Denis Lill on tour in The Case of the Frightened Lady

The Case of the Frightened Lady poster - portrait

DENIS LILL HAS recently begun a national theatre tour in a Classic Thriller Company production of The Case of the Frightened Lady. This latest production from the company is an adaptation of Edgar Wallace’s acclaimed murder mystery, and includes in its ensemble many of the same cast members that Lill has appeared with in previous touring productions by the Agatha Christie Company, including Witness for the Prosection, Death on the Nile and Then There Were None.

When Inspector Tanner is called in to investigate a ruthless murder at Mark’s Priory, the grand ancestral home of the Lebanon family, he quickly discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. The household is controlled by the family physician, the footmen behave more like guests than servants and the secretary Isla is afraid for her life. As Tanner moves closer to the heart of the mystery he uncovers a shocking and closely guarded secret…

Building on the phenomenal decade long success of The Agatha Christie Company, which sold over two million tickets around the UK, comes a new thrilling chapter. Following this year’s acclaimed production of Ruth Rendell’s A Judgement in Stone, the Classic Thriller Company returns with a brand new adaption from the legendary “King of the detective thriller”, EDGAR WALLACE – the brains behind one of the most iconic films of all time, KING KONG.

Widely recognised as the most popular writer of the early 20th century, Edgar Wallace’s gripping page-turners are regarded as the bedrock of the modern thriller and The Case of the Frightened Lady remains one of his most celebrated works. Adapted for film several times, this is your chance to catch this chilling, captivating and complex thriller live on stage…

The Case of the Frightened Lady poster - landscape

The tour got off to an excellent start, with the opening run at The Theatre Royal in Windsow earning a rave review in the Slough Observer. Performances across the ensemble cast all garnered praise, with Denis Lill “from long-running drama The Royal and Only Fools and Horses” described as “wonderful” in the role of Dr Amersham.

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Book tickets

29 Jan-3 Feb Weston-Super-Mare Playhouse 01934 645544 Book
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5 – 10 Feb Guildford, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre 01483 440000 Book
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12 – 17 Feb Crawley, The Hawth Theatre 01293 553636 Book
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19 – 24 Feb Aylesbury Waterside Theatre 08448 717627 Book
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26 Feb-3 Mar Chesterfield Pomegranate 01246 345222 Book
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5 – 10 Mar Cardiff, New Theatre 02920 878889 Book
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12 – 17 Mar Barnstaple Queens Theatre 01271 316063 Book
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19 – 24 Mar Stoke-on-Trent, Regent Theatre 08448 717649 Book
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26 – 31 Mar Edinburgh, Kings Theatre 01315 296000 Book
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3 – 7 Apr Woking, New Victoria Theatre 08448 717645 Book
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21 – 26 May Milton Keynes Theatre 08448 717652 Book
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11 – 16 Jun Coventry, Belgrade Theatre 024 7655 3055 Book
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18 – 23 Jun Southend Palace Theatre 01702 351135 Book
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2 – 8 Jul Swansea Grand Theatre 01792 475715 Book
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23 – 28 Jul Leeds Grand Theatre 08448 482700 Book
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30 Jul – 4 Aug Bury St Edmonds, Theatre Royal 01284 769505 Book
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2 – 6 Oct Glasgow, Theatre Royal 08448 717647 Book
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More live dates for Lucy Fleming’s and Simon Williams’ Posting Letters to the Moon

Lucy Fleming and Simon Williams in Posting Letters to the Moon

LUCY FLEMING AND Simon Williams will appear on stage together in additional spoken-word performances of Posting Letters to the Moon, a reading of the wartime letters between the actress Ceila Johnson and her husband Peter Fleming.

A romantic, funny and very touching portrait of life during the early 1940s featuring readings of wartime letters between Oscar-nominated actress Celia Johnson (Brief Encounter) and her explorer and writer husband Peter Fleming (brother of James Bond creator Ian Fleming).

The letters read by their daughter Lucy Fleming (Miranda in The Archers, Survivors) and her husband Simon Williams (Justin in The Archers, EastEnders, Upstairs Downstairs) are full of love and warmth and we get an insight into a young mother’s life whose husband has gone to war.

‘…this intimate and simply spellbinding performance … revealing an abundance of love and affection between ordinary people caught in extraordinary times.’ British Theatre Guide, March 2017

Posting Letters to the Moon logo

Dates

TIVOLI THEATRE, WIMBORNE – MATINÉE
Sunday, 11 March 2018
3.00 pm – 4.20 pm
19 West Borough, Wimborne BH21 1LT
01202 885566
https://www.tivoliwimborne.co.uk
Tickets £15/discounts (plus booking fees)

YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE, GUILDFORD
Thursday, 22 March 2018
7.45 pm – 9.15 pm
Millbrook, Guildford GU1 3UX
+44 (0)1483 44 00 00
http://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/
Tickets £17 (inc of booking fees)

THE MILL AT SONNING THEATRE
Wednesday, 11 April 2018
4 pm
Sonning Eye, Reading RG4 6TY
0118 969 8000
http://www.millatsonning.com/
Tickets £20.00 to include a glass of Champagne served on stage with a Q & A after the show.

CHIPPING NORTON THEATRE, CHIPPING NORTON
Thursday, 12 April 2018
7.45 pm – 9.00 pm
Chipping Norton Theatre
2 Spring Street,
Chipping Norton
OX7 5NL
01608 642350
http://www.chippingnortontheatre.com
Tickets £12.50/£10.50 concessions (plus booking fees)

FORUM THEATRE, MALVERN
Saturday, 19 May 2018
7.45 pm – 9.15 pm
01684 569256
Grange Rd, Malvern WR14 3HB
http://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

DEVIZES ARTS FESTIVAL
Tuesday, June 12 2018
7.30pm
Assembly Room
Devizes Town Hall

Lynne Sweetman

Lynne Sweetman

LYNNE SWEETMAN, A long-term Survivors fan, and someone who organised and took an active part in Survivors fan activities since the 1990s, has died.

As part of a group of new Survivors enthusiasts who made contact with each other through small ads and convention appearances, Lynne played an important role in building the momentum of a new wave of Survivors fandom that was triggered by the screening of the series on cable-satellite station UK Gold and the release of the first series on sell-through VHS cassette in 1993.

Lynne became involved in supporting the work of the two first Survivors print fanzines Over the Hills (1994-1998), set up by Carole Stevens, and Whitecross Calling (1997), which she co-edited with founder Mark Wheatley. At a time when the internet remained in its infancy, Lynne put a great deal of effort into trying to make contact with Survivors cast and crew members by post and telephone. She had an impressive success rate, and was able to develop and maintain a network of contacts and connections with many of those associated with the production of the show. Lynne carried out, or otherwise helped to make possible, a number of important early interviews, including two memorable face-to-face encounters with Roger Monk (Pete) and Lorna Lewis (Pet Simpson), and later a solo catch-up with Chris Tranchell (Paul Pitman).

When uncertainty surrounding the future publication of both Over the Hills and Whitecross Calling risked the loss of an important conduit for information about the series, in early 1998 Lynne set up the Bridgehead newsheet. Initially this was an irregular two-sided A4 photocopied sheet which provided news about cast appearances (on-screen and on-stage) and other updates, which was distributed to readers who pre-supplied a stack of stamped-addressed-envelopes.

Over time, Bridgehead developed into the more substantial and subscription-based Survivors Newsletter, which contained short features, news stories, reviews and details about Survivors filming location visits, which became known as ‘Reunions’. Lynne became a regular attendee at numerous Reunions in Herefordshire, London, the Derbyshire Peak District and elsewhere during the height of their popularity between 1997 and 2003. She also attended a number of theatre appearances by actors from the series, and enjoyed the opportunity to meet up and socialise with cast members after performances.

Adrian Hulme, an organiser of Reunion events since the 1990s, emphasises how important the launch of Bridgehead was. “If it wasn’t for Lynne, fandom would have waned after the closure of Whitecross Calling,” he suggests. “The internet sustains it now, but without the efforts of Lynne and a small number of other keen and capable organisers, I don’t think it would still be going,” he adds. “Lynne’s contribution to keeping that fan momentum continuing was very significant.”

The Survivors Newsletter, maintained a broadly regular quarterly publication schedule for over a decade. No other print-based Survivors fan publication came close to matching this publication achievement. Things began to slow down in 2009, with the Survivors Newsletter appearing less frequently over the next four years before the final issue (No 72) appeared in April 2013.

Together with the print edition, the Survivors Newsletter existed alongside a number of online versions of the publication. Beginning with a collaboration with Chris Barker’s Felbridge Camp site, several independent newsletter web sites were set up on a variety of different internet platforms over the years. With print publication finished, the Survivors Newsletter set up a presence on Facebook and, alongside current news and updates, began to print selected extracts from the newsletter archives.

As personal health issues became more pressing, plans to produce a Kindle-based version of the newsletter went unrealised. The same concerns left Lynne unable to participate in the more recent Reunion events. The next Hampton Court Survivors Reunion will take place on 26-27 May 2018, and organiser Sean Ambler confirmed on 5 January that the event will be dedicated to Lynne’s memory, with the gathering of fans and the setting providing “a fitting place to hear and talk about everyone’s Survivors moments with her.”

Lynne Sweetman died on 4 January 2018

Photo of Lynne by Adrian Hulme

Hampton Court Survivors Reunion 2018

Poster by Steve Clutterbuck