Stage presence

"You should blog more!" a good friend said recently. He's right; after all, my last musings were over six months ago. It's just as well I don't do this for a day job...

And so, in classic new year's resolution fashion, I'm going to try and be a little more consistent at this blogging lark. And the way to be regular, as I see it, is to be concise and punchy...

My new year was spent at the in-laws in Kent. They live in a hamlet just outside the village of Crockham Hill, a stunning setting in the Garden of England, with Churchill's home of Chartwell on the doorstep.

The village is close-knit and caring, and the epitome of an old-fashioned English community - a true rarity these days. In many ways, visiting Crockham Hill is like a step back in time.

And they certainly know how to put on a show! Every year they present either a pantomime or a play and, in the week after Christmas, the Crockham Hill Infant PlayerS (CHIPS) performed 'The Legend of Froghole' on five occasions to a total of over 500 people.

I was thoroughly entertained at the Saturday matinee by some comic acting, cute kids, awful puns and generally fine spirits by performers and audience alike. I was totally 'booed' and 'hissed' out at the end. The months of practising and preparing paid off.

It showed to me what a community, working together, can do. It may seem old-fashioned and uncool, but togetherness is something many parts of the UK needs now more than ever. And it can work as well in a block of flats as in a chocolate box village. (Image credit: crockhamhillevents.co.uk)

One man who never needed to turn to pantomimes for a living was the great British actor Pete Postlethwaite, whose life was cut short yesterday. He was aged just 64.

Tributes have rightly flooded in. Steve Spielberg once described him as "the best actor in the world" whilst Julie Walters called him "the most exciting, exhilarating actor of his generation".

I found that Postlethwaite could turn his hand to any and every sort of character - and he always kept appearing in quality films. In fact, it seemed like he was in almost every great British film (and television drama) of the last few decades! He was great at being equally intense and humorous and, in particular, I thought he was fantastic in Brassed Off, The Usual Suspects and The Constant Gardener.

Had illness not got him, I'm sure we could've seen Pete starring in fine films for another decade or more - and perhaps getting the Oscar which eluded him. (Image credit: Spanner Films)

Finally, from an understated actor to an over-the-top sporting exhibition in a nation we've heard quite a lot about recently. The sight of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, practising on a specially constructed court, floating on water in Qatar, really made me cringe.

The top two male tennis players in the world were promoting a forthcoming tournament in Doha and follows on from a similar display on the top of the world's tallest hotel five years ago. It was typical of the money-grabbing behaviour of the big-hitters in the Middle East - and we all know about Qatar's pulling power after their success in be crowning hosts of the football World Cup in 2022.

I'm sure Nadal and Federer were paid well for getting their trainers wet - but it was all rather silly and demeaning to be honest from a sport that should know better. I just hope neither players pulled a muscle in the wet conditions. Let's get the covers on and get on a proper court! (Image credit: GoToTennis.com)