Vera (Bill Tarmey and Liz Dawn).

Nigel has many fond memories of his time on the show. “It was so much fun behind the scenes, especially with Bill and Liz, Michael Le Vell, who plays Kevin Webster, and Brian Mosley, who played Alf Roberts. He was so funny off-set. He’d always try and make you corpse when you were waiting to go on. He’d stuff a grape up his nose and daft stuff like that. He was always one for practical jokes and he was nothing like his stuck-in-themud character.”

Over the years Pivaro has also done a lot of stage work and cites groundbreaking drama Just Frank, about an AIDS sufferer, at the Theatre Royal Stratford East as a personal favourite. He’s also been in Funny Peculiar, A View From the Bridge and An Evening With Gary Lineker, to name just a few of his stage credits.

Another theatrical highlight was winning the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1st award for No Further Cause For Concern, of which he says. “That’s probably the thing I’m most proud of. I found the play myself, put on a reading at Stratford, got the money together to put it on in Wales, Edinburgh and then London, and it was so well received.”

His decision to embark on a second career as a journalist at age 39 might have surprised his fans. “But I’d always been intrigued by journalism and good journalists, and I’ve always been interested in history and politics.” After finishing a postgraduate course, he worked for regional papers and now freelances for national publications as well as making documentaries for the BBC.

A return to acting wasn’t on the cards but in 2019 Nigel bumped into writer Jim Cartwright, who he’d worked with when he toured in The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice in 2000. Cartwright asked him: “When are going to get back into acting? We miss you.” That whetted Nigel’s appetite. He secured representation, scored some auditions, and did plays on BBC Radio 4, including The Corrupted opposite Toby Jones.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it,” he says of doing radio work, “and it was a great reintroduction into acting. There was no pressure because it wasn’t in front of the camera or a live audience. From there I did a few adverts and a lot of voiceovers. I really started to believe in myself again as an actor.”

Nigel is now ready to step back on stage in The

Commitments, which is an all-new production of a show that originally opened in the West End in 2013 before embarking on a countrywide tour three years later. The West End production at the Palace Theatre garnered such rave reviews as “Wonderfully funny and touching” from The Daily Telegraph and “A sweet-soul, solid-gold, five-star blast” from The Sunday Times.

The actor is modest about starring in the new tour, saying: “The show, the story and the music are the real stars. And the music is so beloved by people who grew up with it and younger people who have been introduced to it over the years. The songs are a major factor in its success, along with the skill in which the music and the story are woven together without it ever being ‘Oh, here’s an excuse to sing another great song’.”

Where possible, he’ll be driving himself to and from the tour venues but he won’t be relying on GPS. “It’s anathema to me,” he explains. “I’d rather look at a map and plan my journey that way. And I do love an interesting drive. If I spot something I’ll write it on the map, like ‘Nice 13th century pub here’ or ‘Good cafe there’. It makes touring even more appealing.”

As for what else he’s looking forward to about being back on the road for the first time in nearly two decades, Pivaro says: “Theatres full of happy punters who are having a rollicking night out and really getting into the show, letting themselves go with the music, the story and the joy of it. and being able to forget, at least for a couple of hours, what we’ve all been through over the past two and a half years and all the problems that are still around. I’m sure they’ll go away feeling uplifted.”

The Commitments comes to The Orchard Theatre

Mon 13 – Sat 18 March

Book online at orchardtheatre.co.uk

Box Office 0343 310 0033

Aida - Ellen Kent and the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv

WED 8 MARCH, 7.30PM

Senbla presents Opera International’s award-winning Ellen Kent Production featuring the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv, with international soloists, highly-praised chorus and full orchestra.

Aida, the grandest of all Ellen Kent’s operas, returns to the UK with a stunning new traditional production, boasting an impressive set built by Set-Up Scenery in the UK, who also build sets for the Royal Opera Covent Garden.

In Aida, the splendour of Egypt is set against the grandeur of the Coliseum of Rome with Ellen Kent’s direction influenced by the ancient Greek dramas of Euripides and symbolising the powerful religious hold of the priests of Egypt. This tragic story of war, jealousy and revenge at whose heart is the doomed love of the beautiful Ethiopian slave girl, Aida, and the Egyptian hero, Radames, is brought to life in a production set against one of the greatest pieces of music Verdi ever wrote with the well-known arias “Celeste Aida”, “Ritorna Vincitor” and the classic “Triumphal March” featuring a temple dance, cascades of glittering gold and amazing fire performers.

Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

To be in with a chance of winning two tickets to this production just answer the following question.

In which Italian City is the Coliseum found:

A: Milan

B: Turin

C: Rome

Email competition@dartfordliving.com by the 20th February to be in with a chance of winning.

RULES: 1. The winner(s) will be the first correct entry/entries drawn. 2. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be alternative prize will be offered.. if you don’t wish to be added

HOMEMADE ‘JAFFA’ CAKES

By Debbie Dickinson

Although not identical, these ‘Jaffa’ Cake inspired bakes are fun to make and delicious. And you can make them in a variety of combinations using different flavoured jelly, jams/marmalades, and chocolate!

You will need:

125g Caster Sugar

125g Margarine

Vanilla Extract or Lemon Juice/Zest

2 Large Eggs

125g Self Raising Flour

25g Plain Flour

½ pack of jelly cubes – any flavour

Jam or Marmalade

200g Chocolate

You will also need:

Shallow tins to set jelly and bake cake in. Circle cutters – assorted sizes

What to do:

Make up the jelly with just half the recommended amount of water. So, for 6 cubes use about 140ml water to make a strong jelly. Pour the jelly into a large shallow tin so you can ‘cut out’ circles once set. A silicon traybake tin would be perfect!

Mix the Sugar with the Margarine until creamed. Add your preferred flavouring. Add the Eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful from the flour if the mix looks to be ‘curdling’. Once the eggs are combined, add the rest of the Flours and mix – only until just combined.

Pour into a large, shallow brownie tin so the mix is less than 1cm deep. Bake at 150°C for 20 minutes or until baked.

Once baked (and an inserted skewer/knife comes out clean) leave to cool completely.

When cooled and the jelly is set - cut out circles of cake using a cookie cutter, and smaller circles of jelly.

Use the jam/marmalade to stick the jelly circles to the top of the cakes and place on a wire cooling rack, set above a sheet of baking paper.

Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a plastic bowl. Microwave in 30/15 second bursts until about ¾ of the chocolate has melted. Stir until all chocolate has melted.

Pour over your cakes and carefully spread using a spatula or a knife. Allow to set on the rack. If you like you can then turn them over and pop chocolate on the bottoms too. If you’d like the chocolate to set a little better you can refrigerate them.

Enjoy!