Now seems a good time to leave X (RIP Twitter). Exactly 4 years after I joined, posting reviews of all the many cultural events I go to, most with my disabled wife. I have had some nice comments on the way from some really genuinely lovely people. X is now not a nice place to be

Tonight @CityVarieties to see @eddieizzard performs Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Overall this is an impressive feat of memory & endurance & a great introduction to one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. Eddie Izzard is no stranger to challenges & here she delivers all 23 roles

Today @thesjt on a very wet Saturday matinee to see Earth Angel. The 91st play from Alan Ayckbourn, who asks the question ‘what makes someone a good person?’ There’s humour & a touching final surprising scene. Played in the round by an accomplished cast of 6 actors. Bring on No92

Tonight @vuecinemas York to @NTLive Inter Alia (Latin for among other things). Written by Suzie Miller & directed by Justin Martin (same team behind Prima Facie) & also features an electrifying Tour de Force female lead performance. Rosamund Pike is riveting as Judge Jessica

Tonight @YorkTheatre to see the world premiere of Military Wives the Musical @DeborahIsitt writes & directs this heartwarming, entertaining & at times deeply moving show. Inspired by the choir formed by women while their husbands were in Afghanistan. There will be life after York

Today @vuecinemas York to see @DowntonAbbey The Grand Finale. After 15 years, 6 television series and 2 feature films, Downton Abbey has finally come to an end. Elegant & unapologetically sentimental. Cosy & comforting, sadly like an old friend passing away, the end of an era!

Today @DarlingtonHipp to see #TheShawshankRedemption @BKL_Productions Based on a 1982 Stephen King novella. All the books themes are well examined here; desperation, injustice, friendship & hope. Lovely involving performance from Ben Onwukwe & great to meet v talented Bill Ward

Today @royalacademy to see Kiefer/Van Gogh exhibition. Direct from the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, German artist Anselm Kiefer has paid tribute to Van Gogh throughout his career. The enormity of Kiefer’s work is incredible & when viewed together, there is a special connection

Tonight @BarbicanCentre to see @GoodnightOscar by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright. The acclaimed production comes to London from Broadway, with Emmy & Tony Award winner Sean Hayes as Oscar Levant. Hayes is astonishingly good. Performance of the year? Sharp & funny

Today @LWTheatres London Palladium to see @EvitaMusical Directed and reimagined by Jamie Lloyd. Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice’s 1978 musical never sounded so good. Rachel Zegler oozes star quality & is sensational as Eva Peron. An absolute smash; it dazzles, pulsates & thrills

Tonight @NimaxTheatres @MenChocFactory to see @theproducersldn Directed by Patrick Marber, music & lyrics by Mel Brooks. Still so original & daringly funny, it’s a brilliant revival with Andy Nyman & Marc Antolin. Lighting up the West End in glorious bad taste. What a fun night

Today @vuecinemas York to see @lifeofchuckfilm Mike Flanagan’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s novella. A story told in 3 parts moving backwards from Chuck’s death at 39 years old. It’s contemplative, soulful, beguiling, unique & at the end moving & spiritually uplifting

Today @thesjt to see Noises Off (in the round) by Michael Fryan. This is a perfect & ingeniously staged production of the classic farce from 1982. The ensemble playing & comedic timing is first-rate. Paul Robinson's direction is a bold undertaking that succeeds hands down

Today @derbymuseums Art Gallery to see an exhibition exploring the life and work of one of my favourite & best loved British artists, Joseph Wright of Derby, Life on Paper. Along with the gallery’s permanent collection of Wright, this is a valuable & resourceful display of work

Hey @LNER you have surpassed yourselves. Friday 8.8 York to Kings X - train CANCELLED. No wheelchair passenger assist at Kings X on eventual arrival. Sunday 10.8 Kings X to York - train CANCELLED. No wheelchair passenger assist at York on eventful arrival. How do you do it?! 😡😡

Today @NationalGallery to see a free exhibition, Millet: Life on the Land. An exploration of Millet’s work on rural life & agricultural labour. Alongside The Angelus, there are other understated paintings & drawings giving us a real insight into working life on the land in 1859

Today @NPGLondon to see Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting. A highly engaging & utterly compelling exploration of the human form. Much of the work is big with plenty of flesh on display. I’m new to Saville’s work, but found this to be technically so impressive. A must-see

Tonight @DonmarWarehouse to see Intimate Apparel. This is a rare thing of beauty, Lynette Linton’s perfectly directed revival of Lynn Nottage’s 2003 play. Samira Wiley delivers one of the best performances of 2025. Every character is superbly drawn & played. Exquisitely elegant

Today @OpenAirTheatre Regent’s Park to see Brigadoon, a Lerner and Loewe musical from 1947, adapted by Rona Munro. Drew McOnie directs. Some excellent singing & dancing & it’s the perfect setting for a thoughtful re-imagination of a classic. It’s all really rather magical

Tonight @AlmeidaTheatre to see A Moon for the Misbegotten. A late Eugene O’Neill play, first performed in 1947. The acting here is so easy & effortless with a raw energy from the cast. Ruth Wilson, Michael Shannon & David Threlfall are all superb. A post war American classic