sure I sat a little bit further back just in case (a tack not always successful, as previous shows I've attended have confirmed!), but in all honesty I'd probably have been perfectly safe anyway, the audience members targeted being young, good looking, and all the right side of 25! 

She dealt with one - well, not so much 'heckler', more 'cocky individual' - very skillfully, who didn't seem to know when his contribution to proceedings should have come to an end. A group of girls behind him were even telling him to shut up, but he plowed on until Deborah stopped him in his tracks. His girlfriend sitting next to him appeared suitably embarrassed and it would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall with those two after the show had finished!

As well as bantering with the audience, Deborah even had a number of them up on stage with her. I don't want to give too much away, but if you've ever fantasised about watching grown males battling each other whilst wearing bras ... that's all I'm saying!

It was all over in an hour and Deborah crammed in quite a bit. She's very funny and, sadly, I can't recommend you pop down there to see her, as that was her only date at the festival, but check out her website at the link above to find out where you can catch her next gig.

As for me, I think I'll be heading down for more Udderbelly fun during its run, which ends 14 July. There's lots to come yet. See you next blog! 

A Classic Doctor Who companion at The Cinema Museum

How many long-running TV shows genuinely merit the iconic status they've attained over the years? One show that it would be hard to dispute when it comes to such a question has to be the BBC's evergreen science fiction drama Doctor Who, about an alien who is referred to as 'The Doctor', travelling through time and space in a time machine called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) and accompanied along the way by an ever-growing list of companions. 

The show ran from 1963 to 1989, returned for a one-off movie in 1996 and then was relaunched in 2005 and is now in the 9th year of its new existence and enjoying greater success than ever. Fans of the show are referred to as 'Whovians' and I guess I would consider myself amongst the many. One of the secrets of the shows longevity is in the fact that the main character, i.e. The Doctor, has the ability to 'regenerate' when he is mortally wounded, every cell in his body reconstructed in the process. However, this results in his entire appearance and personality changing, allowing new actors to take on the role and breathe new life into the character.

The first episode was famously broadcast on the same day as the assassination of President John.F.Kennedy; Saturday, November 23, 1963. Of the actors who played the first four TARDIS travellers from episode one (which included the Doctor himself), only two of that original cast survive to witness the 50th anniversary of the show this year, and so I was thrilled to attend a talk last Saturday (27 April) given by one of those two cast members; An Evening With William Russell at The Cinema Museum (a.k.a. The Ronald Grant Archive).

The Museum is situated in a quiet road off Kennington Lane, but was originally based in Brixton, being first established in 1986. It was founded by Ronald Grant and Martin Humphries from their own private collection of cinema history and memorabilia. It moved to its current location in 1998. Visiting is currently by guided tour only and must be booked in advance and of course the museum runs a programme of events, of which this was one! 

William Russell played the character of Ian Chesterton, a science teacher at Coal Hill School who, along with fellow (history) teacher Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), the Doctor (William Hartnell), and Susan Foreman, the Doctor's Granddaughter (played by the remaining surviving cast member, Carole Ann Ford), set the standard for the show's format which continues to this day.

He was introduced to rousing applause in this, one of his most intimate public appearances. The audience numbered around 100. It's one of the things I like about the Cinema Museum; there's a cosy and informal atmosphere that really fits well with this type of talk and career overview. William Russell is of course used to appearing in front of thousands of Doctor Who fans at conventions, so I guess the contrast must have been kind of nice for him too.

Russell was interviewed by Mark Egerton, who gently guided the interview along, allowing the actor to carefully deliberate before replying to each question, which was nice. And Russell had many interesting and amusing anecdotes to relate over the many years he has appeared in films, plays and television, including the time he spilled a tall glass of lager down a beautifully dressed Merle Oberon at dinner and the laughable experience he had when playing a non-speaking role in Richard Donner's 1978 comic-book classic 'Superman', alongside Marlon Brando. According to Russell, Brando was a bit of an egomaniac who refused to learn his lines for the film, resulting in banks of television monitors (showing the various lines he was required to speak) being dotted around the outer perimeter of the set, so he could read them as the scene was being shot. Unfortunately, the monitors were too small for Brando to read from, so he insisted all the lines were written up on large cards and held up for him to see. He even insisted the director himself hold up one of the cards, and Donner duly complied, but then complained he was holding it too high, and asked for it to be lowered by degrees, until eventually Brando could read it, but Donner's face was completely obscured! The scene was then shot without Donner actually seeing what he was shooting!

Another interesting anecdote was about a role he had in a Norman Wisdom film called One Good Turn in 1955. Up to this point, Russell had used his last two names as his stage name - Russell Enoch. But this apparently upset Norman Wisdom, who had an aversion to the name 'Enoch' (something to do with another comedian at the time, although this was a bit vague) and insisted Russell change it! Initially, of course, he refused and the ensuing row lasted for around a year(!), before he was finally told that his name would be removed from the film credits unless it was changed! It was at this point his mother suggested he use his first two names - William Russell - and, aside from a very short period many years later, when he reverted (unsuccessfully) to Russell Enoch once more, that's how it remained!

The show finished with a question and answer session, followed by a signing/photo opportunity. I was one of the lucky people afterwards that got to meet him and have a photograph taken. A charming man. From start to finish the entire thing lasted three hours and forty-five minutes - pretty good going for an 88 year old! He must have been pretty tired by the end of the evening.

William Russell came across as a very warm, engaging personality and it was a pleasure to listen to him talking about his career. This was apparently the first time he'd ever done anything like this and I'm sure the entire audience were pleased that he did. One question that wasn't asked in the Q&A was whether or not he might make an appearance in the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who, which is to be broadcast 50 years to the very day of its first transmission; Saturday, 23 November, 2013. Sadly, I suspect not, unless of course Steven Moffat has been particularly kind to us fans, but wouldn't it be a fitting tribute if he did? Only time will tell, if you'll pardon the pun!

Up Pompeii! at The British Museum

I have noticed a growing trend in recent years where re-screenings of classic Hollywood and indie films are being presented to the general public in some very novel venues and settings, ranging from rooftops to churches to museums to open air settings to old petrol stations and even while immersed in hot tubs! I think this is quite a clever concept, as it gives the films a whole new lease of life, and in addition allows the viewer to experience watching them with a live audience again (or indeed for the first time).

It was one such screening that I attended a couple of Fridays back (19 April), which took place in the Stevenson Lecture Theatre at the British Museum; Up Pompeii!, the 1971 British comedy film, based on the TV series of the same name and starring Frankie Howerd as Lurcio. It was being shown in line with the theme of the museum's current exhibition - Life and Death: Pompeii and Herculaneum. 

I had of course already seen this many times over the years on TV, but it sounded too good an opportunity to miss out on watching it with a live audience (and for £3.00, plus online booking fee, far cheaper than your average visit to the cinema!). The lecture theatre was laid out with one bank of seats rising up and away from the main speaker platform - able at total capacity to accommodate 142 people. I guessed it was probably around 85-90 per cent full (maybe a little more). Once the audience were seated and settled, a member of the museum staff stood up to the podium to introduce the two speakers who would be talking a bit about the film before it began. She also informed us that her museum colleagues had been championing the screening of the film ever since they learned of the current exhibition theme. It would seem that they got their way! Then she announced and brought up the speakers: Professor Maria Wyke, a Latin specialist at University College London, and author, classicist, broadcaster and comedian Natalie Haynes. 

The 20 minute or so pre-screening talk was interesting and both speakers gave some informative perspectives on ancient Roman life. Natalie Haynes quoted some lines from the Roman poet Juvenal (who satirised/ranted - dependent on your viewpoint - about many things that would be considered un-PC in today's more conservative landscape), which generated audience laughter. She thought it was interesting to note that Juvenal could still evoke such a response and considered a hypothetical association between his public speaking and the origins of modern stand-up, which was Frankie Howerd's principal comedy genre. 

As to Up Pompeii! itself: very much a British comedy, in the style of the Carry On films - which isn't really all that surprising when you consider that Sid Colin wrote the screenplay. Colin co-wrote the second series of the TV version with Talbot Rothwell. Rothwell had previously written all of series one, but is best known for his writing of 20 of the Carry On films, from Carry On Cabby in 1963 to Carry On Dick in 1974. His influence on Colin here is evident.

Frankie Howerd was very good at making scripted comedy seem improvised, but in my opinion he falls a little flat in this film (in contrast to the TV version) and the delivery is sometimes too contrived. But there are nevertheless moments where it's typical Frankie, and there was a particular belly laugh moment when Lurcio reads out one of the 'odes to Flavia', the aspirational love interest of Nausius, who has written the following verse for her:

I hereby vow to give my all
To you most beauteous Venus ...
(Lurcio looks knowingly at the camera, rolls tongue in cheek)
All that I own, my heart and soul
And half a yard of ... gold brocade!

Not quite Horace or Persius but the audience roared with laughter! 

On a side note, a late arrival to the screening (just as the talk was ending and the film beginning) decided to sit next to me and immediately asked me what she'd missed so far. I informed her she'd missed most of the talk but said that at least she'd arrived before the film had started, so all was not lost. "Is it based on Roman history?" she asked, quite seriously. She was about my age, possibly older, so I assumed she must have seen the film before. "Well, sort of." I replied, considering it a strange question and not really wanting to point out the obvious. I began to wonder if she realised we were about to watch a comedy film. "If you like Roman history ... and Frankie Howerd ... you won't be disappointed." I said, to help clarify things. "Oh, I'm not sure about Frankie Howerd!" she remarked, with a slight air of repellence, at which point the film then thankfully began, thereby dampening further discussion. 

I didn't hear her laughing too much during the next hour and a half and, once it had finished, she asked me again if it had some basis in historical fact...? "What, actual history?" I replied. "Yes". "Well, in as much as it was set in the ancient Roman world, erm, yes." I didn't trouble passing on to her that none of the main characters in the film were actually based on real historical figures, apart from the Emperor Nero, and even he had died 11 years before the events supposedly taking place on screen. I didn't really want to get into a deeper discussion, as she already seemed rather confused! It was when she then followed me out of the theatre and proceeded to tell me she was carrying her night clothes and was heading back to her daughter's empty property in Ilford for the night and didn't like the thought of being there alone, that I made a hasty retreat for my train! 

While not the first time I have done something like this, it was interesting to see the film with an audience reacting to it and I'd like to try to get to some more film screenings at other venues in the future. And there was something to be said for watching it at The British Museum, knowing there were real Roman artefacts in the very same building - it seemed to add something. Very similar in fact to my recent Caesar and Cleopatra outing several blogs ago at the Petrie Museum. Not sure about the Hot Tub Cinema yet though - need to lose a few before I try that! 

Find Alan!

I was invited to join a group of friends last Tuesday evening (16 April) to participate in a quiz/treasure hunt around the streets of London, organised by London Street Games and going by the name of Find Alan! A Manhunt in London. Only the 'treasure' was in fact six beer tokens (better than gold coins any day methinks!) and they could only be awarded by the eponymous Alan. If you could find him of course. 

We were a group of six; myself, close friend Natalie, and four of her friends (and hopefully mine now too!). LSG make a small charge of £5.00 to take part and you have to register your mobile phone number. Cryptic clues as to Alan's whereabouts are texted through at regular intervals and we as a team had to work out where we thought those clues were meant to be leading us. We were further helped by various additional hints, including visual clues, via Twitter. Google was also invaluable for obtaining information.

All six of us initially met near the statue of Eros at Piccadilly and the clues swiftly led us around a number of London locations, via Bank, Cannon Street, Charing Cross and Leicester Square. The experience was designed to last up to an hour and a half, but might be shorter, depending on how good you were at solving the clues to find Alan.

Although we were taking part as a team, this was not a requirement and you could actually participate on your own if preferred. It was clear a number of other people were doing this, or playing in smaller groups or couples. One such person was Sophie, an LSE student we met along the way and who ended up joining us in our search (and Sophie, if you're reading this, I appear to have lost your number!).

As we neared the final hiding place of Alan, we noticed various individuals darting up and down the streets and alleys nearby, obviously anticipating that it would be they who walked away with the beer tokens. But, ultimately, it was our team that finally uncovered Alan in an upstairs room at The Ship and Shovell, an unusual little pub located in Craven Street. It was unusual in the sense that it was actually two pubs, situated on opposite sides of the street to each other; one of them being smaller, with cosy little nooks and crannies, and the other, more spacious and laid out in Victorian style fittings and fixtures. Both are linked by their underground cellar.

Although we discovered Alan, we didn't actually get all six beer tokens in the end. A couple of other Alan-hunters had caught up with us and latched on to the fact we'd worked out where he was and followed one of our team up to the room where Alan was sitting having a drink and reading a paper, thereby claiming two of the tokens. It was only fair too that Sophie, being on her own, and alongside us at the winning post, should also claim one of the tokens. But the other three were ours and went towards our first round.

The organisers came over to congratulate us and handed us a placard to proudly display while we were enjoying our drinks, which said 'We found Alan!'. They also took a picture of us, which I believe may have been posted somewhere on their website (but I'm not entirely sure). After one more round Sophie, and the other couple who claimed first prize, each headed their separate ways and the rest of us continued our evening drinking near Leicester Square. It was good fun, so head on over to the LSG website if you like the sound of it and check out their other street games, including The Lost Case Book of Sherlock Holmes and The Five Ghosts Walking Mystery.

Fagin: depicting a stereotype?

I had the option of attending two free events last night: one was a concert (preceded by a short talk) by the ConTempo Quartet, a classical string ensemble, who were playing at the Romanian Cultural Institute in Belgrave Square to mark the beginning of their new tour, OR the event I ultimately ended up choosing, at The Wiener Library, Russell Square, which was a talk given by Dr Charles Drazin, a senior lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London (and writer of a number of books on British film history), on the subject of one of Charles Dickens's most famous creations and its perceived association with anti-semitism; entitled FilmTalk: Reviewing Fagin, 1948-2005.

The talk was the first in a series entitled The Jewish Villain (the next one taking place in June), organised in partnership with the Leo Baeck Institute. Dr Drazin focused mainly on the 1948 David Lean adaptation of Oliver Twist, the Dickens novel which is of course where Fagin was first introduced to the world. His key argument was centred around his view that the character has always been presented in such a way as to evoke a racial stereotype. And the 1948 film production in particular depicts Fagin, as played by Alec Guinness, with a more sinister and evil overtone than the much later (and better known) portrayal by Ron Moody in the 1968 Carol Reed directed musical, based on the 1960 stage show. But this was perhaps a little unfair on Lean, who was ultimately attempting as faithful a recreation as possible of the book, right down to the visual appearance of Fagin himself, which in turn was based on the original drawings by George Cruikshank.

Indeed, Dickens was accused of anti-semitic stereotyping at the time and in the novel refers to Fagin 257 times in the first 38 chapters as 'the Jew', while the ethnicity or religion of the other characters is rarely mentioned. He explained that he had made Fagin Jewish because "it unfortunately was true, of the time to which the story refers, that that class of criminal almost invariably was a Jew". It would seem he had some sense of discomfort about it however, as he had the printing of the book halted and modified the text for the parts that had not yet been set, resulting in the book's remaining 179 references to Fagin rarely referring to his Jewish status at all.

In the question and answer session afterwards, some strong viewpoints and opinions were expressed and thrashed out, leading to the end of an interesting discourse. No 'one for the road' in the pub for me afterwards though - I thought I'd do the uncharacteristic thing and head off home. But fear not - it was a temporary lapse!

Bill's: a blog before bedtime.

How quickly can someone write a blog before hitting the sack? I've just returned from a screening of the new computer animated movie from DreamWorks, 'The Croods', but, before heading to the performance, myself and Bryan (the friend I went to see it with) decided to find somewhere to eat. A swift bit of online research by Bryan came up with a place called 'Bill's', a nice little restaurant situated in Saint Martin's Courtyard, off Long Acre, Covent Garden and a place I soon realised I was already aware of but had never ventured into - until now. I was impressed enough to give them a bit of a mention via the ol' blog ...

Bill's has a warm and friendly vibe about it and we were welcomed as we entered and seated very promptly. The table we were placed at was near the main door and I expected the freezing cold air outside to filter in (as it usually does whenever I'm placed so near to an entrance) and penetrate my already cold limbs (the office air-con at work having chilled me to the bone through much of the day) but I was greatly relieved that Bill's generous heating system was more than up to the job of keeping me warm - first brownie point!

The interior had a bit of a rustic quality about it, with shelves of foodstuffs lining the walls, farmhouse style wooden tables and terracotta type flooring, contrasted with the more modern ventilator shaft themed ceiling space. A kitchen area was visible at the back of the restaurant.

The menu we chose from was the lunch and dinner, one of a selection: Bill's also do a breakfast menu, specials menu and a tea time and drinks menu (as well as a main drinks menu), offering a choice of comforting favourites from a classic fry-up, to french toast, Bill's beer battered haddock (which was my eventual choice), Bill's fish pie, cornish monkfish stew with warm sourdough bread and eggs benedict, to name just a few of the tempting treats. That of course does not include the cakes, puddings etc, etc ... the list goes on. This is good old comfort food done posh.

Of further interest, it was only as we were leaving to go and see the film that we realised (despite having seen a staircase as we entered earlier) there was a whole floor above us serving more customers, probably twice as big (or more) than the area downstairs! So I think a return visit might be in order at some point. To top it off, there is also a store, where you can purchase Bill's own brand products, including jams, chutneys, pickles, balsamic vinegar and cooking oils.

And as the light was failing outside, so the tables were lit up with candles, adding an even more welcoming ambience. But we were leaving at that point to make our way to the cinema. 

There. I did it. Now I can head to bed and post this in the morning. Oh, and in case you were wondering, The Croods was pretty good too!

Are there too many humans?

World population growth has become a serious issue for debate in recent times. At its current estimate of 6.9 billion, the number of humans on Earth has doubled in the last 50 years and some forecasters expect that number to reach 10 billion by the end of this century. Much of the debate centres around whether or not our planet can actually sustain this growing number and even argues if it might be the right time to impose population controls worldwide, along the Chinese model. Advocates of population control include a number of luminaries such as Sir David Attenborough, who has commented that humanity is 'a plague on the Earth' and that 'either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us'. But is this a viewpoint shared by all? That was the topic up for discussion when I attended The Big Question, at the J Z Young Lecture Theatre, University College London Anatomy Building in Gower Street on Wednesday 6 March. 

Before the talk began, attendees were invited to a drinks reception at the nearby Grant Museum of Zoology. The drinks receptions there usually take place after the main event (particularly their free film screenings) but this one was prior to the talk, which was a good opportunity to chat about the upcoming topic of discussion. I was approached by a woman (whose name was Marlene if I remember correctly) whilst taking a couple of photographs and engaged in conversation, only to realise soon afterwards that she was trying to sell me membership of an organisation about the conservation of some endangered species of (I think) birds that she was heavily involved in. She also told me she had once been a film extra (or 'background artiste' as some would prefer to be known!) and when I asked her for an example of her favourite work she said she had featured quite heavily in One Million Years B.C., the 1966 British-made Hammer Film co-production starring Raquel Welch (which was also famed for its complete and total historical innaccuracy!). That was when she revealed she was 70, but looking more like mid-fifties. I wondered if I'd be able to pick her out if I ever see the film again. We were then joined in conversation by another attendee, who basically pretty much admitted he got more enjoyment out of the fact that this event was totally free and that he actively researched free events calendars and had even occasionally blagged his way into paid events! He seemed to be accompanied (although I wasn't totally certain) by a woman who actually appeared to have a real interest in the population growth issue and who I think was also trying to promote awareness via a website she supported.

The drinks reception lasted around 45 minutes, after which we were all shepherded across the road to the lecture theatre. It was very soon packed out and people were even turning up after the talk had got under way and had to stand or crouch down in the stairwells.

The talk was advertised as bringing together speakers from the world of ecology, history, finance, conservation and economics. Each one of them had to select an object from the Grant Museum's collection to illustrate and support their argument. The UCL events webpage stated that six speakers would be presenting their views, but in fact there were only three. This thankfully didn't have too much of an impact on the debate, as their viewpoints widely differed, one seeming to favour population control, another insisting we could sustain the future forecast of 10 billion people (with the third speaker falling somewhere into the middle of those two opinions). Each of them had probably 15 minutes to individually make their case, after which there was an audience question and answer session. Of course no concrete conclusions were ever going to be made, but it was nevertheless a stimulating and lively discussion.

UCL Museums organise a number of free talks, exhibitions and even film screenings, on a variety of subjects - head over to their main webpage for more information. 

Tea in a Victorian urinal.

Ever thought it might be nice to have lunch in a public urinal? No? Really? You surprise me. But that was exactly my (first) experience yesterday when I popped along to a newly opened coffee shop situated in Fitzrovia (Foley Street) called Attendant.

Well, ok, it's obviously not actually a public urinal anymore. It was built around 1890 and closed in the 1960s. But Pete Tomlinson and Ben Russell, with a hefty dose of business acumen, decided to buy it, spend around £100,000 on renovation, and re-opened it as a smart little underground cafe which, when I went along, was evidently proving very popular.

The original Doulton & Co. urinals (I counted around 8) have been given a makeover and a raised bar installed, so that customers can sit in their very own urinal space(!) on a high stool, sipping the fine coffee or munching the tasty looking sandwiches that this establishment has to offer. At the back of the small space was a table which would probably seat around 8 or thereabouts.

When I arrived all available seating was taken and there were many other people queuing for food and drink. There were also lots of customers taking photographs. The publicity for this place seems to have aroused much interest and everyone seemed to be enjoying the very quirky and atmospheric space. It's always pleasing to find something new like this, something unique with a bit of character. A welcome change from all the chain outlets.

The original attendants room has now become the kitchen area where a chef prepares a small selection of hot food daily, which is passed through a small serving hatch. Yesterday's options were on a chalkboard above the hatch. 

Other food items are laid out on the main counter: pastries, cakes (made by Bittersweet Bakers) and sandwiches. I thought I'd set them a real test by ordering one of the hot items on offer - a hot dog. I say a real test, because I'm not normally a great fan of hot dogs, but have enjoyed the odd one here and there. Memories of street vendors and dodgy cafes selling tasteless, soggy, messes came to mind. But I was pleasantly surprised when it was served up: on ciabatta, with caramelised onions and mustard - very tasty. Drink-wise I opted for a cup of tea. I asked for English Breakfast, but it was gently emphasised that this wasn't your bog standard 'English Breakfast' I was being served but a special blend in the same style (I can't remember what they called it now I'm afraid!). It arrived in a small, glass, teapot, with a tiny jug of milk.

The place was so full that I initially had to eat standing near where all the utensils were kept (knives, forks, sugar, salt, pepper etc). One of the proprietors came up to chat, asking me what my first impressions were, and told me they'd been open for five weeks. Judging by the amount of trade I saw today I'm guessing they're doing alright. Eventually I was led over to a vacant urinal seat and sat down to enjoy the rest of my lunch.

My hot dog was £5.25 and when the tea was added it totalled up to over £8.00, but this may have included a charge to eat in (I was too distracted to take note, visually exploring the rest of the surroundings). A tad pricey but worth it. In conclusion, I liked it - certainly a different kind of lunch experience. I will definitely head back from time to time and treat myself to some of the other wonderful looking food and drink on offer, particularly the cakes and pastries. Recommended. Oh, and one final note - ironically, there are no toilets!