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Paul Nicholas on his Major role at the Liverpool Empire
When Fawlty Towers was first broadcast in the 1970s, the series attracted millions of TV viewers. But it turns out Paul Nicholas wasn’t one of them. Because 50 years ago, the actor and singer was busy building a career on stage and screen and tended to find himself otherwise occupied at night. “I caught bits of it,” he explains, “but I was working a lot of the time, and it was pre being able to record programmes.” So when the he was asked if he was interested in playing the M
Review: Little Women at the Liverpool Playhouse ****
Those Little Women have been on a big journey over the course of 2025 with this sprightly new production of the classic coming-of-age tale crisscrossing the UK. But it’s apt the tour of a story which opens amid the brutal upheaval of the American Civil War should finish here in Liverpool, and in this week too. While it officially ended six months earlier, the American Civil War finally concluded on November 6, 1865, when Captain James Waddell sailed up the Mersey in the CSS S
Iron Ladies the stars in Liverpool filmmakers' latest release
A film documentary which tells the story of the remarkable women who were part of the steely backbone of the 1984-85 Miners’ Strike is set to receive a special screening in Liverpool this month. Iron Ladies will be shown at Picturehouse at FACT on November 20 followed by a special Q&A with Rose Hunter of the North Staffs Miners’ Wives Action Group, who is featured in the film, and moderator Abi O’Connor. Tickets are £14.85 for adults with concessions. In addition, there will
Timothy Lucas is the purfect panto villain at St Helens this Christmas
Deck the halls, ring those bells and warn the partridge in the pear tree – Timothy Lucas is back on panto duty at St Helens Theatre Royal this Christmas. And this time he’s planning to be royally bad. After moonlighting at the Wolverhampton Grand last season, the irrepressible Lucas is back in harness for Regal Entertainments at St Helens, and he couldn’t be happier. “Great theatre, great people, loyal audiences,” he says. “They are good people who just back you and support y
Review: Top Hat at the Liverpool Empire ****
The Empire is currently celebrating its centenary - and back in the same space in March 1926, Liverpool audiences would have been treated to Mr ‘top hat, white tie and tails’ himself Fred Astaire treading its boards. Astaire appeared with his sister Adele in George Gershwin’s Lady be Good. And it evidently proved to be good, because they returned to Lime Street for another run in early 1927. By the mid-30s, Astaire had gone from big theatre star to even bigger screen star. An
River of Light 2025 installations and where to find them
The Liverpool waterfront comes alive with sound and colour over the next 10 days as the annual River of Light returns – this year with the theme the Science of Light. Follow a trail of light sculptures and installations along the banks of the Mersey and through the city’s business district between tonight and November 2. The installations will be lit up from 5-9pm each night, with two quiet hours on October 26 and October 29, from 4-5pm. Ten largescale artworks are on show i
Turner inspires at the Walker Art Gallery this autumn
An exhibition which showcases stunning works by JMW Turner along with artists he influenced is now open at the Walker Art Gallery. Turner: Always Contemporary marks the 250 th anniversary of the artist’s birth. Tickets cost from £14 for adults, with concessions. Children aged 17 and under go free. The exhibition runs to February 22 and explores both Turner’s own work and his impact on successive generations of artists. It features around 120 artworks including National Museu
Review: Breaking the Code at the Liverpool Playhouse ****
When playwright Hugh Whitemore wrote Breaking the Code 40 years ago, Alan Turing may have been a huge cheese in the development of computing, but his wasn’t a name commonly known among the general public. Consider how much has changed since then, and indeed from 30 years earlier than that when Turing’s life was snuffed out aged just 41 in desperately sad – and still contested – circumstances. Along with Andrew Hodges’ book Alan Turing, The Enigma and Whitemore’s play, there h
Review: Shostakovich Symphony No.7 at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall ****1/2
‘Keep calm and carry on’ seems to have been the order of the day at the Philharmonic Hall over the weekend. And indeed, if it hadn’t been for the email that popped into hundreds of inboxes on Saturday afternoon mentioning a ‘slight’ change of programme because the Phil’s truck had broken down somewhere between Bristol and Liverpool, no one would have been any the wiser. The main casualty of this unexpected occurrence was Victoria Borisova-Ollas. The poor Swedish composer must
Jason Donovan makes Rocky Horror Liverpool return in 2026
Jason Donovan is set to return to the Liverpool stage in The Rocky Horror Show. The Aussie superstar will head the cast of Richard O’Brien’s outrageous cult musical when it comes to the Liverpool Empire next May. Donovan previously performed the part of transvestite scientist Dr Frank-n-Furter for a limited number of shows when the musical was staged at the Liverpool Playhouse last Christmas. Join two squeaky clean college kids – Brad and his fiancée Janet whose car, in a twi
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