Revelling in his new-found popularity as a ‘nostalgia king’, championed by the likes of Chris Moyles and Peter Kay, Roy Walker has taken his new stand-up show Goodbye Mr Chips to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He talks to The Stage about how student fans have filled him with confidence and how a well-placed catchphrase kick-started his career.
Also in this week’s issue:
Lucy Gannon’s new ITV drama serial The Children has been 13 years in the making. She explains why it has taken so long to come to fruition, and why the BBC should hang its head in shame. And the serial’s star, Kevin Whately, tells what it’s like working with Gannon on this, their fourth collaboration
As ITV announces a new primetime variety show, For One Night Only, producer Glen Middleham explains how variety can still prosper on TV if it is given a modern edge
Insight: As Manchester venues are told they could lose funding if they stage plays which glamorise smoking, we consider the wider implications of council policy overriding art
LAMDA principal Peter James talks about the unique relationship the academy shares with US educational institutions
Actor Andrew Jarvis has worked with the RSC and played Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. He tells Paul Vale how sheer determination, a hunger to perform and a Stage competition have played a crucial role in helping him achieve his goals
From stage to screen - and back: British directors with a background in theatre are making it big in Hollywood — prompting more film stars to seek stints in the West End
Maggie Brown on media: Why we should salute the BBC’s audience-oriented Olympics coverage | Who should be running BBC2?
Dillie Keane: Why biogs are the bane of performers’ lives
Dear John: “Should I aim on developing a wide range of performance skills or aim to get very good at just one thing?”
Backstage Focus: The Railway Children is running at the National Railway Museum in York, a project that has been a long time in the planning. We speak to the people involved and find out just how demanding the project is
Famed for his soulful hits in the eighties and for singing the opening line on Do They Know It’s Christmas, Paul Young has spent the last decade fronting the Tex-Mex band Los Pacaminos. He talks to Douglas McPherson about re-releasing his debut album, a quarter of a century on
Plus all the usual news, reviews (including the pick of the Eidnburgh shows), jobs and auditions.
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