Cinderella - Palace Theatre, Newark

The well-picked bunch of performers hits the mark at every turn in a fairy tale couple of hours of festive fun.

Naomi Slater was the perfect Cinders. Everything you could hope for – and more, with a winning smile and just a hint every now and again that she was really enjoying herself.

And Darrock and Howe, billed as Britian’s ugliest sisters, really are.

But Martin Platt from Corrie, or should I say actor Sean Wilson, was in charge - as Buttons. Much more at home being himself or doing asides or impressions than when he was trotting out the gags, our kids loved him and he was a firm favourite with this matinee audience.

Countered by Emmerdale’s Daniel Brocklebank (who has a fantastic singing voice) as the prince, there’s a real battle of the soaps in Newark this Christmas!

Anyone with children aged six or so will know the Fairy Godmother, Nicole Davis. She used to be one of the faces of CBeebies on TV, and her stock rose with the dads in the crowd as she flitted about in a barely-there outfit for her Strictly Come Dancing skit.

Highlights for me were the magical transformation of the rats, lizards and pumpkin into a coach with REAL horses – and where Cinderella’s rags turned into a glittering ball gown in a split second… thanks to the magic of theatre!

This, and an absorbing fox-hunting scene with superb performances from all the dancers, the kids from Tozer Studios included, truly captured the spirit of panto.

Here Come The Girls (Anastacia, Chaka Khan, Lulu) - Royal Concert Hall

Three distinctive voices and three very distinctive ladies here.

With a combined age of about 156, it's hard for them to peddle the "girls" myth.

Yet mere girls in the true sense of the world just wouldn't do this show justice. You need three strong women.

Almost every number a team effort, the show also played to their individual strengths.

I'm still not a fan of Lulu Kennedy-Cairns OBE (61). She's been plugging away since the mid-60s and although she earned some respect tonight she was the weak link among some very strong voices.

Of course there was the American, Chaka Khan (56), best known for the late 70s hit I'm Every Woman, the girls' curtain-raiser. She was the graceful elder stateswoman of the trio. Feel For You and Respect were among her big solo numbers and yet while she wowed with her disco and up-tempo catalogue, sadly her wonderful voice became somewhat indistinct for many of the soul classics.

The lovely Anastacia (a mere 41) proved the brightest star.

How she sprinted, jumped and moved around the stage in those heels remains a mystery.

Taking a lead in Dancing in the Street and (rather cheekily) Relight my Fire she was also allowed to perform her own biggest hits solo: Left Outside Alone and I'm Outta Love brought the house down.

Together, the girls sang along and danced to their favourite songs down the decades. An all-too-short disco medley, a meaty Motown set, the dancers and a couple of anthems set off this well thought-out show perfectly.

But I've never really been a fan of that loud, little Lulu lady. Perhaps that's because they always get her to sing that Shout song – and so she did, to one of the biggest cheers of the night.

But it didn't work for me.

W.A.S.P. - Rock City

This was a gig to blow away the cobwebs, with an adoring crowd lapping up every second of a turbo-charged set from Blackie Lawless and the boys.

Granted, he's the only original band member from the group that set up in 1982, but he carries the show, works the crowd, plays the guitar and leads the non-stop vocals.

The world tour they're on is to promote the new album, Babylon – and the title track, Babylon's Burning, went down a storm with the crowd. With its overtones of comment on what's happening in the Middle East, its video backdrop blew us away.

A clever addition that suits the more intimate venue, the projected backdrop from previous concerts gave a real stadium atmosphere at times, even though it was in danger of leaving us somewhat confused as to Blackie's travelling through time to bring us favourites from years gone by.

He stood on stage, slightly less coiffeured than I'd expected (without the trademark highlights too), and wringing wet by the end of an exhausting 90 minutes.

Opening the set with On Your Knees, wowing us with Love Machine and slipping in a couple from the Electric Circus album, this was a reminder that while some of the bands that found success alongside W.A.S.P., these guys keep on going from strength to strength. Blind in Texas as the encore was the icing on the cake.

Not quite as much codpiece and cavorting as in the past, maybe, but the set moved incredibly quickly and the evening just flew by.

A Christmas Chuckle - Royal Concert Hall

An early reminder of what Christmas is all about, though not among the Chuckles' best, I'm afraid.

A jam-packed house was absolutely thrilled to see the boys back in town – and with a brand new show.

But there was precious little of the skits we've come to love over the years.

This time there were more mini 'production numbers' with long legged dancers and singing to herald Christmas.

We marvelled at the magician (did he REALLY cut his assistant's head off?) and enjoyed a seasonal neon puppet show (much better than the usual post-interval offering, by the way).

And yet there was something missing. This show fell somewhere between a full-blown panto and a true Chuckle Brothers stage show, like the recent River Rother exploits.

Barry and Paul were superb, of course, with Paul as Ebeneezer learning from Gerroutofit's Christmases past, present and future that he really must learn to enjoy the festivities. No Slacking made a perfect dame and the supporting cast pulled their weight beautifully – even Stinky Walker, who, we were told at the end had become a father half way through the second half, although it didn't show!

There was lots of audience participation, even some kids asked up on stage, and a clever finale of "If I were not upon this stage" which showed off the team in the very best light.

Good fun nonetheless, and perhaps a curtain-raiser to the Chuckles' anniversary tour planned for next year? Let's hope for their more traditional fare.

Adolf Hitler, My Part in His Downfall - Theatre Royal

In the end there are no winners or losers, just the living and the dead.

Yet those who know anything at all about Spike Milligan would realise that although dead now, he was ultimately both a winner and a loser.

Putting the material of four volumes of his war memoirs on stage in this thought-provoking adaptation gives a living, breathing feeling of a conscript’s life in the services.

Putting Spike in the first person in the safe hands of Sholto Morgan (right) in his professional debut was a master stroke.

His Chaplin-esque versatility led the performers of Battery D as they endure life in North Africa, Italy and on to Berlin.

Thirty wonderful revue numbers combine with chilling insights into the horror of war, expertly interwoven such that each change of pace hits home – right between the eyes.

There are some great gags – mostly one-liners – brilliantly quick fire and each dropped into the commentary in exactly the right place to make every word count.

The warning on the cover of the programme was dead right: the performance does indeed contain barrack room humour. But when you’re covering real life like this you can’t avoid it, and it certainly doesn’t offend.

The programme itself was also a comedic master stroke. Not your usual Theatre Royal affair. More a newsprint pamphlet, helpfully inscribed “produced in complete conformity with the required War Office paper economy standards.

Very Spike. And like the officer said, “it’ll all be over by Christmas”. Sadly, no one could tell them which one.

Honeymoon hold-ups

Not many people get to book three honeymoons – but we did.
More than a year before our big day the church was booked, the reception was booked, the vicar was booked, and yes, the honeymoon was booked.
But that year the world was plagued with terrorism and civil disturbance – especially in the places we wanted to visit.

Picture this: Pharaohs and the sphinx, pyramids and camels. It all sounded like the perfect romantic dream.
A Nile cruise in mid-May, taking in the tombs of the ancients as well as a top-notch newlyweds suite and the best view that money could buy.
It was to be the holiday of a lifetime.
The nice people at Voyage Jules Verne were falling over themselves to make it special.
Then, in November, we heard about the tourists being massacred. Sixty people were killed by gunmen at a temple in an incident which halted the tourist trade for months.

It was time to visit the travel agent in search of another romantic break.
Picture this: Bali. The mystic east. Beaches, temples, wildlife and sunshine.
It all sounded like the perfect romantic dream.
It was the best time of the year for Indonesia and we managed to get the honeymoon suite at the very hotel we had our eye on in the brochure.
It was to be the holiday of a lifetime.
There was a little tension on the islands over the New Year period, but nothing to worry about.

We were married on May 9 on the sunniest day of the year. Our first dance was Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, followed by Perfect Day, which it was. Then a week to relax before flying out for ten days in the sun.

But midweek, news came through that riots were spreading across Jakarta, the capital, after a student was shot by police.
Buildings were set alight and shops were looted. It didn’t look good, but we sat tight at home.
The following day, two days before we were due to fly, the phone call from tour operator British Airways finally came. The Foreign Office had stopped all flights.

You can only imagine the anguish and tears. Our honeymoon cancelled: twice.

So it was time to visit the travel agent in search of another romantic break.
Picture this: Turkey. Land of the mosque, friendly locals, apple tea and ancient monuments.
Our stay in Kalkan was to be the holiday of a lifetime. And it was.
Thanks to the expertise of Intertravel in Nottingham, where the manager told us: “You’ll love this place.”

We did. We went back again and again.

Kes, Theatre Royal

A strong performance by the lead carried this story of the gritty north through from start to finish.

Perfect casting saw Stefan Butler throw himself into an un-self conscious re-telling of this tale of an anguished childhood.

Young Billy seems to be the runt of the litter, getting the rough end of the deal at home, at school and even on his paper round. Thieving and antisocial behaviour by the disaffected youth of the area only drags him down.

And yet his devotion to Kes, the kestrel he took as a chick and brought up and then trained, gives a new insight into his sensitive character with even his teacher taking heart from the extra layer to Billy's psyche.

Clever lighting and a carefully marshalled company revealed scenes within scenes and we learned much about what makes our hero tick.

The first night audience sat for the most part in awe as the story unfolded before them.

Their silence punctuated by laughter – sometimes uncomfortable – prompted by the shafts of humour in a few choice lines that strike home from our own childhood experience.

It was good to see familiar faces among the cast: The Bill's Mike Burnside was more substantial than I recall, while Daniel Casey (Troy from Midsomer Murders) was much trimmer than he looked on television.

The director chooses to work with local children for the classroom and school scenes – and those from Bramcote Business and Enterprise School made the grade.

I last saw the film and read the book more than 25 years ago – it was a requirement for school.

This version made for a much more enjoyable experience and the two-hour-plus running time past far too quickly. Absorbing, thought provoking and ultimately tragic, this tale offers little hope for those real working classes of days gone by.

Oldest newlyweds cancel honeymoon

Oldest newlyweds cancel honeymoon
... from the Torquay Herald Express

Torbay's oldest newlyweds, have had to cancel their luxury honeymoon.

Les Atwell, 94, and his 87-year-old bride Sheila will instead be unpacking their suitcases when they should have been heading off for a 14-day Mediterranean cruise from Southampton.

Sheila fell ill soon after their wedding on Wednesday with a tummy bug.

"It must have been the excitement," said Les.

'Karen Carpenter, I feel so close to you'

'Karen Carpenter, I feel so close to you'
... from the Stoke Sentinel

A KAREN Carpenter tribute artist says she has been living the life of her idol – right down to developing anorexia.

The legendary Carpenters singer died from heart failure in 1983, aged 32, believed to be a complication of her anorexia.

And as professional musician Julie Roberts – who has a similar singing style to Karen – began to perform more and more Carpenters songs, she found her life began to parallel the tragic singer.

Then when Julie started taking laxatives to lose weight – just like Karen – she realised matters were getting out of hand. The 5ft 10ins singer plummeted from a healthy 12 stone, to just eight stone.

In the end, it was only when she temporarily stopped singing Carpenters songs that she was able to quit taking laxatives and get her weight loss under control.

Vampires Rock, Newark Palace Theatre

With flame-throwers, blood, fireworks and bats, this show is something of a shameless romp through some top rock anthems, with the music of Queen, Billy Idol, Rainbow, AC/DC, Bonnie Tyler, and even good old Suzi Quatro.

The show lent itself well to the talents of Meat Loaf tribute artist Steve Steinman (the man who dreamed it all up) who - apart from appearing completely bemused by a quiet audience during the first half - gave a solid and passionate performance as Baron von Rockula, owner of the Live and Let Die club, who is searching for a new bride.

The evergreen Toyah Willcox as The Devil Queen in foxy skin-tight red leather is a powerhouse, screaming on to the stage and putting all her energy into hits like She Sells Sanctuary and Live and Let Die.

Toyah turns out to be the star turn, full of energy, vitality and cheekiness. Although she's not the female lead. That's reserved for Emily Clark as Pandora Honeybox, who becomes the object of Rockula's attentions, annoying his hissing, jealous queen.

Some of the signposting is rather tongue in cheek, when characters utter "it must be the final countdown", to usher in the old Europe song, or "I think you give love a bad name" (Bon Jovi).

But the audience IS there to have fun and eventually enter Steinman's world, with a little panto banter between stage and punters developing. A sneaky section in the second half invites the audience to stand - and that's when Newark finally got into full swing, let its hair down and enjoyed a rocking good night.

Cinderella, Newark Palace Theatre

I'M a convert! For more than 40 years I somehow managed to avoid the ballet but this was a magical introduction.

European Ballet mixed sparkle, humour, tradition and – of course – elegant dance in this incredibly accessible production.

Prokofiev's famous score was the glue that held together the much-loved tale with sparse props ensuring the dance told the story.

From lowly Cinders (Scilla Cattafesta) dancing gracefully with a broom when she fears she won't be able to get to the royal palace, we see her transformed into the belle of the ball after she was the only one to show an old beggar some kindness.

For many in a packed house, the ugly sisters were a star turn, wonderfully conveying their mood swings between petulance, envy, excitement and just plain grumpiness. Ania Thormeyer and Felizia Roth's ham-fisted footwork as they took dance lessons before the ball brought comedy – and some laugh-out-loud moments – to the show.

The ensemble dance after the handsome prince (Vincent Cabot) and Cinderella fell in love at the ball was the most spectacular, lending itself well to the intimacy of the venue.

Happily, Cinders forgave the ugly sisters for their cruelty and this faithful retelling left the audience with a very happy ending.

I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Royal Concert Hall

Arriving at the Concert Hall for this sell-out event, our hearts were lifted by the sight of a kazoo carefully placed on each seat in the auditorium.

How would it compare with last year, when we still had "Humph" in the chair, now replaced by the solemn Jack Dee?

Something of a curate's egg, in truth.

Yes, there were moments of inspired nonsense, and some of the gags were just as funny as last time around.

And there lay the rub.

They were pretty much the same gags as last time around.

Of course, you wonder how much of an evening like this is scripted, and, I guess, on a tour around the UK it would be impossible to do a wholly new show every night.

But it seemed the whole of the introduction about Nottingham from Jack Dee and much of the warm-up from producer Jon Naismith were lifted from this time last year.

And worse still, Jack appeared to be reading directly from Humphrey Lyttelton's previous script.

When he deviated from the written word he was comfortable, but joining this antidote to panel games must surely go against the grain.

Despite the baffling "repeat" situation, we warmly welcome on stage Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, along with the new regular, Jeremy Hardy. Colin Sell provides piano accompaniment.

Sadly, there was no sign of Samantha, who would have been Jack's delectable assistant. She was waylaid at home, organising new insulation with a team of hunky workmen. She sent a note to the team: "I'm looking forward to getting felt laid in the loft", she wrote.

It's not often you can marvel at Tim Brooke-Taylor duetting with Kaiser Chiefs, - or 2,000 people joining a kazoo version of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Great fun – but we could have done without the repeat.

Best Of British Variety Tour, Royal Concert Hall

I never imagined I'd spontaneously applaud a Tom O'Connor gag.

But there's a first time for everything and this ageing comic finally won me over.

You can't help but warm to him as he introduces some very well-known faces and one or two quite well-known jokes.

He held the show together and hit the mark with an audience that was probably a little over retirement age. No surprise really, when the average age of the turns was nudging 70.

First up was good old Norman Collier, allegedly 83. Yes, he does the chicken routine, and yes, he still does that microphone thing too.

But he got some of the biggest laughs of the night for his jokes, and rightly so. Probably on first so he can get tucked up with some cocoa. It was a three-hour show so staying on until later might have been too much.

Did you enjoy a bit of Nookie a few years back? We had our share last night but it was over rather too quickly. Roger de Courcey's ironic opening gambit is "for those who've never seen me before...". His cheeky little bear made a ten minute appearance at the end of his amusing ramble of a set.

Anyone who was expecting to see Buck's Fizz might have been disappointed. There was only Bobby from the line-up that conquered Europe, plus three others. Nice karaoke to end part one.

As for Faith Brown, she always was a bit of an oddball. She did a good Susan Boyle but the rest of her act was on another planet...

And so to the star turns, a completely bald Tommy and truly little Bobby, with a rather impressive paunch.

The boys ran through the comedy that made them famous. And it did go down very well, the interaction with the fans at the front showing they've still got what it takes.

The Grass Is Greener, Theatre Royal

Billed as a battle of the sexes this was more a battle of wits between a middle aged wife with 20 years of marriage behind her, whose head is turned by a visiting American millionaire, and her doting husband who can't live without her – despite what he says!

The wife, Liza Goddard, is Hilary, the lady of the manor, with her husband Victor (former Dynasty star Christopher Cazenove) ruing the day he ever opened their stately home to the public.

Their life together is turned upside-down by the dashing – and calculating –tourist Charles, played by Jack Ellis, who audiences may know from Bad Girls and Prime Suspect.

The excruciating tension in the first couple of scenes is uncomfortable to say the least, with the perfectly-timed silences saying more than any dialogue could manage.

While Victor tries to sort out his wife's dilemma over leaving him for the passion of Charles over love for her husband in a most English way, the American banks on the whirlwind romance and a new life for Hilary winning the day.

The comedy is 53 years old but every one of the sentiments holds true today. Without spoiling the ending it's fair to say that after four days with the American, Hilary gets her chance to find out if the grass really is greener – but does she take it?

Superb comedy lines are delivered by Sophie Ward as Hilary's old friend (and Victor's old flame) Hattie, and by the butler, Sellars (Jack Fagan). But the butlers always play it for laughs, don't they?

Milkshake! Live, Royal Concert Hall

THIS was a show that got the thumbs-up from all our family.

That's the four-year-old, a three-year old, one who's 40 and a 30-something.

Granted it was the kids who enjoyed it the most, shouting, singing, clapping and dancing along to their favourites from the Five morning magazine, Milkshake!

And yes, it was the kids who were agog at seeing their favourite TV presenters – Jen and Derek – bounding about with seemingly endless energy.

But it was the mums and dads who got the enjoyment out of seeing the little ones having so much fun.

The story involves the team putting on a show.

But, of course, they need some help from their friends...

So along come Fifi and Bumble, Peppa Pig and George, Rupert, the Little Princess, Noddy and Tessie Bear and even a sprinkling of Little Misses and Mr Men. It's the Milkshake! mix, all right.

The first half set the scene nicely, ready for showtime after the interval.

Good old Jen and Derek gave it their all, including a series of well known staples such as Do Reh Mi and Together Wherever We Go, mixed in with some favourites from the telly show, that let everyone show off the steps they practice in front of the small screen at home.

Not quite sure what the attraction was for this one… but it was good to see so many dads at the venue, which was packed out.

LazyTown Live, Theatre Royal

With Robbie Rotten as Blackbeard, determined to rid LazyTown of all the kids - and our superhero Sportacus - this is a feast of music, costume, dance and mayhem that's the perfect tonic for the rainy school holidays.

We follow the gang as they thwart Robbie's plan - with the trademark teamwork and a little extra energy from eating the so-called sports candy.

Every little girl wants to be Stephanie as she joins her LazyTown pals of Ziggy, Pixel, Stingy and Trixie on their adventure.

This time it takes them across the seven seas - but only after Robbie has turned Sportacus into an ice cream man and removed his special powers.

The entrance of Sportacus at the start of the show brought gasps and applause. Robbie, on the other hand was lean and mean (and a little hairy with his pirate beard disguise) and you couldn't help feeling he'd have preferred a few more boos.

The more intimate surroundings of the Theatre Royal make this a real family show compared to the comparative vastness of the Concert Hall stage next door, where LazyTown was staged last year.

We enjoyed a packed house with kids of all ages jumping up and down to sing and dance. And they all joined in with the very best songs from the television series, like No One is Lazy in LazyTown, You Are a Pirate, Bing Bang, and Teamwork.

And its popularity means that it's booked in until Sunday, with matinees this weekend - and tickets are still available.

Julian Clary, Just The Tonic

This was Julian Clary approaching his caustic best in a sneak preview of his forthcoming national tour, Lord of the Mince.

Very little was off-limits as the king of innuendo hit the stage in an intimate show which touched on life, love, sex and middle age.

Clary, now a national institution, is surely the pretender to Dame Edna Everage's crown for quick-witted repartee and filthy double-entendre (but only if you have got the mind to go with it).

Hitting 50 this year, and preparing for something of a comeback tour, he reveals that he and Michael Jackson led rather parallel lives, except one made it as far as the tour and the other didn't.

The banter took in gossip surrounding Simon Cowell, the secrets of the Strictly Come Dancing tour dressing room, and Clary's special psychic powers.

There were real jokes too, among the chat, with one memorable line (perhaps another innuendo?) about Paul Daniels – when a little squirt does the trick.

Please don't go into the discussions surrounding a combine harvester in rural Kent, where Julian now lives with his boyfriend.

And perhaps we ought to probe more deeply into his apparent obsession with the success of Paul O'Grady?

Back for the second half in a ringmaster's outfit (think about it…) he encouraged some audience participation with a couple of likely lads from the crowd.

This was a great curtain raiser to what's sure to be a hit tour, and he's due back in Nottingham for his "proper" gig at the Playhouse on September 30.

Babe, The Sheep Pig, Palace Theatre, Newark

THIS Theatreworks production proved a great antidote to the half-term blues.

A clever adaptation of a well-loved tale brought puppets to life on stage to thrill the young crowd in the stalls.

Perhaps 'puppet' gives the wrong impression though, because although the main animal characters were operated on stage by real people standing behind them, the artistes were so accomplished that after the first few minutes you really didn't notice them. Honestly. So unintrusive were they, and such was their mastery of very believable puppets/models, that the story was all.

It runs pretty much along the lines of the famous film, with Farmer Hogget winning a piglet at the village fair and going on to bond with him as he grows up among the sheep dogs.

Genuinely sad moments like the mother sheep dog Fly saying goodbye as her pups are sold off are matched with the drama of sheep rustlers and the death of a ewe after being frightened by a dog.

They are balanced with Babe's success in winning round the doubters – and eventually walking away with the sheep dog trials' main prize.

This adaptation of the Dick King-Smith novel by top children's stage writer David Wood was good value at an hour and a quarter, with an interval for those with a penchant for ice cream.

Just a pity more good folk of Newark didn't think to nip in to avoid the showers by cosying down in the stalls for a surefire winner with the kids.

The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Newark Palace Theatre

You've read the book, seen it on telly at story time – so now make sure you see the play!

It must be something of a challenge to turn a children's book that lasts just five minutes into a full-blown stage production.

And while it only lasts just under an hour, this modern classic was brought to life with such clarity that we didn't really notice how long it took.

A cast of three manage to warm up the audience admirably right from the start so that we are soon joining in from our seats.

And even though the first tantalising sight of the tiger sent some kids whimpering into their parents' arms, we grow to love him and are even a little sad when he exits – after devouring all the food and drink from little Sophie's house. (All the water from the taps, too, if you didn't know already!)

He's seven feet tall, with black and bright orange stripes and while he's a little fierce, he's also a little cheeky and if there are any doubters in the packed house, he soon wins them over!

With lots of singing, joining in and even a little magic, it's no wonder this show is back on the road after a successful tour last year.

Directed by children's entertainment supremo David Wood, it's a show that helps you step right into the familiar pages of Judith Kerr's famous book, which now stands as a children's classic. This show certainly does it justice.

Chuckle Trek - The Lost Generation, Royal Concert Hall

WELL-WORN family favourite skits were definitely the high spots in this mixed show from TV's most famous brothers, Paul and Barry Chuckle.

Perhaps it was the unfamiliar surroundings of the Starship Exercise, rather than more comfortable ground on Planet Earth, or perhaps the stop-start nature of the show, due to a couple of magic acts and a neon puppetry session being wedged in for good measure.

The best reaction was always for the Chuckles' tried and tested material – the opening song, promising something "pink and soft" for the audience, or the mums and dads up on stage for a messy rendition of The Three Bears, for instance.

The lads' bunk bed routine, where the top bunk's trapdoor drops Paul onto the bottom while Barry's avoiding an alien intruder, got the biggest contribution from the kids in a packed matinee house.

Every child was screaming "it's behind you!" before the inevitable payoff (where the alien takes one look at Paul and runs away). Simple, self-demeaning and fun. And it brought the house down.

Interventions from No Slacking and Gerroutofit (as Captain James T Burke and Dark Wader) pushed the boundaries a little. Patchy, yes – but I'll be back to see them at Christmas for a one-off panto. It's what they do best.

Anton and Erin: Cheek to Cheek, Royal Concert Hall

I'm no big fan of TV's Strictly, in fact I only tend to tune in for Brucie.

But when the nice lady at the Royal Centre said she could squeeze us into this sell-out show starring Anton du Beke and Erin Boag I was all the more intrigued.

Perhaps there was nothing on the telly. Or perhaps it was the sheer power of the telly drawing the crowds to what, if we're honest, was a night of entertainment from years gone by, full of spotlights and sequins.

And yet the magic was definitely there. From the moment the Manchester Concert Orchestra struck up their first chord to the second that Anton and Erin glided in from the wings there was a certain something in the air.

Then the supporting vocalist Richard Shelton (of Brat Pack Confidential and Emmerdale, oddly) was introduced, along with three times world salsa champions, Chris Marques and Jaclyn Spencer.

They took off to the strains of Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White with the superbly laid-back first trumpet almost begging you to help it along.

That followed Anton and Erin performing to Sing Sing Sing – and the tone for the night was set.

Like I say, I'm no expert but I spotted some Latin in there, a bit of swing and some slinky moves that combined ballroom with modern and brought us the foxtrot and a waltz.

Popular tunes, daring moves and unconditional love from the audience. I'll bet Anton and Erin went home happy.