EF Roundup

It always seems like a quiet week when I’ve not been out for an evening to the theatre or to see a gig.

The highlight’s been speaking to the brilliant actor Denis Lill. It’s the second time I’ve interviewed him, and he’s completely charming and gives such considered answers to questions it makes my job so easy! I barely need to tamper with the transcript to make it scan for a readership! Looking forward to seeing him in Murder on the Nile at the Bromley Churchill Theatre the week after next.

I’ve finished reading the biography of Voltaire by Ian Davidson too. It’s an easy and rewarding read, with consistently breezy prose; but detail was too scarce for my liking. I hoped to learn a bit more about the French Enlightenment from it, but I didn’t come away with any greater understanding. Peter Watson’s The Great Divide remains my book of the year so far.

On the TV front I’ve thoroughly enjoyed revisiting Ripping Yarns. There’s a lovely extra from 1983 in which Michael Palin returns to his roots in Sheffield and Oxford University. It’s a great series in its own right, one of Palin’s finest hours.

Lots more theatre coming up soon!