mostly david ephgrave

Today’s Strictly was one of the most enjoyable episodes in some time, largely due to the strength of the routines. Some of the best dances tonight were   unexpected; perhaps my favourite was Kevin and Stacey’s street commercial routine that packed a lot of punch. I also really enjoyed Graeme’s dance for polar opposite reasons, as it managed to capture the elegance of the era with a perfectly contained performance to go with it. As ever, I tweeted along with precedings : Today’s Strictly was one of the most enjoyable episodes in some time, largely due to the strength of the routines. Some of the best dances tonight were   unexpected; perhaps my favourite was Kevin and Stacey’s street commercial routine that packed a lot of punch. I also really enjoyed Graeme’s dance for polar opposite reasons, as it managed to capture the elegance of the era with a perfectly contained performance to go with it. As e...

While I enjoyed tonight's Strictly Come Dancing launch show, it was always going to be overshadowed by the recent, sad passing of Bruce Forsyth for me. News of his death genuinely upset me; such is my respect for him as a performer. I’ve already written about this subject here more than once, but it’s worth reiterating how extraordinary he was, and how he was the absolute picture of versatility. His early involvement in Strictly helped give the show kudos, thanks to his wealth of experience both as a dancer and a host of prime-time TV; he was the King of Saturday Night Entertainment and that’s a title he'll never lose, as no-one could ever rival him, or even want to. As is always my way, I tweeted along with the show (like a mouth-breathing teenager with their smart-phone super-glued to their sweaty mitts). See below for what went from my brain to my fingers to the Internet; but was it worth it? 7:01PM: Apologies to anyone who is...

My day’s been floored after reading Sir Bruce Forsyth has passed away. The man was a legend; a word that’s bandied about too often and too easily in many instances, but not in this case. He came from a stock that has long since departed: the all-rounder who could act, sing, dance, play piano, do comedy, host shows, do anything. He even managed to mock contestants on his game shows in a way that didn’t make you like him any less, which was a talent in itself; I would have paid good money to be on the receiving end of a put-down from Bruce. When I interviewed Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee with Glyn for our More Than Mostly Comedy podcast, we mentioned Paul’s stint on Strictly and our mutual love of Sir Bruce; unsurprisingly they were both in complete agreement. They spoke with awe of the extensive audience warm-ups he’d do before each show and Paul called him "The Master"; high praise from a man who was pretty exceptional himself. I ...

Last night I watched Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre, with Angela Lansbury. I didn’t go with Dame Angela; she was in it. The train into London was full of people going to the Arctic Monkeys gig at Finsbury Park. I was off to watch the star of Murder, She Wrote. The culture divide was massive. I’d wanted to go to show from the moment I’d seen it advertised. I’m a big fan of the play and its leading actress. Neither disappointed. Both have aged well. Lansbury was hilarious, with an energy that belies her age; there aren’t many eighty-eight-year-olds who could cope with eight shows a week, let alone attack them with such panache. Her CV is incredible. She’s won five Tonys and six Golden Globes and been nominated for eighteen Emmys and three Oscars. It puts my Most Promising Student award to shame. She made her Broadway debut in 1957 and is still going strong. I made my first professional theatre appearance in 2002 and am already contempl...

Last night saw the return of Strictly Come Dancing to our now not-so-small screens; the eleventh series of the only reality-tinged TV show in which I’m ever likely to show an interest. Since the beginning, Strictly has been hosted by the Light Entertainment veteran, Sir Bruce Forsyth – and every year, like clockwork, we get the Brucie Backlash. People line up on Facebook, Twitter and in the trashy press, calling for Bruce to retire. I, for one, am having none of it: I love Bruce Forsyth. The man is a legend. He has spent seventy-four years in the business (seventy-four years: Christ) - and in that time has worked with just about anyone of note. Worked with, and often shown up. If you ever get the chance, track down and watch the clip of him dancing with Sammy Davis Jnr. It's incredible.    Not many could keep up with an artist of that calibre. Brucie manages it. More than that: Brucie makes it look easy . De...