Shortly before the actor Peter Finch died he said: “We all say we’re going to quit occasionally. I’d like to have been more adventurous in my career. But it’s a... read more

Driving to Nottingham each day last week to perform Awful Auntie was a special experience. Not only because the Theatre Royal is one of my favourite theatres on which I... read more

One of the things the Tories have completely failed to understand is that people have been waiting to kick them out for years. It was only because Labour had Corbyn... read more

Anyone listening carefully to the opening of Awful Auntie will have spotted a mention of Maxstoke Castle. I included it because the castle is only five minutes from where I... read more

There’s nothing quite like doing a pure slapstick scene on the stage of the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, knowing it was where Laurel and Hardy performed on their tours of... read more

There are fourteen reasons to finally vote out the Tory party this election – the fourteen years they have decimated the arts in schools. In 2010, my theatre company could... read more

I have been following the Post Office scandal ever since Nick Wallis began to report on it in 2011. Not only could I not believe what I was reading and... read more

Something actors may not realise is just how nervous producers can get about casting the next show. There’s a tendency to think of directors and producers sitting in judgment on... read more

This evening I went to see a critically acclaimed musical and immediately felt that dull agony of disappointment as the opening scenes rolled along. I tried to make the best of... read more

If you’ve ever been interested in producing a play or a film, or wanted to know what it was like to be a producer, I’d like to recommend the book... read more

Serhii is still working out what to do with his life. He recently graduated from university in economics, but since then he’s been doing odd jobs – building work, car... read more

I feel so naive, but I cannot believe our country’s Home Secretary actually said: “The defining feature of this country’s relationship with slavery is not that we practised it, but... read more

It was a special day today, sitting in a room all day with four inspiring people – the creator of the Horrible Histories books, with the head and lead writers,... read more

Last week I was called to Liverpool to play Dad in our production of Demon Dentist, due to the actor being unwell. It was an amazing experience to play a... read more

I love surprises! And the reaction of the audience in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall was just the sort of surprise I love. When Raymond Gubbay’s organisation asked if we would like... read more

One of my great failings is my lack of reading. I derive such pleasure from reading that it is astonishing how little I’ve read over the years. Every once in... read more

I loved David Warner in ‘Providence’, ‘Masada’, ‘The Omen’ and ‘The Man with Two Brains’. So when he was performing in Major Barbara on Broadway, I took the opportunity to... read more

I auditioned some great drama school graduates today who had missed out on their final shows due to Covid. One of them asked why we had stopped producing shows specifically... read more

Last night I went to theatrical heaven. Cameron Mackintosh produced a sensational tribute to Stephen Sondheim which was brilliantly staged by Maria Friedman and Matthew Bourne. The moment Julia Mackenzie opened... read more

I’ve spent much of my life reading about the battles and wars of ancient, medieval and modern eras and I have always been struck by how much of human existence... read more

Just for the record, in 2021 we produced eight shows, including two world premieres. They did spectacularly well, and were performed and stage managed by the best company members we... read more

Bliss takes many forms, but this fortnight I’ve had the joy of reading the memoir of Derek Salberg, whose family ran the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from the 1930’s to... read more

If a fifteen-year-old schoolboy gave you his first musical to read, would you be completely honest? I recently read about a professional composer who was given the score a new... read more

If anyone ever asked me about my theatrical ambitions, they were always straightforward: I hoped to have good parts, in good plays, with good directors. A few years later I... read more

Today we performed our two shows at Big Feastival and it marked a turning point for the company. After eighteen months on the rollercoaster, it finally feels like we’ve reached... read more

It was our last show at the Apollo today and we had a fabulous audience to send us off. I had one of those lovely experiences when you chance upon... read more

Today was a strange and heartening day. We really enjoyed performing Barmy Britain at the Apollo in the morning, then I headed down to Tower Bridge Quay to watch two... read more

Once again we’ve begun performing a brand new comedy and despite all the work we did in rehearsals, it’s only with an audience that we’re learning how to do it.... read more

We’re having a very tough time in the theatre world but when it works, it’s like walking on air. Yesterday I had the rather wonderful experience of an easy morning... read more

I was looking through photo albums this evening and came upon a photocall for the announcement of our first season in 1992. Our patron, Sir Derek Jacobi, had come up... read more

I’m a fairly well-educated man and I thought I knew about the African slave trade, but I have been left reeling by a new book called BLOOD LEGACY. It’s author,... read more

We’ve begun creating our brand new river tour Terrible Thames. We’ve got the most wonderful cast of six actors who perform the tour in pairs and yesterday we had Terry... read more

We finished our third car park tour last week and it went miraculously well – Guy Robinson had planned it to perfection. Three tours all on the road at the... read more

Theatre life has its own particular stresses and problems but when you finally get out on the road, you’re reminded why it’s the best job in the world. I’ve spent... read more

I’ve just had the funniest line-run of my life as we prepare to start three tours next week on the day the country reopens! We’ve been rehearsing Billionaire Boy for... read more

I’m watching a documentary on THE MISFITS and I’m reminded that in 1995 we produced THE CRUCIBLE. It was only three years into our existence and we were somehow producing... read more

It was very interesting listening to the Oprah interview and Meghan’s comment on the symbiosis between the tabloids and the palace. When I was at drama school, I was given... read more

Once again we’re trying to do the impossible and stage theatre in a pandemic. Today we’ve gone on sale with our Drive-In production of David Walliams’ Billionaire Boy which we... read more

Russell T Davies has recently stated that gay roles should only be played by gay people. I invited people to discuss the topic on Facebook and having read all the... read more

Finally, finally, finally Donald J Trump has made the mistake I’ve been waiting for him to make for four years. I couldn’t help smiling last night as I watched the... read more

Well, by the skin of our teeth, we made it. Our tour finished two days earlier than planned but we managed to accomplish 75% of our dates and entertain 40,000... read more

Producing theatre in 2020 is like rowing a small boat through a storm. Our drive in tour of Horrible Christmas is almost half way through but new restrictions are creating... read more

Tomorrow the cast and crew of Horrible Christmas gather together in a working bubble which we hope won’t pop until 3rd of January. We will be rehearsing, performing, eating and... read more

Robert Lindsay is giving the most wonderful readings in a prog about Roald Dahl on BBC4 now. I once phoned Dahl from a payphone when I was 15 to ask... read more

In 2002 I won a raffle. It wasn’t an ordinary raffle and it wasn’t an ordinary prize. Each ticket was £10 in support of Soho Theatre and I had bought... read more

Nothing we’ve done so far this year has prepared us for performing at the Minack, a theatre at the end of the country in Cornwall, on the edge of the... read more

Yesterday we finished performing a three show day of Barmy Britain in Bridlington Spa, which has truly one of the most wonderful theatres I’ve ever performed in. The relationship with... read more

My goodness it was bliss to be back inside a theatre again today. We’ve been performing Barmy Britain in all sorts of venues and having a ball, but nothing beats... read more

We had a marvellous weekend at Soulton Hall. Three performances of Barmy Britain and the chance to stay overnight in an original Tudor room with a 20 degree slope that... read more

We’re spending our tour of the UK enjoying everything we can in this very different world. So it was joyous to take Barmy Britain to the village of Clovelly in... read more