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News

Woman's terror in China earthquake

A FORMER Romford Carnival Princess ran for her life after being caught on the 18th floor of a skyscraper during Monday s catastrophic Chinese earthquake. Rachel Mamoni, 32, originally from Garry Way, Rise Park, who now lives in Chengdu, the fourth largest...

Estate agent's bold gamble!

A BRAVE Thurrock estate agent has promised to pay the difference should any house newly bought from him fall in price after five years. The incredible guarantee – the first of its kind – made by Russell Quirke, of family-run estate agent Quirke Deakin Thu...

Man savaged by pack of dogs

A MAN was the victim of an attack by five vicious Staffordshire Bull Terriers who were set on him by the dogs owners. The 22-year-old, who was waiting at a bus stop in New Road, Rainham, was left with deep puncture wounds on his neck, arms and legs, po...

You did it! Maya's going to America!

LITTLE Maya will be going to America! The Maya Community Appeal for Maya Perrin-Skippen, who needs life-saving treatment for cancer in the USA, reached and far surpassed its target of £50,000 this week, after five weeks of tireless fundraising by the peop...

Anger at new Beam Reach plan

RAINHAM S controversial Beam Reach site is set to become the centre of a major Olympics storage and shipment facility that will see up to 144 lorries trundling in and out 24 hours a day. The lorries will work round the clock unloading building materials a...

Lee's parents: No justice for our son

THE parents of a Romford man who died following a brawl in a pub last summer have said justice has not been done for their son. Lee Cook was 21 when he was killed in the Alibi bar, Shoe Lane, in the City of London, after being punched in the head by 27-y...

Village cut off as bus service axed

THE busy village of Havering-atte-Bower is set to be cut off from the borough after transport bosses decided to scrap its bus service – despite petitions. Travel to and from the rural cluster will be near impossible for non-drivers, many of whom visit vil...

Market traders fight big screen plan

TRADERS are rallying to fight plans to put up a giant screen in the centre of Romford Market. If the proposals, by the BBC, get the go-ahead, 40 or 50 stallholders will have to be relocated to make way for the open-air entertainment. Chairman of the Mar...

Hospital Trust is fourth worst

BARKING, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust was slammed in a patient survey this week which ranked it the fourth worst NHS Trust in the country. The Trust, which runs Queen s Hospital in Romford, got a rating of 68 out of 100 for overall care in the latest...

Football star's got TV talent

FOOTBALL wizard Jeremy Lynch this week sailed through the buzzer round of ITV1 s Britain s Got Talent with a mind-boggling display of ball tricks that left the crowd whooping and notoriously hard-nosed judge Simon Cowell shaking his head in disbelief. To...

Letters

Parkers in the cash firing line

DESPITE last week s visit to The Market area by the parking wardens, there still seems to be many car users unaware that parking fees now apply in the market on Sundays. In my opinion this is due to bad signage by the council, the sign advising of car p...

We can't cope with Dovers plan

I WOULD to express my objection to the proposed development at Dovers Corner in Rainham. I understand the majority of the accomodation comprises of blocks of flats. I have seen an artist s impression of them and they remind me of pictures I ve seen in som...

Gloria was a real gem

I D JUST like to share the wonderful job Gloria Hunniford did in officially opening the new education centre at St Francis Hospice. It s a fantastic facility which will allow our staff to share their specialist skills with other healthcare professionals...

Customer service is no more

WHAT has happened to customer service locally? First I went to Holland & Barrett to exchange some tablets – they refused, quite rudely (I won t be going there again). Then I was overcharged (again) at Sainsbury s and had to line up to get a refund – no ap...

I won't be bullied!

I THINK I ve got an attack of the DDDs coming on. This chronic condition was triggered a few months back when British Telecom slapped a payment charge of £1.50 on my monthly bill. And what is this DDD affliction? Well it s Direct Debit Disorder. Apparentl...

Hammers

Yanks for the game

WEST HAM defender Jonathan Spector is set to step out on to the hallowed turf of Wembley Stadium next Wednesday night, while team-mate Rob Green will be thinking of far off Tanzania and his ascent of Mount Kiliman-jaro in June, writes DAVE EVANS. It is a...

Injuries ruin a promising year

WEST HAM CORRESPONDENT DAVE EVANS LOOKS OVER ANOTHER REMARKABLE SEASON FOR THE HAMMERS - BEFORE a ball had been kicked at the start of the season, manager Alan Curbishley set out his plan for the campaign. I ve talked to the chairman and we have both ag...

George has a Euro vision

WEST HAM defender George McCartney has confirmed that most of the players are happy with the club s 10th place finish in the Premier League this season, writes DAVE EVANS. But the 27-year-old Northern Ireland international who finished as runner-up in the...

Time to talk says Ashton

Striker Dean Ashton has admitted he would like to have his West Ham future clarified at the earliest possible opportunity, and hopes to meet club officials later this week, writes MIKE SIMMONDS. The forward celebrated his 11th goal of the season against A...

Boss Curbishley expects his side to challenge next year

MANAGER Alan Curbishley is predicting big things for his West Ham team next season, but only once he is able to pick from a fully fit squad, writes MIKE SIMMONDS. The Hammers boss has seen his playing staff decimated by injuries this year and hopes that o...

Reflective Rob happy with his lot

A REFLECTIVE Rob Green believes there have been plenty of positives to take from a season of consolidation at Upton Park, writes MIKE SIMMONDS. This time last year, the Hammers were celebrating after a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford ensured their Premier Lea...

Boo boys may force Luis out of the club

UNDER-FIRE West Ham winger Luis Boa Morte has admitted that he might be hounded out of the club if he continues to be on the receiving end of taunts from supporters, writes MIKE SIMMONDS. The former Fulham star has found himself the target of the Hammers...

Fergie wins a host of new fans at tribute evening

FRIDAY night s tribute dinner for former Hammers managers John Lyall and Ron Greenwood attracted nearly 600 fans and ex-players to Upton Park, writes STEVE BACON. Guest speaker Sir Alex Ferguson won over the huge crowd with heartfelt words in praise of hi...

That’s more like it - rivals get it right!

West Ham United 2 Aston Villa 2 THE UPTON PARK faithful finally saw the kind of team that Hammers manager Alan Curbishley is desperate to field next season, although unfortunately for the masses, they were wearing Aston Villa shirts, writes MIKE SIMMONDS....

Boss goes missing as Day takes flak

Manchester United 4 West Ham United 1 THERE S no disgrace in getting beaten at Old Trafford, better teams than West Ham have been thumped there this season. But when it is combined with the comments that manager Alan Curbishley made earlier in the week, t...

Sport

It’s a family affair for the Nixons

ILFORD AC s Robert Nixon fulfilled his lifetime athletics dream, after winning the Essex Senior 1500m Championships recently. Nixon s father Tony won the same title in 1974, which has always been an inspiration for him....

Men grab a last-gasp win

A terrific all-round team effort from Havering Mayesbrook saw the Southern Men s league team snatch victory from Exeter in the final two events at a damp Lee Valley on Saturday, even though the Devon club had led by 25 points at the halfway stage. A spir...

Ryan’s express return rolls back those years

ILFORD AC spent FA Cup Final afternoon racing five times around a large public park in Enfield as the home town club, Enfield & Harringey, staged a five-mile walking race. Welcoming back former course-and-distance winner Peter Ryan to the start line after...

Classy Clarke given a hammer blow

Ilford AC s second Southern Men s League match at Mile End produced a day of highs and lows for the club and particularly for their star hammer thrower Wesley Clarke. Following a promising build-up to the season, Clarke managed to launch the hammer to a...

Malcolm eases home in fifth place

WITH the double incentive of Ilford AC s Summer Trophy and London Marathon 2009 qualifying points on offer, no less than 16 of their road squad contested the 2009 Essex 10-mile Road Championships at Great Baddow, Chelmsford, on Sunday. In a large field of...

Like father like son as Robert fulfills dream

ROBERT NIXON proved a popular winner after fulfilling his lifetime dream of becoming Essex Senior 1500m champion in an Ilford vest in days two and three of the County Championships at Basildon s Gloucester Park on Sunday. Nixon was brought up on Ilford g...

Grandad Alan steps it out!

ILFORD AC walkers lined up in the searing Sunday afternoon sun at Basildon s Gloucester Park Arena for the annual Essex County AAA 3000m Championship. Among them was sprightly super fit grandad Alan O Rawe who, at the age of 66, was the oldest competitor...

Javelin star Bonne looks sharp as he breaks record

HAVERING MAYESBROOK S talented youngster Bonne Buwembo further increased his club under-20s and senior javelin record on Saturday as the Southern Men s team were runners up in their Division One match at Peterborough. Buwembo s new mark of 66.71 metres w...

Zatat hammers his way to an Ilford club record

ILFORD AC began their 2008 young athletes track & field campaign with a trip to Basildon AC, for round one of the EYAL. Youcef Zatat, in the under-15 boys event, is going from strength to strength in the throwing disciplines as in the hammer he broke a...

Team dig in to claw their way back

AFTER a serious of injury setbacks, Havering Mayesbrook s senior men adapted well in the National 12-Stage Road relays at Sutton Park on Saturday. The Essex club suffered four late withdrawals, and the team found themselves in the fifties at the quarter s...

Beleagured Beagles into the drop zone

NEWHAM & ESSEX BEAGLES slumped to a disappointing fourth place in the second match of their Southern Men s League season, leaving the club floundering in the relegation zone, writes MATT DINER. In the club s home match at Mile End, Beagles got off to a d...

Beagles are in fine form

NEWHAM & Essex Beagles athletes impressed in days two and three of the Essex County Track and Field Championships at Basildon at the weekend. There was a good turnout of athletes from the club and the results gave them great encouragement for the future,...

Mighty Mo storms to new club record

NEWHAM & ESSEX BEAGLES star distance runner Mo Farah broke a club record in Stan-ford, California over the weekend. The 25-year-old made his track 10,000m debut coming home in 27.44.54, smashing the previous 51-year-old record held by George Knight. Findi...

Geele is Beagles star at Nationals

NEWHAM & ESSEX BEAGLES athlete Moumin Geele ran the second fastest long leg at the national 12-stage road relay on Saturday, but it was not enough as his side could only finish fourth, writes MATT DINER. Geele ran his leg in 25.42 at Sutton Park, Birmingh...

Salamander are left short

A PLAYER shortage is causing real problems for Salamander Bowls Club at the moment as they found themselves well beaten in their opening Alfa Triples League clash at Poplar last week. Withdrawals and a lack of any reserves meant that they could only field...

Opening victory

Salamander 80 Greenwich 34 NEWHAM-based Salamander BC cruised to a comfortable victory over Greenwich at Watson Avenue on Saturday. In the first of six games played between the two sides this year the home side completed a clean sweep across the board. St...

Salamander make a super season start

CHAMPIONS Salamander began their defence of the East Ham & District Bowls League crown in fine style on Sunday as they swept aside Plashet Park with a convincing victory. A break-in at their Watson Avenue headquarters did not provide the sort of preparati...

‘Robbed’ Lynes is demanding return

COLIN LYNES is back home from his Turin torment and is demanding a return chance after insisting he had been the victim of ring robbery when the judges decided that Gianluca Branco had taken his European light welterweight title on a split decision on Fri...

Newland saves his worst until last and pays price

THE hopes of Peacock BC celebrating a first ABA title success ended when Ricky Newland lost narrowly against Matthew Askin (Pool of Life) at York Hall on Friday night. The 23-year-old Newham cruiserweight admitted it was his worst show of his half a doze...

It looks all over for Andrew

THE Southern Area light-heavyweight title defeat at the hands of Watford s Gary JJ Ojuederie looks like the fighting farewell for Andrew Lowe. A loser over 10 hard-fought rounds on Friday night at the Royal National Hotel in Bloomsbury the 33-year-old W...

Same again for Kerr!

WEST HAM S Jack Kerr, looking to add a 2008 National Junior ABA crown to his success list, scored a repeat win over Kingfisher BC rival Nathan Dale at Brentwood on Saturday. Kerr, who defeated Dale in the National Boys Club Championships, again proved too...

Victory for England!

JACK ENGLAND celebrated his second straight win in Newham Boxing Club colours when he turned back the challenge of northern raider Alan Thomas (Shildon) at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, on Friday night. Thomas, one of a team of youngsters from the County D...

Lynes has a tasty Italian on menu

EUROPEAN light-welterweight title holder Colin Lynes aims for the best win of his 10-year pro career when he defends his belt against Italian veteran Gianluca Branco in Turin on Friday night, writes LEN WHALEY. It will be the second defence for the local...

Will Newland be true to his word?

PEACOCK cruiserweight Ricky Newland aims to keep his promise and claim an ABA winners award for the Canning Town club at on the sell-out finals night at York Hall on Friday. It will be an outstanding achievement for the Newham boxer to take the title - ap...

Tough task facing mighty Marc

MARC CALLAGHAN, the former English super bantamweight champion, is the second local boxer booked for action on the show at Turin s Parco Ruffini on Friday night. The campaigner from Canning Town s Peacock Gym looks to bounce back with a win on the Italian...

Veness is a tough nut to crack

JAKE BEER and George Veness made it two out of two for the Newham Boxing Club when they made their way into the ABA junior quarter-finals at Berinsfield Oxford on Saturday with Veness defeating his FOURTH national champion in four bouts in the competition...

Nine winners - but give a cheer for Beer

NEWHAM S Gerry Walsh came out on top of a high standard duel of national title winners on the Fisher BC show at the Porter Tun Rooms. His impressive victory highlighted a week which saw the Newham club boxers win nine out of ten contests on various shows...

Rampant Ian makes Short work of trial!

BORN-again Hainault Roads club member Ian Short set a fast time of 22.49 at theLea Valley-promoted 10-mile Time Trial near Newmarket on Saturday. In his comeback season, Short was the sole Hainault representative in foul weather conditions and turned in h...

Godfrey in fine form for Hainault

HAINAULT Roads Club rider Paul Godfrey kicked off his 10 series in the time trial with another win after recording a time of 23 minutes 34 seconds. Second-placed Rob Dulson, the club champion, posted 24.16, beating into third place Mark Steers, who with...

Hainault impressive at Eastern Counties

HAINAULT Roads Club riders impressed at the 31st annual Eastern Counties Cycling Association Festival during the Bank Holiday weekend. The first event, a 10-mile Time Trial on Saturday, had five Hainault riders competing, but with strongman Rob Dulson pun...

Short of practise but still in fine form

HAINAULT Roads Club star Ian Short impressed as he rode the first 10-mile time-trial of his comeback season on Saturday. After an aborted 10 ride earlier in the year due to appalling weather conditions, Short enjoyed better weather on the course close to...

Super Woodford are on the Mark

WOODFORD Golf Club powered through to the last 16 of the Leslie F Wood Team Championship after their side, led by non-playing captain Mark Deeming, gained a 10-5 home victory over The Burstead. A 4-1 morning lead in the foursomes was followed by a 6-4 re...

A happy Hennessy takes Jeffrey Prize

SEVEN golfers contested the Jeffrey Prize final at Woodford Golf Club on Saturday. Mike Hennessy s lowest gross score of 85 (69 net) gained him the honours in the competition in which only the winners of Division Two medals last year can participate. Kei...

Bill is a winner!

DOGGED Bill Tyzack plotted his way round the course to record the lowest gross of 80 and a winning net of 70 in the May medal at Woodford Golf Club on Saturday. Two shots behind was club chairman Nick Rowe, with treasurer Mike Smith and Darrel James tied...

James and Brewer triumph

DESPITE disappointing performances in the previous week s competition Darrel James and Mickey Brewer combined to win the strokeplay Foursomes Cup at Woodford Golf Club on Saturday. They completed their round in a net 70, par for the course, and in a compl...

Double salvo as Edwards and Willis win gold for Stratford

STRATFORD Judo club had a memorable Ts-Mo-Kie Championships at Epping Sports Centre, returning home with two superb gold medals. Hayley Willis and Kebra Edwards were the stars as they both put in excellent performances to claim first place. Liam Fryatt an...

Amazing Ramazan

THERE was a double delight for Stratford Judokwai as the club collected two golds at the Clacton Junior International Champion-ships. Hayley Willis picked up the first in the 12 years under-32kg with Ramazan Karimov also finding himself top of the podium...

What's On

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (12A)

HIS exploits are the stuff of legend and his name has become the very definition of adventure. And now the whip-toting, punch-packing, snake-hating, globe-trotting archaeologist with a fedora is back on screen in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Cryst...

Cassandra's Dream (12A)

WOODY Allen s latest is a thriller set in south London with Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell as brothers. When one of them falls in love with a young woman, she becomes aware of her power and uses it to lead the two brothers, who are in financial difficul...

Shotgun Stories (12A)

CRIME drama about a feud erupts between two sets of half brothers following the death of their father. Set against the cotton fields and back roads of Arkansas, these brothers discover the lengths to which each will go to protect their family. Stars Micha...

Dangerous Parking (18)

NOAH Arkwright, a successful, hard living and indulgent independent British film director, finally decides to try and defeat the many addictions that are destroying him, his career and the people who care for him. But Mother Nature has other tests of str...

Four times the emotion

THERE S a Chinese proverb which breaks life down into four key emotions – happiness, sorrow, pleasure and love. THE AIR I BREATHE (15) is a film of four stories, each focusing on a character that represents one of these emotions. The central story follow...

Mummy, I shrunk the kids

Expelled from yet another private school for his blossoming, though illegal, entrepreneurial activities, a wealthy teenager finds himself at a state school. His smart, geeky appearance gets him a first day beating from the school bully so his mother cal...

TV star brought down to earth

An all-star collection of some of the most popular African-American actors has come together for family comedy, WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS (12A). After nine years away, a celebrated TV show host is finally returning to the very place he tried to forget....

Supernatural horror is Thai die remake

For photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his wife Jane (Rachael Taylor), his new assignment – a lucrative fashion shoot in Tokyo – was supposed to be a kind of working honeymoon. But as they make their way on a mountain road leading to Mt Fuji, their ca...

Brains not always key to love

SARAH Jessica Parker, soon to be seen in the big screen version of Sex And the City, first stars in romantic comedy SMART PEOPLE (15). Prof Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) might be imperiously brilliant, monumentally self-possessed and an intellectual...

Scots doomed as Reaper rampages

A LETHAL virus is killing hundreds of thousands and the authorities brutally quarantine Scotland as it succumbs to fear and chaos. Forward three decades to 2033 and the dreaded Reaper virus resurfaces in London. Faced with apocalypse, the Prime Minister a...

Plump up the volume

BREAKBEAT heavyweights Plump DJs have been announced as the headliners of an extra tent at this year s Get Loaded In The Park at Clapham Common. Put on by the people behind now defunct nightclub Turnmills, Get Loaded on Sunday, August 24 is in its fifth y...

King Louie plays at twins’ party

Redbridge twins Bobby & Steve have put on an amazing line-up for a massive party on Saturday, May 24, with Masters At Work star Little Louie Vega headlining. The Garage City promoters have had good links with Masters At Work duo Vega and Kenny Dope Gonzal...

Stars Mix it up for mag

The DJ world was out in force last week to celebrate the 25th birthday of dance bible MixMag at the East Village club in Shoreditch. Over the past 25 years, the publication has overseen modern day dance culture, and to still be going strong today is no m...

Make some furry new friends

HOW often do you get to see lemurs, meerkats and wallabies roaming around in Essex? Tropical Wings World of Wildlife, South Woodham Ferrers, has these and many more, and we are giving away three family tickets, so you can get up close and personal with pa...

Year-long programme kicks off

From 22 May, artist Bernd Krauss new commission brings a live link of East London s skyline and a series of workshops for the local community and art-lovers alike. The Street is a major year-long programme of site specific artist s commissions from the...

Whitechapel Gallery workshops

Whitechapel Gallery s major programme of artists commissions, The Street, presents Bernd Krauss. From May 22, artist Bernd Krauss new commission brings a live link of East London s skyline and a series of workshops for the local community and art-lov...

Win family ticket to London Zoo

DID you know hummingbirds can fly backwards? Or that western lowland gorillas live in a family group led by a dominant male known as a silverback ? For more fascinating animal facts, visit to ZSL London Zoo, Regent s Park, and get up close...

Win tickets to Hop Farm reptile weekend

HUNDREDS of reptiles, invertebrates and amphibians slither into The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Kent, this month, creating an animal kingdom with the sights, sounds and smells of a miniature tropical rainforest. And you could be there to join in all the fun....

Playing with Dolls at O2 Wireless

NOW in its fourth year, the O2 Wireless Festival is the perfect festival for people who don t like to get their feet dirty. Now boasting five stages in Hyde Park, from July 3-6, features four big name headliners in Jay Z (Thursday), Morrissey (Friday), Fa...

Line-up for Lovebox

AFTER a sell-out 2007, The Lovebox Weekender is back for an even bigger summer in Victoria Park, Hackney on July 19 and 20. Set in 25 acres of parkland, hidden between Mile End, Hackney and Bethnal Green, it will feature every musical style, from some of...

Tina just loves to sing

TURN the lights down low, whack on a mirror ball (if you have one – I do) and turn up the volume on the stereo – Tina Charles, Britain s first lady of disco, as she was once known, is back with her first studio album in 30 years. Tina, who grew up in Broc...

Win tickets to see Police or Eric Clapton at Hard Rock Calling

ERIC Clapton and The Police headline Hard Rock Calling at Hyde Park in June and we are giving away VIP tickets. See next week s Recorder Review to find out how you can get your hands on a pair of these sought-aftere tickets. Clapton will headline on Satur...

Win tickets to Roger Waters' Dark Side of the Moon concert

IT S one of the defining works of rock music history and Pink Floyd s principal songwriter Roger Waters performs The Dark Side of the Moon for the very last time in its entirety at the O2 this month. And you could be there to see this historic moment. We...

Damon and co proud to stand up and be counted

Born in Leytonstone, Damon Albarn has always been proud of his east London roots, writes MARK TAYLOR. That was highlighted by Blur s famous homecoming show at Mile End Stadium in 1996 and when he brought the fledgling The Good The Bad and The Queen to bot...

Old and new blend to beat off the racists

IT S good to be back"", uttered the immaculately attired Paul Simonon in his minimalist drawl as The Good The Bad and The Queen seamlessly skanked their way to the stage for the final chapter of the Love Music Hate Racism Carnival in Victoria Park, Hackney...

Morrissey saves the day

Sunday s Carnival 08 was only saved from extinction by one of the unlikeliest of sources, Morrissey. The former Smiths frontman donated £28,000 and persuaded his management, booking agency and promoters to chip in another £45,000 after one of the festival...

Confused by Leigh latest

MIKE Leigh s new play, Two Thousand Years, is a curious piece of theatre. Its unusual structure – long, complex scenes interspersed with very brief ones – is distinctly unsettling, or perhaps that s the point). And, although it is billed as a look at how...

Players at home with Gilbert and Sullivan

DRIVEN out of their home ground at Chingford Assembly Hall by soaring rental rates, the Chapel End Savoy Players have set up stage at Forest School, Oakhurst Gardens, Snaresbrook, but it hasn t affected the quality of their performances. The Players have...

Redbridge Schools Singing Festival

REDBRIDGE Schools Singing Festival took place at Oaks Park High School, Oaks Lane, Newbury Park. About 70 students from 13 secondary schools, plus members of Redbridge Music School, formed a festival choir to provide the main core of a programme of tradi...

Showcase pure Magic

IT WAS back to the musicals at the Kenneth More Theatre last week. But not Carousel, Hello Dolly and State Fair… Director Vivyan Ellacott had put together a beguiling showcase of musicals that have – so far – not made it to the Redbridge boards. With mu...

Thrills, spills and plagiarism

THRILLS, dangers, perils, marvellous machinations and dirty-dealing, they re all featured in Digby Diehard s Dilemma by The Woodhouse Players. Director Gary Adams has lovingly plagiarised everyone, from Shakespeare to Pinter, Lennon & McCartney to Morr...

Blue is colour of romance

Following a UK tour, Terence Rattigan s powerful and moving drama, The Deep Blue Sea, transfers to the Vaudeville Theatre this week. Directed by Edward Hall, the cast includes Greta Scacchi, Simon Williams, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart and Tim McMullan. When y...

Amateur premiere for Leigh comedy

Wanstead Players has gained a coup in being the first amateur theatre company to produce Two Thousand Years, the acclaimed latest play by Mike Leigh. What does a non-religious family do when their son has taken to religion and ritual in a big way? What...

Still a Ruddy good show

From the mysterious depths of the world of the supernatural, spring the infamous Baronets of Ruddygore. What is the curse of Ruddygore, and why have the ancestral ghosts returned from the grave? Why is a chorus of professional bridesmaids in the Cornish v...

Ayesha's back from the Doctor

For actress Ayesha Antoine, performing at Theatre Royal Stratford East is coming home. Stratford-born Ayesha, 26 – soon to be seen in Doctor Who on TV – stars in the new Rikki Beadle-Blair comedy, Familyman, which opens on Friday and runs all month. The...

New man for all seasons

THEATRE Royal Stratford East presents Familyman – a new contemporary play from Rikki Beadle-Blair, the writer of Bashment. A sharp and insightful look at the issues surrounding and affecting parenting and family life in 2008, Familyman aims to thrill aud...