until 1st January 2021

A star-studded West End and Broadway cast sing festive songs and perform brilliant sketches – all in aid of charity: for Shelter and Crisis At Christmas.

If you’ve never heard Kevin Clifton sing – then you’re in for a treat. But don’t worry, he dances as well!

Simon Callow and Maureen Lipman perform a couple of wondrous sketches.

And the whole extravaganza rounds off with the marvellous Lee Mead. So many performers, so many classic Christmas songs.

If you’re in a bah-humbug mood – slap on a CD and get your kicks that way! Otherwise stream this concert, filmed at The Actors Church in Covent Garden, knowing that your money has gone to two excellent causes.

Photography Bonnie Britain Photography 2020

Producers Thomas Hopkins & Michael Quinn for Ginger Quiff Media with Guy Chapman

Performers Christine Allado, David Bedella, Simon Callow, Kevin Clifton, Brenda

Edwards, Sheila Ferguson, Amy Hart, Dom Hartley-Harris, Sophie Isaacs,

Cassidy Janson, Charlie Kristensen, Dame Maureen Lipman, Lydia Lucy,

Lee Mead, Peter Polycarpou, Jodie Prenger, Sharon Rose, Sally Ann

Triplett and The Vivienne, Denise Welch and West End Gospel Choir.

Director Michael Strassen

Music George Carter

Shows until 1st January 2021

Running Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Tickets from www.stream.theatre

Price £20 for a single ticket or £30 for a family ticket (plus booking fees)

Twitter @Gingerqmedia, @stream_theatre

until 27th December 2020

“keeping it simple is the way to do things”

Polka Theatre is renowned for producing work that is innovative and approachable. Their version of

A Christmas Carol is no exception.

It is only 18 minutes long but is performed (I think!) in one take. Ian Nicholson is the storyteller, playing most of the characters, surrounded by an incredibly clever cardboard set. Sally Edwards’ puppeteering is certainly worthy of a mention, too.

Aimed at audiences of 4+ years, it is a simple and not-too-scary telling of Dickens’ classic tale. Now and then it veers, perhaps too infrequently, into silliness – preferring instead to get on with the story – but overall it is gripping. And, this coming from a reviewer with a heart of stone, surprisingly touching at the end…

The piece is free to watch. Yes, you read that right! Free!! Accessed via Polka’s website, there are two versions – one with subtitles, one without.

Sometimes – keeping it simple is the way to do things and full marks to Polka Theatre, with funding from Arts Council England, for this gift.

Photography Ian Nicholson

Producer Polka Theatre

Writers Ian Nicholson and Sam Wilde

Performer Ian Nicholson

Designer Samuel Wilde

Music Jim Witcher

Running Time 18 minutes

Ages 4+

Tickets not required!

Shows until 27th December 2020

Price Nothing!! IT’S FREE!!

Twitter @polkatheatre

To watch www.polkatheatre.com

Well, not a rose actually, but the name is Frost, the author R.D. Wingfield creator of that inimitable detective Jack Frost, portrayed on television by David Jason. Here we have three Detective Frost novels, the middle by R.D. Wingfield, who gave birth to the  glorious, funny shambolic Frost, and Superintendent Mullett and attendant crew.

It’s winter in Denton, and crime abounds. A serial killer, a skeleton, an armed robbery, and ram-raid, plus numerous burglaries. But over all this, a missing school girl. Dire happenings, a heady pace, serious subjects, but always, thank the Lord, hilarity. There is not other character quite like D.I. Frost, no other foil quite like Mullett.

But then such sadness in 2007, when R.D. Wingfield died. Would D.I. Frost be, forgotten?

Well no, James Henry took up the cudgels, and also R.D. Wingfield’s creation Jack Frost, taking us back in time to his earlier days.. Here we have Britain in 1982  during the Falklands War,  Jimmy Savile on the airwaves, (yep THE Jimmy Savile) burglaries, murder, followed by a ritual killing – or not. And at a time when Det Sgt Frost has domestic problems.

Then, A Lethal Frost with Danny Miller, featuring R.D. Wingfield’s Detective Frost setting it a bit later, in 1984  featuring the usual gang as Frost shambles through the cases that need solving. (I haven’t reached the end yet, and I want it konw ‘who did it’ but I don’t want it to finish, which was the case with all the Frost novels to date.

Did Henry and Miller make it work? Well, clearly, for me, anyway.   Did they have the same pace, the hilarity, the crime, the much loved characters? Yes, and I can only assume  Henry and Miller lived and breathe Frost, Denton, Mullett, until they were Frost, but still retaining in some measure their own voice. A tricky balance but one they managed with aplomb.

I loved them all. I want them to go on and on. Thankfully Danny Miller has written The Murder Map continuing the earlier Frost. So, R.D. Wingfield’s legacy is safe. – Enjoy.

As a doctor I’m very interested in nutrition and good health, and I worry about the growth of ‘convenience’ processed foods.

There’s more and more evidence that heart disease, cancer and type II diabetes are triggered by inflammation. Inflammation can be a good thing – it helps our bodies fight infection, and cancer cells – but if it starts appearing when it’s not needed, it causes harm. One trigger for unhelpful inflammation is the large spikes in blood sugar after eating many junk foods, sweets and deserts. Even savoury processed food often has hidden sugar. Glycaemic Load (GL) value is a useful indicator of how quickly a food releases sugar into your blood – a low GL is under 10, and 20 and above is classed as high.

So as my predecessor, Hippocrates allegedly said – Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food – wise words.

My research led me to Lizi’s Super Muesli, which of course I road-tested. Lizi and husband Mick Shaw are passionate about wholesome food and they test the GL of all their products. For a single serving of their muesli, the GL is around 5, so good and low. Contrary to popular perception in this ‘low-fat’ world, some fats are essential for our well-being, and hence Lizi makes sure their muesli’s have plenty of nuts and seeds.

So we’ve established that Lizi’s Super Mueslis are good for you, but do they taste OK? Short answer – they taste heavenly. There are four different choices. All have a base of different whole grains, including ancient varieties such as spelt, but with very distinct and frankly delicious flavours.

Here’s a summary guide:

GLOW: featuring fig, apple and almond it provides B2 and selenium – good for healthy hair and nails and also fatigue. It has large chunks of dried green figs, which I loved.

BOOST: features mango, papaya and turmeric – which as you know has many beneficial properties, and the vitamin C and B6 help tiredness and our immune system. It tastes very fruity and the natural sweetness of the fruit offsets the bite of the turmeric.

FOCUS: this has noticeably no dried fruit but majors on nuts and seeds, including hazelnut and pecan, and also contains maca – a Peruvian root which is said to boost energy. It contains zinc and B6 – to help brain function.

CLEANSE: I have to say this was my favourite – the tartness of the chunks of dried cranberry, raspberry and cherry was simply delicious. It provides zinc and vitamin C – but frankly I don’t care – I just love the taste.

So if you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution, you could do worse than resolve to switch to these delicious, wholesome and healthy breakfast mueslis. They come in attractive and convenient resealable packs and are available from Lizi’s website.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.