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  • This is how you can have the perfect One Night Stand

    10 tips you need for the perfect one night stand…

    We asked Sexpert Alix Fox about how to get the most from your one night stands. Having written for many large titles on the various aspects of sex, her nookie knowledge spans the whole sexual spectrum from beginner and vanilla to the most obscure and fascinating kooky kinks.

    CREDIT: © dnf style| Depositphotos

    “I’m a strong advocate of the idea that almost anything goes in the boudoir so long as it’s safe, consensual, and conscientiously considered, so whatever rocks your world is unlikely to shock this girl!” she smiles. “Equally though, I don’t preach that you have to be some kind of crazy wild child in order to have a satisfying love life – not at all. Sex isn’t a competition to see who can be the most bonkers, so I’m a big believer in getting the basics right, and recognising and developing whatever works for you.”

    Since she’s down-to-earth about getting down ‘n’ dirty, THEGAYUK asked Alix to give some top tips on getting the best from one night stands. “Often, the one night stand – or ONS – is simply a one-off night of indulgent fun for both partners,” she says, “but sometimes an ONS can leave both parties feeling like the experience could have been better, both physically and emotionally, and perhaps stop a could-have-been relationship in its tracks if it’s disappointing. There are no hard and fast rules about how to make a hard and fast night go brilliantly, but my tips are designed to avoid a one night stand becoming a stand-up comedy (or worse) and instead make it stand and deliver a damn great time, and maybe even lead to more.”

    Make sure your head’s in the right place (and I’m not talking about saucy positions).

    Many a lasting love has stemmed from what was originally intended to be a one night stand, and some people like to cut to the chase and find out quickly if they’re likely to be sexually compatible before they begin dating someone on a longer-term basis. However, the majority of ONSs are just that – one-time hook-ups. Ensure that you’re in the right frame of mind to appreciate this. Be honest with yourself about the situation, and realistic in your expectations. If, afterwards, it’ll make you bawl if they don’t call, an ONS could set you up for a fall.

    Clear the doom from your room.

    If you know you’re likely to be bringing someone back to your place, do at least a 10-minute basic tidy before you head out. Make your bed; whack dirty washing out of sight; make sure there’s bog roll and baby wipes in the bathroom so it’s easy for your ONS to freshen up before you get fresh; and for God’s sake, make sure there’s no poo in your loo. Ew! This may not be your style, but I like scented candles in my boudoir: not only do they make it smell delicious, but they cast light that’s much more flattering and relaxing than having the big bulb on.

    Get Durexcellent!

    Surely I do not need to tell you the zillion reasons why you need to use protection if a newcomer penis is going to feature in your plans. Carry at least a couple of condoms, and carry them correctly: they can get creased and damaged in your wallet, so slip some into a metal business card holder instead. Keep condoms by your bed, too – I empty mine into a discreet wooden box so that a new lover doesn’t see an opened packet and wonder who (ahem) came before him. Just make sure that if you have a mixture in there, they’re all in date. Top quality condoms mean peace of mind, easier use and better sensation. If you’re sleeping with someone for one night only, don’t risk the experience being downgraded by relying on some dodgy beer-flavoured novelty rubber from a pub vending machine.

    Don’t let ‘one on the rocks’ stop you getting your rocks off.

    It might be tempting to knock back extra booze to give you Dutch Courage before an ONS, but that ‘one for the road’ could make sex a car crash. Too much booze can make it tougher for gents to maintain an erection, and generally makes it more likely that your ONS will become a fumbling, bumbling, right rum do. Alcohol can make your mouth dry, too; grab a glass of water before you head to bed to keep kisses (and the rest) juicy.

    Check your bellybutton before you try to push buttons!

    Pre-sauce session, nip to the WC and check your navel isn’t full o’ fluff! If you’ve worn a new top or pants, and especially if you’re a hairy guy, there may be lint in there. It’s not seductive for a new partner to find Carpet World hiding in your tummybutton while they’re kissing their way down your happy trail.

    A kiss is not a contract.

    And neither is inviting someone into your home or going back to theirs. If you change your mind at any point during an ONS, that is just fine. You don’t owe anybody anything, so don’t feel obliged to go through with something or push yourself beyond your comfort zone ‘because you’ve already got this far’. The objective for both people is to have a good time. If you’re not, stop. And if your play pal says they’d like to slow down – or you just get the vibe that this might be the case even if they don’t pipe up – be cool, respectful and good-natured about it, and make it clear that just savouring some snogging together – or whatever – is A-OK. Being honourable is way more important than any orgasm.

    Turn ‘interruption’ into ‘intimacy’ or ‘intensity’. 

    Some people complain that putting on condoms ‘interrupts the moment’ or ‘spoils the mood’, which can be particularly unwelcome during an ONS, but that doesn’t have to be the case at all. Putting a condom on means that all the attention is focused closely on the penis, and that can be an enticing, exciting thing for you both, rather than a moment of sombre, serious silence. If you’re not the one unrolling the condom, don’t sit staring like a spare part while he prepares his parts: be vocal about how hot his cock looks if you’re into dirty talk, or stroke his neck, nipples, torso or inner thighs. Suspect he needs to concentrate or not feel like he’s being watched, but don’t want to feel like a left-out lemon? Get behind him and kiss his neck or put your arms around him and lay your head on his back. Alternatively, put on a show that will keep him hard and thus make the condom-donning easier by touching yourself in front of him.

    Give a (hopefully genuine) compliment or two. 

    You may never see your ONS again, but by saying something nice about how they look in the nude, or an aspect of their technique, you leave them with a pleasant memory and a confidence boost. Even if, in some ways, the sex turns out a little clumsily – as it can when you’re with a new partner whose body and tastes you’re unfamiliar with – simple praise like “Mmm, your ass is gorgeous!” or “You’re great at that” can help leave an overriding impression that the experience with you was a worthwhile, good one. Which is helpful if you do see them again.

    Make sure you can grab a cab.

    Install a taxi app on your mobile that uses GPS to find your location and allows you to pay using your pre-loaded credit card details, so that if you go back to someone else’s place, you can always get home safely and easily as and when you want to, without needing to give a cabbie directions or have cash on you.

    Talk with your hands.

    We all know good communication improves sex. In long-term relationships, you get to gradually explore about what your partner likes, and discuss what works for you both. Yet with a one night stand, you and your playmate may know little or nothing about each other’s preferences. You need to learn fast, but you’re eager for copulation, not conversation – so let your fingers do some of the talking instead. If you’re giving oral sex, try putting a digit in your lover’s mouth, telling them “Show me what you like”, and mimicking their movements and pace as they lick or suck it.

    Follow Alix on Twitter @AlixFox

  • GAY TRAVEL | Costa Del Sol: 24 hours in 20°C

    GAY TRAVEL | Costa Del Sol: 24 hours in 20°C

    If you have never visited the Costa Del Sol might it of been because you are not ready to retire, don’t need a tan, don’t want to socialise with Brits abroad or don’t care for an English breakfast or perhaps that was just me.

    I had to add some gay travel glam to this trip so booked a direct flight from London City Airport to Malaga and with a flight time of 2hrs 40mins and the welcoming temperature of 20°C (Feb ’18) this was a great start.

    A 20-minute drive from Malaga airport is Torremolinos a beach town obsessed by the Brits wanting to escape the grey’s of the UK to catch some of the 300 days a year sunshine in the comfortable climate of this Mediterranean resort town. Sol House Costa Del Sol by Melia occupies the edge on one of the sandy beaches that is La Carihuela.

    Waking up to views of the ocean and the seafront promenade in one of the hotels main attraction (stayed in House Suite). Its cosy modern loft style design can be divided into two private independent spaces by a sliding door.

    The Sol House Costa Del Sol Hotel is in a very desirable location with easy access to Benalmádena which hosts one of the best marinas in the world. Having explored a few of the beachfronts in the nearby areas you will notice that La Carihuela has a more compact feel with a nice bustling energy of locals and visitors exploring this stretch.

    There are numerous activities, trips and excursions that the Sol House offers which easily places this hotel in the family and pet-friendly category. The hotel’s resort approach will have a few surprising beach gifts waiting for you in your room which offers a considerate welcome.

    Breakfast time can be quite stressful at this hotel as if you are lucky enough to get a vacant table right away you will still end up with warm toast and cold tortilla (omelette) or vice versa – I just don’t know how to mathematically work my way around those buffet breakfast’s especially when hot food should be hot…so cereals and fruit it is.

    After the commotion of breakfast, it was wonderful to discover this serene water culture haven in Malaga – Hammam Al Andalus. The Hammam experience at these Arab baths allows you to enjoy the water journey, massages and rituals without any overcrowding since they have a strict capacity for each session which adds to the exclusivity of your visit. This gem has some wonderful touches that will make the feeling of being wrapped in clouds a possibility. Hammam Al Andalus is so peaceful I almost felt as though the elegant staff can sense when you need assistance and then serenely appear.

    I always find it a turn off when restaurants try to lure diners from the promenade with staff or advertising – I don’t want pizza, all day English breakfasts, kebabs or generic tapas. I wanted somewhere where the food speaks for itself and not dependent on advertising or location – I won the food lottery with finding the discreet, humble and enticing Lime and Lemon. Every dish was like a visual theatrical experience. Their tapas menu raised the bar for combined flattering tastes and creativity all without the hefty price tag. It was no surprise that this quaint passion joint was fully booked. The snug atmosphere that the owners create all match the pleasing dishes they produce.

    G

    The Sol House Costa Del Sol Hotel arranges themed nightly performances however; leave yourself plenty of time to order a beverage as like me, you may go unnoticed at the bar (and I’m very tall).

    I would definitely return to the Costa Del Sol – unless Lime and Lemon open up and take a squeeze out of The Big Apple or London.

    Written By: Ray Si – Proud Member of IGLTA

  • FILM REVIEW | Rampage

    RAMPAGE – An outer space Scientific accident and the world is faced by giant marauding animals and the only thing that can save mankind is 6.6″ of man-muscle in the shape of the king of bulges Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

    Nutshell – Three animals get hit by a dangerous pathogen from an exploding space station, one of which is The Rock’s best mate, a giant albino gorilla. They get to be real big and nasty and set out to destroy Chicago and beyond but can Dwayne and his female sidekick save the day, get his monkey mate back from the darkside and beat the human conspiracy behind it all? Be warned you may need a hanky before the end and not for wanking over the big man’s incredible sleeveless biceps.

    Running Time – 107 minutes – 12A

    Tagline – ‘Big Meets Bigger’. Our favourite hot-as-fuck man-ape meets real bare bottomed monkeys.

    The Gay UK Factor – Dwayne Johnson is one of the hottest men on the planet and if you are into muscles there is no-one bigger and better. He is now the highest paid actor on earth and just coming off of two monster hit films in Fast & Furious 8 and Jumanji so he is hot in every single meaning of the word. He knows how to please his gay following spending huge amounts of time in shirtless/armless tops and tight ass trousers. After his Diehard movie Skyscraper and Suicide Squad 2 we will get the most anticipated gay movie of all time… no not Mamma Mia 2 but The Rocl buddying up with The Stath (Jason Statham) in Hobbs and Shaw the ultimate bald-headed, muscle off, all action, all fighting gay fantasy and yes there is shirtless sweating scenes a plenty.

    Cast – Dwayne Johnson, Miss Moneypenny herself Naomie Harris, Negan himself from The Walking Dead Jeffrey Dean Morgan plus a bunch of very sexy bad guys and thugs who get taken out all too soon by one of the killer animals as far as we are concerned.

    Key Player – This is a one-man show so it is Dwayne’s film but he is equalled paw for fist by the CGI gorilla George who will steal your heart and you will believe he is truly real. If you love animals you will be happy likewise if you like masculine male muscle you will be too.

    Budget – $120 Million and it looks like it will make that back in the USA but any film with The Rock in is a goldmine internationally so it’s at $180 Million Worldwide in the first six days and about to be released in the Far East where they eat this monster movie stuff up and can’t stand things like Star Wars.

    Best Bit – 0.95 mins; The ending is great but that would mean spoilers so let’s go with the very funny second scene of the movie in the gorilla enclosure which sets the entertainment tone perfectly for the film after the silly giant rat opener.

    Worst Bit – 0.15 mins; The brother and sister baddies would fit better in a rubbish camp batman sixties TV episode and they are as about as threatening as a two-inch cock in a dark room.

    Little Secret – This looks like the first truly successful video game movie transition ever especially after the recent tipped but flopping Tomb Raider continued that jinx. Yes, this was originally a computer game. This is so unlike the games in many ways which is maybe why it is working most notably in the computer version the giant Gorilla, Wolf, Crocodile etc are originally humans whereas here they are just mutated or enlarged versions of the animal which makes a lot more sense.

    Further Viewing – Godzilla’s 1 and 2, Jurassic Parks 1 through 5, Mimic, Eight Legged Freaks, Them, Razorback, Lake Placid and either the original or latest Kink Kong’s but not the 1976 Jeff Bridges version for the sake of your own sanity.

    Any Good – There is a word you only ever see in movie reviews and that is Hokum. This film is the definition of Hokum as it is total utter nonsense but done with such passion, love and humour that you will forgive it anything. The action is superb and there is plenty of it along the lines of some epic building shattering Superhero or Transformers film but with some female appeal here. Dwayne’s continual successful good run continues and he is still the king of action, international cinema appeal and 50% of gay men’s vinegar strokes jerking fantasy…

    Rating – 57% out of 100.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Tina, Aldwych Theatre

    ★★★★ | Tina, Aldwych Theatre

    Adrienne Warren is astonishing as Tina Turner in the new musical aptly titled Tina. Now playing at the Aldwych Theatre, Tina charts the ups, and many downs, of Tina’s life. Born as Ann-Mae Bullock, in 1939, we are shown, first hand, how, as a little girl, she was brought up in a violent household where her father hit her mother, causing her mother to move away with her sister (leaving Ann-Mae behind).

    Then we are all aware of Tina’s 16-year violent relationship with Ike Turner, a relationship that she got into when she was very young (16), and which produced two boys. But once this depressing part of the story concludes (depressing because of the emotion and violence) we get to the good stuff;  how Tina reinvented herself ( with the help of manager Roger Davies – played by Ryan O’Donnell) and became a music superstar all on her own, and then had several chart-topping hits in the 1980s and 1990s, raising her level to icon status.

    All of this story is told in the songs of Tina (and Ike) Turner. ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ is, strangely enough, sung in an airport lounge, while ‘I Can’t Stand the Rain’ is performed with, yes you guessed it, umbrellas, while there are other questionable sequences that don’t quite fit the music. And some of the wigs most of the men wear to reflect the time period look a bit silly and fake at best, plus a couple performers go a bit overboard in their acting in a couple dramatic scenes. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Ike Turner doesn’t quite nail the role. However, it’s Warren’s show. Every time she opens her mouth and sings it’s electrifying, and without her, the show would not be a hit.

    Warren is just simply amazing, simply the best, and at the end, the audience is treated to a few more songs, and Warren truly does deserve the standing ovations she receives night after night after night. Warren is a star in her own right.

    140,000 new tickets went on sale Wednesday 18 April 2018 and is now booking to 16 February 2019.

  • DJ Avicii dies aged, 28

    DJ Avicii, born, Tim Bergling has died at the age of 28, his publicist has confirmed.

    Was avicii gay?

    The 28-year-old Swedish-born producer, who worked with the likes of Madonna, Rita Ora and Leona Lewis died in Oman, his publicist, Diana Baron announced today.

    In a statement, Baron said, “The family is devastated and we ask everyone to please respect their need for privacy in this difficult time.”

    Avicii’s anthems include “Wake Me Up”, “Hey Brother”, and most recently, “Lonely Together” with Rita Ora.

    Avicii once joked that he was gay on Twitter saying,  “Im not gay, my boyfriend is!” in 2015.

    Speaking about performing for gay crowds and gay rights in 2013 he told Gay San Diego magazine,

    “I have family and friends that are gay and it’s an important issue for me. I grew up in Sweden. So it’s really not that much of an issue in Sweden the same way it is for gay marriage in America. Even within the society in general, at least from what I feel growing up.

    “I’ve never had any friends being homophobic or never even heard any parents being homophobic. I’ve never even seen that. But in America, you still see homophobia. It’s getting better but you can tell that it still exists.”

     

    The cause of his death has not been revealed, but he was active on social media up until just three days ago.

    In 2014 he had both his appendix and gallbladder removed.

     

  • Uganda’s President Says Oral Sex Is Wrong

    Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has said “outsiders” are trying to corrupt his people by convincing them to have oral sex. During a public speech on Sunday, Museveni said that oral sex is “wrong” because mouths are “meant for eating.” (more…)

  • Paramount announces Elton John biopic

    Paramount has agreed to fund and distribute “Rocketman,” a biopic about British entertainer Elton John, a spokesman for the US studio said on Thursday. The film will star Taron Egerton (“Kingsman,” “Eddie the Eagle”), who will sing the songs featured in the film, the spokesman said. (more…)

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Talking Point, Wilton’s Music Hall

    THEATRE REVIEW | Talking Point, Wilton’s Music Hall

    ★★★★ | Talking Point

    What do you want from a diva? And please, don’t say precious, needy showboating, or reheating tired old douchebag showtunes way overdue for mercy killing! Isn’t life far too short for mediocrity, and as the very wonderful Iggy Pop says in the docudrama American Valhalla, ‘If you risk nothing, you gain nothing, no matter who you are’. Exactly – any performer petrified of pushing boundaries stays permanently locked in predictability. Naming no names, of course, but truly, what the f*ck do you have to lose in this life by being as raw and extreme as possible? The worst thing imaginable – death -hits us all, so anything less is pure bliss! Playing safe creatively is just the pure domain of grade-A assholes, not nuclear, passionate misfits!

    And yes, don’t X-Factor wannabees and terminal underachievers everywhere constantly whinge about their ‘style’ – AKA generic idiocy – being ripped off by more charismatic artists they seethingly envy? But Christ, as Bob Dylan said decades ago, ‘open your eyes and ears – get born, even – and you’re influenced!’ Exactly – it’s not what you soak up, but what you do with it that counts! So, forget Simon Cowell’s adored,  knackered human jukeboxes pumping out showtunes to bore punters stiff – they wish! Sadly,  the only sliver of sexual (dis)interest at X-Factor shows is a complete absence of mass erections! But – with all the above concerns duly noted – let’s turn to Camille O’ Sullivan, that ferocious fireball of feral, genius-level charisma!

    Her showcase, tonight – and until the 21st – is Wilton’s Music Hall, which, quite aptly and symbolically, is a perfect, Platonic metaphor for Camille herself; stark, raw, riotously functional, giving no concessions whatsoever to uber-bland notions of mass-consensus beauty, or Auto-tuned insipidness. Better yet, the theatre’s long, narrow, with a sumptuously arched, barrel-vaulted roof, simply ideal for killer acoustics!

    Like Camille herself, the stage set evokes a spurious, brash, carnival glamour, all scarlet curtains and papier-mache, fake animal heads – donkey, pig and fox – topping dress stands hanging tonight’s purely decorative gowns. What, then, is a diva? A diva, primarily, is neither sex nor gender; it’s not his/her penis or pussy that lingers immortalised in passive or enraptured ears, but, rather, pure, scorching, disembodied passion and meticulously conjured emotions. Still, that note of stroppy audaciousness that’s absolutely crucial to Camille’s humour and delivery shrewdly shapes even her set design; there’s an illuminated, lemon-yellow electric bunny onstage by the drum kit, an abstruse reminder of the pumping beat of both music and the fecund percussion of frenzied, sexual fertility itself.

    So, do yourselves a favour, and instantly dismiss the glib snottiness of Dua Lipa, tediously epitomised by her ‘IDGAF’ – I Don’t Give A Fuck‘- track. Rather, instantly slam Camille in your veins, all liquid, napalm fury and supercharged, exotic desire! Okay, sadly -to date- she’s written no self-penned, genuinely anthemic bangers, but her raw mastery of reinterpreting definitive, art-rock songs for the ages is so astounding any aspiring covers queens should abdicate ASAP!

    Fittingly, Camille’s introduced by the eerie tinkling of the classic, ‘Twilight Zone’ TV series, an immediate statement of intent to expect nothing but the extraordinary. Does she deliver? Oh God, yes – in spades! From the rasping, smoked-honey raunchiness of Peggy Lee’s ‘Is That All There Is?’, a hymn to existential angst, which Camille memorable concludes by shattering a glass, it’s clear we’re in for a night of prime, Bette Davis excess. Similarly, Tom Waits’ ‘Misery Is The River Of The World‘ is dispatched in a rousing, transfixed cabaret trance, while Brel’s ‘Amsterdam’- sung acapella, and punctuated only by Camille’s thrillingly stamped boot-heel- is raw, raucous and revelatory.

    Tonight, mercifully, is a semi-miraculous rendition of Camille’s preferred and Deeply Alternative Great American Songbook, as ambitious and fully-fleshed as the woman herself, who’s nothing like the preferred, half-starved waifs routinely served up by the X-Factor and its’ ilk, all riding an anorexia express to probable and lasting oblivion. Camille, however, has flesh, venom and talent by the bucket-load, and- as she tears into Bowie’s ‘Five Years‘ and ‘All The Young Dudes‘ – makes Bowie’s recorded originals seem pallid and restrained, not the demented, sheerly brilliant, derailed train-wrecks that tear so thrillingly from Camille’s orgasmically dilated lips! Still, both songs are queer, Holy scripture from Bowie’s early 70s supernova brilliance, which unquestionably pioneered the entire, genderfluid lexicon, and so Camille – radiantly transfixed by her complete adoration of Bowie – reworks his masterworks as fierce, non-binary dispatches even new, queer icon Ezra Furman would bow down and die for!

    There’s much more, of course – Nick Cave’s supremely tender ‘Ship Song‘, and Dylan’s ‘Simple Twist Of Fate‘- but the pure killer, indisputably, is a pin-drop, whisper-quiet take on Prince’s ‘Purple Rain‘, where Camille, arguably, makes the only mis-step of the entire show, asking her unfortunately tone-deaf audience to participate!

    That catastrophe aside, the show’s a ravishing, opium dream, the epitome of being comprehensively, aurally pleasured by an impossibly glamourous – and ultra-ballsy – gay-friendly diva! If Camille only originated material, she’d be untouchably superb, but currently, we’re forced to be satisfied with the heavyweight, sonic boxing punch Camille routinely delivers, easily on par with Rolling In The Deep, Adele’s smoking, steamroller portrait of lacerated angst! And Christ, that’s the least Camille delivers, and I’m in shell-shocked awe imagining what she’ll eventually unleash! Beg, borrow or buy tickets to her next show – November 29th@London’s Union Chapel – because it’s way past time to have your gay-friendly possibilities massively expanded!

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Fat Friends The Musical – Edinburgh

    ★★★☆☆ | Fat Friends The Musical, Edinburgh Playhouse

    *Review taken from the Sheffield production*

    As her wedding day approaches, Kelly buys her dream wedding dress, even though it is two sizes too small for her.

    When Julia Fleshman, the head of a national slimming club chain, comes to town to judge a slimming contest live on TV, Kelly ends up going viral with her body confident comments; and seizing the opportunity for some publicity, Fleshman offers to pay for Kelly’s wedding if she can slim into the dress in time for the big day. But with the wedding only six weeks away, the pressure is on…

    Fat Friends is very much a piece of crowd-pleasing theatre. Pulling together multiple stories of the good folk of Headingly, a town near Leeds, the stage is filled with likeable, if slightly caricatured, characters and is a straightforward evening of undemanding fun.

    The show boasts a good cast, with Jodie Prenger taking the lead as Kelly, and doing so with a cocky northern confidence and a belting singing voice. Sam Bailey (The X-Factor) is great as Kelly’s Mum and Natasha Hamilton (from Atomic Kitten) is the scheming Julia Fleshman. Thrown into the mix is an affable turn from Kevin Kennedy (Coronation Street) and ex-cricketer Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, who takes to the stage and fares better than expected with a slightly stilted, if not tongue in cheek, portrayal of Kevin, Kelly’s nice but dim fiancé.

    The songs are amiable enough and used to move the story forward, and whilst they were perfectly pleasant to listen to and shoehorned a few laughs into the lyrics, they served their purpose well enough in terms of keeping up the show upbeat and jolly, but were ultimately fairly forgettable. The live orchestra added to the atmosphere within the theatre and the set design was a colourful cartoonish affair which was well lit and effective in its simplicity.

    Written and directed by Kay Mellor, who wrote the original TV series that the show is based on; Fat Friends is a rather loud, boisterous and upbeat show, which really resonates with its target audience. It’s a rather clichéd musical by numbers, with a heavy-handed script, fairly trite lyrics and a rather unsubtle approach to its humour, but what it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for with likeable characters, a few good belly laughs and buckets-full of near the knuckle, northern charm.

    Fat Friends is at the Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh until the 22nd April 2018, book tickets click here

  • TV Presenter Dale Winton dies, 62

    One of Britain’s best loved TV Presenters, Dale Winton has died at the age of 62.

    How did Dale Winton Die, what caused Dale Winton's Death
    The TV presenter, Dale Winton has died, from an, as of yet unconfirmed reason at the age of 62.

    The TV presenter, Dale Winton has died, from an, as of yet unconfirmed reason at the age of 62. He had recently returned to our small screens on his show, Dale Winton’s Florida Fly Drive.

    In a statement, his long-term agent Jan Kennedy said that he had died at his home earlier on Wednesday.

    Dale Winton is probably most famous for his stint as a daytime telly presenter. The programme, Dale’s Supermarket Sweep catapulted him to fame in the early to mid-1990s. The show ran from 1993 to 2007. After the programme ended he also presented, In It To Win It and Hole in The Wall. He’s also worked in radio and has appeared in various charity TV shows.

    Dale Winton came out as gay in his 2002 autobiography My Story. In the book, he revealed that he never told his mum that he was gay before she died from suicide, which it has been said is something that he regretted. Although he is gay, he’s not open about his relationship status. It is known that a break up of a relationship did cause him to suffer from long-term depression.

    The star had recently returned to TV for his show, Dale Winton's Florida Fly Drive

    Kennedy said, “While we know many will share this terrible loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this time of grief.”

    She did not give details on the cause of death.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Chicago, Phoenix Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Chicago, Phoenix Theatre

    Chicago London review

    It turns out that Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart hadn’t gone away for good, they were just polishing their revolvers, sharpening their tongues and napping in a cell somewhere. To celebrate the 21st anniversary of the West End production of Chicago, those murderous bitches are back to shake things up and take a well-aimed pop at the madness of celebrity culture. They’ve also bought their own dose of celebrity culture along with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Junior playing slime-ball lawyer, Billy Flynn.

    If you’ve never seen Chicago on stage and only know it from the Hollywood film then you’re missing out. It has to be seen in the flesh (and there’s a lot of flesh on show). The men are beefy and scantily clad and the women are Vaudevillian and slinky. The set and costumes are pared back with an on-stage orchestra belting out all those classic Kander and Ebb hits. The choreography is note perfect with all the shoulder shrugs, finger clicks and pelvic thrusts that you expect from Bob Fosse. Yes, it’s the same old show that we got in the 90s but who cares? It’s a veritable classic. With murderesses this stylish and camp who needs anything new.

    Two choice musical theatre actresses take the key roles with Sarah Soetaert giving us a cheeky not so dumb blonde Roxie and Josefina Gabrielle excelling as an embittered Velma. Cuba Gooding Junior might struggle with the singing but he’s got the moves and the charisma needed to sleaze it up a little.

    As one drag queen said to another once on Rupaul’s Drag Race: ‘Bitch I’m from Chicago. I will whoop your ass.’. You can certainly rely on these scintillating killers to whoop any ass on offer.

    At the Phoenix Theatre in London