Operation Mincemeat is set in 1943 and as the audience arrives the mood is set by the dark, smoky atmosphere and wartime music playing in the background. The set is basic, just a few filing cabinets and a plethora of phones hanging from the ceiling. Operation Mincemeat is the almost unbelievably true story of how the Germans were taken largely by surprise by the allied landings in Sicily because the body of a supposed Royal …

Tony Hancock made the first series of Hancock’s Half Hour for BBC radio in 1954, the scripts were written by two new writers still in their twenties; Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Galton and Simpson went on to be one of the most successful comedy writing partners ever, most notably as the writers of Steptoe and Son. Later the television version of Hancock’s Half Hour would attract audiences of 20 million. Hancock’s character was a …

It is such a treat to be able to have dinner with my family before leaving for the theatre, rather than bolting down a sandwich and a coffee as I rush off to the West End. Yes, hoorah, proper theatre has returned to Leatherhead. The three week Rep season begins with Waiting for God a new stage adaption by Michael Aitkens who wrote the hit television sit-com. The play is set in a retirement village …

The Goon Show has become such a significant part of British comedy history that I find I know a lot about it even though it was last broadcast before I was born. My husband, Jim, and I are both old enough to remember the stars of The Goon Show and loved Spike’s poetry and Peter Seller’s performances as Inspector Clouseau. I only remember Harry Secombe on Song’s of Praise. Three episodes of The Goon Show …