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FREE EVERY MONDAY NOVEMBER 19>25 2012

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London

A rt, clu b s , food , crafts . . . made b y you

WIN theatre & dinner | what london’s top chefs eat | bradley cooper

Image: Wellcome Library, London

Open until 14 April 2013 Book tickets at www.museumoflondon.org.uk/dissection or on 020 7001 9844 An online booking fee and timed entry apply. Due to its subject matter, Doctors, Dissection and Resurrection Men is not recommended for children under 12.

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Barbican, St Paul’s, Moorgate

Regulars

4 Scouted Secret Cash Machines, Last Chance London and much more

big picture: dominique tarle cover photos: NEIL ANDERSON / James Clothier

6 Talent Scout Actress Ashley Jensen takes us through her favourite London hotspots

Cover Story

8 Do It Yourself From cuisine to clubs, how creative Londoners are eschewing mass-organised events and doing it for themselves

The Big Picture 29 Brown Sugar on Main Street, Rolling Stones photography by Dominique Tarle & Peter Webb

Sections 16 20 27 29 32 34 38 40 48 55

London Food & Drink Shopping Art & Culture Comedy Film Small Screen Music Theatre Competitions

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The man who made Soho glow For a good chunk of the 20th century, Soho was known as London’s red light district. And nothing defined its look more than the neon signs advertising its saucy sanctums.

Credit for adding a touch of the fairground to the flesh-baring goes to neon artist Chris Bracey. In the mid-70s he persuaded one sex club owner to let him re-do his signage, and turned in the now infamous Girls Girls Girls neon advertisement. Within months, others commissioned him to perk up their clubs, and Soho became Bracey’s personal canvas.

Almost 40 years later, he is returning to his roots and opening a Soho pop-up shop, where he’ll be exhibiting and selling his work.

But don’t go expecting lots of sexy signs – after making a name for himself in Soho, Bracey went on to become one of the most in-demand neon artists in the world. He’s made pieces for major films by the likes of Tim Burton and Stanley Kubrick, and produced signs for fashion designers including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. He has also sold work to the likes of Lady Gaga, Kate Moss, Mark Zuckerberg, Jude Law and Elton John.

Chris Bracey: Circus of Soho, November 21-January 15, 47 Beak Street, godsownjunkyard.co.uk

//Secret Cash/////////////////////////// Machines of London///////////////// LONDON BRIDGE STATION/////////////

Head downstairs to The Vaults, the collection of shops and restaurants nestled in a historic tunnel below the station. ATMs are located at the base of the escalator.

Do you know a secret cash machine? Let us know on Twitter @ScoutLondon #secretcashmachines

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Always online

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Meet Mickey Mouse’s older brother Everyone knows Mickey Mouse. But few realise that he might never have been invented if Walt Disney had been able to keep the rights to one of his earlier cartoon characters, a noticeably similar creation called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Oswald was one of Disney’s earliest creations and a popular silent star of the 1920s. But after a contract dispute robbed him of control, Disney created Mickey, and a superstar was born.

A new exhibition at the Getty Images Gallery uses rarely-seen images and drawings from the Walt Disney Archive to look back at the early history of both characters, who have now been united after more than 80 years in new video game Mickey and Oswald’s Epic Tales.

last chance

LONDON 55 Days Hampstead Theatre Closes Sat Nov 24 All That Fall Arts Theatre Closes Sat Nov 24 Are We Nearly There Yet? Wilton’s Music Hall Closes Sat Nov 24 Berenice Donmar Warehouse Closes Sat Nov 24

The Getty Images Gallery, Westfield Stratford, November 23-25, free, gettyimagesgallery.com/westfieldstratford

Dim Sum Nights Artsdepot Closes Fri Nov 23

over to shopaholic pedestrians from 8am to 8pm. Many of the shops will run special promotions to tie in with the event, and there will be musical performances and surprise celebrity appearances.

This week Scout was made by. . .

1. Riding on time Mining the vaults for our favourite 90s dance tunes 2. Underground film Excitement about a cracking Christmas film line-up at the Old Vic Tunnels, courtesy of the Everyman cinema chain

Ewan Topping

3. Hall of horror Intrigue at what the new London Dungeon will look like after its £20m move to the South Bank

The Winter’s Tale The Rose Closes Sun Nov 25

a watched kettle eventually boils

2 3 1

4 5

Royal Ballet: Swan Lake Royal Opera House Closes Sat Nov 24

dumb.me.uk

JASON ALDEN

Want to get your Christmas shopping wrapped up earlier than normal this year? Well this Saturday (November 24) is a great time to start. Shopping Mecca Oxford Street will close to traffic and be given

NSFW Jerwood Theatre at Royal Court Closes Sat Nov 24

4. A blank Kansas The trailer for the Wizard of Oz prequel has been released.

Brains? Heart?

Courage? We’ll see 5. Nice new fringe Relief that Southwark Playhouse has found a promising temporary home near Elephant & Castle, while a new London Bridge base is developed

don’t underestimate my boredom scoutlondon.com Scout London

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Ashley Jensen Actress

Let’s go for a drink – Scout’s buying. Where shall we go?

The Windsor Castle in Kensington.

I love the ancient panelling and higgledy piggledy walls and the tiny door you have to stoop through to get to the other side of the bar. I also love the fact that when it was built you could actually see Windsor Castle from there.

Sounds delightful. Now how about a bite to eat?

Taormina in Bayswater is a wonderful, unpretentious Italian restaurant with great service, great grilled sardines and a great bowl of spaghetti aglio e olio.

Scout London Cover Stars 0017 Laura Kerridge, 22 Illustrator Deptford

What in London inspires you?

London pigeons. Their get up and go attitude, despite being hated, kicked at and often lacking a leg is pretty motivational.

Any London secrets to share?

It is absolutely worth all of the £3 to climb Monument if you have a spare 30 minutes, especially spontaneously in the morning when it is pretty empty.

Favourite part of London?

Piccadilly Circus is amazing – there is so much food, great bubble tea, bookshops, pubs and parks all close by and if something you want isn’t there, you can probably walk to it.

How important is London in your work?

If I hadn’t moved to London I doubt that I would have had the confidence to push my work so

Where’s your favourite outdoor spot?

Hyde Park. London has THE best parks in the world. They really are parks for the people, and there really is something for everyone Where do you get your shopping fix?

I love markets – flea markets, farmers’ markets fruit and veg markets, craft markets, antique markets. I love the vibe, the bustle, the energy and the thrill of finding a treasure you never even knew you needed. Or a bag of dirty, wonky carrots from their Somerset farmer.

What’s a great cultural experience you’ve had in London recently?

I went to see London Road by Alecky Blythe at the National Theatre. It was one of the most inventive, inspiring, ground breaking, moving, innovative (I could go on) pieces of theatre I have seen in years.

A Chorus of Disapproval, Harold Pinter Theatre, until January 5, achorusofdisapproval.com

much. In London anything seems possible; all the opportunities are there if you can find them and without those opportunities there really is not much a girl can do!

What’s next for you?

I’m working on some flyers for WOTA London. I’d like to illustrate another children’s book soon.

See more at: laurak.co.uk

Hey there, are you a talented creative? Fancy decorating the Scout London logo that appears on our cover each week?

We welcome London-based artists, designers, illustrators, photographers. Get in touch: talent@scoutlondon.com 6

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After hitting it big as Ricky Gervais’s socially-backward friend Maggie in comedy show Extras, 43-year-old Ashley Jensen has become a bona fide star of stage and screen. She spent three years in hit US show Ugly Betty, and had Hollywood success in Gnomeo & Juliet and Arthur Christmas. She is currently appearing with Rob Brydon in Alan Ayckbourn’s A Chorus of Disapproval at the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End.

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London We’re not talking about an afternoon arguing with your other half at Homebase. No, this DIY is all about ordinary people starting up extraordinary events, projects and enterprises. It’s about maverick street food, pop-up galleries, exciting new nightlife and a generation of self-starters who are making it all happen. Welcome to DIY London.

By Chris Beanland 8

Scout London scoutlondon.com

W H AT T H E H E L L I S D I Y ?

If you’ll pardon the phrase, DIY is a state of mind. It’s a dogged refusal to settle for the substandard, and an energetic willingness to followthrough on a project you believe in.

And in modern London, its fruits are everywhere you look.

From supperclubs to the East End’s pop-up shop epidemic, the DIY ethos is responsible for some of the city’s most exciting and novel contemporary culture. From the weird to the wonderful, it can touch us all.

However, it’s not a new concept.

The idea of doing it yourself was

born in a fug of 60s radicalism and weed smoke. And it really took off with the punk movement in the 70s, which embodied the DIY ethos as wholeheartedly as any scene before or since.

This article is about the current generation of DIYers; those who do it for the love, not the money; those who have turned off the TV and created something remarkable.

THIS IS THE DIY CITY

The point with DIY today is that, if you’re sick of chain restaurants, superclubs, supermarkets, supersized art galleries and so on, you

NEIL ANDERSON / James Clothier

can start up your own smallscale alternative. Anything and everything can be DIY – from projects supporting refugees in Willesden, to the squatting movement in Kennington, to the Cambridge Heath Road warehouse party scene. And in the age of social media, it’s easier than ever to get the word out.

The desire to do something yourself clearly expresses a dissatisfaction with what’s out there already. And for many people, that’s all the motivation they need. “Our night started because we were feeling unfulfilled by the

London clubbing scene, bored of the nights we went to,” says Christine Crowther, who puts on 80s night Midnight A Go-Go in Battersea and Stoke Newington with friend Matthew Hayman. “We felt that we could throw a good party ourselves.”

And that’s one of the best things about culture in the capital: there are so many potential punters out there that every idea has an audience, somewhere.

“If you’re putting on a night, it helps to have a theme, such as Swap-a-Rama, or Indie Bingo,” says Christian Laing. His theme

was bubble machines and secret venues when he started popular indie night Buttoned Down Disco 10 years ago. “It’s also best not to tie your ideas to a conventional space,” he reckons. “We’ve thrown parties on boats, at the V&A, in bowling alleys and all sorts.”

DIY FOOD & DRINK

Perhaps more than any other field, London’s DIY food scene is at an all-time high. To some extent, the supperclub fad has been and gone. But it has been replaced by a barrage of wildly successful street food start-ups, which often

capitalise on the popularity of food markets.

More so than any single producer, London’s biggest foodie DIY success story is the muchhyped Brixton Village, an entire covered market complex of smallscale first-step food projects that heaves with crowds every weekend.

Rosie Birkett from Brixton was bored of just writing about food for newspapers such as The Independent, and wanted to make it herself instead. So she got roasting with friend Andrew Dollymore, and together they started selling sandwiches dipped scoutlondon.com Scout London

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PRs of late. But they are still easily outnumbered by ambitious, entrepreneurial foodies.

D I Y A RC HI T ECT U R E & ART

Artists are some of the most entrepreneurial people in the world (often by necessity, rather than a hunger for financial gain). Many contemporary successful artists didn’t find fame by waiting for galleries to come knocking – they took the initiative and started a DIY project which then drew attention to their work. An unknown Damien Hirst created the Freeze exhibition, which virtually kick-started the

Try out

DI Y

10 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Mais oui Fren

ch Dip

Young British Artist movement. And Tracey Emin and DIYum Brixton Village is home to some Sarah Lucas opened delicious DIY food experimenters their own shop to sell their work.

“London is a of Chelsea Harbour and Islington fantastic city to be into attractive gardens where art able to make things happen in. I is showcased. think that Londoners are very Underhill flags up the power of supportive of start-ups,” Emma crowd funding as a key to success: Underhill tells Scout. She is “Platforms like Indiegogo and responsible for the Floating Cinema, which graced the Regents Kickstarter enable individuals to Canal in the summer, and the generate funds when grant-giving ongoing Secret Garden Project, schemes are so over-subscribed which has transformed sections and corporate sponsorship is

F rench D ip L ondon

M idnight A G o - G o

Baguettes filled with roast meats and dipped in roasting juices. Rosie Birkett and Andrew Dolleymore dish up home-made heart-stoppers at Brixton Market and Herne Hill Market - where you can find plenty of other artisanal action too. facebook.com/LondonFrenchDip

It’s like Miami Vice never went away when the wonderfully exuberant Midnight A Go-Go takes over The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington and the Lost Angel in Battersea. The 80s night has also had live acts like Charlotte Hatherley grace its stage – and even threw a party in Berlin last weekend. midnightagogolondon. tumblr.com

rex features / SIMON KIMBER

in meat juices at farmers’ markets.

“I’d had French dip in LA and wanted to bring it to London and give it a British spin,” she explains.

“If you’ve got an idea, just get out there and do it. Don’t be too worried about coming up with something totally original. Most things have been done anyway, and they can always be given a new twist.”

Based on the success of supperclubs like The Secret Ingredient and food trucks such as Lucky Chip and the Meatwagon (now a chain of restaurants), the ‘pop-up’ concept has been somewhat hijacked by big company

DON’T IT

Dippy about food Rosie Birkett runs a French Dip stand

YOURSELF

MISTAKES

NO T T O

MAKE “We ordered our bread from our lovely baker in Herne Hill. By the time we got it back here and checked it we were just about to open the stall and realised the rolls were way too small. It almost scuppered us - but we called the bakers and they baked us a fresh batch, free of charge.”

Helen Cathcart

ROSIE BIRKETT

getting less attainable.”

While some DIY schemes eventually rise above their humble roots to attain mainstream commercial glory, others aim to stay determinedly underground.

Alexei Schwab lives with other artists in the warehouse-littered section of Manor House where those in-the-know can find everything from techno nights to late night burlesque shows on any old average weekend. But the increasingly cool profile that comes with such arty goings-on might soon burst the cheap rent bubble of those living there, thereby

ending the spate of DIY events.

“Landlords have cottoned on that people will pay normal rents to live in really basic spaces and those of us who moved into warehouses because they were a cheap alternative are being priced out,” says Schwab, who has asked us not to name his gallery for fear of over-commercialisation. “Being a cynic, I think people are embracing the DIY aesthetic without recognising the reasons that others became involved in the first place: we don’t – or can’t – make enough money to be able to pursue interests in the arts any other way.”

L ima Z ulu

O ff T he R ecord

B U S T C hristmas C raftacular

In the lea of the slope behind Manor House Tube station there’s a host of warehouses where you can see art, new documentary films, take part in debates and discussions, or just party. Lima Zulu has some of the area’s best art curation. limazulu.co.uk

Off The Record is a new community get together and networking night in London for journalists and anyone working in media and new media, started last month by two London journalists.

Next event: November 21, The Rev JW Simpson, Fitzrovia, facebook.com/ offtherecordlondon

American magazine BUST has run a day of vintage selling, crafting, tea drinking and assorted alternative merriment aimed at left-leaning ladies with style in New York for yonks. BUST’s annual London blowout is next month.

Next event: December 16, York Hall, Old Ford Rd, Bethnal Green, .bust.com/craftacular

DIY DESIGN & CRAFTS

London is awash with markets selling the wares of talented designer-makers. There are the obvious ones, such as Spitalfields and Greenwich, but any stroll through the more bustling sections of the East End will likely reveal a variety of stalls in all manner of places, each manned by freshfaced creatives determined to make their talents pay.

Victoria Woodcock, who has written a book about crafting, says: “My friend and I started up the London arm of the BUST magazine

“Don’t get too mashed if you’re DJ-ing!”

C hristian L aing

TURN OVER FOR MORE scoutlondon.com Scout London 11

HOW TO BOOK You can pick up a real bargain at the TKTS booth. There is a wide variety of London shows to choose from, both for on the day performances and up to a week in advance. All you have to do is check out the shows available at tkts.co.uk or at the booth where our

TKTS.CO.UK

experienced and friendly sales team will be pleased to help with any queries you have.

Tickets can only be bought in person at the booth. We accept credit and debit cards, cash and Theatre Tokens. There is a ÂŁ3 booking fee on discounted tickets but nothing if we can only offer full price.

OPEN EVERYDAY: Mon-Sat 09.00-19.00, Sun 10.30-16.30 TKTS is run by the Society of London Theatre. All profits support the theatre industry. TKTS is a registered trademark owned by and used under licence from Theatre Development Fund Inc. There is no other relationship or affiliation between the Society of London Theatre and Theatre Development Fund Inc, a New York not for profit corporation.

powered by:

DON’T IT YOURSELF

MISTAKES

NO T T O

MAKE

Sounding good The

team from This is my

“It is very unlikely you will be a success after one show. It takes work and dedication but if you are going to do something yourself you obviously love that thing so this shouldn’t be a problem. Be patient.”

Jam

C hristine C rowther

Craftacular in 2008. We’re both of a crafty persuasion and felt London was lacking a hip craft fair.

“I helped out with the first BUST Craftacular event in New York a few years earlier and thought we could bring the same format – stalls of designer-makers alongside DIY workshops and DJs – over here.”

DIY ONLINE

More of a newcomer to the party, the internet nevertheless eclipses virtually every other arena in its DIY possibilities. Most of the world’s

online success stories didn’t start in fancy glass-plated offices; they started in pokey bedrooms, dreamed up by ambitious nerds with ideas. To some extent, it’s now easier than ever. Even if you can’t code HTML, all you need is a friend who can and an idea. And starting a blog doesn’t even require any techno-savviness.

“Small groups of people can now come together and make things that only multi-national organisations would’ve been able to previously,” reckons Matthew

Ogle. “There’s an incredible amount of energy in the hacker and maker community: groups like London Hackspace (london.hackspace. org.uk) or Newspaper Club (newspaperclub.com).”

Ogle previously worked at music internet firm Last.fm but went on to co-found the ‘choose one song’ website This Is My Jam with a former colleague and friends in the ‘Silicon Roundabout’ area of Old Street.

“I was dreaming up Jam: a new way to share just one song

T his I s M y J am

C ringe

One of the neatest of the new breed of music websites, This Is My Jam was founded in Shoreditch by two former Last.fm staffers who decided to go it alone. thisismyjam.com

“Dear Diary, I fancy Eleanor.” Can you face reading out your teenage musings to an audience of strangers? Sarah Brown started this spoken word night in New York and now it’s at the George pub on the Strand. Bring your journal, schmaltzy short stories and lamentable song lyrics. queserasera.org

Open up Diary readings

“Don’t drink and then count money.

The number of times I’ve had to count, recount and count again takings from a club night or a DJs fees...”

L ouis C ook

TURN OVER FOR MORE scoutlondon.com Scout London 13

Readerfer: Of Ticket £32 2 for 15!

SAVEX£SCOUT)

OF CHRISTMAS

TO (Quote

— A world of festive food and drink — 7-9 DECEMBER - ExCeL LONDON Discover all the inspiration you need this festive season at Taste of Christmas. Learn from the experts including world famous chefs Michel Roux Jr, Jamie Oliver, The Baker Brothers and Mary Berry to create a gastronomic delight for the entire family. The UK’s finest restaurants will be serving their seasonal specials and cooking up some culinary magic to get your tastebuds tingling. Tick off your Christmas wish list from hundreds of fine food and boutique market stalls or get hands on in a cheese and wine tasting or cookery class.

For tickets, visit tasteofchristmas.com or call 0870 161 2129 For the latest news and exclusive offers, socialise with us on

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*Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras. Saving calculated on the door price. Booking and transaction fees apply.

Scan to view the Taste showreel

marketing by day but also runs the bass-themed website and club night Hyponik with a group of friends, says: “I guess the current economic climate has something to do with people striking out on their own. But, to be honest, I think London consistently has creative, daring people.”

Above and below

D I Y T H E AT R E

left Hyponik club nig

ht

Crafty stuff BUST Craftacular

What she said Drop Out Venus at the Sebri

ght Arms

and make it personal. It was a better experience than chucking an anonymous YouTube or Spotify link onto Facebook. Now it’s just over a year later, This Is My Jam is doing great, and we’ve nearly completed spinning it out into its own company.”

DIY MUSIC & CLUBS

NEIL ANDERSON / James Clothier

Putting on underground bands and club nights is pretty much where DIY began. And, in one of the world’s most dynamic musical cities, it should come as no surprise that this side of the music scene is

as vibrant as ever.

It’s not to the big clubs and venues that you head if you want to discover the city’s most exciting new music – it’s to the tiny basement clubs and far-flung warehouse parties. It wasn’t so long ago that the only place to dance to dubstep in the entire world was at small and dingy Shoreditch club Plastic People – at a night put on by the very people that were making the music itself.

“Many people are multi-taskers – running nights, DJ-ing, blogging, scouting and putting out records,”

says Bronya Francis, who is Notion magazine’s new music editor and started What She Said at The Sebright Arms in Hackney with Rhea Taylor from Universal Records and Jess Partridge from Fierce Panda and London In Stereo.

Partridge reckons: “London is such a great place for DIY culture at the moment because people are starting to care more about the little things – you can get people to really notice you by making an extra effort to give them what they want.”

Louis Cook, who works in

One only need consider the seismic influence and gargantuan popularity of the Edinburgh Fringe to appreciate just how hard the pulse beats in the UK’s DIY theatre scene. As with so much culture, the heart of this scene is in London, where untold numbers of driven creatives are currently staging everything from Shakespeare to immersive avant-garde in locations that range from empty office buildings to old railway tunnels.

Some of the UK’s most exciting and radical new theatre companies, such as Punchdrunk and You Me Bum Bum Train, began life as tiny DIY projects that managed to turn minimal funds into masterpieces of modern theatre.

But, with so much competition out there, pulling in the punters is far from easy. “Drumming up a crowd can be difficult, so making sure you’ve got a good press release to send out is essential,” advises Derek Bond, who has directed plays at fringe theatres such as Theatre503 in Battersea and the Old Red Lion in Angel.

“Peter Brook said that if one person walks across an empty space while one person watches them, that’s theatre. And for some fringe shows, one person is the average audience!”

BUTTONED DOWN DISCO

S ecret G arden P roject

W hat S he S aid

Christian Laing started Buttoned Down Disco ten years ago. It began as a hobby, but is now one of the biggest indie nights in London, with a residency at major Camden venue Koko.

Next event: December 1, Koko, Camden, buttoneddowndisco.com

Check out some amazing secret gardens that were made in Chelsea (and Islington) by Emma Underhill and the team from UP. Runs until July 2013, Duncan Terrace Gardens, Islington, and Cremone Gardens, Lots Road, Chelsea upprojects.com

At their first event last month they secured the services of hip bands Drop Out Venus and Ssspress at cool Hackney venue The Sebright Arms. wsspresents.tumblr.com

All that glitters Buttoned Down Disco

scoutlondon.com Scout London 15

Filling up The St John’s Wood shelter

Ever wondered why there is a smattering of odd green huts dotted around London? Well wonder no more – they’re the historic refuge of our faithful taxi drivers, as Dawn Starin explains

O

ne stormy night in 1874 Captain George Armstrong, a St John’s Wood resident, sent his servant out to find him a cab.

It proved to be an impossible task, because all the drivers had abandoned their posts to seek refuge, warmth and drink in a local pub. Frustrated, Armstrong felt that if the cab drivers were provided with alcohol-free, heated shelters, they would not resort to “the demon drink” and would be easier to find. So he rounded up some of his wealthy friends and acquaintances, started a building fund, and opened the first shelter at the cabstand nearest his home – or so the story goes.

Between 1875 and 1914, 61 taxi shelters were built in London.

Today only 13 of the original green, timber-framed shelters still survive, all as listed buildings. But they all still function in the same way they were intended.

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The original menu consisted of coffee, tea, cocoa, bread and margarine, and for a penny the attendant would also cook food brought in by the cabbies. Today, roast pork with crackling, fresh salads, lamb and leek stew, grilled vegetables and chicken curry can be found on the menus.

It used to be retired cabbies who operated the shelters. The attendant was not usually paid, but he (it was always a man) was expected to make an income from the sale of food and non-alcoholic drinks. Today the shelters are run by tenants – the majority of whom are women.

Originally the shelters catered only to the cabbies. Today, while only taxi drivers are allowed inside the shelter, take-away food is served through a window hatch to all-comers. In fact, the shelters would probably run at a loss if they could not carry on a take-away trade. Pat, who runs the Warwick

Avenue shelter (main photo) says she manages – “just barely” – to pay her bills, but would not be able to do so if she didn’t have the takeaway hatch.

She says she doesn’t raise her prices because “I don’t want to get ripped off when I go anywhere so why would I rip people off?”

That is exactly why she continues to attract contractors, tourists, parking attendants, students, street sweepers and cyclists, who all queue for her coffee, tea and sandwiches.

Lidija, who comes from Croatia, runs the St John’s Wood hut and brings some of her gastronomic roots to the shelter table. She has a jar of special spices to add to her dishes and, according to one of the local shopkeepers who regularly buys his lunch from her: “Lidija manages to take an ordinary sandwich and make it special.

She’s got some unusual spices she uses and I really like ’em.”

Visit these locations using our map: j.mp/ScoutCabMap

dawn starin

Gimme shelter

Each shelter has its own personality and most cabbies seem to have their favourite. One says he always goes to Warwick Avenue “because Pat does good old-fashioned English cooking and we always have a laugh”. Another cabbie is a regular at Lidija’s because “she knows how to make healthy salads and she knows how to calm us down ’cause she runs a cool, laid-back shelter”. However, one driver confesses to being a ‘hut slut’ and says he “will go anywhere, anytime”.

Before the shelters were established, it was the pub where the cabbies’ social interactions took place. Now it is in the shelters where gossip is exchanged, stories are told, politics, philosophy and economics are discussed, and traffic problems are shared. Today the shelters are like community centres, giving a much-needed respite from grouchy fares and road works. Or, as one cabbie says: “This is home away from home, my special place. I come here to meet my friends, get a decent cuppa and a sarnie”.

ONGOING Cabaret Mechanical Theatre - Part Two at Space Station Sixty-Five, North Cross Road, SE22 9ET East Dulwich Thu-Sun 12noon-6pm, FREE, except for a few coin-operated machines. A collection of automata, many of which can be operated at the touch of a button Until Jan 6.

Natural History Museum Ice Rink at Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD South Kensington Mon-Wed, Sun 10am-10pm, Thu-Sat 10am-11pm, £11.50 & £13.50, child £8 & £9, family £31 & £36. Young and old take to 950-square metres of ice against the dramatic backdrop of the world renowned museum. Until Jan 6.

The PING And Spitfire Movember Treatment at PING Kitchen, Bar & Ping Pong Rooms, Earls Court Road, SW5 9QG Earl’s Court Mon-Wed 6pm-11pm, ends Nov 28, donations welcome FREE. The PING venue joins forces with Spitfire Ales in offering a full Mo treatment for the men of the world. Until Nov 28.

Skate At Somerset House at Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA Temple From Nov 16, Mon-Sun 10am10.15pm, £7.50-£14, Ice rink. Until Jan 6.

Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, W2 2UH Hyde Park Corner FREE, ride prices vary, 5pm-10pm. A yuletide market, Santa’s factory and various rides including a double-decker carousel, star flyer and three rollercoasters.

Monday November 19 In Conversation: Subterranean London at London Transport Museum Depot, 2 Museum Way, W3 9BQ Acton Town phone for availability, phone for prices, 6.30pm-8pm.

Murder And Grave Robbery In 1830s London: Talk at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican £7, concs £6, adv booking required, 7pm-8.30pm. Sarah Wise explores the grotesque world of the resurrectionists.

The Poetry Of Free Expression: Celebrating 40 Years Of Index On Censorship: Poetry Reading at Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG King’s Cross St Pancras £9.50, 7pm. Actors Simon Callow and Roger LloydPack and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby read poetry.

Tuesday November 20 3 Mile Radius at Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8EH Chalk Farm £5, adv £3, 7.30pm. Poetry readings from Talia Randall, Rob Auton, Paul Cree, Sean Mahoney and Katie Bonna.

Arts Of Wellbeing 2012: Dominic Berry: Panic Attack At The Disco at The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, NW8 8EH Marylebone £8, concs £6, 7.30pm.

Witty poetry combining the serious and the lighthearted.

Charity Pub Quiz at Paradise By Way Of Kensal Green, 19 Kilburn Lane, W10 4AE Kensal Green £10, 7.30pm-11pm. Hosted by Amal Fashanu and Gordon Kennedy, followed by live music from Guy Chambers and Farhan Mannan.

The Inequality Debate: Talk at The Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ Paddington £12.50, concs £10, adv booking required, 7pm.

Pongathon at Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA Aldgate East FREE, 5pm-11pm. Ping pong games with visual art and music.

Pubsci: Museums And Science: Talk at Upstairs At The Ritzy, Coldharbour Lane, SW2 1JG Brixton donation £2.50, 6.45pm, 7.30pm. Curator Paolo Viscardi discusses the role of museum collections.

Wednesday November 21 18th-Century Wine Tasting at Kensington Palace State Apartments, Kensington Gardens, W8 4PX High Street Kensington £25, mems £22, phone for availability, 6.15pm-8pm.

Find out about the drink’s history and sample some that would have been served.

wally gobetz

Transport for London travel update

Circle line Service suspended all weekend.

District line No service Earl's Court to Edgware Road and Kensington (Olympia) all weekend

Hammersmith & City line No service Baker Street to Hammersmith, from 10pm on Sunday.

Metropolitan line No service Wembley Park to Northwood and Uxbridge n Saturday. No service Wembley Park to Northwood and Uxbridge all day and Baker Street to Aldgate from 10pm on Sunday.

Northern line No service Camden Town to Edgware, closed until 8.30am southbound and 9am northbound on Sunday.

Dockland Light Railway No service Canning Town to Beckton and Bank to Shadwell all weekend.

London Overground No service Richmond to Camden Road until 12.30pm and Shepherd's Bush to Willesden Junction until 12.30pm on Sunday.

For the latest information visit tfl.gov.uk

Anthropomorphic Mouse: Taxidermy Class at Viktor Wynd Fine Art Inc, 11 Mare Cambridge Heath Street, E8 4RP phone for prices, 1pm. With taxidermist Maybelle Edwards.

Alan Bennett: Talk at National Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £4, concs £3, phone for availability, 6pm. The award-winning writer reads excerpts from his vast body of work and waxes lyrical about his new play, People.

An Evening With The Stars at Royal Observatory Greenwich, Greenwich Park, Blackheath Avenue, SE10 8XJ Greenwich £16, child/concs £14, family £56, 5.30pm-7.30pm, 6.50pm8.50pm. Learn about the night sky in a planetarium show before looking through the 18-tonne Victorian telescope.

Scroobius Pip And Polarbear: Inspired Word: Talk at Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP South Kensington phone for prices, phone for availability, 8pm.

The spoken word artists tap into cultural unease and political disaffection.

Hyper Japan at Earls Court, Warwick Road, SW5 9TA Earl’s Court £6-£15, under 10s FREE, adv booking required, 2pm8pm. Showcase of Japanese pop culture and cuisine.

South Ken Kids Festival 2012: Launch Event: Quentin Blake & Joann Sfar (Over 5s) at Institut Francais Du Royaume-Uni, 17 Queensberry Place, SW7 2DT South Kensington £5, 6pm-7pm.

Thrift Designer Night: Talk at Design Museum, 28 Butlers Wharf Shad Thames, SE1 2YD London Bridge £15, mems £7.50, adv booking required, 7.30pm. An evening of conversation and workshops.

Saturday November 24

A Glorious Evening Of Poetry And Music With John Hegley And Friends at Keats House, 10 Keats Grove, NW3 2RR Hampstead £12, concs £7, inc drink, 7pm-8.30pm. A fundraising event in aid of Amnesty’s annual Write for Rights campaign.

Thursday November 22 Dr Sketchy at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall phone for prices, 8pm, doors.

An art workshop in a burlesque environment for over 18s.

Glen Matlock: Book Launch at Rough Trade East, Brick Lane, E1 6QL Aldgate East phone for prices, 7pm.

The musician discusses, reads from and signs copies of his book I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol.

Steve Rider: Book Signing at Waterstones, Leadenhall Market, 2-3 Whittington Avenue, Leadenhall Market, EC3V 1PJ Bank FREE, 12.30pm.

The sports presenter signs copies of My Chequered Career: Thirty-Five Years Of Televising Motorsport.

The Winter Garden Party at Theatre Delicatessen, 35 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QA Baker Street adv £15, 8pm.

Various musical and theatrical activities.

Friday November 23 An Evening With The Stars at Royal Observatory Greenwich, Greenwich Park, Blackheath Avenue, SE10 8XJ Greenwich £16, child/concs £14, family £56, 5.30pm-7.30pm, 6.50pm8.50pm. Learn about the night sky in a planetarium show before looking through the 18-tonne Victorian telescope.

Steve Backshall: Book Signing at Waterstones, 203-206 Piccadilly, W1J 9LE Piccadilly Circus FREE, 12.30pm.

Family Day: Craft In Action at William Morris Gallery, William Morris Gallery Forest Road, E17 4PP Walthamstow Central FREE, 12noon-3pm.

Diwali Celebrations at National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, SE10 9NF Greenwich FREE, 11am-5pm.

Dressmaking: Make A Dress Weekender at The Papered Parlour, 7 Prescott Place, SW4 6BS Clapham Common £147.50 inc materials & refreshments, 12noon-5pm.

Lomography Workshops at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican £12, concs £10, mems £9, adv booking required, 1.30pm-3.30pm.

Lomography experts will show how to achieve vibrant results with old school cameras and film.

Gary Mabbutt: Book Signing at Waterstones, Walthamstow, Selborne Walk, E17 7JR Walthamstow Queens Road FREE, 11am-12noon. The Spurs and England veteran signs copies of Spurs Miscellany.

Sunday November 25 Antiques, Collectors And 20th Century Fair at Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY Wood Green £5, 9.30am-4.30pm. Furniture, ceramics, paintings and artefacts.

The Directors Guild Peter Brook Lecture: Nicholas Hytner at The British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB Euston £7.50, concs £5, adv booking required, 2pm3.15pm. The National Theatre’s Director discusses directing and the theatre industry.

Dressmaking: Make A Dress Weekender at The Papered Parlour, 7 Prescott Place, SW4 6BS Clapham Common £147.50 inc materials & refreshments, 12noon-5pm.

Rockstars Say The Funniest Things: Talk at The Garage, 20-26 Highbury Corner, N5 1RD Highbury & Islington £18.50, 8.30pm, doors 7.30pm. Readings, questions and music with Chris Jericho.

scoutlondon.com Scout London 17

Southbank Centre presents

a season of magical encounters

SLAVA’S SNOWSHOW Monday 17 December – Monday 7 January After its sell-out season last year, the global theatrical hit returns to the Royal Festival Hall.

‘Subtle, poetic, a delightful fam (The Sunday Teleg . Via ©V

This Christmas, you have another chance to experience this joyous dream-like world which will touch both your heart and funny bone, culminating in a breathtaking blizzard leaving you literally knee-deep in snow!

l& z ope A. L

For ages 8+

‘A magical work of wonder.’  (London Evening Standard)

A vintag

Dine in Vintage style

For an extra special New Year’s Eve, you can dine in style with a delicious three-course meal without missing any of the entertainment.

C br awa Roya in spe nightc

‘Witness the birth of a new star. She is sensational.’  (The Times)

MEOW MEOW’S

LITTLE MATCH GIRL -Br own

Thursday 13 – Sunday 30 December

ast ing

s. D res s by H

arv ey B

Following a sold-out run at Sydney Festival, international cabaret sensation Meow Meow returns to London with her deliciously dark twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic winter tale.

©M

agn u

sH

For ages 15+

CLOUD MAN Saturday 22 December – Sunday 6 January

JULIEN COTTEREAU

Come on a magical puppet adventure to Cloud Mountain for a rare glimpse of the elusive Cloud Man. You are bound to see something very special indeed.

Imagine Toi

Thursday 13 – Monday 24 December A world of pure imagination and wonder with this former star clown from Cirque du Soleil, who will have the whole family in stitches.

For ages 4+

For ages 4 – 7

‘A joy to behold.’ (Glasgow Herald)

MARKETS

Southbank Centre Christmas Market

‘Cottereau is a force of nature who has to be seen to be believed.’  (Metro) , extremely funny... mily show’.  graph, Sydney)

16 November – 24 December

Wooden chalets filled with festive food, drinks, gifts and treats run along the twinkling riverside. Enjoy mulled wine, bratwurst and gingerbread whilst taking in the sights and sounds of London at Christmas time.

Chocolate Festival

7 – 9 December

Discover the delights of fine artisan chocolate. Indulge yourself or take home irresistible Christmas presents and treat someone else!

Real Food Christmas Market

14 – 16 & 20 – 23 December

ge new year’s eve party

Try and buy mince pies, mulled wine, cheeses, chutneys, charcuterie and all manner of festive bites, ingredients and gifts.

Monday 31 December

Celebrate the New Year in iconic style, with exclusive access to Southbank Centre and one of London’s most reathtaking views. Enjoy the fireworks way from the crowds then head into al Festival Hall to welcome 2013 ectacular style with pop-up clubs, bars, cinemas and more.

tickets: 0844 847 9910 | southbankcentre.co.uk/winter

What do chefs eat at home?

They may have enviable skills in the kitchen, but when they get home, many chefs settle for something a little more ‘grub’ than ‘gourmet’. By Ben Norum

H

aving spent the day cooking for other people, what is it that London’s top chefs settle down to when they get home, hungry?

It’s only natural that after spending all day faffing with foodie finesse, chefs are in the market for something much more simple to line their own stomachs. And different though the dishes they dole out might be, the names behind this city’s top suppers are often in agreement when it comes to post-work provisions.

Cheese is the chow of choice for many.

TV chef Ravinder Bhogal specifically seeks out “St John bread and cheese the size of my head”, while Salt Yard’s Ben Tish can’t resist cheddar and HP sauce sandwiches. And Kim Woodward, head chef at Gordon Ramsay’s York & Albany probably couldn’t quite get away with putting her late night chocolate and cheddar combo on the menu at work.

Cereal is another popular option. Sean Burbidge, head chef at Petrus admits that after work he’ll sometimes “pop some bread in the oven, get some French cheeses out with a couple of slices of Iberico ham and have it on the crusty warm bread”, but that more often than not he’ll have Crunchy Nut Cornflakes.

Less common choices include Michelin-starred Launceston Place chef Tim Allen’s KP peanuts and Mars bar icecreams, Roka chef Hamish Brown’s sushi rice and soya sauce with shichimi pepper, and Caravan’s Miles Kerby’s compelling urge for crumpets.

It’s not all about staying in and raiding

20 Scout London scoutlondon.com

“ I t can vary from eating any ‘ mistaken ’ orders , to a b owl of pasta . . .

I do like F ray Bentos steak and kidney pie and sugared ring donuts .” rowley leigh

“ I love roast chicken or a

the cupboards, though. Chinatown is the destination for many, with 24-hour restaurant 1997 among popular picks.

Andre Garrett, head chef at Galvin at Windows is one regular, sometimes with team in tow, but will happily grab a spicy pizza from wherever is open otherwise.

So far, so trashy – and understandably so. After all, it’s got to be something of a busman’s holiday knocking up a gourmet banquet for yourself after a 15-hour shift, or longer. But chefs’ after-hours feasting isn’t all about getting full on comfort food: for many, it forms an integral part of how they work together in the kitchen.

Chef Skye Gyngell, who left Michelinstarred Petersham Nurseries in January and is now preparing to oversee the food at Heckfield Place in Hampshire, as well as opening a new London venture, says: “Once the last tables were cleared I would sit down with everyone and eat bits and pieces of what was left over. Usually lots of vegetables, a salad and a little bits of meat or fish. It’s nice if everyone eats together after service as it’s a chance to talk through things and relax. It’s really important that a staff meal is good. You can’t expect your staff to love and respect good food if you don’t feed them well.”

At South Kensington’s Apero, chef Chris Golding says: “After service on a Friday night we cook a curry and have a beer. A different chef cooks each week and it is becoming quite competitive. It is something we look forward to, sitting around in the kitchen after service, drinking beer and eating curry, talking about what’s happened during that week.”

simple pasta dish , b ut my guilty pleasure is nutella on white b read .”

ANGELA HARTNETT

“ I eat a spice masala omelette and a sweet teacake .

A lso J ammy D odgers ! ” V ivek singh

“ I might have something simple like grilled mackerel with rhu b ar b and some toasted soda b read .

K it kats are also a favourite .”

RICHARD CORRIGAN

Top Ten thanksgiving

Authentic American food served up for 1 Christopher’s over 20 years WC2E 7DD Covent Garden

Breakfast Club Traditional three course meal 2 The and fun and games to boot N1 8EA

Angel

Thanksgiving with a French twist W1W 5QB 3 Villandry Great Portland Street

MASH Soho £££

Family style platters 4 Bodeans Oxford Circus W1F 8PZ

Named from the acronym of Modern American Steak House, rather than a tribute to the darkly comic war film/TV series, this is the first international outpost of a small restaurant chain from Denmark. The theme is 100 per cent USA but meat is shipped in from Australia and Uruguay. Multiculturalism gone mad, one might think, but the Copenhagen original is apparently a popular haunt for the country’s man-of-themoment, Noma’s Rene Redzepi.

To their credit, the Danes evidently do American Steakhouses in style. From the swanky spiral staircase which diners descend on arrival, to the lavish red carpets, elaborate hanging lights and long brass bar, the space exudes a handsome, old-school glamour.

It’s perhaps better suited to Mayfair than its Soho basement location, but impressive all the same.

The food is, sadly, less slick than the surrounds. Smoked salmon served with potatoes and spinach does what it says on the tin, giving a sly nod to Scandinavian cuisine along the way.

But that’s the highlight. Fried squid is a mess of overly thick and soggy batter to the point there may as well have been no squid at all, let alone the billed chilli and lime.

It’s hard to be open-minded about a steak selection which boasts of being gathered from around the world yet completely snubs our own British beef, but we try. A Danish sirloin comes cooked as requested and promptly served, but something’s not quite right. The cut’s

A touch of class above Kensington at The 5 Babylon Roof Gardens W8 5SA Kensington High Street

J Beans Finish with 6 Henry pecan pie SW3 5ED Sloane Square

Angel Located in America Square 7 Missouri EC3N 2LJ Tower Hill Hollywood Pumpkin soup for starters SW1Y 4QX 8 Planet Piccadilly Circus Retro styling, proper meals W1S 4NF 9 Automat Green Park

Whole Foods Market dinners to take 10 Oven-ready away – feel free to take credit W8 5SE Kensington High Street

trademark rim of fat which gives the steak its shape – not to mention flavour – is alarmingly missing altogether. Combined with a strange and superfluous clingy gravy coating and some unremarkable chips, the experience is a not a wholly unenjoyable one, but it is disconcerting.

A Uruguayan ribeye fares better, the meat benefitting from the marbling of fat for which the Hereford Breed Cattle are famous. Weird clingy gravy aside, it’s a top steak. But when reading the menu’s helpfully tantalising, M&S-ad-style description of Hereford Beef, it’s worth bearing in mind its origins – the clue’s in the name. From the early 19th century into the 1980s, British beef had such a good reputation that we exported many of the best examples of our native cattle breeds to other countries around the world for breeding. It is the product of this breeding that we are now being served. No matter how glamorous the decor, tucking into a steak at MASH is the food equivalent of a Parisian flying to Las Vegas to see the imitation Eiffel Tower. All year London has been decorated with Union flags and peppered with patriotism; if there’s any substance to the sentiment then surely such a restaurant should have no audience. Unless, of course, they’re just really big fans of clingy gravy. Ben Norum 81 Brewer Street W1F 0RH Piccadilly Circus scoutlondon.com Scout London 21

Apsley’s ££££

The Anthologist ££

Opened by the second most famous Heinz in the world, there’s no chance of finding beans on toast on the menu at this glamorous restaurant within The Lanesborough Hotel, which has opulent Venetian-style decor. Dishes such as carbonara fagottelli demonstrate just why chef Heinz Beck has been decorated with three Michelin stars: a twist on the spaghetti classic, here the silken eggy mix is encased in tortelloni-shaped pasta, which burst on biting.

Likewise, halibut with wild mushrooms and a piquant celery sauce; and lamb saddle smothered in a saltily rich and earthy black olive paste manage what a lot of finer-than-fine-dining establishments can’t: reaching a happy balance between a hearty feed and cheffy finesse. At £65 for a five-course tasting menu, this is a ‘special occasion’ eat, but what better setting for it. BN

The eclectic, multi-faceted layout of this venue feels like something of an architectural playground that’s much too fun for its City surrounds. It mischievously refuses to be pinned down as either a pub, bar or restaurant; the menu is playful and includes table-top flambéing, fondues and a predominance of platters to share. A flatbread ‘pizza’ topped with a selection of chorizo, pickled peppers and sun-dried tomatoes, all sourced from Borough Market over the bridge, is a highlight. Many bog standard dishes are jazzed up with quality ingredients and creative touches: leeks elevate a Mac’n’Cheese, a cheddar crust is the crowning glory of a fish pie, and guacamole and pineapple are a delectable duo in an otherwise mediocre burger. Food-wise it’s A for effort and B for attainment, but it’s full marks when value-for-money is considered. BN

Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA

Hyde Park Corner

58 Gresham Street, EC2V 7BB

Bank

Maze Sushi Bar £££

Brasserie Zedel £

This newest addition to Gordon Ramsay’s Grosvenor Square stalwart is sandwiched between the fine-dining restaurant and the grill – it’s a refined enough filling to make even cucumber seem plebeian. Born in France, of Japanese origin and trained in both cuisines, sushi chef Gohei Kishi heads up the bar and may as well have been genetically engineered for the role. And roll he can, whether it’s a simple but stunningly fresh-flavoured and beautifully-presented spicy tuna maki roll or a more European-influenced foie gras number. Snow crab served with mixed seaweeds, dashi and pickled wasabi is a seaspray scented joy; sea bass carpaccio radiates with a subtle but sublime hit of citrussy ponzu dressing. If sushi, sashimi and sake aren’t all you’re after, then you can head to the grill where the menu pairs Gohei’s delicate creations with butch steak for the ultimate in surf ’n’ turf. BN

In the time it takes to smoke a Gauloises cigarette after emerging from Piccadilly Circus Tube station it’s possible to discover a chic, gilded Parisian brasserie – and all the magic that accompanies it.

In the bustle and tat of the West End, Brasserie Zedel is an oasis.

Another offering from Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, renowned for The Wolseley and The Delaunay, its appeal is the simplicity of the menu, as well as its very reasonable pricing. The fare is traditionally French – confit de canard, escargots, pissaladière and steak haché with sauce au poivre – but starters cost from £2.25 and mains from £7.75, and the wine options are impressive. Additionally, under the same roof one can find the Hopperesque American Bar for cocktails, and the Crazy Coqs for some camp cabaret to round off a delightfully decadent evening sprinkled with Parisian charm. Oliver Pickup

10-13 Grosvenor Square, W1K 6JP 22 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Bond Street

20 Sherwood Street, W1F 7ED

Piccadilly Circus

CENTRAL

The Charles Lamb 16 Elia Street, N1 8DE Angel Pub ££ If you like nibbles with your pints, then this place will make you very happy indeed. Chow down on some incredibly addictive mini saucisson, or dip bread into a tapenade pesto while working your way through the ale offering.

Market 43 Parkway, NW1 7PN Camden Town Modern European ££ If only the ‘other’ Camden Market was as understated as this place. Simple and sustainable is the mantra, and that’s exactly what you get. The menu is constantly changing in line with the seasons, but a homely pasta with greens is a fair bet.

EAST

Doukan 350 Old York Road, SW18 1SS Wandsworth Town Moroccan ££ This dark, moody and oh so Moroccan restaurant has built up a justifiably loyal following in Wandsworth over the years. The depth of flavour and careful spicing at the hands of chef Khalil are what make it.

DJ Yoda at Dumpling’s Legend 15-16 Gerrard Street, W1D 6J Leicester Square Chinese ££ This somewhat crazy concept sees hip DJ Yoda collaborate with this Chinatown restaurant. Eat to the beat of a DJ soundtrack and marvel at a puntastic menu which references song titles. Look out in particular for Scroobius Pork Belly.

Shoryu Ramen 9 Regent Street, SW1Y 4LR Piccadilly Circus Japanese ££ The latest in a string of ramen openings in the West End, this highly authentic newcomer comes from the team behind Japan Centre. Try the yuzu tonkotsu for a hit of flavour.

STK ME London Hotel, 336-337 The Strand, WC2R 1HA Temple Steakhouse ££ This is US-based One Group’s first venture into the UK with their STK chain.

The reasonably-priced menu is split between British and American beef. The owners hope to find a niche in making their venue more female friendly than many steakhouses.

Roti Chai 3 Portman Mews South, W1H 6HS Green Park Indian ££ This twee Indian street-food bar has plenty going for it in terms of food. And now they’ve just added more. Each Monday they’re running a series of supperclubs and presenting experimental dishes. Today, for example you could try Masala Mac: an Indian-influenced macaroni cheese.

Newman Street Tavern 48 Newman St, W1T 1QD Goodge Street British ££ Somewhere between a gastropub and a bar, this new Fitzrovia opening serves seasonal British food, wines direct from small producers, cocktails and a selection of local beers.

North

WEST

Barrio East 141-143 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JE Shoreditch High Street Bar ££ The latest addition to the group, joining Central and North. The now familiar Latin vibe, cocktails that don’t take themselves too seriously and ridiculous tiki cups and glasses are present and correct. Oi! take that glass out of your bag, we can see you hoping for a ‘souvenir’.

Roebuck 130 Richmond Hill, TW10 6RN Richmond Pub £ Who said you had to leave London to go to a country pub? Your reward for slogging up Richmond Hill is all in the views at this otherwise average pub. They really are worth the trek.

Tuk Cho 28-30 New Broadway, W5 2XA Ealing Broadway South-East Asian ££ Pho and udon noodles are a couple of the big players on the Pan-Asian menu at this particularly polished “street food” venue.

Expect flavours that pack a proper punch, but a very Westernised setting.

Spit & Roast The Princess Alice, 40 Commercial Street, E1 6LP Aldgate East Pop-up ££ Street food duo Justin and Ross launched this new pop-up venture late last week, with the intention of running for four months. Buffalo wings and buttermilk fried chicken are menu regulars during opening days from Thursday to Saturday, while every Sunday will host a roast dinner.

Quality Chop House 92–94 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3EA Farringdon Steakhouse ££ This longstanding Farringdon restaurant has re-opened its doors after closing a couple of years ago and being converted into Meatballs. The new owners have backgrounds which include St John Bread & Wine and Dinner, so locals who missed it when closed will certainly be hoping they can make it work this time round.

SOUTH

Shrimpy’s King’s Cross Filling Station, Good’s Way, N1C 4UR King’s Cross Brunch ££ This cool ’n’ quirky diner-esque hangout has just announced that it will be extending its hours to include brunch. As of now, you can pop-in anytime between 11am-4pm to sample the new egg-heavy menu and a couple of special brunch cocktails.

Salon Upstairs at Cannon & Cannon, 18 Market Row, SW9 8LD Brixton British ££ It’s all getting a bit noseto-tail at Brixton Market, with this new opening above deli Cannon & Cannon. Nicholas Balfe is at the helm, fresh from his involvements in Brunswick House and The Young Turks.

Dishes include duck hearts with celeriac and lardo.

Mimi’s Deli 2 Brixton Road, SW9 6BU Oval Deli £ We’d challenge you to think up an Italian product you wouldn’t find in this small but well-packed deli. Freshlysliced hams are a highlight along with the selection of freshly-made sandwiches.

The Black Dog 112 Vauxhall Walk, SE11 5ER Vauxhall Pub £ Shh...apparently this is where MI6 staff come to drink. No doubt their sources have told them about the great home-made pork pies and the good selection of ales.

You’ll need this piece of essential intelligence though: The toilet door marked U, next to the usual M and F, stands for “urinals”, NOT “unisex”.

Madsen 20 Old Brompton Road, SW7 3DL South Kensington Scandinavian £££ One of the city’s first Scandinavian restaurants, this longstander has launched its annual Christmas buffet.

Available this Sunday and every Sunday in the run-up to Christmas, dishes include Laxröra (Swedish smoked salmon mayonnaise with eggs and dill) and Janssons Frestelse (a creamy potato and anchovy gratin).

Scout London Price Guide ££££ Over £19 per main £££ £14-18 ££ £9-13 £ Under £9

DRINK IN

Belu Water

It’s bottled water but not as we know it. Created in London, Belu is probably the UK’s most ethical water brand. Not only do all profits go direct to clean water charity WaterAid, but the brand refuses to export any of its water, questioning why people would want to drink imported water. Find Belu at restaurants, bars and hotels throughout London including at Fifteen, Polpo, Nobu and The Roundhouse. belu.org

24 Scout London scoutlondon.com

EAT IN

See Woo’s Extra Virgin Soy Sauce

EAT IN Scratch

Not so much cooking from scratch as cooking with Scratch, these new meals bridge the gap between a ready-meal and a recipe. Created by Michel Roux, the packs contain all the raw ingredients you need to cook a meal for one in under 10 minutes. Flavours include Chicken Tikka Masala and Prawn and Chorizo Paella, and we can confirm they taste pretty damn good.

The biggest and best-known supplier of Oriental foods in the UK shows that it’s not only olive oil that can be virgin. This new Extra Virgin Soy is made by a different brewing method, which uses natural sunlight to ferment the soy, thereby producing a purer, richer flavour with a very distinct aroma. The sauce is drawn from the first fermentation, giving it a lighter, cleaner flavour.

Available to buy at See Woo stores in Chinatown and Greenwich.

mealsfromscratch.co.uk

FESTIVE ENTERTAINMENT WITH D&D LONDON TWENTY-FOUR STUNNING & VERSATILE RESTAURANTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. Whether you are looking for a sensational setting for your annual party, or the perfect table to host a family dinner, D&D London holds the key. With 24 venues, a dedicated events team, and exquisitely prepared menus we look forward to helping you plan the celebration of the season.

For groups of 12 to 1,000 guests can call our events team for instant availability, inspiration, and to discuss requirements;

020 7716 7887 | events@danddlondon.com

scoutlondon.com Scout London 25

Monday 8:02 am

BOOK 8:05 am

UNLOCK 8.45 am

DELIVER PAY AS YOU GO DRIVING FOR BUSINESS All inclusive business driving from £3.96* per hour.

INSTANT ACCESS TO OVER 1,800 ZIPCARS ACROSS LONDON

Join today by emailing Charlotte at cgatehouse@zipcar.co.uk and quote SCOUTLONDON to claim £75 FREE driving credit with a new business account.

Annual membership fee is £99. All fees and rates exclude VAT. Free annual account applies for first year only. Driving rates include insurance, Congestion Charge and 40 miles free fuel per day. All fees and rates exclude VAT.

Swinging shopping Carnaby Street Shopping Party takes place on November 22, with more than 100 shops offering a 20 per cent discount. Here’s our pick of the highlights

Get collared

put a sock in it

It’s all about the detail with this twirling motif and flower collar Chunky gold filigree collar, £30 from Dahlia

Yes, you too can be *that* guy. Ditch boring black for these snazzy numbers.

Lazy Oaf Mouthy Socks, £8 from Lazy Oaf

light up and chill out This scented candle will help you shed those pre-Christmas stresses.

Knackered Cow relaxing room candle £30 from Cowshed

What’s hat?

Buckle up

Sparkle like a star

This portable powered speaker will get the Christmas party started.

Audiobots Beanie Speaker Dude by IMIXID, £15 from David & Goliath

Strap yourself in and ride the Gs, or just add the colour of love to your waistline with this striking leather belt.

Men’s leather belt, £90, from Hugo Boss

Even if you footwork is off the beat, at least your footwear will dazzle.

Salsa Queen Black Glitter, £65 from Office

scoutlondon.com Scout London 27

The Serco Prize for Illustration 2012

Secret London

An exhibition of the best entries 13 November –10 December 2012 London Transport Museum Covent Garden Piazza

Blackfriars Bridge by Mike Stones

Exile on film Photographer Dominique Tarle spent summer 1971 with The Rolling Stones during the recording of their seminal Exile on Main Street album. He talks Scout through some of his favourite photos from that time Keith Richards at the main door to Villa Nellcôte “I had been the official photographer on the Stones’ English tour, and I was meant to be taking photos of Keith at his house just for an afternoon in April.

It all went well, and after dinner I thanked him for a lovely afternoon.

Then he said, ‘Your room is ready’. I ended up staying six months.

Keith Richards with country music singer Gram Parsons, who spent time with the Stones at Villa Nellcôte “The depth of relationship that Keith and Gram had is rare.

Listening to them play and sing together at Nellcôte, I’d never heard anything like it before and I haven’t heard anything like it since. Gram wanted to mix all the white music and black music, to create a new kind of music. And he wanted Keith to produce the album.

“I think for Mick this was dangerous. It was a difficult time Mick Jagger and Keith Richards jamming in the living room, Villa Nellcôte “I remember all these boxes containing stereo equipment were delivered one day, and Keith went running for them with a huge knife.

I said to myself, ‘maybe there’s more than just stereo equipment in there’.

“Mick and Keith started assembling the equipment, but it was late and I think it was quite complicated, so they just sat down and started playing music instead.

“When I first went to live there, it was just an English family – Keith, Anita [Pallenberg, his girlfriend] and their young son Marlon. But after a few weeks, Mick got married to Bianca in Saint Tropez and when the party was over there, it all just moved to Keith’s. Various people started living there, and then the band recorded Exile in the basement.”

for the band and he couldn’t afford to lose his guitarist for a year to another project. That’s maybe why he suggested the band get on with recording Exile at Keith’s house, because he knew once that process started, Keith would be committed.

“But when you listen to the album, I think it might be what Keith and Gram had in mind. They were so into their project that, when the Stones started recording, I think Keith played what he had in mind to do with Gram. So, though Gram didn’t play on Exile, he’s on the album in spirit.”

“The way they worked was very different. Mick often came with songs that were almost complete, I think because he didn’t like the atmosphere in the basement – it was damp and quite unpleasant – so didn’t want to spend time writing there. But Keith would just go down there with a few chords and would then jam with the other members. Maybe something would come from it, or not. If Charlie got up and said he was going for a drink and a cigarette, that meant it was a ‘no’.”

Brown Sugar on Main Street, Rolling Stones photography

by Dominique Tarle & Peter Webb, November 22-January 26, Zebra Art Gallery, zebraonegallery.com

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Doctors, Dissection And Resurrection Men at Museum Of London, 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Barbican £9, child/ concs £7, Until Apr 14. A major installation charting the 2006 finding by archaeologists, of a burial ground at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

Art Of Change: New Directions From China at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX Waterloo £9, OAP £8, concs £7, ages 12-18 £6.50, Until Dec 9.

Installations and performances by artists including Chen Zhen, Yingmei Duan and Gu Dexin.

Authenticity - Want It, Got It, Lost It at Ellwood Atfield Gallery, 34 Smith Square, SW1P 3HL Westminster FREE, Until Dec 21. Photographs of commercial and public communicators.

John Bartlett: London Sublime at Guildhall Art Gallery, Guildhall Yard, EC2P 2EJ Bank £5, concs £3, under 16s/mems FREE, Until Jan 20.

Contemporary paintings inspired by protests and city riots.

A Bigger Splash: Painting After Performance at Tate Modern, Bankside, Holland Street, SE1 9TG Southwark £10, concs £8.50, Art Fund mems £5, concs £4.25, Until Apr 1. Works that examine the relationship between performance and painting.

BP British Art Displays 1500-2010 at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG Pimlico FREE, Until Mar 4. The Collection displays at Tate Britain rehung in the western suite of galleries.

Bronze at Royal Academy Of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD Green Park £14, OAP/disabled/NADFAS/ Art Fund mems £13, NUS £9, unwaged £5, ages 12-18 £4, ages 8-11 £3, under 8s/ disabled carer FREE, family £30, inc. gallery guide, Until Dec 9. More than 150 bronze sculptures from Asia, Africa and Europe, spanning 5,000 years.

Cartier-Bresson: A Question Of Colour at Somerset House, The Strand, WC2R 1LA Temple FREE, Until Jan 27.

An exhibition featuring 10 previously unseen Cartier-Bresson images, as well as works by 14 contemporary photographers.

Christmas Exhibition 2012 at Belgravia Gallery, 45 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JL Green Park FREE, Starts Sun, Until Jan 1. Works in various media by gallery artists including Nelson Mandela and Andy Warhol.

Everything Was Moving: Photography From The 60s And 70s at Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Barbican £12, adv £10, concs £8, adv concs/ages 13-17 £7, adv ages 13-17 £6, under 13s FREE, Until Jan 13. A major survey

of the photographic medium during a period of rapid social change.

Oskar Fischinger at Tate Modern, Bankside, Holland Street, SE1 9TG Southwark FREE, Until May 12.

Restored film footage of the artist’s 1926 performances.

Flame And Water Pots: Prehistoric Ceramic Art From Japan at British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG Russell Square FREE, Until Jan 20. Pots from one of the oldest ceramic cultures in the world.

William Klein/Daido Moriyama at Tate Modern, Bankside, Holland Street, SE1 9TG Southwark £12.70, concs £10.90, National Art Pass/Art Fund mems £6.35, concs £5.45, Until Jan 20. A chance to compare photographs and films by the artists.

London Transport Museum at London Transport Museum, 39 Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 7BB Covent Garden £13.50, concs £10, under 16s FREE, under 12s must be accompanied, Until Dec 31. A fascinating insight into transport through the ages with interactive display and family trails.

Seduced By Art: Photography Past And Present at The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN Leicester Square £12, OAP/concs £11, NUS/unwaged/ages 12-16/Art Fund mems/Tue 2.30pm-6pm OAP/concs £6, family £24, accompanied under 12s FREE, Until Jan 20. Early and contemporary photographs.

David Webb: Tourist Smoking Room at Transition Gallery, Unit 25a Regent Studios, Andrews Road, E8 4QN Cambridge Heath FREE, Until Nov 25. Abstract paintings exploring themes of inner and outer worlds.

North

Ansel Adams: Photography From The Mountains To The Sea at National Maritime Museum, Romney Road, SE10 9NF Greenwich £7, concs £5, mems FREE, Until Apr 28. Photographs of the natural landscapes of America.

Cotman In Normandy at Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, SE21 7AD West Dulwich £10, OAP £9, concs £5, Until Jan 13. Watercolour paintings, drawings, prints and sketches of Normandy by 20th century artist John Sell Cotman.

Nicole Eisenman at Studio Voltaire, 1a Nelsons Row, SW4 7JR Clapham Common FREE, Until Dec 1. A large-scale sculpture and multimedia installation by the American artist.

Daniel Kramer: Photographs Of Bob Dylan at O2 Bubble, Millennium Way, SE10 0PH North Greenwich £12, child £6, concs £8, Until Feb 3. Images of the acclaimed folk and rock musician and writer.

Jim Marshall: Rip This Joint: The Rolling Stones 1972 at O2 Bubble, Millennium Way, SE10 0PH North Greenwich £12, child £6, concs £8, Until Feb 3. A series of portraits of the British rock band, taken during their 1972 tour.

Brown Sugar On Main Street at Zebra One Art Gallery, 1 Perrins Court, NW3 1QX Hampstead FREE, Starts Thu, Until Jan 26. A display of unseen and rare images of The Rolling Stones, by Peter Webb and Dominique Tarle.

Judy Chicago And Louise Bourgeois, Helen Chadwick, Tracey Emin at Ben Uri Gallery, 108a Boundary Road, NW8 0RH Kilburn Park £5, child FREE, concs £4, Until Mar 10. A survey of the American artist and activist, contextualised with work by three other foremost European female artists.

Take Six at Artisan80, 80 Harlesden Road, NW10 2BE Dollis Hill FREE, Until Nov 24. Contemporary works from the East Finchley Open.

East

Zeng Fanzhi at Gagosian Gallery, Britannia Street, 6-24 Britannia Street, WC1X 9JD King’s Cross St Pancras FREE, Starts Tue, Until Jan 19. A display of recent paintings by the Chinese artist.

The Man Who Fell To Earth. David Bowie - Golden Years, 1969-1981 at The Movie Poster Art Gallery, 1 Colville Place, W1T 2BG Goodge Street FREE, Until Dec 1. A display featuring vintage posters and memorabilia, including the original Heddon Street K. West sign that appeared on the cover of the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.

Jim Marshall : Rolling Stones 1972 at Snap Galleries, 8 Piccadilly Arcade, SW1Y 6NH Green Park FREE, Until Dec 31. Photographs capturing the Rolling Stones onstage and in the quiet camaraderie behind the scenes.

Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair at National Portrait Gallery, 2 St Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE Embankment FREE, Until Mar 24. Photographs documenting the iconic actress’s connections with Britain.

Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde at Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P 4RG Pimlico £14, concs £12.20, National Art Pass/Art Fund mems £7, concs £6.10, Until Jan 13. Over 150 works in different media exposing the Pre-Raphaelites as ahead of their time.

Are We Nearly There Yet? at Wilton’s Music Hall, 1 Graces Alley, off Ensign Street, E1 8JB Aldgate East £12.50, Until Nov 24. Performances and installations throughout the whole venue, exploring the theme of pilgrimage.

Mel Bochner: If The Colour Changes at Whitechapel Gallery, 80-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX Aldgate East FREE, Until Dec 30. Installations, wall drawings and paintings from the last 50 years.

Arth Daniels: Plastic Surgery at StolenSpace Gallery, Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL Shoreditch High Street FREE, Until Dec 2. Unconventional portraiture utilising a mix of both live subjects and multimedia assemblage.

Inroads at Vyner Street Gallery, 23 Vyner Street, E2 9DG Bethnal Green FREE, Starts Tue, Until Nov 25. Works by artists in residence at the Owl Barn in Gloucestershire.

Dr Lakra at Kate MacGarry, 27 Old Nichol Street, E2 7HR Liverpool Street: FREE, Until Dec 15. Sculpture, drawings and paintings by the Mexican artist.

Everyday Encounters at William Morris Gallery, William Morris Gallery Forest Road, E17 4PP Walthamstow Central FREE, Until Feb 3. Crafts in a variety of media by 28 shortlisted members of the Society Of Designer Craftsmen, whose work explores Morris’s passion for merging functionality with beauty in design

South

West Comica: Comics, Manga & Co: The New Culture Of German Comics at GoetheInstitut, 50 Princes Gate, SW7 2PH South Kensington FREE, Until Dec 15. Drawings, paintings and books by the original avant-garde German comic artists and the new wave of artists they inspired.

The Estate Of L.S. Lowry: A Selection Of Works at Crane Kalman Gallery, 178 Brompton Road, SW3 1HQ South Kensington FREE, Until Jan 12.

Gaiety Is The Most Outstanding Feature Of The Soviet Union: Art From Russia at Saatchi Gallery, Duke Of York’s HQ, King’s Road, SW3 4RY Sloane Square FREE, Starts Wed, Until May 5. A large survey featuring contemporary works by 18 artists.

Hollywood Costume at Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL South Kensington £14, OAP £11, NUS/ ages 12-17/unwaged/disabled £9, family of 3 £23, family of 4 £37, under 12s/mems/ disabled carer FREE, Until Jan 27. Over 100 costumes covering 100 years of Hollywood films.

William Klein: Paintings, Etc at Hackelbury Fine Art, 4 Launceston Place, W8 5RL Gloucester Road FREE, Until Dec 20. Rarely seen paintings from the 1940s and 50s.

Alistair Taylor-Young: Holiday at The Little Black Gallery, 13A Park Walk, SW10 0AJ Sloane Square FREE, Until Dec 8. Landscape photography.

Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer Of The Year at Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD South Kensington £9, concs £4.50, family £24, Art Fund mems £4.50, concs £2.25, under 3s FREE, Until Mar 3. One hundred winning images from the wildlife photography competition.

scoutlondon.com Scout London 31

Byrning Up T

he impending Christmas season could get quite annoying for Irish comedian Jason Byrne. It’s not that he’s a Scrooge-like naysayer. He simply bears more than a passing resemblance to an oversized mythical creature from the North Pole.

“Every year I get people going, ‘Hey you’re on the telly again, that film Elf’s on’,” he says wearily. “Will Ferrell and I are roughly the same size, we have weird flat heads and we both have pissy-hole eyes. The truth is, I would love to have played Elf. Most actors would go, ‘Yeah, Raging Bull or Casino’, but I say Elf.” Perhaps it’s not that surprising that the 40-year-old funnyman would go for such a role. For one thing, he and Ferrell aren’t that far apart, with Byrne having taken the wellworn profession of stand-up and turned it into something of a spectacular, complete with stunts, stories and japes involving the audience.

This was why his 2011 show was called Cirque du Byrne, and why his current show is named The People’s Puppeteer.

32 Scout London scoutlondon.com

“It’s called that because I use the audience quite a lot, and get people up on stage,” he explains. “It all depends where they steer it, so it is quite like a circus.

“I spend quite a lot of the time grooming the crowd so I know who I can pick out. Thankfully, I’ve never picked anyone who’s started crying or freaking out or anything, but I do remember dragging a guy around in a cardboard box that then completely collapsed, so I dragged him around by his ankles and he ended up covered in glitter. It’s just magical. Mad s**t just evolves.”

Byrne’s cult following has been building for almost 15 years, since he established himself as one-to-watch at the Edinburgh Festival in 1998 and bagged a nomination for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award. His natural Irish flair for embellishing and telling mad-cap stories, combined with his talent for playing off whatever the audience throws at him have led to him being billed as the “biggest selling comedian in Edinburgh”. And he doesn’t do too badly around the rest of the UK

either – his forthcoming London date is at the 9,000-capacity Hammersmith Apollo.

Fans often turn up with gifts that Byrne then incorporates into the show. On different nights you might be party to an argument about the physical constitution of a pomegranate, a spiel about a statue of St Patrick protecting the Irish with a hat pin, or just a hearty LOL when Byrne is presented with a chocolate cock with an eye on it, in homage to his often self-ridiculed childhood “cock eye”.

Byrne says: “Quite often, it’s like arguments in the pub with your mates, except with 600 people shouting ‘You’re wrong, f**k off’.”

As well as audience contributions, Byrne also looks to home life for inspiration.

“My five-year-old and my 12-year-old have said some crackers that I’ve directly put on stage,” he chuckles. “When he was younger, my 12-year-old saw the Pope when he was all laid out and dead in a red hat and red robe, and he started to get really upset because he thought Santa was dead. I did a whole routine on that. I’d tell those stories all night if I could, but you have to write your own stuff.”

Alternatively, you could just mine comedy gold from the contributions of a willing audience.

There’s something to be said for letting others pull the strings.

Jason Byrne, Hammersmith Apollo, November 23, jasonbyrne.ie

mark nixon

Showman, circus master and the ‘people’s puppeteer’, Jason Byrne is not your everyday comedian, which is precisely why he’s now one of the biggest stand-ups in the UK. He chats to Laura Martin about audience participation and the Pope

ONGOING

Tiffany Stevenson: Comfortably Numb at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £8, concs £7. Satirical stand-up about the perils of modern life.

Tuesday November 20

Josh Widdicombe: The Further Adventures Of... at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Nov 22-24, 9.30pm, £15, concs £12.50. Quirky observations from the 2011 Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee.

Micky Flanagan: Work In Progress at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square Nov 1927, 7pm, £12. Sharp wit and storytelling.

Tim Key: Masterslut at Arts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB Covent Garden Nov 19-24, 9.15pm, £14-£18. Unconventional stand-up and poetry.

Judith Lucy: Nothing Fancy at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road From Nov 19, Mon-Sat 9pm, ends Dec 1, Nov 19 & 20 9pm £10, Nov 21 & 22, 26-29 9pm £15, concs £12.50, Nov 23 & 24, Nov 30 & Dec 1 9pm £20, concs £17.50. Sharp observations and personal monologues from the Australian stand-up. Until Dec 1.

Sheeps: Dancing With Lisa at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Nov 22-24, 29 & 30, Dec 1, 9.45pm, Nov 22 £10, Nov 23 & 24, 29-Dec 1 £15, concs £12.50. Sketch comedy troupe.

Monday November 19 Comedy At Charlie’s at Charlie Wright’s International Bar, 45 Pitfield Street, N1 6EN Old Street 8.30pm, FREE. Upand-coming comedy acts.

Comedy Knights at Archangel, 11-13 Kensington High Street, W8 5NP High Street Kensington 8pm12midnight, £3. Guest acts take to the stage for an evening of mirth.

An Evening Of Comedy With Street Child, Sierra Leone at Hammersmith Apollo, Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH Hammersmith 7.30pm, £20 & £22.50.

With Seann Walsh, Shappi Khorsandi, Ed Byrne, Milton Jones, Phill Jupitus, Jeremy Hardy, Robin Ince, Jon Richardson, Adam Hills and Marcus Brigstocke.

The Good Ship Comedy Club at The Good Ship, 289 Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JR Kilburn 5.30pm, £5, concs £4. With Lucy Porter, Thom Tuck, Nick Elleray and John Hastings.

Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 8pm, £12.50. Topical humour, improvised comedy chat and serious chat about comedy.

Tom Allen’s Society at Comedy Cafe, 66-68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Liverpool Street 8pm, £5. The E4 presenter interviews guest acts.

The Camden Comedy Sessions at The Camden Head, 100 Camden High Street, NW1 0LU Camden Town 7.30pm, FREE. With Joe Hunter and Robin Cousins.

The Cutting Edge at Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Piccadilly Circus 8pm, £14, concs £9. With Alistair Barrie, Sean Meo, Martin Coyote, Paul Sinha, Roger Monkhouse and Paul Thorne.

Frimston & Rowett And Friends at The Harrison, 28 Harrison Street, WC1H 8JF King’s Cross St Pancras 8pm-11.30pm, £3. Sketch comedy from the duo and guest acts.

Andrew Ryan: Ryanopoly at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £8, concs £7. Incisive stand-up.

Two Tickets For The Gum Show: Work In Progress at Etcetera Theatre, 265 Camden High Street, NW1 7BU Camden Town 7.30pm, £6. Eric Lampaert’s new material.

Thursday November 22 The Black Sheep at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £10. Sketches, songs and silliness from the BBC1 and Radio 4 writers.

Comedy Club at St James Theatre, 12 Palace Street, SW1E 5JA Victoria 8.30pm, £8-£15. With The Noise Next Door, Nathan Caton and Angela Barnes.

Grand Theft Impro at The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, W1T 1JB Tottenham Court Road 8.30pm10.15pm, £7. Improvised humour from Phil Whelans, Dylan Emery, Cariad Lloyd and special guests.

Jeff Innocent: An Evening Of Stand-Up Comedy For Grown Ups at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 8.30pm, £10 & £15. The East End stand-up presents special guest acts.

Tony Law at Kings Place, 90 York Way, N1 9AG King’s Cross St Pancras 8pm, £12.50, adv £9.50. Surreal and energetic humour from the Canadian stand-up.

Wednesday November 21 Comedy Wednesday at Paradise By Way Of Kensal Green, 19 Kilburn Lane, W10 4AE Kensal Green 8pm10.30pm, £6, adv £5. With MC Jeff Leach.

Jonny & The Baptists Congregation at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 9.30pm, £8. Surreal musical comedy from the band and special guests.

Chris Martin: Spot The Difference at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £8, concs £7. Intelligent anecdotes.

Rofl & Lol Comedy Club at The Finsbury, 336 Green Lanes, N4 1BY Manor House 8pm-11pm, FREE. With Christian Schulte-Loh, James Dowdeswell, Sean Cosgrove, Dan McGarry, Nick Saunders, Morten Sorensen, Ian Smith, Katie Lane, Duncan Preston, Chris Kendall, Paul-David Collins and Angus Dunican.

Laugh Or The Polar Bear Gets It at the Apollo, Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH Hammersmith 7.30pm, £25-£40.

With Stewart Lee, Ed Byrne, Richard Herring, Tony Law, Charlie Baker, Francesca Martinez, Josh Widdicombe, Danny Bhoy and Dan Antopolski (pictured).

Julian Clary: Position Vacant, Apply Within at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8TT Shepherd’s Bush 8pm, £20. Camp humour as the stand-up searches for a husband.

Friday November 23 The Best In Stand-Up at Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Piccadilly Circus 7.30pm, 11pm, 7.30pm £23, 11pm £15, concs £10. With Andy Askins, Jarred Christmas, Ian Moore and Jeff Innocent.

Marcus Brigstocke: The Brig Society at Blackheath Halls, 23 Lee Road, Blackheath 8pm, £16, SE3 9RQ concs £14. Comedy examining life in Britain.

Jason Byrne: People’s Puppeteer at Hammersmith Apollo, Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH Hammersmith 8pm, £17.50. Energetic humour.

Comedy Cafe at Comedy Cafe, 66-68 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY Liverpool Street 7.30pm, Fri £12, Sat £16. With Hal Cruttenden, Adam Bloom, Anil Desai and Ben Van Der Velde.

Foster’s Comedy Live at Highlight, Camden Lock, Middle Yard Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AB Camden Town 8.15pm-10.15pm, £17 & £18. With Paul Tonkinson, Tom Wrigglesworth, Rich Wilson, Katie Mulgrew and Kevin McCarthy.

Piccadilly Comedy Club at The Comedy Pub, 7 Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Leicester Square 8pm, £15, adv £10.

Up The Creek at Up The Creek, 302 Creek Road, SE10 9SW Greenwich 8.45pm, £11, concs £8. With Ian Moore, Joe Rowntree and MC Otiz Cannelloni.

Saturday November 24

Chris Tucker at HMV Apollo, Queen Caroline Street, W6 9QH Hammersmith 7pm, £38.50.

American motormouth stand-up.

The Covent Garden Comedy Club @ Heaven at The Covent Garden Comedy Club @ Heaven, Under The Arches Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG Charing Cross 8pm-10pm, £13. With Jarred Christmas, Joe Rowntree and Duncan Oakley.

Foster’s Comedy Live at Highlight, Camden Lock, Middle Yard Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AB Camden Town 8.15pm-10.15pm, £17 & £18. With Paul Tonkinson, Rich Wilson, Luke Benson and Kate Smurthwaite.

Funny Women London Nights at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7pm, £10, concs £8. New and established female comics perform.

Headliners Comedy Club at George IV, 185 Chiswick High Road, W4 2DR Turnham Green 9pm, Fri £12, Sat £14, adv £10. Jeff Innocent, Richard Morton, Alastair Barrie, plus MC Paddy Lennox.

The Schadenfreude Cabaret at The Harrison, 28 Harrison Street, WC1H 8JF King’s Cross St Pancras 8pm-11pm, £10, adv £8.50. With Clever Peter, Aisling Bea, Dave NcNeill, John Kearns, Jenny Fawcett and MC Garrett Millerick.

Sunday November 25 Comedy Store Players at Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, SW1Y 4EE Piccadilly Circus 7.30pm, £17, NUS/ concs £12. With Paul Merton, Richard Vranch, Neil Mullarkey, Andy Smart, Lee Simpson and Stephen Frost.

Alistair Green: Jack Spencer: Why Anything at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 8pm, £5. Join controversial UK stand-up Jack Spencer as he talks about his devastating sex addiction, Africa, and performs extracts from his oneman play.

New Comedian Of The Year 2012 Final at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 7.30pm, £10. The final 12 battle it out for the £1,000 prize.

Beth Vyse: No Turn Unstoned at Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square 6pm, £5. A fantastical journey following the surreal life of dying RSC actress Betsy Lynn.

scoutlondon.com Scout London 33

B

radley Cooper’s exhausted.

It’s his eyes that give it away – the twinkly blues are looking a little bloodshot. But, to be fair, he has just flown into London for a day of back-to-back interviews before shooting off again to resume filming on The Hangover III. It was his turn as the charismatic Phil in the original Hangover that turned him into a global star. And, after three years, he has little trouble getting back into the character’s headspace.

“I grow my hair out and bam!, I’m there,” laughs the 37-year-old, who’s looking tanned and smart in

34 Scout London scoutlondon.com

a blue shirt and dark trousers.

But he’s not perched on a chair in The Dorchester to talk about the new Hangover escapades (that’ll come next year).

Right now he’s promoting Silver Linings Playbook, a searing yet comedic drama in which he plays Pat Solitano, a man who’s lost everything – his wife, his house, his job – and has just spent eight months in an institution undergoing treatment for bi-polar disorder.

It’s not as heavy-going as it sounds; there are even laugh-outloud moments. It also boasts stellar performances from a cast that includes former Oscar nominees

Jennifer Lawrence and Jacki Weaver, plus Robert De Niro as Pat’s father, who suffers from OCD. “It was extremely soothing to be able to say the word ‘Dad’ and have him be the person I was saying it to,” says Cooper, who worked with De Niro on 2011’s Limitless.

“As a human being he’s very softly spoken and giving. I trust and love him and know he’s going to bring the best out of me.”

The movie is directed by David O Russell, who led Christian Bale and Melissa Leo to Oscar glory in 2010’s The Fighter.

It’s Russell who recognised Cooper’s potential to portray Pat’s

complicated mix of ferociousness and vulnerability.

“I first saw him in Wedding Crashers, and his anger impressed me in that movie,” says Russell of the bullish character Cooper played in the bawdy 2005 hit comedy.

“He told me a little bit about who he was at that time and that was all interesting to me, that he had all these layers in him.

Because just as Pat’s coming home and reintroducing himself to the community and saying, ‘Please, I don’t think you know who I am’, so I felt that Bradley was doing that to some degree.”

A graduate of the esteemed

THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

Complicated Cooper

Diner discussion Cooper with Silver Linings Playbook co-star Jennifer Lawrence

ooper ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ Jackie Weaver and the ‘softly spoken’ De Niro

During a visit to London, Bradley Cooper talks to Susan Griffin about his toughest role so far and calling Robert De Niro ‘Dad’ Actors Studio Drama School in New York, Cooper is someone who takes his work very seriously, which is why he finds talk of his heartthrob status (he was voted People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive last year) pretty uncomfortable.

“I don’t even take it into account,” he said in a recent interview. “It was an interesting thing but has nothing to do with what I’m doing.”

He insists he’s just a regular bloke. “One of the things I love doing is going to a cinema and watching a movie by myself. My life’s very normal. The only time it

gets kind of interesting is in these types of situations.”

So forget asking him about his pin-up status, as he’s far more interested in talking about his craft.

“I feel I hit the jackpot with Silver Linings Playbook. That I get a chance to work with David O Russell is a dream come true. I’ve never seen a bad performance in any of his movies.”

Cooper was shooting The Place Beyond The Pines with Ryan Gosling when Russell offered him the role.

“He said, ‘OK, we want you to do this movie, can you show up in two weeks?’” recalls Cooper. “It was sort of baptism by fire but I had faith in the fact he had faith in me.”

And in hindsight, he thinks it was an advantage to move straight from one movie set to the next. “It was like you had an engine that was already revved up. Everything was firing, [so] no thinking.”

Hailing from Philadelphia, where Silver Linings Playbook is set, Cooper recalls two experiences that would inform his future career.

The first was starring in a school production of Around The World in 80 Days. (“I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was in heaven.”)

The other was, aged 11, watching Anthony Hopkins in The Elephant Man, an experience he describes as “a watershed moment”.

There was no theatre programme at college but an ex-girlfriend encouraged him to take part in plays. “She was so fedup with me going on so much about movies!”

Silver Linings Playbook is released on November 21 scoutlondon.com Scout London 35

new releases

End Of Watch (15) Writer-director David Ayer evidently believes if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Since his 2001 script for Training Day, which landed Denzel Washington a long overdue Oscar, the Illinois-born filmmaker has been fascinated by camaraderie and corruption within the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department. End Of Watch is wedged in that same dramatic rut, tracking Officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) as they stumble upon a trafficking operation run by a local cartel. Gyllenhaal and Peña are convincing as men who would take a bullet for each other, chewing on Ayer’s pottymouthed dialogue, which includes a hilarious anecdote about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Juddering, handheld camerawork captures the adrenaline-pumping thrill of chasing bad guys through dark alleyways.

Silver Linings Playbook (15) Love is a battlefield in Silver Linings Playbook and characters certainly bear the scars. None more so than emotionally-bruised school teacher Pat (Bradley Cooper), who assaults his wife’s lover and then has to serve an eight month stint in a state psychiatric facility as part of the plea bargain. Back on the outside, Pat forges a fractious friendship with crazy local girl, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who needs a partner for a forthcoming amateur dance competition. The subsequent rehearsals in her home studio salve old wounds, sow the seeds of fledgling romance and provide writer-director David O Russell with the foundations for a bittersweet jive through mental health issues and father-son miscommunication. Molten screen chemistry between the two leads and zinging one-liners ensure the film never drags its cha-cha heels.

Gambit (12A)

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Joel and Ethan Coen provide a flaccid screenplay for this misfiring remake of the 1966 screwball caper which starred Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine as a cat burglar and showgirl, who join forces to pull off an elaborate heist. In director Michael Hoffman’s version, Colin Firth lends a touch of class to his role as a mildmannered art curator, who intends to dupe his bullying boss (Alan Rickman) with the help of Cameron Diaz’s Texan rodeo queen.

The Oscar-winning leading man loses his trousers for a protracted centrepiece hotel sequence but Gambit loses its way well before then, wheezing and spluttering from one clumsy, contrived gag to the next. The ensemble cast mugs shamelessly and Stanley Tucci enforces crude caricatures as an effete German, poised to scupper the hare-brained scheme.

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Also showing

Enchanted Pictures

Chopper (18)

For the festive season, the Old Vic Tunnels are transformed into a winter wonderland to celebrate those classic family films which have come to epitomise Christmas and the spirit of giving. Beneath the streets of London you’ll find alpine trees, falling snow and a northern lights installation plus lashings of hot chocolate. By night, log cabin bars serve up alcoholic delights and on Saturday evenings Franky And The Jacks provide live music. On the snow-capped big screen, highlights this first week include Rob Reiner’s charming fairy-tale parody The Princess Bride (Nov 24), Jim Henson’s fantasy Labyrinth featuring David Bowie in a pair of impossibly tight trousers (Nov 24) and Oompa Loompa do-ba-dee-lightful 1971 version of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (Nov 25).

Before Eric Bana sold his soul to Hollywood for blockbusters Hulk and Troy, the brooding Australian actor was delivering incendiary performances in home-grown fare like this visceral study of a hard man’s rise and dramatic fall, based on the life and writings of the notorious Australian vigilante killer Mark Brandon Read, aka Chopper (so-called because of his predilection for taking a knife to digits and ears). From the maximum security of Pentridge prison in the 1970s to media notoriety in the 1980s, Andrew Dominik’s bloodthirsty film brilliantly probes the contradictions in Chopper’s personality. We encounter a deranged con man with a passion for suffering but a skewed sense of social conscience and honour.

Nov 23, 7pm, Nov 24, 2.30pm & 7pm (screening as a double bill with Killing Them Softly), £9.50, concs £8.50 Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, W6 9RL Hammersmith

Jaws (12A)

Romanian Film Festival in London

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, Steven Spielberg’s ruthlessly efficient 1975 thriller swims back into the Prince Charles Cinema as part of a white-knuckle double-bill with Jurassic Park. Based on a novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws boasts a simplistic premise – a monstrous Great White shark terrorises the seaside resort of Amity Island – but Spielberg directs with verve, tracking local police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), marine expert Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and salty seadog Quint (Robert Shaw) as they search for the beast. John Williams’s inexorable theme sets our nerves on edge while Scheider’s ad-libbed quip – “You’re gonna need a bigger boat!” – is now a firm cinematic legend.

Over the past decade, the Romanian New Wave led by the likes of Radu Muntean (The Paper Will Be Blue), Cristi Puiu (The Death Of Mr Lazarescu), Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days) and Cristian Nemescu (California Dreamin’) has re-invigorated interested in the country’s cinematic output. This compact four-day festival celebrates the crème de la crème of Romanian creativity including a gala screening of Mungiu’s powerful drama Beyond The Hills (Nov 22), which will be vying for Best Foreign Language Film at next year’s Oscars, Radu Jude’s Everybody In Our Family (Nov 24) about a father’s battle for custody of his young daughter and Bogdan George Apetri’s gripping character study, Periferic (Nov 25).

Nov 19, 6.25pm, £6.50, mems £4.The Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BY Leicester Square

Nov 22-25, times vary, £11.50, mems £9.70, Renoir Cinema, The Brunswick, Brunswick Square, WC1N 1AW Russell Square

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Nov 24-Dec 23, Sat & Sun, times vary, £10-£26 The Old Vic Tunnels, Station Approach Road, SE1 8SW Waterloo

scoutlondon.com Scout London 37

Extras Comedy couplings Bottom (1991-1995) Eddie Elizabeth Hitler (Ade Edmonson) and Richard ‘Ritchie’ Richard (Rik Mayall) are two slobs on benefits who spend each episode beating each other up in increasingly sadistic, yet hilarious ways.

Peep again Everyone’s favourite flat-sharing losers are back for a new series of Peep Show. Diana Pilkington meets their talented alter egos

N

early a decade has passed since Peep Show first revolutionised TV comedy. But while its stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb have become household names, their characters have sunk ever deeper into loser-dom.

Between them, Mark Corrigan (Mitchell) and Jeremy Usbourne (Webb) have run the gamut from marriage to fatherhood to joining a religious cult and eating a pet dog, but they’ve never managed to ditch the other as a flatmate.

Series eight begins with nerdy Mark trying to persuade his flatmate to move out so his girlfriend Dobby (Isy Suttie) can move in. But as Webb says: “It wouldn’t be Peep Show if Jez got round to doing that.”

But as the pair head into middle age (Webb says his character is now “on the edge of 40”), there’s a growing dissatisfaction creeping into their lives.

“They know they’re getting older and their mode of living, which in series one was not glorious but not particularly shameful, is now getting a bit odd,” Mitchell explains.

“You shouldn’t be doing that unless that’s really what you set out to do with your life, so it’s impossible for them not to confront the fact that their circumstances reflect their failings.”

Episode one sees Mark get a job in a bathroom fittings shop, and become increasingly jealous of love rival Gerrard, who is ill in bed and receiving lots of visits from a sympathetic Dobby as a result.

“Mark needs to see Dobby utterly defeated in spirit in order to believe that she would want to spend any

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time with him.” Mitchell says.

Meanwhile Jeremy, who is dimly aware he may never make it as a musician, books in for therapy.

The show, written by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, has won a clutch of awards since it first aired in 2003, including a Bafta in 2008.

Mitchell and Webb gleefully describe their characters as “really selfish” and “an absolute s**t” respectively, but they have no trouble falling into the roles after a break from filming.

“It’s so well written it’s always immediately obvious how every bit should be done,” Mitchell says. “As you read it you can hear yourself saying it, so it’s a joy.”

His words call to mind one of the key features of the show – the interior monologues – which allow us to hear the characters’ deepest, darkest thoughts.

The comic reckons these monologues are crucial to the show’s success, but says the programme’s characteristic point of view filming is “a nightmare” to shoot. “It takes a lot longer than filming things conventionally, in a way that always surprises us.”

The pair say they have no plans for more of their sketch show That Mitchell And Webb Look, although they intend to write a sitcom together one day.

However – there’s a big problem. “Coming up with ideas for sitcoms is difficult anyway, but when you know that Peep Show is going on, your heart just isn’t in it,” Webb says.

“All sitcoms are not as good as Peep Show, so it would have to be very different.”

Peep Show returns to Channel 4 on Sunday

Men Behaving Badly (1992 – 1998) Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey play Gary and Tony, two overgrown lads sharing a flat who constantly disappoint Gary’s girlfriend Dorothy (Caroline Quentin) and Tony’s crush, the lovely Deborah from upstairs (Leslie Ash).

Spaced (1999 - 2001) Tim (Simon Pegg) and Daisy (Jessica Hynes, then Stevenson) pose as a couple to clinch the tenancy of a flat they like which is situated below wine-soaked landlady Marsha (Julia Deakin) and above angstridden artist Brian (Mark Heap).

There are multiple horror film references and Nick Frost pops up as Tim’s BFF, Mike.

Him & Her (2010 – present) Branded a ‘bedsitcom’, Him & Her is set entirely in a onebedroom flat where workshy couple Steve (Russell Tovey) and Becky (Sarah Solemani) spend their days lounging around and being visited by a string of oddball characters.

Arthur Christmas (U) DVD £17.99/Blu-ray £22.99

Santa (voiced by Jim Broadbent) proudly oversees this year’s delivery of presents in his hi-tech spacecraft. Down in the bowels of the craft, son Arthur (James McAvoy) answers correspondence from children, including Gwen (Ramona Marquez). A malfunction in the loading bay goes unnoticed by the elves and Gwen doesn’t receive her pink bicycle. With time running out until Gwen’s Christmas is ruined, Arthur sets about trying to deliver her gift using the old sleigh and a team of retired reindeer in this hugely entertaining animated comedy.

Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day

Available on DVD, Blu-ray, CD and audio download

ross halfin

One of the musical events of the decade was Led Zeppelin’s reunion tribute concert at The O2. Only a few thousand were lucky enough to see it. Until now. This DVD has all two hours of the concert, and while it’s not the same as being there, turn up your TV and it’s almost as good. A CD is also being released. Now that’s a whole lotta love.

The Thick Of It – Series Four (15)

2 Broke Girls Available on 4OD

Available on DVD box set

Armando Iannucci mercilessly satirises the inner workings of Westminster with another six hysterical episodes of the awardwinning BBC comedy drama.

Peter Capaldi continues to scenesteal and swear with gusto as Machiavellian party strategist Malcolm Tucker. Real-life faux pas by the coalition provide easy targets for Iannucci and his fellow writers, while the hour-long Goolding Inquiry episode devoted to media leaks is toe-curlingly delicious.

Series one of this hugely likeable series ended with the girls getting an endorsement for their burgeoning cupcake business from none other than Martha Stewart – think Delia Smith with a prison record. Series two kicks off with Max (Kat Jennings) joining Caroline (Beth Behrs) on her visit to a white-collar prison to see her father, and he encourages them to buy a particular keepsake at the Channing estate auction. The writing is sometimes sitcom cliché, but the leads make it great viewing.

Glorious! Flavour Map

ITunes App store, Google Play, Facebook and gloriousfoods.co.uk

Cool eatery suggestions are ten a penny on the web these days, but Glorious! Foods has created something different with its global Flavour Map app – which aims to function as a TripAdvisor for taste. It enables users to pin their foodie finds and reviews to locations on a map, which can then be shared.

Don’t miss your chance to win with This week, Scout London has teamed with Netflix, the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying films and TV shows, to give one lucky reader the chance to win a one year subscription and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 so you can

instantly watch hours of great entertainment. Simply answer the following question: What year did Netflix launch in the UK & Ireland?

A) 2012 B) 2001 C) 1973

To enter text SCOUT FLIX to 88010 Texts cost £1*, also enter at scoutlondon.com/netflix scoutlondon.com Scout London 39

40 Scout London scoutlondon.com

a n ew sta r t Viewers of BBC’s The Voice saw Tyler James conquer his demons to become the artist he dreamed of. He tells James Drury the show ‘brought me back to life’

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ive months have passed since Tyler James sang his last song on BBC talent contest The Voice.

And he’s barely sat down in that time. Since finishing as runner-up on the show, the 30-year-old’s life has been a blur of activity, a flurry of writing, recording, performing and promotion. Now he’s preparing for his biggest headline show to date, at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

It represents a second chance for the energetic Canning Town singer. In 2004 he was touring the world with childhood friend Amy Winehouse, was signed to Island Records and was being tipped as ‘one to watch’ by the music press.

A year later it had all gone wrong. James had been dropped by his label and was struggling with alcoholism, eventually being admitted to rehab.

He had beaten his demons by the time The Voice came around, but was still struggling to regain his confidence, and cope with the death of Winehouse in 2011. So when he first stepped onto the stage for the show’s TV auditions, he was a nervous wreck.

“I went into it half-heartedly,” he admits to Scout London. “I wasn’t ready to do it. About five minutes before the final [televised] audition I refused to go on. There was a period of about 30 seconds when I might never have been on the show.”

But he went on, and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas became his mentor. It was the start of a transformation.

“The people that watched that show shared a personal experience with me because they watched me learn to believe in myself again,” James says.

“If you get knocked down…I’m a very insecure person…” He pauses, struggling for the words. “There was a point before the show when I didn’t want to sing any more and was planning to give it all up.”

It’s clearly a painful memory, and there’s a noticeable sense of release when he finally blurts: “When you sing in front of the audience, the TV cameras and you know you have millions of people watching and voting for you, it’s such a confidence boost. I suddenly wanted to get to the end of the show not just for me, but also for all the people that voted for me, and for my friends and family who had suddenly started to see me believe in myself again.

“It was a massive turning point in my life. I will always feel so grateful to everyone that voted for me and all the producers and people who worked on the show.

They all saw me go through a huge change. It really was like the final point in my rehabilitation – learning to believe in myself again.”

By making that leap of faith, James had crossed a boundary.

“I used to shy away from doing things I was uncomfortable with.

But now I always embrace them.”

It was a mere two days after the end of The Voice that James was once again snapped up by Island Records. He has since found himself working with songwriters such as Guy Chambers, who co-wrote some of Robbie Williams’ biggest hits, Fraser T Smith, who has worked with Craig David, Tinchy Stryder, N-Dubz, James Morrison and Adele, and Kanye West collaborator, Mr Hudson.

The process has boosted his confidence even further and taught him to trust his instincts. It’s the next step in James’ maturation as an artist – and a person.

That’s not to say he doesn’t still get nervous about performing. The same fears still rise up before gigs.

So how’s he going to cope in front of 2,000 fans in Shepherd’s Bush?

“Being on The Voice has been good preparation,” he says. “No matter how nervous I get, nothing is as scary as performing in front of millions of people on TV, knowing people will be judging you then and there, and people will be voting for you or not. So every time I start freaking out, I remind myself that it’s nowhere near as scary as that.”

Tyler James plays the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on November 21, o2shepherdsbushempire.co.uk scoutlondon.com Scout London 41

The Rolling Stones

November 25 & 29, The O2, returns only

Although they were £95-£375 at face value, tickets for the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary gigs at The O2 were snapped up in seven minutes. It’s testament to the sheer brilliance of Mick, Keef and the gang that they can still conquer the world half a century after they first formed. Getting your hands on

a ticket to this show now will prove something of a challenge – or deep pockets – but it’d be worth it. They are still one of the best live bands around and seeing them perform a greatest hits set is one of the best musical experiences you can have.

The O2

North Greenwich

Also this week:

IN SUPPORT OF

Albert Lee & Hogans Heroes Nov 23, The Borderline, £18.50 Anoushka Shankar, Tinariwen Nov 23, Barbican Centre, £15-£30 Anti Nowhere League Nov 24, The Underworld, adv £12.50 Band Of Horses, Goldheart Assembly Nov 20, The Apollo, £22.50 Cerys Matthews Nov 21-Nov 24, The Hippodrome Casino, £27.50-£35 Crystal Castles Nov 24, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 Fanfarlo Nov 22, Union Chapel, adv £12.50 Gong, Enochian Theory Nov 19, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 Greg Lake Nov 25, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £27.50 Jam Hsiao Nov 23, Wembley Arena, £39.75-£184.80 Joan Armatrading, Chris Wood Nov 23 & Nov 24, IndigO2, £20-£45 Kwes, Thumpers Nov 20, The Sebright Arms, adv £6 Levellers, Citizen Fish Nov 24, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £25 Monster Magnet, Spine Of God Nov 23, Electric Ballroom, £20 Passion Pit, Chad Valley, Churches Nov 20, The Forum, £16 Robbie Williams Nov 22-Nov 24, The O2 Arena, £50-£90

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Jazzanova, Matthew Halsall Nov 23, HMV Forum, £19.50, adv £12.50 Sham 69, Menace, Phobics Nov 24, The Borderline, £15 Stan Tracey Quintet Nov 24, Bull’s Head, £14 The Dandy Warhols Nov 22, Heaven, £24.50 The Wedding Present Nov 23, KOKO, £16 Tom Vek, Breton, Coves, Charli XCX Nov 21, The Garage, £5 Tyler James Nov 21, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £12

Feeder Nov 23, O2 Academy

Brixton, £25.87

Bobby Womack

November 25 & 27, The Forum, £27.50 & £32.50 Soul and R&B legend Bobby Womack has made some of the most iconic tracks of all time. From Across 110th Street to If You Think You’re Lonely Now, his influence is exceptional. After a quieter period, he contributed possibly the vocal highlight of Gorillaz’ album Plastic Beach – on the track Stylo – and forged a relationship with Damon Albarn, which resulted in the 68-year-old recording his first album in 20 years, the superb Bravest Man In The Universe. For these gigs he’ll be joined by Albarn, who produced the album with XL Recordings’ Richard Russell.

Scout Stereo

1

Foals Inhaler

Highgate Road, NW5 1JY

2

Stubborn Heart Penetrate

Kentish Town

London Remixed Festival

November 24, various venues, £13 adv

The sounds of summer festivals comes to London without the mud as seven promoters, including Scout favourites Continental Drifts, programme gypsy jazz, Afro-punk, Balkan swing and much more from around the world in Shoreditch’s Rich Mix, Village Underground and The Bedroom Bar. Various venues, E1 Shoreditch High Street

3

Thunderous return with something of a new sound.

Post-Dubstep? Electronic soul? Who knows, but we love it.

Alabama Shakes I Found You

And we’re glad they did. One of the songs of the year.

4

Willy Moon Yeah Yeah

5

Bass-o-Matic Fascinating Rhythm

Yeah, yeah, Willy, you had us at the first beat.

Like most early 90s dance, it actually sounds better 20 years later.

Listen to our playlist: j.mp/scout0017

he Little T Noise Sessions

November 19-25, £25-£35

jamie-james medina

Gary Barlow, Olly Murs, Richard Hawley, The Maccabees, Noah And The Whale – playing in a little church? It sounds unlikely, but this is for charity. The Mencap Little Noise Sessions have long been bringing top names in music to perform in beautiful intimate spaces and this year is no exception.

Lower Clapton Road, E5 0PD Hackney Central

Knife Party November 22, Village

Underground, £12-£16

Formed from the ashes of groundbreaking, stadium-rocking live drum ’n’ bass act Pendulum, Knife Party - AKA Rob Swires and Gareth McGrillen - have smashed their way to the top of the bass music tree through their deep, thick and textured blend of electro, drum ’n’ bass and more.

Holywell Lane, EC2A 3PQ Old Street scoutlondon.com Scout London 43

Alabama 3 Dec 8, The Forum, £20 Alanis Morissette, Athlete Nov 28, The O2 Arena, £35 & £45 Alphabeat Nov 28, Dingwalls, adv £13 Alt-J Jan 18 & Jan 19, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £14 Art Themen Quartet Nov 30, Bull’s Head, £10 Asia Dec 22, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £22.50 Bad Manners Dec 21, 229 The Venue, £20 Band Of Skulls Dec 7, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 Bastille Mar 28 & Mar 29, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, adv £13

Example Feb 23, Earls Court, £28.50 Beach House Mar 25 & Mar 26, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £18 Ben Folds Five Dec 4 & Dec 5, O2 Academy Brixton, £37.50 Ben Howard, Willy Mason Nov 28-Nov 30, O2 Academy Brixton, £17.50 Biffy Clyro Apr 3, The O2 Arena, £26.50 & £29.50 Bill Bailey Dec 18, The Apollo, £25 Bleech Feb 15, KOKO, £5 Bloc Party Feb 22, Earls Court, adv £29.50 Blood Red Shoes Jan 22, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £13.50 Bobby Womack, Damon Albarn, Richard Russell Nov 25 & Nov 27, The Forum, £27.50 & £32.50, phone for availability Brand New Heavies Dec 3-Dec 5, The Jazz Cafe, £25 Chas & Dave Dec 8, IndigO2, £20-£45 Chew Lips Dec 5, Birthdays, £8 Christmas With Steps Dec 2, London Palladium, £22.50-£50 Cradle Of Filth Dec 19, The Forum, £15 Crystal Fighters May 23, KOKO, £14 Dappy Dec 20, The Apollo, £18.50 Darwin Deez Nov 28, XOYO, £14 David Cronenberg’s Wife Nov 28, Buffalo Bar, adv £5 Deerhoof, Buke & Gase Dec 4, The Garage, £14 Deftones Feb 20, O2 Academy Brixton, £28.50 Depeche Mode May 28 & May 29, The O2 Arena, £40 & £50 Django Django Dec 21, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Dodgy, Mark Morriss Dec 14, O2 Academy Islington, £17.50 Dreadzone Dec 13, The Garage, £15 Dropkick Murphys Jan 18 & Jan 19, The Forum, £21

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Ed Harcourt Dec 19, Cecil Sharp House, £18.50 Editors, The Courteeners, The Temper Trap, Lucy Rose, Theme Park Dec 17, O2 Academy Brixton, adv £25 Elbow, Here We Go Magic Nov 27, Wembley Arena, £32.50 Elbow, Here We Go Magic Dec 2, The O2 Arena, £29.50 & £32.50 Electric Six Dec 15, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Ellie Goulding Dec 12, O2 Academy Brixton, £25 Emeli Sande Apr 8, The Apollo, £25£29.50 Emmy The Great And Tim Wheeler Dec 20, The Scala, £16.50 Enter Shikari, Cancer Bats, Engine-Earz Experiment Dec 16 & Dec 17, Roundhouse, adv £20 Esben And The Witch Feb 26, The Scala, adv £10 Evan Dando And Juliana Hatfield Dec 4, Southbank Centre, £17.50 & £20, concs £8.75 & £10 Fear Factory Dec 18, KOKO, £16 Finley Quaye, The Mercenaries Feb 28, The Scala, £19.50, adv £12.50 & £15.50 Florence + The Machine Dec 5 & Dec 6, The O2 Arena, £29.50 Foals, Efterklang Mar 28, Royal Albert Hall, £10-£25 Four Tet Feb 28, Heaven, £15.50 Frank Hamilton Dec 20, The Barfly, Camden, £6 Fun Apr 12, The Apollo, £18.50 Funeral For A Friend Feb 18, The Garage, £16 Gary Barlow Nov 27, Royal Albert Hall, £45-£95, phone for availability Gary Barlow Dec 27, The Apollo, £35 & £65 Gary Numan Dec 7, The Forum, £28 Girls Aloud Mar 1-Mar 3, The O2 Arena, £42.50-£49.50 Glasvegas, Megan Thomas, Dexters Dec 1, The Garage, £18 Glen Matlock And The Philistines, Spizz, Ed Tudorpole, London, Night Of Treason, The Duel, Tv Smith Dec 23, 100 Club, adv £30 Happy Mondays Dec 19 & Dec 20, Roundhouse, adv £32.50 Hit Factory Live Christmas Cracker Dec 21, The O2 Arena, £49.50 Jake Bugg Feb 27 & Feb 28, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices James Yorkston, Geese Dec 19, Shacklewell Arms, adv £12.50 Jason Mraz Dec 1, The O2 Arena, £32

Lana Del Rey May 19 & May 20, The Apollo, £28.50

Classical

Madness Dec 14 & Dec 22, The O2 Arena, £29.50-£47.50 Jessie J Mar 9 & Mar 10, The O2 Arena, £25 & £33.50 Jessie Ware Mar 13, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £16.50 Jingle Bell Ball Dec 8 & Dec 9, The O2 Arena, phone for prices Justin Bieber Mar 4, Mar 5, Mar 7, Mar 8, The O2 Arena, £50 & £60 Kaiser Chiefs Mar 1, O2 Academy Brixton, adv £27.50 Kate Nash Dec 1, Southbank Centre, £10, concs £5 Kings Of Leon Jun 12 & Jun 13, The O2 Arena, £57.50 Kool & The Gang Nov 29, Electric Brixton, £35 Kris Kristofferson Dec 7, Southbank Centre, £35 & £40, concs £17.50 & £20 Lemar Dec 15, IndigO2, £19.50-£45 Leona Lewis May 8 & May 9, Royal Albert Hall, £35-£65 Lianne La Havas Mar 11 & Mar 12, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 Lisa Stansfield Dec 4, The Scala, £29.50 Little Feat Feb 8, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £30-£32.50 Little Mix Feb 13, The Apollo, £19.50£32.50 Lucy Ward Dec 3, The Green Note Cafe, £12, adv £10 Mark Lanegan Band, Creature With The Atom Brain Dec 4, The Forum, £20 Maroon 5 Jun 23 & Jun 24, The O2 Arena, £40 & £45 Michael Buble Jun 30, Jul 1, Jul 3-Jul 5, Jul 7, The O2 Arena, £45-£70 phone for availability Michael Kiwanuka Dec 5, Southbank Centre, £17.50 & £20, concs £8.75 & £10 Mika Dec 13, Roundhouse, £25 Mumford And Sons Dec 11 & Dec 18, The O2 Arena, £29.50-£32.50 Mystery Jets Nov 29, Southbank Centre, £15 & £17.50, concs £7.50 & £8.75 Of Monsters And Men Mar 5-Mar 7, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Olivia Newton-John Mar 13, Royal Albert Hall, £45 & £55 Olly Murs Mar 29, The O2 Arena, £34 Olly Murs Mar 10, Wembley Arena, £34 P!nk Apr 24, Apr 25, Apr 27, Apr 28, The O2 Arena, £42.50-£55 Paloma Faith Feb 7, The Apollo, £22.50£29.50 Paul Weller, Miles Kane Dec 19, The Apollo, £39.50-£55 Peter Andre, Sam Gray Dec 4, The O2 Arena, £27.50-£30

Aled Jones May 12, Union Chapel, adv £35 Alfie Boe: Storyteller Apr 8 & Apr 9, Royal Albert Hall, £25-£45 Amor Quintet Dec 2, Royal Albert Hall, £28.50, under 12s £15 Belmont Ensemble Of London Nov 27, St Martin-In-The-Fields, £10-£22 Carols By Candlelight Dec 2, Bush Hall, £7, adv £6 Christine Brewer, Dame Felicity Lott, John Mark Ainsley, Christopher Maltman, Alasdair Beatson And Roger Vignoles Nov 28, Wigmore Hall, £20-£40 English Chamber Orchestra/ Rodolfus Choir Dec 2, Cadogan Hall, £10-£35, mems £25 Exaudi Dec 6, The Temple Church, £10-£20 Festive Orchestra Of London Dec 14, St Martin-In-The-Fields, £8-£28

Andre Rieu, Johann Strauss Orchestra Dec 16, The O2 Arena, £40-£90 Joan Rodgers, Elizabeth Watts, Allan Clayton, Gerald Finley, Julius Drake And Malcolm Martineau Dec 2, Wigmore Hall, £15-£30 Katherine Jenkins, National Symphony Orchestra Dec 10, Royal Albert Hall, £29-£70 Martin Roscoe, Kathryn Stott, Ronan O’Hora, Ashley Wass, Anthony Hewitt, Noriko Ogawa And Peter Donohoe Dec 1, Kings Place, £13.50-£24.50, adv £9.50 Orchestra Of St John’s Dec 4, St John’s, Smith Square, £15-£35 Orchestra Of The City Nov 30, St James’s Church, £10 & £14, adv £7 Royal Academy Of Music Baroque Orchestra Dec 2, Royal Academy Of Music, £11, concs £8 The Mediaeval Baebes Dec 21, St Sepulchre-Without-Newgate, adv £17.50

Rolf Harris Feb 8, Southbank Centre, £25-£55, concs £12.50-£22.50 Plan B, Labrinth, Rudimental Feb 9, The O2 Arena, £30 Public Service Broadcasting Nov 27, XOYO, £8 Republica Mar 14, The Garage, £14 Richard Hawley Feb 23, Troxy, £22.50 Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson: Twins Of Evil Tour Nov 26, The O2 Arena, £30£37.50 Rodrigo Y Gabriela Nov 29, The Forum, £25 Ron Sexsmith Mar 7, Royal Albert Hall, £22.50-£32.50 Ronan Keating: Fires Tour Jan 26, The O2 Arena, £35 Saint Etienne Dec 14, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Sam And The Womp Dec 6, XOYO, £9 Saxon Apr 27, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 Scroobius Pip, Kate Tempest, Brian Gittins Dec 10, The Garage, £12 Sebastien Tellier, Kyla La Grange Dec 5, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £17.50 Sigur Ros Mar 7-Mar 9, O2 Academy Brixton, £30 Sinead O’Connor Jan 17, LSO St Luke’s, £20-£30 Sinead O’Connor Mar 27, Barbican Centre, £18-£25 Soulwaxmas Dec 21, O2 Academy Brixton, £27.50 Space, Dollface Mar 7, O2 Academy Islington, £17.50 Spear Of Destiny Dec 2, O2 Academy Islington, adv £15 Steve Vai Dec 2, The Apollo, £28.50 Testament Nov 30, KOKO, £18 The Black Keys Dec 12 & Dec 13, The O2 Arena, £30 The Blockheads Dec 14 & Dec 15, The Jazz Cafe, £18.50 The Darkness Mar 7, The Apollo, £27.50 The Dogs D’Amour Feb 22 & Feb 23, The Borderline, £25 The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster Apr 12, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £15 The Hives Dec 14, Roundhouse, £18.50 The Human League Nov 26, Royal Albert Hall, £27.50 The Joy Formidable Mar 8, Roundhouse, £15 The Pharcyde Nov 30, The Clapham Grand, £20 The Pogues, Frank Turner And The Sleeping Souls Dec 20, The O2 Arena, £45 The Prodigy Dec 18-Dec 20, O2 Academy Brixton, £45

The Raveonettes Dec 3, Village Underground, £14.50 The Script Mar 22 & Mar 23, The O2 Arena, £29.50 The Stone Roses Jun 7 & Jun 8, Finsbury Park, £55 The Stranglers, The Godfathers Mar 15, Roundhouse, £26 The View Nov 29, Electric Ballroom, £16.50 The Wildhearts Dec 17, The Forum, £20 The Wonder Stuff, Pop Will Eat Itself, Jesus Jones Dec 19, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £20 The X Factor Live Tour 2013 Feb 7, The O2 Arena, £32.50 The X Factor Live Tour 2013 Feb 22, Feb 23, Wembley Arena, £32.50 The XX Dec 16, O2 Academy Brixton, adv £25, phone for availability Thin Lizzy Dec 17, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, phone for prices Tracer Apr 9, The Scala, adv £14 Train Feb 22, The Apollo, £26.50 Trevor Watts, Tony Bevan, John Edwards And Eddie Prevost Dec 17, The Vortex Jazz Club, Dalston Culture House, £9 Trey Songz Jan 30 & Jan 31, The Apollo, £30 & £35 Twenty Twenty Dec 8, The Garage, £15 Twisted Routes, Romeo Down, Dan Cohen, Ned Roberts Dec 5, The Troubadour, £6 Two Door Cinema Club Feb 8, O2 Academy Brixton, phone for prices UFO Mar 5, The Forum, £21.50 UK Subs, TV Smith, Outl4w Dec 14, The Garage, £15 Ukulele Wednesdays! Nov 21 & Nov 28, The Royal George, phone for prices Vijay Iyer Feb 5, Southbank Centre, £10£20, concs £5-£10 Villagers Feb 20, Village Underground, £14 Wave Machines Feb 6, The Scala, adv £9 Wiley, Skepta, JME Apr 20, The Forum, £14.50 Willy Mason, Nick Mulvey Dec 5, The Scala, adv £15

The Feeling Apr 26, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, £22.50

Monday November 19 Between The Buttons at The Barfly, Camden, 49 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AN Chalk Farm FREE, 7.30pm-late. DJ Magnetic Paul provides soul and 1950s to 1970s rock’n’roll.

Citrus at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA Leicester Square FREE, 10pm-3am. Brazilian DJs DouGuim and Kerol K spin chart and dance.

Hoxton Ukulele Hootenanny at The Queen Of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX Shoreditch High Street £20, 7.30pm12midnight. Resident DJs play Ukulele inspired music, plus live performances.

It’s Britney Bitch! at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square £5, 10pm-3am. DJ Tuomo Fox and special guests spin pop, R&B and chart hits under the watchful eye of MC Patrick Lilley.

Tuesday November 20 Bossa Nova Disco at Guanabara, Parker Street, WC2B 5PW Holborn FREE, 5pm-late. Resident DJs spin Brazilian jazz music.

Candy Boys at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 7pm-3am. Resident DJs spin dance and pop.

The Iko’s New Orleans Music Shop at The Alley Cat, 4 Denmark Street, WC2H 8LP Tottenham Court Road phone for prices, 7.30pm-late. DJ Lil’ Koko spins rhythm’n’blues, funk and soul, plus live bands.

Juicy at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH Camden Town £3, £1 before 10pm, 7.30pm-1.30am. Resident DJs and guests spin hip hop, bashment and R&B classics.

Wednesday November 21 Beach Bum at Ladybird Bar, 70 Upper Street, N1 0NY Angel FREE, 9pm-2am.

DJ Larry Sun plays a mash-up of dance, hip hop, electro and party.

Cabaret Voltaire at Cellar Door, Zero Aldwych, WC2E 7EN Temple FREE, 9pm-late. Burlesque and cabaret club with Friedrick & Bridges.

Floripa’s First Birthday: Shea Seger, We Are Knights, Eri Okin, Shea Soul at Floripa, 91-93 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3HZ Old Street FREE, 9pm-late.

The Brazilian fusion venue celebrates its first anniversary, with live music from the 12-piece reggae/samba Eri Okan, electropop-folk from We Are Knights, with DJs Scarlett Etienne, Mark Rae and Rob Coley spinning the samba, baile funk, and modern disco beats.

Trannyoke at Escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, W1F 0SU Piccadilly Circus FREE, 9pm-3am. DJ Matt spins pop and dance, with host Lady Lloyd, and karaoke.

Thursday November 22 Bad Sex at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH Camden Town £7, £5 before 10pm, guestlist NUS £5, NUS FREE before 10pm, 7.30pm-2.15am. Mayton DJs and Fin

Munro spin indie, electro, rock and pop, plus live performances from Delta/Alaska and IndianRedLopez.

Chess Club Records at The Queen Of Hoxton, 1-5 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX Shoreditch High Street FREE, 7.30pm-2am. DJs White Lies, James Yuill, II Figures and residents spin indie music, with a live performance from Post War Years.

Chick Habit at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road FREE, 9.30pm-late. DJs Amy B and CeCe spin pop and classics from the 1990s, plus music by girls in the basement.

HU$TLR$: Members Night at The Shadow Lounge, 5-7 Brewer Street, W1F 0RF Leicester Square £5, mems FREE, 10pm-3am. DJs Miswhite, Doug Silva and Paul Heron supply party tunes, cheese and dance vibes.

Invader Music Birthday Runnings at The Book Club, 100-106 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH Old Street FREE, 7.30pm1am. DJs Alex Morris, Gaika Tavares and Ursa Minor spin indie, pop and rock.

QueerlyOut at Escape Bar, 10A Brewer Street, W1F 0SU Piccadilly Circus £5, mems £3, 9pm-3am. DJ Robby D spins commercial dance, pop and R&B. T-Club at Dalston Superstore, 117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB Dalston Kingsland FREE, 9pm2.30am. DJs Ricky Almeida and The Librarian spin Northern soul, punk and rock.

Vinyl at Eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £3, FREE before 10pm, mems £2, 6pm-2am. DJ Screwpulous spins pop hits.

Hidden Depths Of Rinse at Concrete, The Tea Building, E1 6JJ Shoreditch High Street adv £5, 8pm-1am. Zinc (pictured) celebrates two decades of UK bass culture, melding garage, house and grime with support from Trim, Brackles, Faze Miyake and Tippa.

Friday November 23 23rd Birthday Party at MS Stubnitz, Millennium Mills Jetty, E16 1UR Pontoon Dock £13, 9pm-6am.

Resident DJs spin electronic dance music, plus live acts.

Anthem: Old School Reunion at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £8, adv £6, 9pm5am. DJs Marc Andrews, Sean Sirrs and Steve B play old skool and dance anthems, plus a live performance from Lonnie Gordon.

Astral Circus at Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, SW9 6LH Brixton adv £5 & £10, 10pm-6am. Psychedelic trance and techno courtesy of OOOD, Journey, Tantrix, Nick Sentience, PsiBindi and Mouldy Soul.

46 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Phonica 9th Birthday at XOYO, 32-37 Cowper Street, EC2A 4AP Old Street £12.50, 9pm-3am. House, techno and electronica for a lively crowd in a celebratory mood, courtesy of Omar S, Ivan Smagghe, Bicep and Phonica DJs. Cable Present at Cable, 33A Bermondsey Street, SE1 2EG London Bridge queue jump £22, £15, adv £10 & £12, 10pm6am. DJs N Type, Coki, Hatcha, Youngsta, Chef, Walsh, Soap Dodgers, Surge, Raggs, Benton, Bluesy, Hijack and Unitz spin dubstep, with MCs SGT, Pokes, Blacks and Crazy D. Club NME at KOKO, 1a Camden High Street, NW1 7JE Mornington Crescent £5, NUS £4 before 12midnight, £2 before 10.30pm, 10pm-4am. Resident DJs spin indie, rock’n’roll, electro, drum’n’bass and dubstep, with a live performance from Eyes On Film.

The Gallery Presents at The Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP Elephant & Castle £14, 10.30pm6am. DJs Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Paul Thomas, Manuel De La Mare, Gavyn Mytchel, Steve Parry and Amar Daved spin house, trance and dance music.

Hexstatic’s Holotronica in 3D at Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, EC2A 3PQ Old Street adv £17.50, 9pm-4am. Electronica and audio-visual performances courtesy of Hexstatic, Addictive TV, Lumen, Origamibiro, Urban Knights and Keep Up! Horsepower at Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AH Camden Town phone for prices, 7.30pm-2.30am. Mr Eddy Osborne and Dixon Brothers spin house, indie, electro, techno and drum’n’bass.

Inverted Audio & Electronic Explorations at The Waiting Room, 175 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 0LH Stoke Newington £8, adv £6, 11pm4am. Swayzak (DJ set), Jerome Hill, Mister Sushi and Antepop play house, techno and electronica.

Jam Hot Presents at The Macbeth, 70 Hoxton Street, N1 6LP Old Street FREE, 7pm-late. Martelo, DJ Rags, DJ Khalil, Chris P Cuts and Dodoh spin drum’n’bass, garage, electro and hip hop.

Onyx: New Era at Area, 67-68 Albert Embankment, SE1 7HD Vauxhall adv £6, adv £12 inc A:M Afterhours at Fire, 11pm-5am. Per QX, Terry Bryan, Matt Bogard, Lady Lloyd, Tasty Tim, James St James, Tuomo Fox, Kartel Brown and Maximus Crown spin house, pop, R&B, garage and funk across three areas.

Play>Time at Lo-Profile, 84-86 Wardour Street, W1F 0TQ Leicester Square £10, £8 before 12midnight, 10pm-4am.

Weekly gay dance party hosted by porn star Jay Roberts with special appearances.

Supermax at Dalston Superstore, 117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB Dalston Kingsland £5, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-3am. Swedish DJ Adeline and residents spin disco and house.

Them at Corsica Studios, 4-5 Elephant Road, SE17 1LB Elephant & Castle adv £5, 10pm-6am. Electronica and dubstep courtesy of Ital Tek, Illum Sphere, Randomer, Om Unit, Chrissy Muderbot, Deft, Naive Machine, Moto and Vortex.

Tonker at Eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £6, FREE before 10pm, mems £5 after 10pm, 9pm-3am.

Resident DJ Tim Jones and guest play house, chart and dance.

Saturday November 24 Fabriclive at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £17, adv £21 inc cd, adv £16, NUS/mems £12 before 12midnight, £8 after 3am, 10pm-6am.

Reggae, dancehall, jungle and drum’n’bass courtesy of David Rodigan (pictured), Shy FX, Dillinja, YoYo, DJ Barely Legal, Stamina, MC A.D, Roska, Breakage, Wookie, Dismantle, Mel, Royal T, Shox, Jamie George, Stamina, MC Versatile, DBridge, Loxy, Dakuan Code 3, Justyce and Visionobi.

The Hydra: R&S Records at Secret Location, E1 £15, 10pm6am. James Blake (pictured), Trim, Lone, Pariah, Airhead and The Chain spin electronic dance music, with live performances from Egyptian Hip Hop, Space Dimension Controller and Vondelpark.

DNA and Filthy Polak spin UK funky, grime, dubstep and drum’n’bass across three rooms, plus a live performance from Shola Ama.

Sunday November 25 Get Low Presents at The Lock Tavern, 35 Chalk Farm Road, NW1 8AJ Camden Town FREE, 3pm-late. UK funky, garage, dubstep, house, moombahton and dancehall from NYTA and Ben Pearce.

Horse Meat Disco at Eagle, 349 Kennington Lane, SE11 5QY Vauxhall £6, 8pm-3am. Residents Jim Stanton, Luke Howard, James Hillard and Severino spin disco and house on rotation.

Krankbrother & Air London Presents 5 Years Of Cecille at Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, EC2A 3PQ Old Street adv £10, 2pm-12midnight.

The Mannheim based record label celebrates five years of minimal house and techno in the company of co-founder Nick Curly, Sascha Dive, Daniel Stefanik, Matthias Meyer and Krankbrothers.

S.L.A.G.S / CHILL-OUT Sundays at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £8, £5 before 7.30pm, 2pm-12midnight. Simon Le Vans, Andy Almighty and Sean Sirrs spin disco, electro and house, plus The D E Experience performs live.

WetYourSelf! at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £10, NUS/mems £7, adv £5, 11pm-6am. Enzo Tedeschi, Diego CK Family, Cormac, Jacob Husley and Peter Pixzel spin dance, house and techno.

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Power Of The Trinity at The Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, N1 9NL King’s Cross St Pancras adv £12, 10pm-6am. Dub, roots and reggae courtesy of Kibir La Amlak Soundsystem featuring JT and Stamina Li, Instrument of Jah, The North East Roots and Dub Defenders and Aba-Shanti-I. Propaganda at O2 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS Angel £5, 10.30pm-3.30am. DJ Dan and guests spin an eclectic mix of indie, electro, pop, dance and drum’n’bass.

Sin City at Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High Street, NW1 8QP Camden Town £7, NUS/mems £5 before 11.30pm, w/flyer £5 before 12midnight, 10.30pm-3.30am.

DJs Adam Lightspeed and Sleazy H play alternative rock and metal in the main room, with classic rock and metal in room two.

Audio Sushi at The Dogstar, 389 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8LQ Brixton £5, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-4am. Jeffrey Disastronaut plays reggae, electro, funk jungle, pop, indie and dubstep.

Club De Fromage at O2 Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, N1 0PS Angel £6.50, 10.30pm3.30am. Resident DJs play cheese and pop from the 1980s and 1990s, plus themed fancy dress.

Duckie at Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY Vauxhall £6, 9pm-2am. Resident DJs spin pop and indie hosted by the inimitable Amy Lamé, plus cabaret performances.

Fabric at Fabric, 77A Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ Farringdon £24, adv £28 inc cd, adv £23, NUS/mems £18, £15 after 10am, 11pm-2am. Ricardo Villalobos, Craig Richards, Heiko MSO, Margaret Dygas, Terry Francis, Norman Nodge, Marcel Fengler, Dan Andrei and Shaun Soomr spin electro, house and techno, with live performances from Bruno Pronsato, Sieg ber Die Sonne and CTRLS. Fabulous at Ku Bar, 30 Lisle Street, WC2H 7BA Leicester Square £5, mems £3, 9pm-3am. DJP spins pop, chart and R&B. Hed Kandi - The Mix 2013 Official Album Launch Party at Pacha, Terminus Place, SW1V 1JR Victoria £20, adv £15, 11pm-6am. John Jones and Carl Hanaghan spin funky house, disco, dance and pop in the main room with Dean Oram on percussion and Emma Frampton on sax, while the Global Room welcomes Dolly Rockers, House Chimps and Lady Mercury.

Horse Meat Disco at Dalston Superstore, 117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB Dalston Kingsland £5, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-4am. Jim Stanton, James Hillard, Luke Howard and Severino take over the Superstore and spin underground disco.

Kitsune Club Night at Fire, Arch, 39-43 Parry Street, corner South Lambeth Road, SW8 1RT Vauxhall adv £12.50 & £14, NUS £12.50, 11pm-5am. House and electro courtesy of Etienne De Crecy, Deep Shit Betaucue, Punks Jump Up and Jerry Bouthier, plus live performances from Fred Falke and Logo.

London Basque Solidarity Sound System Presents at Jamm, 261 Brixton Road, SW9 6LH Brixton £30, adv £25, 12noon-12midnight. Resident DJs and guests play rock, heavy metal and traditional Basque music.

Louche 5th Birthday at Plan B, 418 Brixton Road, SW9 7AY Brixton £17, adv £15, earlybird £12, 10pm-6am. Henrik

Schwarz, DJ Sprinkles, Move D, Braiden, Mr Solid Gold and Josh T spin house, jazz, disco, dub, techno and garage.

Mega Spanish Fancy Dress Party at The Scala, 275 Pentonville Road, N1 9NL King’s Cross St Pancras £12, guestlist £10, adv £8, 10pm-6am. Resident DJs play popular Spanish music in the main room, Spanish indie, pop and Britpop in the Foyer Bar and house, dance and electro in the Balcony Bar. Monster at Candy Bar, 4 Carlisle Street, W1D 3BJ Tottenham Court Road £5, mems £3, FREE before 10pm, 9pm-3am.

Chart hits, dance and pop classics hosted

by DJ Lady Bex or Sandra D. Renegade Hardware at Electric Brixton, 1 Town Hall Parade, Brixton Hill, SW2 1RJ Brixton adv £10 & £15, 10pm-7am. DJs Friction, Loxy, Rockwell, Audio, Maztek, Tech Itch, Skeptical, Nyx, Robyn Chaos, Mech Warrior, Incite, Breach, Disarae, Solstice, ILL Tempa, Nightmare, Oni, Subzero and Funktion and Kyrist spin drum’n’bass and jungle across two rooms.

Size Matters at The Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, SE1 6DP Elephant & Castle £20, 11pm-7am.

DJs AN21 And Max Vangeli, Qulinez, Tim Mason, Wayne And Woods, Patrick Hagenaar, Shane Kehoe, Lee Game, Tad DV and Freddie Laws.

Sophisticated Old Skool at The Garage, 20-26 Highbury Corner, N5 1RD Highbury & Islington £10, 10.30pmlate. DJs Wesley Jay, Deejay S, Supplier, Krazy G, Secret Agent, Pyro, Dubwhore, Beeva, Base Switch, Stealth, Heavy D,

Every Sat 02 Academy Islington

Clubdefromage.com

scoutlondon.com Scout London 47

Back to Shunt “I

’d like to think we’re still not mainstream,” says Louise Mari with a cautious smile. The co-founder of Shunt is slumped on a sofa in the bar area of Theatre Delicatessen in Marylebone, where the collective is rehearsing its new show. She’s responding to the suggestion that the growth in popularity of the company’s bold and somewhat barmy brand of experimental theatre has pushed it increasingly towards what might be regarded as ‘mainstream’.

48 Scout London scoutlondon.com

“I think we make decisions that are not commercial decisions, which, for all our naiveté, is something I still really love about the company,” she says. “We don’t sell programmes, we don’t overcharge at the bar, we don’t charge huge prices for our work, and we’ve never been sponsored. We have integrity in what we do, and we always put the art first. Maybe the company would have a bit more security if we’d made different decisions about that kind of thing, but that’s just who we are.”

As you might have guessed, the Shunt team is quite fiercely independent. Which is one of the reasons it has been so effective.

Over the past 15 years, it has become one of the most influential arts collectives in the city, inspiring a generation of experimental theatre makers and performance artists. Some of this is the result of its large-scale immersive productions, such as 2005’s Tropicana or 2010’s dizzyingly impressive Money. But it’s also the effect of the Shunt Lounge, a dark,

subterranean bar and performance space that the team ran for six years in the tunnels beneath London Bridge station. As well as being one of the city’s coolest watering holes, attracting hundreds of party-goers every weekend, it was also one of its most dynamic and unpredictable arts spaces.

Shunt invited in performance, exhibition and installation from a vast tapestry of left-field artists of every medium, and used the popularity of the bar as a way of promoting this work to crowds that

susanne dietz

Pioneers of immersive theatre and the group behind what used to be the coolest bar in town, the Shunt collective is back with its first show in two years. Dan Frost meets co-founder and director Louise Mari

Influential Mari in a typically left-field Shunt production

Delving into the labyrinth The cast of The Architects – Shunt’s latest production

might otherwise never have seen it.

“There was always an agenda of experiment,” explains Mari. “We wanted to support experimental work in all fields of the arts, to create a community of artists.”

That all came to an end in 2010, when work on The Shard forced them out (Shunt had leased the space from Network Rail).

Shortly before the Lounge closed, Shunt opened Money, an avantgarde play that took place inside a giant purpose-built machine in a warehouse on Bermondsey Street.

Avant-garde theatre is a niche market at best. And yet, Money played to sell-out audiences every night for an entire year.

Now, after nearly two years away, Shunt is back with a new production: The Architects.

Although revealing it is loosely based on the Greek myth of the Minotaur, Mari is somewhat guarded about the show in detail.

“It’s very hard to talk about in any depth,” says Mari, “because the whole point of the show is disorientation, so if I tell you too

much about what happens then it might spoil that. It’s not a physical labyrinth. We’re taking on the idea of the labyrinth in terms of something that’s disorientating – for your understanding of what’s going on and your relationship with the performance.”

Funded by the Arts Council, the piece has a third of the budget of Money, which had its lavish production values bankrolled by the success of the Lounge.

“The trouble is, we still have the same ridiculous ambitions,”

chuckles Mari. “We’ve just had to temper them a bit. But the environments will still be very interesting.”

This much is not in doubt. Ever since 10 students from Central School of Speech and Drama decided to form Shunt in 1998, they’ve been putting minimal means to masterful use.

The Lounge is a case in point.

Mari, now 46, was one of the few collective members with a direct hand in running the venue. She remembers “everyone working for peanuts and never sleeping”, partly because they never expected the bar to become so popular.

“We just thought, ‘Lets put some crates up on end and get a bucket with some ice and beer, open it up and play some music’. By the third week we had 600 people coming in,” she says. “It grew so fast, we constantly had to improve and adapt the space, and get more staff in. Then we’d have to make more money to support these new staff, so it ended up being this monster of a project. We were constantly trying to catch up.”

Which brings us to the question most Shunt fans will want asked: are there plans for another Lounge?

“We’ll never say no, but the idea at the moment is to focus on the company’s shows, because that’s why we started and that’s what we’re about.

“I’m also getting on a bit now,” she adds with a smile. “People keep saying, ‘Let’s do it again’, but I think I’d be dead in six months if we did.”

The Architects, November 27January 6, The Biscuit Factory, nationaltheatre.org.uk scoutlondon.com Scout London 49

Goodnight Mister Tom Phoenix Theatre November 22-January 26, £15-£46.50 There can be few stories that manage to be both as heartwarming and heartbreaking as Michelle Magorian’s award-winning children’s novel. Set during the second world war, it tells of a young boy who is evacuated away from his physically and psychologically abusive mother in London to the home of a cantankerous elderly recluse in the countryside. Over time, the old man and the boy form a tender bond that gradually helps both to refresh their outlook on life. Olivier Award-winning actor Oliver Ford Davies stars in the title role.

WC2H 0JP Tottenham Court Road goodnightmistertom.co.uk

The Changeling Young Vic November 20-December 15, £10-£30 Joe Hill-Gibbins’ arresting production of this dark and bloody Jacobean tragedy played to sell-out crowds when it opened at the Young Vic at the start of the year. It is now returning to the theatre for a four week run, with a new cast. At the centre of Thomas Middleton and William Rowley’s play is a spoilt and amoral rich girl who is in love with one man but betrothed to another. She hires an ugly servant whom she loathes to murder her fiancé, only to discover that the only payment the servant will accept is of the sexual kind.

Waterloo youngvic.org

Hero Royal Court November 23-December 22, £10-£20 EV Crowe was nominated as Most Promising Playwright at the 2010 Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her debut play, Kin, an alarming story about bullying and abandoned adolescence, which was set in the claustrophobic atmosphere of a posh girls’ boarding school.

Now, following the success of a piece about Bonnie Prince Charlie 50 Scout London scoutlondon.com

for the Edinburgh Fringe, she returns to education as a backdrop for her new play, Hero, which centres on a gay primary school teacher and the professional challenges he has to overcome as a result of his sexuality.

SW1W 8AS Sloane Square royalcourttheatre.com

The Prince and the Pauper Unicorn Theatre November 25-January 13, £11-£22 Few places in the world can stage children’s theatre with the wit and ingenuity of The Unicorn. Its Christmas production is always a big draw, and this year will be no exception.

Jemma Kennedy has adapted classic Mark Twain story The Prince and the Pauper for a production directed by Selina

Cartmell. It tells of a case of mistaken identity in Tudor England that sees a poor young lad welcomed into a world of regal splendour while the rightful heir to the throne is cast out into streets of scum and villainy.

SE1 2HZ London Bridge unicorntheatre.com

Keith Pattison / catherine ashmore / HUGO GLENDINNING

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The imals An and n

e r d l i Ch Took to the Stree ts

The Coming Storm Battersea Arts Centre November 20-December 1, £13-£17 Veteran avant-garde theatre company Forced Entertainment is taking over Battersea Arts Centre for two weeks at the end of this month, with this typically madcap piece of sprawling experimentalism at the heart of its residency.

Umpteen narratives interweave and collide, covering everything from “love and death to sex and laundry, from shipwrecks to falling snow, personal anecdotes rub shoulders with imaginary movies, and half remembered novels bump into distorted fairytales”. Right, that’s cleared that up, then.

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 Evening Standard, Financial Times, Time Out Sydney

‘This is a perfect alternative show. In fact, it is a perfect show.’

Financial Times

Seamlessly synchronizing live music, performance and storytelling with stunning film and animation, the internationally acclaimed show by award-winning company 1927 returns.

Kiss Me, Kate Old Vic November 20-March 2, £11-£60 On the back of rave reviews in Chichester this summer, Trevor Nunn’s revival of Cole Porter’s most famous musical transfers to the Old Vic for the coveted Christmas slot.

It is based around a musical production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, and the fiery backstage relationship between the show’s director and male star and his leading lady, who happens to be his ex-wife. Throw in a few gangsters and some of Porter’s finest songs and you have a very lively and fun-packed musical.

SE1 8NB

Waterloo oldvictheatre.com

12 December – 10 January National Theatre South Bank SE1 9PX 020 7452 3000 nationaltheatre.org.uk

Co-commissioned by BAC, Malthouse Theatre & The Showroom (University of Chichester) Developed at BAC

No booking fee

Waterloo, Southwark, Embankment

Photo © ‘1927’

Sponsored by

People booking until Apr 2 2013, National Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£47, Mon-Fri under 18s £19 & £23.50, other concs available, Nov 19-22, 26-29, Dec 3-6, 17-20, 28 & 29, Jan 1, 4 & 5, 7 & 8, 11 & 12, 14 & 15, Feb 1 & 2, 4, 8 & 9, 11-13, 18-21, 25-28, Mar 7-9, 15 & 16, 18-20, 26-28, 30, Apr 1 & 2, 7.45pm, Mar 21, 7pm, mats Nov 29, Dec 6, 15, 20, 29, 31, Jan 5, 12, Feb 2, 9, 13, 20, 27, Mar 9, 27, 30, 2pm, Jan 6, Feb 3, 3pm). Alan Bennett’s drama about the owner of a British stately home contemplating a sale of the house’s contents.

The 39 Steps booking until Mar 30 2013, Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, W1J 0TR Piccadilly Circus £15-£55, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Wed 3pm, Sat 4pm, no perf Dec 26, Dec 24, 4pm. Comedy version of thriller.

All That Fall booking until Nov 24, Arts Theatre, 6-7 Great Newport Street, WC2H 7JB Covent Garden Mon-Thu £20-£35, Fri & Sat £20-£39.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 3.30pm. Trevor Nunn directs Michael Gambon and Eileen Atkins in Samuel Beckett’s radio play.

Billy Elliot - The Musical booking until Dec 21 2013, Victoria Palace, Victoria Street, SW1E 5EA Victoria £19.50-£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm.

Adaptation of the film. Music by Elton John.

The Bodyguard booking until Apr 27 2013, Adelphi Theatre, 409-412 Strand, WC2R 0NS Charing Cross £20£67.50, Nov 6-30, Dec 1-4 previews £20-£57.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm. Musical adaptation of 1992 film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Featuring songs by Houston.

Cabaret booking until Jan 19 2013, Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, Strand, WC2R 0ET Charing Cross £35-£85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Will Young stars in Rufus Norris’s re-vamped production of classic musical.

Chariots Of Fire booking until Feb 2 2013, Gielgud Theatre, 35-37 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6AR Piccadilly Circus £26-£55, Premium Seats £85, MonSat 7.45pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm. Mike Bartlett’s stage version of the race to compete in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games.

A Chorus Of Disapproval booking until Jan 5 2013, Harold Pinter Theatre, 6 Panton Street, SW1Y 4DN Piccadilly Circus £10-£53.50, Premium Seats £85, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perfs Dec 24-26, 31, extra mat perf Dec 28, 2.30pm. Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy about an amateur opera company. Starring Rob Brydon and Ashley Jensen. Directed by Trevor Nunn.

52 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Constellations booking until Jan 5 2013, The Duke Of York’s, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BG Leicester Square £25£75, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 31, Jan 1.

Nick Payne’s drama on friendship and free will, with Rafe Spall and Sally Hawkins.

Damned By Despair booking until Dec 17, National Theatre: Olivier, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£32, OAP £22, Nov 23 & 24, 26-29, Dec 4-6, 12-15, 17, 7.30pm, mats Nov 24, 29, Dec 6, 13, 15, 2pm. A new version by Frank McGuinness, of Spanish writer Tirso de Molina’s drama.

Dreamboats And Petticoats booking until Jan 19 2013, Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DA Leicester Square £10-£75, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm, except Dec 24, 3pm only, no perfs Dec 25 & 26, Jan 1, extra mat perfs Dec 28, Jan 2, 3pm.

Contemporary pop musical.

Ghost - The Musical booking until Apr 20 2013, Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman Street, W1D 7DY Piccadilly Circus Mon-Wed/Thu mats £25-£65, Thu eves/ Fri & Sat £25-£67.50, Premium Seats £85, £25 day tickets available Mon-Fri from the box office from 10am on the day of the performance, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. A stage adaptation of the 1990 romantic film.

Goodnight Mister Tom Starts Thu, booking until Jan 26 2013, Phoenix Theatre, 110 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0JP Leicester Square Nov 22-28, Jan 8, 15, 22 £15-£39.50, Nov 29 & 30, Dec 1-31, Jan 1-7, 9-14, 16-21, 2326 £15-£46.50, Nov 22-30, Dec 1-21, Jan 8-25 Tue-Fri child £29.62 & £34.87, From Nov 22, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Nov 26, 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm extra mat perf Dec 4, 11, Jan 8, 15, 22, 1.30pm, Dec 18, 28, 31, 2.30pm. Stage adaptation of classic second world war-set children’s novel.

Healthy Heart: Ten Ten Theatre (Over 9s) Starts Sat, booking until Feb 9 2013, Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square £7.50, concs £5, Nov 24, Feb 9, 4pm. The tale of how a young girl is forced to think about what it means to have a healthy heart.

The Effect booking until Feb 23 2013, National Theatre: Cottesloe, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£32, Nov 21-24, Dec 17-20, Jan 4 & 5, 7, 11 & 12, 14 & 15, 2123, Feb 1 & 2, 4-9, 11-16, 18-23, 7.30pm, mats Nov 22, 24, Dec 20, Jan 5, 12, 23, Feb 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 2.30pm, captioned perfs Jan 14, Feb 5, audio described perf Feb 1. Lucy Prebble’s drama looks at sanity, neurology and the limits of medicine.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain! (Over 6s) booking until Jan 6 2013, Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HH Charing Cross £10£14.50, Thu & Fri 1pm, Sat 10.30am & 12noon, Sun 2pm & 4pm. A look at all the nasty, crazy things British people have done to each other over the centuries.

Jersey Boys booking until Feb 17 2013, Prince Edward Theatre, 28 Old Compton Street, W1D 4HS Tottenham Court Road Tue-Thu £20-£65, Fri-Sun £20-£67.50, Premium Seats Tue-Thu £85, Fri-Sun £95, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Tue, Sat & Sun 3pm, no perf Dec 25, Dec 30, 3pm, extra mat perf Dec 27, 3pm. Musical drama about the career of Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons.

Kiss Me Kate Starts Tue, booking until Mar 2 2013, Old Vic, 103 The Cut, SE1 8NB Waterloo £11-£60, From Nov 20, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, Dec 24, 28, 30 & 31, 2.30pm. Cole Porter’s award-winning musical directed by Trevor Nunn.

Les Miserables booking until Oct 26 2013, Queen’s Theatre, 51 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6BA Piccadilly Circus £20-£85, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, extra mat perf Dec 27, Jan 3, 2.30pm. Classic musical drama.

Let It Be booking until Jan 19 2013, Prince Of Wales Theatre, 31 Coventry Street, W1D 6AS Piccadilly Circus £20, £40, £60, Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 5pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm. Marking 50 years since the release of their first single, The Beatles are celebrated in this musical-narrative.

The Lion King booking until Jan 6 2013, Lyceum Theatre, 21 Wellington Street, WC2E 7RQ Covent Garden Tue-Thu £30-£60, Fri, Sun £32.50-£62.50, Sat £35-£65, Sep 2-Dec 31, Jan 1-6 2013, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat & Sun 2.30pm, Wed & Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Musical based on the Disney film about a cub’s journey to pride leader.

Loserville booking until Mar 2 2013, Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HH Charing Cross Nov 1-Mar 1 & 2 Mon-Thu £10-£45, Fri & Sat £10£49.50, Tue & Wed 3pm & 7.30pm family £32.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm. Musical about a 70s computer geek,

by Elliot Davis and Busted’s James Bourne.

The Magistrate booking until Feb 10 2013, National Theatre: Olivier, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£47, Nov 1620 previews £12-£30, Nov 19 & 20, 22, 30, Dec 1-3, 7 & 8, 10 & 11, 18-22, 26-29, Jan 1-5, 7-12, 14-16, 18 & 19, 21 & 22, Feb 9 & 10, 7.30pm, mats Nov 22, Dec 1, 8, 22, 27, 29, 31, Jan 3, 5, 12, 19, Feb 9, 2pm, Dec 2, 20, 2.30pm. Victorian farcical comedy written by Arthur Wing Pinero, with John Lithgow in the title role.

Mamma Mia! booking until Apr 13 2013, Novello Theatre, 5 Aldwych, WC2B 4LD Covent Garden Mon-Fri £15-£64, Sat £15-£67.50, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, extra mat perf Dec 31, 3pm. Musical comedy based at a family wedding, set to ABBA songs.

Matilda: The Musical booking until Dec 22 2013, Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street, WC2H 9HU Covent Garden Feb 14 2012-Feb 17 2013 £20-£62.50, disabled £31.25, Tue-Thu under 18s £19-£52.50, Tue 7pm, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, Sun 3pm. Tim Minchin’s musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s tale.

Monty Python’s Spamalot booking until Apr 13 2013, Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5DE Charing Cross £15-£85, Mon-Sat 8pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, Dec 31, 2.30pm & 5.30pm, extra mat perfs Dec 27 & 28, Jan 1, 2.30pm. Eric Idle and John Du Prez’s musical comedy.

The Mousetrap booking until Dec 15, St Martin’s Theatre, West Street, Cambridge Circus, WC2H 9NZ Leicester Square £15.60-£41.60, Premium Seats £60.60, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Tue 3pm, Sat 4pm.

Agatha Christie’s murder mystery.

One Man, Two Guvnors booking until Aug 31 2013, Theatre Royal, Haymarket, 18 Suffolk Street, SW1Y 4HT Piccadilly Circus £15-£55, premium seats £85, concs available, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm, except Dec 24, 2.30pm, Dec 26, 7.30pm only, no perf Dec 25, extra mat perfs Dec 27, Jan 3, 2.30pm. Richard Bean’s hilariously slapstick award-winning comedy.

Our Boys booking until Dec 15, Duchess Theatre, 3-5 Catherine Street, WC2B 5LA Covent Garden £20-£65, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.45pm.

An account of the trials and terrors faced by young injured soldiers.

The Phantom Of The Opera booking until Oct 26 2013, Her Majesty’s Theatre, 57 Haymarket, SW1Y 4QL Piccadilly Circus £22.45-£85, MonSat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Gothic musical about a masked man and his dangerous obsession.

The Promise booking until Dec 8, Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY Charing Cross £22, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm (press night Nov 19, 7pm). A new version by Penelope Skinner of Aleksei Arbuzov’s war drama.

Richard III booking until Feb 10 2013, Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ Piccadilly Circus £25-£55, Nov 21 & 22, 28, Dec 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19 & 20, Jan 2 & 3, 9 & 10, 23 & 24, 30 & 31, Feb 6, 7.30pm, mats Nov 24, Dec 1, 8, 15, 22, 27, 29, Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, Feb 2, 9, 2pm, Dec 2, Jan 20, Feb 10, 3pm. All-male production of Shakespeare’s history play.

Rock Of Ages booking until Feb 17 2013, Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8DP Holborn Mon-Thu £20£57.50, Fri & Sat £20-£65, Mon-Thu 7.30pm, Fri 5.30pm & 8.30pm, Sat 8pm, mats Sat 4pm, no perf Dec 25, Dec 31, 3pm & 7pm, extra mat perf Dec 27, 3pm. Musical celebrating Los Angeles rock culture.

The Royal Ballet: Concerto/Las Hermanas/Requiem Ends Dec 5, Royal Opera House, 45 Floral Street, WC2E 9DD Covent Garden £4-£63, 7.30pm. Three works choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan.

The Royal Ballet: Swan Lake Ends Nov 24, Royal Opera House, 45 Floral Street, WC2E 9DD Covent Garden £24-£120, phone for availability, Nov 22, 7.30pm, Nov 24, 7pm, mat Nov 24, 1.30pm.

Tchaikovsky’s ballet, with choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.

Scenes From An Execution booking until Dec 9, National Theatre: Lyttelton, South Bank, SE1 9PX Waterloo £12-£47, Mon-Fri under 18s £19 & £23.50, other concs available, Nov 23, 30, Dec 1, 7 & 8, 7.30pm, mats Nov 24, Dec 1, 8, 2.15pm, Dec 2, 9, 3pm. Howard Barker’s drama about artist Galactia.

catherine ashmore / Ellie Kurtz

WEST END

Scrooge The Musical booking until Jan 5 2013, London Palladium, 8 Argyll Street, W1F 7TF Oxford Circus £27-£69, child £22-£53, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 3pm, Dec 28, 3pm, no perf Dec 24-26, Jan 1. Leslie Bricusse’s musical based on Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.

The Showstoppers booking until Dec 23, Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NL Embankment £17.50-£27.50, Sun 7pm, mat Dec 16, 3pm.

Improvised musical comedy.

Shrek - The Musical booking until Feb 24 2013, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Catherine Street, WC2B 5JF Covent Garden £20-£65, Wed & Thu eves family of four £99-£150, additional seats £29.50 (upper circle) & £45 (best available), Premium Seats £95, Mon, Thu-Sat 7.30pm, Wed 7pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm, Dec 24, 31, 3pm. Musical based on the film.

Singin’ In The Rain booking until Sep 1 2013, Palace Theatre, 109-113 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5AY Leicester Square £14-£84, £25 day seats available from the box office from 10am on day of the performance, Oct 1-Aug 31 2013, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat Oct 1-Aug 31 2013, Wed, Sat 2.30pm, no perf Dec 24 & 25, 31, Jan 6, Dec 26, 5pm, extra mat perf Dec 27 & 28, Jan 3, 2.30pm. Musical based on the classic MGM film about the end of silent movies.

Stick Man: Scamp Theatre (Over 3s) booking until Jan 6 2013, Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BX Leicester Square £12.50-£14.50,

family £45, Wed-Sun 10.30am, Sat & Sun 2pm, Dec 22 & 23, 27-30, Jan 5 & 6, 12.15pm. Show based on Julia Donaldson’s children’s book.

Stomp booking until Dec 22 2013, Ambassadors Theatre, West Street, WC2H 9ND Leicester Square £20£49.50, Mon, Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 6pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm. Award-winning percussion-based spectacular.

Thriller Live booking until Oct 15 2013, Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES Piccadilly Circus £26£87.50, Tue-Fri, Sun 7.30pm, Sat 8pm, Dec 31, 3.30pm & 7.30pm, mats Sat 4pm, Sun 3.30pm. A celebration of the music of Michael Jackson.

Top Hat - The Musical booking until Sep 28 2013, Aldwych Theatre, 49 Aldwych, WC2B 4DF Covent Garden £20-£65, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm.

Irving Berlin’s romantic musical.

Twelfth Night booking until Feb 9 2013, Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ Piccadilly Circus £25-£55, Nov 20, 23 & 24, 27, 29 & 30, Dec 1, 4, 7 & 8, 11, 14 & 15, 18, 21 & 22, 26-29, Jan 4 & 5, 8, 11 & 12, 15, 17-19, 22, 25 & 26, 29, Feb 1 & 2, 5, 7-9, 7.30pm, mats Nov 21, 28, Dec 5, 12, 19, Jan 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Feb 6, 2pm, Nov 25, Dec 9, 16, 23, 30, Jan 6, 13, 27, Feb 3, 3pm. Mark Rylance plays Olivia in allmale production of Shakespeare’s classic.

Uncle Vanya booking until Feb 16 2013, Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, WC2R 0NH Embankment £25£53.50, Premium Seats £76, Mon-Sat

7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm, except Dec 31, 2.30pm, extra mats Dec 18, 28, Jan 2, no perfs Dec 24 & 25, Jan 1. Anton Chekhov’s comic tale on the tribulations of the human condition starring Anna Friel, Ken Stott and Samuel West.

War Horse booking until Oct 26 2013, New London Theatre, 166 Drury Lane (corner of Parker Street), WC2B 5PW Covent Garden £15-£55, Premium Seats £85, Mon, Wed-Sat 7.30pm, Tue 7pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Michael Morpurgo’s story about a farm horse caught up in the horrors of the First World War. We Will Rock You booking until Mar 23 2013, Dominion Theatre, 268-9 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7AQ Tottenham Court Road Mon-Fri £27.50-£55, Sat £27.50-£60, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Nov 28, Dec 26, Jan 31, Feb 27, 2.30pm. Futuristic musical set to Queen hits.

Wicked booking until Apr 27 2013, Apollo Victoria Theatre, 17 Wilton Road, SW1V 1LG Victoria Mon-Fri eves/mats £15-£62.50, Sat eves £15-£65, 24 front row day tickets priced £27.50 each released 10am at the box office, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm.

Musical about the life of the Wicked Witch Of The West.

The Woman In Black booking until Dec 14 2013, Fortune Theatre, Russell Street, WC2B 5HH Covent Garden £16.50£45, Premium Seats £55, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Tue, Thu 3pm, Sat 4pm. Adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost story.

Yes, Prime Minister booking until Mar 30 2013, Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, SW1A 2DY Charing Cross £26.50, £46.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Stage version of TV comedy.

Room On The Broom: Tall Stories (Ages 3-8) Starts Wed, booking until Jan 13 2013, Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7ES Piccadilly Circus £12.50-£20, Nov 21-23, 28-30, Dec 4-7, 11-14, Jan 4, 10 & 11, 11am, Nov 24 & 25, Dec 1 & 2, 8 & 9, 15 & 16, 20, 22-24, 28-31, Jan 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 10am & 12noon, Dec 18 & 19, 27, Jan 2 & 3, 11am & 2pm. An adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s popular children’s tale.

“An alluring combination of medieval Persian and Indian exoticism and state of the art beats” - Billboard

54 Scout London scoutlondon.com

Merrily We Roll Along Ends Feb 23 2013, The Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, SE1 1RU London Bridge £35, Meal Deal £43, Premier Seats £37.50, concs £27.50, Nov 16-27 previews £29.50, £37.50, Tue-Sat 8pm, mats Sat & Sun 3.30pm (no perf Nov 25, Dec 2, 24-26, Nov 19, 26, Dec 30, 8pm, Dec 27, 3.30pm). Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical.

NSFW booking until Nov 24, Jerwood Theatre At The Royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS Sloane Square Mon £10, Tue-Sat 7.30pm £12, £20, £28, under 25s £8, Thu, Sat 2.30pm/concs £15, £23, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, Nov 22, 2.30pm. Lucy Kirkwood’s sharp comedy about power games in the media.

Project X ends Dec 16, Covent Garden Piazza, WC2E 8RF Covent Garden £30, concs £25, inc return ticket to London Transport Museum, Sat & Sun 11am, 1pm, 3pm. Pop-up immersive theatrical adventure around Covent Garden, in which the audience solves clues in a mystery.

A Clockwork Orange Ends Jan 5 2013, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Nov 19-22 preview £15, Nov 23-30, Dec 1-31, Jan 1-5 Mon-Wed £17.50, concs £15, ThuSat £22.50, concs £20, From Nov 19, Mon-Sat 7.15pm, mats Wed, Sat 3pm, Dec 27 & 28, Jan 3, 3pm (press night Nov 21, no perf Dec 24-26, 31, Jan 1, no mat perf Jan 2). Anthony Burgess’s classic dystopian tale presented as a dynamic, all-male physical drama.

Red Velvet Ends Nov 24, Tricycle Theatre, 269 Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JR Kilburn Mon eve/Wed mats £14, TueThu eve/Sat mats £20, Tue-Thu eve concs/ Sat mats concs £18, Wed 8pm NUS £10, Fri & Sat eve £22, concs £20, mats OAP £10, Mon-Sat 8pm. Drama based on the lifestory of a successful 19th century black actor.

Robin Hood Starts Thu, ends Jan 6 2013, Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, SE10 8ES Greenwich £19 & £25, concs £16 & £23, child £9.50 & £12.50, From Nov 22, Nov 23 & 24, 30, Dec 1, 7 & 8, 14 & 15, 18-20, 26 & 27, Jan 2-5, 7pm, Dec 2, 9, 16, 21-24, 28-31, Jan 6, 5pm, mats Nov 22 & 23, 27-29, Dec 4-6, 11-13, 10am, Nov 24, Dec 1, 8, 15, 18-20, 26 & 27, Jan 5, 2pm, Dec 2, 9, 16, 21-24, 28-31, Jan 6, 1pm, Dec 5-7, 12-14, 1.30pm. Andrew Pollard in Greenwich’s much loved family pantomime.

Salad Days Ends Mar 2 2013, Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, W6 9RL Hammersmith £25, concs £20, Premium Seats £30 & £35, Cafe Seats £40,

Tue-Sat 7.45pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm, except Dec 24, 3pm only, no mat Dec 22, no perfs Dec 25 & 26, Jan 1, extra mat Dec 31. Julian Slade’s and Dorothy Reynolds’s sunny and romantic musical.

The Seagull Ends Dec 1, Southwark Playhouse, Shipwright Yard, corner of Tooley Street and Bermondsey Street, SE1 2TF London Bridge £10-£18, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3.15pm. Anton Chekhov’s dark comedy adapted by Anya Reiss.

Stuck: Big Wooden Horse (Over 3s) Starts Sat, ends Nov 25, Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL Hammersmith £8, family £30, Nov 24, 11am & 1pm, Nov 25, 12noon & 2pm. Adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’s book.

Sweet Smell Of Success Ends Dec 22, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Junction Nov 14-30, Dec 1-22 Tue-Sat 7.30pm £25, concs £18, Sat 2.30pm £22, concs £15, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm. Musical drama version of the 1957 film which featured Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

The Trojan Women Ends Dec 15, Gate Theatre, 11 Pembridge Road (above the Prince Albert Pub), W11 3HQ Notting Hill Gate £10-£20, concs £10-£15, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mat Sat 3pm.

Version of Euripides’s Greek tragedy.

The Upstairs Room Ends Dec 8, King’s Head, Islington, 115 Upper Street, N1 1QN Angel Nov 13-16 previews £10, Nov 17-30, Dec 1-8 £15-£25, Tue-Sat 7.15pm, mats Sun 3pm. A somewhat destructive modern love story, written by D.K. O’Hara.

Victor/Victoria Ends Dec 15, Southwark Playhouse, Shipwright Yard, corner of Tooley Street and Bermondsey Street, SE1 2TF London Bridge £10-£22.50, cabaret tables tickets £27.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3pm. Cross-dressing, 1930s-set musical comedy, based on the 1982 Julie Andrews movie.

The Winter’s Tale Ends Nov 25, The Rose, Bankside, 56 Park Street, SE1 9AR London Bridge £12, concs £10, TueSat 7.30pm, mats Sun 3pm. Shakespeare’s romantic tragi-comedy in period theatre.

FRINGE Boy George’s Taboo Ends Mar 31 2013, Brixton Clubhouse, 467 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH Brixton £10, £25, Meal Deal with top price ticket only £32.50, Tue-Sun 7.30pm, mats Sat & Sun 3pm. Boy George’s musical set during the New Romantic era.

Boy Meets Boy Starts Wed, ends Dec 20, Jermyn Street Theatre, 16B Jermyn Street, SW1Y 6ST Piccadilly Circus £20, concs £16.50, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm. Musical comedy about London in 1936.

Carbon Dating Ends Dec 1, Brockley Jack Studio Theatre, 410 Brockley Road, SE4 2DH Honor Oak Park £13, concs £10, Tue-Sat 8pm. Ron Elisha’s comedy drama about the agonies of dating.

Daddy Long Legs Ends Dec 8, St James Theatre, 12 Palace Street, SW1E 5JA Victoria £30-£45, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Wed, Sat 2.30pm. Early 20th centuryset musical based on Jean Webster’s novel.

The Dancer And The Devil Starts Wed, ends Nov 24, Jacksons Lane Theatre, 269a Archway Road, N6 5AA Highgate £14.95, concs £12.95, Nov 21-24, 8pm.

Anna Maria Murphy’s drama about a macabre cabaret in a war-torn country.

Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience Ends Dec 22, The Charing Cross Hotel, Strand, WC2N 5HX Charing Cross Tue-Thu/Sun 3-course meal and show £43.50, Fri & Sat £49.50, Tue-Sun 7.30pm, mats Sat & Sun 1.30pm. An interactive comedy inspired by the TV programme.

Forever Crazy Ends Dec 24, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX Waterloo standing £35, silver ticket £45, gold ticket £55, platinum ticket £65, Tue & Wed 8.30pm, Thu-Sat 7pm & 9.30pm, Sun 7pm. Parisian cabaret Crazy Horse presents its entertaining show.

Freedom, Books, Flowers And The Moon Ends Nov 25, Waterloo East Theatre, 3 Wootton Street (Entrance In Brad Street), SE1 8TG Waterloo £15, concs £12, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 4pm. Drama about gypsies in the Second World War. Golgotha Ends Dec 8, Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre, 1a Tower Street, WC2H 9NP Leicester Square £12, concs £10, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 3.30pm. Passionate tale about destiny, family and identity by Nirjay Mahindru.

Happy Birthday Wanda June: Act Up Ends Dec 1, Old Red Lion, 418 St John Street, EC1V 4NJ Angel Tue-Sat £15, concs £12, Sun £7, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sun 3pm, extra mat Dec 1, 3pm. Kurt Vonnegut’s drama.

I Stand Corrected Starts Tue, ends Dec 8, Oval House Theatre, 54 Kennington Oval, SE11 5SW Oval £14, concs £8, under 26s £10, From Nov 20, Tue-Sat 7.45pm, signed eve perf Dec 6, audio described eve perf Dec 7. Supernatural murder mystery.

Ordinary Darkness Ends Dec 1 2013, Hen & Chickens, 109 St Paul’s Road, N1 2NA Highbury & Islington £12.50, concs £10.50, Nov 14 £10, Tue-Sat 7pm, mats Sat 3pm. Drama about a group of squatters.

Short Cuts 2: Under The Skin/ Headcase/The Conker Ferrets Ends Nov 19, Tristan Bates Theatre, The Actors Centre, 1a Tower Street, WC2H 9NP Leicester Square £8, Nov 19, 7.30pm.

Three short dramas by emerging writers.

Solaris Ends Dec 8, The Courtyard, Bowling Green Walk, 40 Pitfield Street, N1 6EU Old Street £16, concs £14, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Dec 3, 7.30pm. Adaptation of Stanislav Lem’s cult sci-fi novel.

Steel Pier Ends Nov 24, Union Theatre, 204 Union Street, SE1 0LX Waterloo £15-£19, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6pm. John Kander and Fred Ebb’s musical, set in 1930s Atlantic City.

Too Many Penguins?: Polka Theatre Ends Feb 16 2013, Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, SW19 1SB South Wimbledon £10, concs £8.

Whimsical tale of friendship for children.

Trauma Ends Dec 1, White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, SE11 4DJ Kennington £14, concs £10, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6pm. Psychological drama.

Where The Mangrove Grows Ends Dec 1, Theatre 503, The Latchmere Pub, 503 Battersea Park Road, SW11 3BW Sloane Square £14, concs £9, TueSat 7.45pm, Sun 5pm. Drama in which a neglected child takes refuge in fantasy.

The Wind In The Willows (Ages 5-11): Polka Theatre Starts Fri, ends Feb 16 2013, Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, SW19 1SB South Wimbledon £16, concs £11, Kenneth Grahame’s children’s story of friendship and bravery.

Robert McGrath

OFF WEST END 55 Days Ends Nov 24, Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, NW3 3EU Swiss Cottage Nov 1-24 Mon £22, Tue-Sat £29, concs £15, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3pm, Wed 2.30pm. Howard Brenton’s historical drama, with Mark Gatiss as Charles I. Arab Nights Starts Wed, ends Dec 1, Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE Tottenham Court Road Nov 21 £10, Nov 22-Dec 1 £12.50, concs £10, From Nov 21, Tue-Sat 7.45pm, mats Nov 21, 24, 29, Dec 1, 3.30pm (audio described & signed mat perf Dec 1). Short dramas inspired by events in the Middle East and North Africa.

Berenice Ends Nov 24, Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LX Covent Garden £10£32.50, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Thu, Sat 2.30pm. Alan Hollinghurst’s version of Jean Racine’s play, featuring Anne-Marie Duff.

But I Cd Only Whisper Ends Dec 1, Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL Dalston Junction Mon, Wed-Sat £16, concs £12, Tue pay what you can, MonSat 8pm, mats Sat 3pm. Drama about a returning black Vietnam war veteran.

Cinderella Starts Sat, ends Jan 5 2013, Lyric Hammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL Hammersmith Nov 30, Dec 1 £12.50, Nov 24-29, Dec 2-31, Jan 1-5 £12.50-£35, under 16s £15, family £60, £80, Nov 24, Dec 1, 8, 15, 22, 26-29, Jan 5, 6pm, Nov 30, Dec 7, 14, 20 & 21, Jan 2-4, 7pm, mats Dec 1, 8, 15, 22, 26-29, Jan 2-5, 2pm, Dec 9, 16, 23, 30 & 31, 3pm.

Panto with Julie Atherton.

The Coming Storm Starts Tue, ends Dec 1, Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, Clapham Junction £17, SW11 5TN concs £13, From Nov 20, Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mat Nov 28, 2pm. Puppet theatre, dance and songs in epic, physical show.

The Dark Earth And The Light Sky Ends Jan 12 2013, Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, N1 1TA Highbury & Islington £8-£32, Mon under 30s £16, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, extra mat perfs Nov 28, Jan 9, no perfs Dec 24-26, 31, captioned perf Dec 11, audio described perf Dec 15, 2.30pm. Drama about the complex 20th century poet Edward Thomas.

Dim Sum Nights Starts Thu, ends Nov 23, Artsdepot, 5 Nether Street, Tally Ho Corner, N12 0GA Finchley Central incl. Dim Sum taster and green tea £15, Nov 22 & 23, 7pm. Short works by British East Asian writers, accompanied by Dim Sum and tea.

Hero Starts Fri, booking until Dec 22, Jerwood Theatre At The Royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8AS Sloane Square Mon £10, Tue-Sat 7.45pm £20, Thu, Sat 3.30pm/concs £15, From Nov 23, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3.30pm, Dec 13, 20, 3.30pm. E.V.Crowe’s drama about a gay primary school teacher.

Ignorance/Jahiliyyah Ends Dec 15, Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, NW3 3EU Swiss Cottage £12, concs £10, Mon-Sat 7.45pm, mats Sat 3.15pm.

A drama on intolerance and consequences, spanning 60 years, by Steve Waters.

In Extremis Ends Dec 9, King’s Head, Islington, 115 Upper Street, N1 1QN Angel Nov 18 preview £10, Nov 19, 25 & 26, Dec 2 & 3, 9 £15, concs £12, Sun & Mon 7.15pm, mat Dec 9, 3pm (press night Nov 19). Drama about a palm reader’s visit with Oscar Wilde, a week before his trial.

WIN tickets to see The Boy with Tape on His Face and dinner at Orso The show that’s got everyone talking...Except him.

The multi award-winning Edinburgh Festival Fringe sell out sensation, brings his critically acclaimed five-star smash hit show to the Duchess Theatre in the West End this Christmas for 22 performances from December 17.

Funny, magical, innovative, spectacular and inspiring, this is stand-up with no talking, drama with no acting, punchlines with no words.

Scout London has teamed up with The Boy with Tape on His Face to give one lucky Scout reader a pair of tickets to the show and a pre-show dinner for To enter text SCOUT TAPE and your answer to 88010 or head to scoutlondon.com/win Texts cost £1*, and count for TWO entries!

two at Orso in Covent Garden.

For your chance to win, answer the question below. nimaxtheatres.com

At which UK festival did The Boy With Tape on his Face win plaudits?

A) Edinburgh B) Glasgow C) Stirling

* TERMS & CONDITIONS: Messages cost £1 each + standard network rate. 18+ bill payers only. Send STOP to end. Number may show on bill. A2B 08700460138. Closing date Nov 25, 2012. Prize is for a pair of tickets plus a two course meal with a Bellini at Orso. Dinner booking between 5pm and 6.45pm only, theatre tickets subject to availability. Full details online. The promotion is open to residents of the UK except employees of the Promoter, their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the promotion. Promotion limited to one entry per person. Responsibility is not accepted for entries lost, damaged or delayed as a result of any network, computer hardware or software failure of any kind. Proof of sending will not be accepted as proof of receipt. For full T&Cs for all competitions, visit scoutlondon.com/win

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Sinéad O’Connor Crazy Baldhead Tour Fri 25 Jan An evening with

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