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Ham&High - Text only page Return to Ham&High homepageNews | Letters | Sport | What's On Hampstead station closed due to faulty liftHAMPSTEAD station is currently closed due to a faulty lift. People wanting to use the Northern Line can either head to Belsize Park or Golders Green and tickets are currently being accepted on local bus routes. There are also severe delays on the District... Camden doctors funding crisis laid bareTHE FINANCIAL meltdown that has led Camden s out-of-hours doctors cooperative to the brink of collapse was laid bare in spectacular fashion last night. At Camden Council s Health Scrutiny Committee meeting Camidoc s acting chief executive James Hood revea... Antiques Roadshow heads for British MuseumTHE Antiques Roadshow is due to roll into town tomorrow as Camden residents are encouraged to offer up their finest heritage goodies. The British Museum is due to host the television programme tomorrow with Belsize Park resident Fiona Bruce along to watc... Hundreds of new student homes coming to King's CrossWORLD class student accommodation is due to be built at King s Cross Central as part of area s massive development. The King s Cross partnership has signed a deal with developers urbanest UK to deliver a new student housing building with 657 bedrooms on P... New interim head appointed to lead William EllisCharlotte Newton A CAMDEN school has appointed an interim headteacher after the shock resignation of its former head. Jill Hislop, who was formerly the headteacher of Woodhouse Business and Enterprise College in Tamworth, Staffordshire has been chosen as... Camden schoolgirl is the new face of BurberryA CAMDEN schoolgirl who has just gained six A* and five GCSE As is joining Harry Potter star Emma Watson and model Kate Moss as a face of Burberry. Nina Porter got her results weeks after the fashion label launched a new campaign featuring the Camden Scho... Millionaire 'knight' gets evicted from council homeA PRIMROSE Hill knight clearly took the old adage that an Englishman s home is his castle to heart by acquiring a string of expensive homes despite claiming a council flat at the same time. Sir Barry Brooks, who bought his knighthood off the internet wh... Final push for Milibands in leadership contestLABOUR party members across the country will be voting this month for their next party leader after millions of ballot papers were sent out today. Primrose Hill resident David Miliband is the frontrunner in the contest to succeed Gordon Brown while younge... Jamie Oliver wins Emmy for US showPRIMROSE Hill super chef Jamie Oliver has won a prestigious Emmy award for his US show Food Revolution. The programme, which highlighted childhood obesity, was named outstanding reality at the glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles last night. The TV chef, who h... West Hampstead tweets and greets with special online gatheringDESPITE the summer drizzle two dozen friendly near-strangers gathered on Hampstead Heath for the fourth West Hampstead Tweet-up on Saturday. Known locally as a Whampgather, the meeting was the fourth of its kind organised, publicised and discussed entir... WHITTINGTON PROPOSALS: My family is indebted to hospitalThe march on the Whittington was supported by local and national organisations and members of the public, and was very well attended. The MP for Islington gave an impassioned plea to fight against the closure. Haringey residents were reminded that a few... Wrong to apportion blame for fatal accidentWere I the person who opened the off-side door of the car into the path of a cyclist without first checking to ensure that it was safe to do so, my conscience would be somewhat relieved on reading Councillor Braithwaite s letter (Sadness at cycle death, H... Cyclists do see lorries - they don't see usChristopher Walton of the Road Transport Group (H&H letters, February 11) says that 100 per cent of cyclists involved in fatal accidents them saw the truck before the accident and that: The simple way for cyclists to reduce the number of road deaths is... Disruption and misery when people dig deepThere are numerous flaws with the planning process generally, and in relation to basements in particular. From my experience, the most unfair aspect is that no consideration whatsoever is taken of the disruption and misery extended building works can caus... Association concerned by cycling on pavementsBelsize Residents Association is also very concerned about cycling on pavements. Our members regularly tell us about experiences that have been both dangerous and frightening. This makes some people nervous about going out and has a significant impact on... WHITTINGTON PROTEST: Thank God the A&E was so closeI wish to add my protest against the impending closure of the A&E at the Whittington Hospital. I do so as a father of a daughter who has been rushed to the A&E three times with very severe asthma and if it had not been for the proximity of that A&E on one... Monstrosities and eye-sores are all over BarnetIsn t it time the planning authorities started doing their job again? After years of so-called permitted development, monstrosities and eye-sores have sprung up across Barnet, with neighbours seemingly vying with each other for the prize for ugliness and... Dawn chorus of vehicles around the HeathAS someone who enjoys the dark and silence of the Heath before dawn, I would like to ask the Heath powers-that-be why it is necessary for diggers or trucks – and sometimes police vans – to drive across the middle of the Heath long before sunrise? I meet o... NHS Camden has failed the people: it's time for changeWeek after week, your pages are full of stories about the activities of NHS Camden (formerly the primary care trust PCT), the anger it has aroused and the protests its actions generate. There was the privatisation of GP surgeries in the south of Camden, h... Taking a stand against basement development could cost you just £15Your readers may be interested to know that Camden could put a stop to dangerous basements in Hampstead and Highgate tonight (February 4) shortly after 7pm, when there is a committee hearing on 94 South Hill Park. What is more, they have two perfectly go... Theo Walcott proves his Premier League critics wrongBy Jem Maidment HERE's one of football s little ironies. Theo Walcott, he of no footballing brain fame, taken to a World Cup when he shouldn t have gone, then discarded from one to which he SHOULD have gone, humiliated in front of the nation, then surel... Van Persie could face month on the sidelinesARSENAL have been dealt an early season blow with the news that injury-prone Robin van Persie may miss much of September, writes Jem Maidment. The Netherlands striker is out of his country s Euro 2012 qualifying double header with San Marino and Finland a... Walcott fires the perfect answer to his criticsHERE s one of football s little ironies. Theo Walcott, he of no footballing brain fame, taken to a World Cup when he shouldn t have gone, then discarded from one to which he SHOULD have gone, humiliated in front of the nation, then surely delighted not... Barazite off to Arnhem while Arshavin enjoys the silenceNacer Barazite (pictured) has gone on loan to Vitesse Arnhem - after initially issuing a come and get me plea to Glasgow Rangers, where he was on trial in the summer. Vitesse manager Ted van Leeuwen toldv vitesse.nl: Arsenal have been very helpful and I... Seeded Gunners are set to seal the deal for SquillaciARSENAL will be in the pot of top seeds when the Champions League group stage draw is made in Monaco this evening, writes Jem Maidment. Sevilla s exit from the qualifying stages on Tuesday night confirmed the Gunners will be among the competition s top 10...... Remembering an Arsenal legend - Alex the greatHe died nearly 60 years ago, and last played for Arsenal two years before Hitler invaded Poland, but Alex James s name still stirs up a rare magic few, if any, have since attained. The legendary Matt Busby described him as one of the all-time greats of s... Blackburn Rovers v Arsenal previewTheo Walcott travels to Blackburn with his popularity at Arsenal at an all-time high – and with praise ringing in his ears, writes Jem Maidment. The much-maligned winger (pictured above, left) has received a spirited defence from past Highbury stars afte... Gallas cleaning upPlaywright, actor and Arsenal season ticket holder Patrick Marber has revealed he has another footballing love – little Conference South outfit Lewes. He told the Observer: Obviously, I d enjoyed greatly supporting Arsenal for years and still do, but …... Arsenal will stop the Blackpool rollercoaster predicts Gunners legendBlackpool gave the bookies a minor headache last Saturday after briefly topping the league – but Arsenal star Paul Merson says there will be no unexpected pay- outs this weekend. The newly-promoted Seasiders, back in the top flight of English football for... Gunners are Premier League contenders, says Arsenal legendArsenal legend Don Howe is adamant the Gunners are in a better placed position than they were 12 months ago to finally bring the title back to north London. The club s last Premier League triumph was back in 2004 – the longest spell... Highgate face an historic weekendHIGHGATE have the chance to make history this weekend as they bid to seal promotion to Division Two for the first time ever. The Crouch End club s 41-run victory over Uxbridge on Saturday left them in the all-important second promotion spot going into the... South Hampstead's destiny is in their own handsHarrow Town 116 (0 pts) South Hampstead 120-3 (10) SOUTH Hampstead s survival is back under their own control after they thumped Harrow Town at Milverton Road to set up a nerve-wracking final day showdown at Enfield on Saturday, with the winner assured of... Hornsey are promotedIndian Gymkhana 89 Hornsey 92-4 HORNSEY secured an early promotion as victory sealed a top-two spot with a game to spare, allowing the Crouch End outfit to focus on tying up the Division Three title this coming weekend, writes Ben Pearce. Paul Weekes reco... Teenager stars for HampsteadCarl Diebtisch, 15, belied his youth to clinch a point for Hampstead (148-6), rebuffing the attack to finish unbeaten on 28 and restrict Acton (233) to a winning draw due to their faster run-rate. The point leaves Hampstead fifth, 10 points adrift of Bron... Brondesbury unbeaten in sixMARK Turner hit a sparkling century as Brondesbury (223-8) extended their unbeaten run to six games with victory over Stanmore (108) to ensure a top-half finish in the Premier Division. Turner s unbeaten knock of 114 underpinned Brondesbury s 115 run vict... North Mid lose thrillerCAPTAIN Evan Flowers was caught on the boundary while attempting a match-winning six as North Midd (66) narrowly lost a low-scoring but exhilarating affair with leaders Winchmore Hill (70), who rubber-stamped promotion. Darren Eckford took five wickets an... North London safeNORTH London (84-7) secured their safety with two games to spare with a win over Indian Gymkhana (83), Byron Hackshall starring with both bat and ball. Hackshall took six wickets for 43, while James Baker recorded figures of 3-12 as visiting Indian Gymkha... Hornsey and Highgate harbouring dreams of promotionHORNSEY and Highgate could both be promoted from Division Three this weekend after maintaining their places in the top two with wins on Saturday. Hornsey beat Bessborough by seven wickets, dismissing their visitors for 150 and then reaching 154-3. And, me... Brondesbury look Sharpe in their victory at ActonTOBY Sharpe passed a century of league wickets for Brondesbury as they eased past Acton to stay on course for a top-half finish. The Brondesbury seamer reached his ton by pinning opener Donovan Fyfe lbw as the home side were reduced to 5-3 and went on to... Hampstead's late revival gathers momentumHAMPSTEAD boosted their chances of finishing in the top three with an emphatic win over Twickenham at Lymington Road. Hampstead won the toss and put the visitors in to bat and initially looked to have it all to do when the opening pair put on 48 for the l... Lubo gets it spot on for HendonLUBOMIR Guentchev was the hero for Hendon as they snatched a late win against neighbours Harrow Borough in a game shrowded in controversy at Earlsmead. Guentchev netted penalties in the 77th and 88th minutes to win a game that in truth the Greens should... Young Tom proves that he's a runner and a GunnerEmirates Stadium hosted its second ever fun-run for Arsenal s Charity of the Season, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children s Charity. The Be a Gunner Be a Runner event raised over £41,000 for one of the world s leading children s hospitals. 10 year old To... Why Brand Beckham could still be a winner in the USDavid Beckham s days as an international footballer could now be at an end, but British Brand Guru Simon Middleton predicts a new beginning for Brand Beckham . I think probably in terms of world class football, his days have got to be numbered, Middle... Spurs v Arsenal clash named as Premier League game of the decadeTop football commentator John Mottie Motson has highlighted a North London derby as his top Premier League match of the decade. In today s Daily Mail, the legendary BBC commentator list his 10 favourite games of the decade. England s 5-1 win in Munich a... KELLY SMITH: Arsenal Ladies striker speaks exclusively to Ham&Highby Jem Maidment FOR a side who recently chalked up their 100th consecutive Premier League game without defeat, there remains an air of despondency around Arsenal s outstanding ladies side. Losing heavily, 6-0 at Swedish side Umea IK in the last 16 of the Uefa Women s Cup... Jem Maidment analyses Arsenal's 'top of the league' financial positionRecession? What recession? Britain s shrinking manufacturing industry, City institutions and small businesses may be bracing themselves for financially lean times ahead, but Arsenal are truly bucking the trend. Success on the pitch, at least regarding pot... EXCLUSIVE: Terry Neill's love affair with Arsenal and HullArsenal may be his first love, but Hull City, the next visitors to The Emirates Stadium, will always hold a special place in the heart of Terry Neill. The Northern Irishman is the only person to have managed the two clubs and remains, nearly 40 years on,... Modric a danger to England's World Cup hopes - WoodgateJONATHAN Woodgate has picked out Tottenham team-mate Luka Modric as Croatia s danger man ahead of England s vital World Cup qualifier on Wednesday. Woodgate, who was surprisingly overlooked by Fabio Capello for both Saturday s trip to Andorra and in Croat... Haverstock take gold at British championshipsHAVERSTOCK Fencing Club excelled at the British Fencing Championships, winning gold in the Men s team competition along with silver in the women s team and bronze in the men s individual events. The men s team of Alastair Gerrard, Nick Perry, James Thornt... The battle to save a part of Hampstead's sporting historyFOR MORE than 100 years Hampstead has hosted one of the most fascinating ancient sports in the world, but now London s last remaining skittles team faces a fight against extinction. The team at the Freemason s Arms on Downshire Hill has been a fixture of... 23,000 see Arsenal Ladies edge FA Cup Final victory over SunderlandArsenal Ladies won their fourth successive FA Cup on Monday with a 2-1 win over Sunderland in the final at Derby s Pride Park. Katie Chapman gave the Gunners a 32nd minute lead and Kim Little added the all-important second in injury time in front of an imp... Tottenham fans mourn death of cup winner Jimmy NeighbourFORMER Spur Jimmy Neighbour, part of the Lilywhites 1971 League Cup winning team, died of a heart attack at a Buckhurst Hill hospital on Saturday. At the time of his death Neighbour, 58, had been recovering from a recent hip replacement operation. The Ch... Anne Keothavong bursts into world Top 50 after reaching semisCUMBERLAND S Anne Keothavong has burst into the world s top 50 after her semi-final loss to Caroline Wozniacki in Tennessee at the weekend. Keothavong is up to 48th place in the world rankings despite failing to reach the final of the Cellular South Cup i... Two golds for Bradley - now he can't wait for London 2012MAIDA Vale cyclist Bradley Wiggins was still celebrating this week despite failing to become the first British athlete in 80 years to bag a hat-trick of Olympic golds. The 28-year-old finished up with a brace of gold medals in Beijing after his successes... Harriet, 11, becomes yongest-ever winner of women's finalHarriet Dart became the youngest winner of the Cumberland women s title when she beat Gemma O Donoghue in straight sets on Saturday. Dart, 11, the British No.4 in her age group, lived up to her top seeding, winning 6-3, 6-1. Dart also reached the final... John Ryan Trust is a success at CopthallHUNDREDS of people flocked to Copthall on Sunday to celebrate the former Hendon captain John Ryan s many achievements, for north London rugby and Hendon RFC in particular. Ryan, who has motor neurone disease, captained Hendon for seven seasons and has f... Redknapp backs Huddlestone to be England's missing linkAS international football takes centre stage again and England return to action, two issues have come to the fore: Should Paul Scholes return for his country, and should the nation adopt the Spaniard Mikel Arteta? Both issues revolve around the same probl... Dawson refuses to blame Champions LeagueMICHAEL Dawson insists that Spurs cannot use their Champions League exploits as an excuse for Saturday s defeat against Wigan, pointing out that Tottenham passed a much harder test two weeks ago. Spurs clash with the Latics on Saturday was their fifth g... Spurs face Gunners in Carling CupWILLIAM Gallas is likely to take centre stage after Spurs were drawn against his former club Arsenal in Saturday s Carling Cup draw. Gallas has moved across north London after turning down a contract with the Gunners, and the arch-rivals will lock horns... Spurs sweating on Van der Vaart 18 hours after deadlineTOTTENHAM stole the show on transfer deadline day but their audacious last-minute £8million move for Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart is shrouded in confusion. Spurs are still sweating on the Premier League's decision...... Spurs v Wigan: Latics warming up for another wallopingAS Tottenham prepare to host Wigan on Saturday, it is hard to forget the ecstasy of this fixture last season, when a rampant Spurs side battered the Latics 9-1 at White Hart Lane...... Crouch stoops to conquer as Spurs rout the Young BoysCHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY-OFF Tottenham 4 Young Boys 0 (Tottenham win 6-3 on aggregate) By Ben Pearce at White Hart Lane PETER Crouch scored his second Tottenham hat-trick as Spurs completed their comeback against Young Boys and cruised into the group stages... Champions League draw could pit Spurs against two Euro giantsBy Ben Pearce TOTTENHAM could be pitted against two of Europe s super heavyweights in today s Champions League draw after being placed in Pot Three. The draw takes place at 5pm (GMT) in Monaco and, while Spurs cannot draw any of the teams from their own p... Tottenham consider Real deal as transfer window ticks awayHARRY Redknapp has just missed out on a 'fantastic' mystery player but remains keen to bolster his Spurs squad in the final five days of the transfer window. The Tottenham boss admits that he is interested in signing his former Portsmouth...... Redknapp's right to aim for the title, says former Spurs defenderFORMER Spurs defender Justin Edinburgh believes that Harry Redknapp is right to be aiming high and talking up Tottenham's title hopes this season. Edinburgh, who made 278 appearances in a decade at Spurs...... Stoke City v Tottenham: Premier League previewIT HAS been an unusually quiet summer on the transfer front and the start of the Premier League season did little to persuade clubs to part with their cash. It certainly wasn t a good weekend for debutants...... Mat Collishaw, Tracey Emin and Paula Rego: At The FoundlingBY ALISON OLDHAM Brit artists Tracey Emin, Paula Rego and Mat Collinshaw put the issues raised by the Foundling Museum – and which still continue today – into even sharper focus The most poignant items in the collection at Bloomsbury s Foundling Museum are the tokens... Crash into the strange world of JC BallardThe provocative, visionary writer JG Ballard claimed that he turned to science fiction in the 1950s because he didn t want to write the Hampstead novel. The great thing about science fiction was that nobody in it lived in Hampstead, he said. The Gagosi... Freud's granddaughter explores his artistic sideHard as it may be to imagine the world today without the contribution made by Sigmund Freud, that is just what his great-granddaughter Jane McAdam Freud has done in her exhibition Atonement at the London Centre for Psychotherapy in Kentish Town. She explo... Wild animal genes brought to surface in Man's Best FriendBy Alison Oldham Jon Buck says his mask-like sculpture Man s Best Friend, with its primitive teeth of nails, is reminiscent of a tribal artefact: The position of the hand so close to those jagged teeth also reminds us that although man s best friend is the old... Capturing the verve of dancers in performanceTo Milein Cosman, master of the illusion of movement, runs Ernst Gombrich s inscription in a copy of his seminal work Art And Illusion which he gave to his fellow Hampstead resident in 1962. Her powerful portrait of the Austrian art historian was in the... Ruth's prizewinning exhibition of images to treasureBy ALISON OLDHAM Wedding photographers bear a heavy responsibility – to capture images to treasure at an event which can t be restaged. Dartmouth Park photographer Ruth Corney wears this hat as lightly, indeed gaily, as her many others. Her picture of a... Kate Greenaway's Hampstead studio gets a new lease on lifeFrench artist installs himself in Victorian illustrator Kate Greenaway s former home by Alison Oldham A Victorian artist s studio in Hampstead has been returned to the art world. In 1885 the illustrator Kate Greenaway commissioned architect Norman Sh... Exhibition celebrates a designer whose passion was paintingby Alison Oldham The late Philip Pank was one of a not so rare breed – the architect artist. He exhibited with the London-based Society of Architect Artists from 1984 until his early death in 1991, and looki... Bohm's poetic lens captures the moment beautifullyBy Alison Oldham POETIC, mysterious, transitional moments when the light is right are the trigger for Dorothy Bohm s personal photographs. Her daughter, art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, says her mother never manipulates images but aims to capture a mome... REVIEW: The Time That Remains is a cinematic gemThere I was with this week s reviews all done and delivered and then... REVIEW: Sex and the City four indulged on big screenI was all pumped to hate this but I have to admit, it was surprisingly painless. I even laughed... REVIEW: Fish Story is a charming foreign filmThere are many ways to choose which film to watch but sometimes just a plot synopsis is... REVIEW: If this is Paradise, what is hell?Neither documentary nor essay, Paradise is a collage of images, instances and impressions captured over a ten year period. Or, just a bunch of stuff. This is really 82 minutes... Robin Hood - not a man in tightsRobin Hood - Before He Was Infamous. Robin Hood. (12A) directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, William Hurt, Max Von Sydow, Oscar Isaacs, Eileen Atkins. 140 mins *** Readers of my little missive in the newspaper m... REVIEW: Iron Man 2 - classy but thinIn the paper this week I raised the possibility that maybe Paramount s reluct... WIN tickets for one-off Python spectacularNot The Messiah (He s A Very Naughty Boy) is a fabulously entertaining 90-minute comic oratorio by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, creators of Spamalot. Inspired by Monty Python s Life Of Brian, this is a film of its only European performance at the Royal Alb... Erotic thriller Chloe is too much of a parodyChloe (15) Director Atom Egoyan Starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Max Thieriot, Meghan Heffern 99 mins Two star rating People in glass houses shouldn t get involved in Fatal Attraction-style erotic thrillers. This latest film from... Tolstoy's life comes from Russia with loveThe Last Station (15) Director Michael Hoffman Starring James McAvoy, Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, Anne-Marie Duff 112 mins Two star rating Towards the end of his life Tolstoy (Plummer) renounced private property and advocated cha... Lovely book, shame about the movieBY MICHAEL JOYCE The Lovely Bones (12A) Director Peter Jackson Starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Michael Imperioli 125 mins Two star rating Imagine a version of Psycho with a wishy-washy new age narration by Janet Leig... You've read the Ham&High, now go to the eaterie - in AlabamaBy Charlotte Newton HAMPSTEAD has always been the envy of Londoners who wished they could live a stone s throw from the Heath or in the hub of the liberal, literary scene. But one man s quest to live and breathe the Hampstead dream has inspired him to try... Why don't we eat our cats? find out why at Food JunctionsFood Junctions is a new festival within a festival bringing together an extraordinary group of people to celebrate a subject close to all of our hearts (and stomachs): food. Part of the Reveal festival in Kings Cross and the Camley Street Natural Park... GRAPEVINE with LIZ SAGUES: £7 Aussie fizz wins friends worldwideAsk Islay Kennedy about the wine project which has succeeded way beyond her wildest expectations and the words bubble out in a glorious stream. That s entirely appropriate: it s all about a £7 fizz which has won Kennedy a lot of friends. And crucially for... Our High Streets are overflowing with Christmas treatsThere s no need to tear your hair out among the crowds on Oxford Street, there s plenty of delicatessens and markets in north London which are overflowing with Christmas treats, says Frances Bissell Think you have left it too late to do your Christmas s... You can have your cake and eat it too, at Claridge'sI don t do tea – the drink or the meal – but just last week I did, my God I did. I m actually still rather full, you know. It s a lovely tradition though, isn t it? English afternoon tea: foreigners can t get enough of it. And in one of London s grand hot... Poetry is all the rage again, but Poem failed to scanJoseph Connolly pens an ode to a missed opportunity at Mediterranean bar and grill Poem Poetry is on a roll – it’s all just so-o-o very trendy again. This happens, from time to time, the last occasion being possibly when that W.H. Auden tear-jerker was read out in Four Weddings And A Funeral – and now, just recently, we have T.S. Eliot voted the nation’s favourite poet. Yes, I know: T.S.Eliot.... Freemasons fare is far from being poetry in motionNovelist Joseph Connolly dashes into the Freemasons Arms for a bite to eat and to shelter from the pouring rain after a day out at Keats House Steak House. Just been there. So very subtle, with its pastel washes, perfectly set in Old Hampstead tranquilit... A restaurant designed to bring you out of your shellGallic flair and memorabilia abound as Joseph Connolly ventures into Covent Garden, but the French ambience is challenged by a high-flying Union Jack. C est la vie...There used to be a shag called Parson s Pleasure. Pipe tobacco, you know. I only m... A Smashing Time is had by all in Belsize village's chrome-plated XOJust like the cult 60s caper filmed nearby, seeing XO with its chrome and bold colours is a flashback to the past. But its efficient service and sublime food make it a must for contemporary diners, writes Joseph Connolly Smashing Time. It s a little-kno... A different kind of steak-out on Heath StreetBY JOSEPH CONNOLLY Attentive readers might recall that last week I lunched in the whitest restaurant in town – St John. Soon after I went for dinner to the Hampstead outpost of the Argentinian chain, Gaucho, whose interior is modelled upon that of a coal mine. Walls, floor... Camden Crawl: bigger and better in 2010The line-up this year was as cosmopolitan as the area's appeal. The names were bigger, too – from slinky pop divas Sugababes to hip-hop and rap/soul crossovers Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip and Plan B. But they were mere distractions for many, as the festi... REVIEW: We Are Scientists, Camden Crawl, The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, May 2.We Are Scientists, The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, May 2. ALTHOUGH they were one of the biggest acts at the Camden Crawl, We Are Scientists made a pretty disappointing spectacle. While scores of devoted fans bounced gamely and sang along, the three-piec... REVIEW: Clock Opera, Dingwalls, Camden Lock, May 2.WITH their sonic landscapes and trippy samples Clock Opera gave a mesmerising lesson in the art of how to dice up morsels of noise and serve them up to the audience as a mouth watering feast of sound. This electro-guitar outfit is led by Guy Connelly and... Win tickets to the Camden CrawlTHE Camden Crawl is quite simply the biggest and best music event of the year and it finally arrives this weekend. From Pendulum to Sugababes and from folk to rap, no music genre is left uncovered at this two-day event beginning on Saturday. The Ham&High... Free music event for NW1 residentsRESIDENTS living within the NW1 postcode will have free access to a live music event during the Camden Crawl weekend. The Red Bull Bedroom Jam Arena will feature live music, DJs, bars and food stalls and is completely free to anyone above the age of 14. T... Countdown to Camden CrawlCAMDEN Crawl 2010 is just around the corner and it is already promising to be one of the biggest and best weekends in the music festival calendar. Now in its fifth year, the award-winning event will arrive in Camden Town during the Bank Holiday weekend of... Win VIP tickets to exclusive Mystery Jets gigCRITICALLY acclaimed band, The Mystery Jets have been named as the headline act for the Chevrolet Spark Unscheduled Tour. Following their European tour with the Arctic Monkeys, the band, pictured, will give fans the opportunity to hear their eagerly anti... REVIEW: Crouch End Festival Chorus, Haydn s Creation, BarbicanFor all that it sounds like something from a Monty Python sketch, the Crouch End Festival Chorus is the most accomplished of the large-scale outer London choirs and flourishing at the moment... REVIEW: Venus and Adonis Dido AND Aeneas Hampstead Garden Opera Upstairs at the Gatehouse HighgatePurcell s Dido and Aeneas and John Blow s Venus and Adonis are contenders for the title of first genuine English opera and fit together well in a double-bill. Both... REVIEW: GeNIA St Mary s Munster SquareGeNIA (so spelt, no surname) is a young Ukrainian pianist distantly related to the uber-pianist Horowitz; and the draw of her recital in this new Regent s Park concert series run by Markson Pianos was the inclusion of music... REVIEW: Chronicles of Long KeshA superb cast of six deliver maximum power with minimum props in these episodes from Northern Ireland s grim Long Kesh prison during the 1970s and 1980s. The performers punctuate scenes by belting out rock classics, like a contrasting chorus to their imp... REVIEW: CHRONICLES OF LONG KESH, Tricycle TheatreFIVE STAR RATING A superb cast of six deliver maximum power with minimum props in these episodes from Northern Ireland s grim Long Kesh prison during the 1970s an... REVIEW: Ghosts, Duchess Theatre near Covent GardenTwo star rating To put Ibsen into the West End shows courage, especially when it s Ghosts – a play described on its first reception as an open sewer . Ibsen may not be seen as a perpetrator of filth, but those two double o words gloom and doom stick... Something of today this way comes to Hampstead TheatreA play exploring what happened next in the land of Macbeth is a metaphor for our present-day conflicts, finds Bridget Galton SHAKESPEARE S Macbeth ends with the tyrant slain at Dunsinane Castle and Malcolm pledging to bring order to a troubled land. B... REVIEW: RITES OF PRIVACY New End Theatre HampsteadTWO STAR RATING David Rhodes is a lanky shaven-headed actor who was born into a Jewish family with a cruel but charming father. He delighted in secretly dressing up in his mother s clothes from an early age and, in this one-man show, he gives thumbnail sk... Edward Hall named as Hampstead Theatre's new artistic directorHampstead Theatre has named its new Artistic Director. Edward Hall will lead the company from the end of January and his inaugural season will be announced later this spring or early summer, to open in autumn 2010. Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of the Board... REVIEW: Detaining Justice Tricycle Theatre, KilburnThree star rating Detaining Justice is the last in the Tricycle s Not Black and White Season, a look at British society today from the perspective of black writers, and is, inevitably, politically charged. Bo... This Oliver provides a disturbing picture of the 19th centuryOLIVER TWIST Lion and the Unicorn Theatre Kentish Town Four star rating Billed as Oliver Twist as you ve never seen it before! A sort of antidote to Lionel Bart, this is Ray Shell and Giant Olive s second venture into the seamier world of Dickens. Trev... Tutt tutt, now it's time to be serious, JulianGreen Wing star Julian Rhind-Tutt is exploring his dark side in Victorian ghost story Darker Shores at Hampstead Theatre. He talks to Bridget Galton about what drew him to the role as she tries in vain to get a straight answer out of him IT S impossib... Kwame Kwei-Armah's contribution to trio of plays at TricycleAs the Tricycle theatre launches a season of state of the nation plays by black writers, Bridget Galton talks to one of the writers – former Casualty star Kwame Kwei-Armah THE Tricycle s Not Black And White season is three writers look at life in cul... Actor reignites Sherlock Holmes for new generationThe Hampstead actor Benedict Cumberbatch has taken London’s most famous detective into the 21st century with the BBC series Sherlock. He tells Marianne Gray of his love for Arthur Conan Doyle’s character and the pressure of bringing him back to the small screen.... Tim Burton finds the dark side of Alice's WonderlandThere are many film adaptations of Lewis Carroll s classic but Tim Burton has put a new spin on it by featuring an adult Alice. He and wife Helena Bonham Carter, who stars in the film, talk to Marianne Gray There must be more than 20 film versions of Le... Ambition marches on for Hampstead Theatre's founderJames Roose-Evans isn't capable of resting on his laurels. Anyone else who founded a major institution like Hampstead Theatre might put their feet up in their 80s. But he still has the energy, vision and passion to found a new theatre – appropriately tit... Comedy writer is back in the thick of itWww.jesuit. humor.blogspot. com is a largely unfunny anthology, mainly involving homily-enhancers and laboured puns about obscure religious orders. However, the Jesuits do have their own crucial moment in British comedy. Back in 1991, two unknown comedy w... GERALD RONSON: tough tycoon reveals allFOR the first time in his 55-year career, it seems that tycoon Gerald Ronson is hinting that retirement may be hovering somewhere, albeit very faintly, on the horizon. Although it is not surprising for most men of 70 to be talking about leaving the workin... Jools Holland gears up for Kenwood concertHE is a familiar presence on our televisions as the warm and genial host of his music show, Later, but what Jools Holland really relishes is playing concerts with his band. His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, who are performing at Kenwood on August 15, combin... MICHEAL KUSTOW' S unholy trinity produced a pained but powerful chronicleCrouch End author Michael Kustow tells Bridget Galton about his new book and his life as a dissenting British Jew IN HIS late 60s, theatre and TV producer Michael Kustow experienced several shocks to the system that jolted him to the core. The death of... ALISON STEADMAN has come a long way since Abigail's PartyThere’s more to Highgate actress Alison Steadman’s range than flouncing women like the iconic Bev in Abigail’s Party – as she proves in the role of an elderly woman showing the early signs of dementia. Katie Masters finds out how she got her inspiration Serving up an iconic performance is a double-edged sword for an actor. On the one hand, it puts you firmly on the map. On the other, the part tends to follow you around, evoking constant comparisons. Alison Steadman s iconic performance was as Beverley,... He not from Barcelona - he's from Berlin: Andrew Sachs interviewActor Andrew Sachs, back in the public eye after that infamous radio broadcast by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand, has given his first full interview since the debacle to the Ham&High. Mr Sachs, who is back in television on Coronation Street, visited our... Expletive deleted - does Giles Coren just want to be loved?The Times restaurant critic Giles Coren talks to Tan Parsons about Labradors in Kentish Town, his famous father and that infamous email... IN July Giles Coren made national headlines when a furious email he sent to a sub-editor at The Times was leaked... REVIEW: The Dead School Tricycle Theatre, KilburnFour star rating Pat McCabe s adaptation of his own novel depicts 70s Ireland as a dark, twisted place, stalked by mental illness and haunted by the past. Repressive, traditional values cannon into the individualism and liberalism of educated, pot-smoking... LIZ SAGUES: Delicious wines that are fairly tradedSo much for suffering in the the pursuit of good intentions: you can now drink Fairtrade wine and enjoy it. Of course, that s far too superficial a statement. Decent Fairtrade wine has been around for ages, but you had to pick and choose. You still do, bu... REVIEW: JERUSALEM Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury AvenueFour star rating Jez Butterworth s contemporary vision of the English countryside features no farmers or foxhunters – just sad, mad and dangerous people getting off their heads on drugs in the woods. It s the annual St George s Day village fair and a rag... WHO'S WHO: Ian Davis, dentist and photographerfIan Davis is a dentist in Golders Green. Passionate about photography, he has decided to combine his work with his favourite hobby by shooting artistic photos of moulds of his patients mouths being treated by tiny models of workmen. He has been working... WHO'S WHO: medical consultant Malcom VandenBurgMalcom VandenBurg is a consultant in general and pharmaceutical medicine specialising in internal medicine, drug abuse, addiction and sexual health. He has lived in Hampstead for 40 years and before that, he was neighbour to Hollywood star Jean Simmons in... WHO'S WHO: SUZI MARTIN, singer, songwriter, landladySuzi Martin, landlady of the Torriano pub in Kentish Town, is trying to avoid the closure of her business. Singer of The Torrianos, a band composed of herself and of two other staff members, she has written a song in a bid to help to save the pub. She ha... REVIEW: SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION The Old Vic, WaterlooTWO STAR RATING JOHN Guare s 1990 play won stacks of awards and introduced us to the rather empty pop philosophy that we are all just six removes from everyone on the planet. But despite fine performances,... REVIEW: Giselle/Men Y Men, English National Ballet, Coliseum near Trafalgar SquareTHREE STAR RATING by Edward Thorpe English National Ballet s final production for their Coliseum season is Mary Skeaping s carefully researched version of Giselle. Skeaping (1902-... REVIEW: Elijah – Mendelssohn North London Chorus St James's Church Muswell HillAnother cold, wet and windy night. Another cracking concert from a cracking local chorus. Elijah, Mendelssohn s second oratorio, was chosen by the North London Chorus in recognition of the 200th anniversary of his birth. That he died aged only 38 prompts... GRAPEVINE with LIZ SAGUES: Let Christmas be your guiding starThere s one type of wine writing I particularly try to avoid: the unadorned shopping list. What follows will be exactly – well, almost – that. Why? Because as Christmas looms, you ll not want to read a lot of wordy tasting notes or to immerse yourself i... |