News in brief!

Yours truly dashing off this note to remind you that Fascinating Aïda can solve SO many of your Christmas gift conundrums!

1   Three final concerts of the 40th Anniversary show at the glorious Royal Festival Hall on 2nd 3rd & 5th January – which will obviously be heavily updated and rewritten by the time January comes around! Tickets to this extravaganza are absolutely perfect presents for the aged parents or, indeed, the truculent teens who think anyone over 30 is woefully uncool. Or just come and see it again and watch us struggle to remember the re-writes, oh LORDY why do we make life so difficult for ourselves!!! I will be demonstrating my new and fabulous flexible hip hop following my hip op.

Tickets from just £25.

2   The newly designed Christmas tea towel, 2024 edition, a delightful seasonal addition to your Crimble kitchen, an inexpensive gift for a loved one or the ideal Secret Santa choice for a cuntankerous colleague.

Just £12 – click here!

3   The downloadable 40th Anniversary show – if you are too far away, too infirm or just too tired to attend the South Bank show, why not download the show and watch in the comfort of your own home. You can send a direct link to your Yuletide giftee!

Just £10… click here!

Meanwhile, future plans are vague. We would like to do another show but Adèle and I are 72 and we are aware that time is not on our side. Health issues have, as you know, raised their ugly head in recent years and who knows what lies in store for us. We’d like to continue, but it wouldn’t be honest to promise that we will have another show ready for 2026, or will be strong enough to do the kind of hard touring we’ve always done. We adore the work, we are a real family now. Darling Liza joining us made all the difference; we could plan ahead and know we still had a group! And more recently, our wonderful Michael has fitted in wonderfully well and is very much part of the gang.

No, this is not me announcing another farewell tour. We only did that when we ran out of sopranos. (If you haven’t seen the movie, THIS IS SPINAL TAP, do see it and substitute sopranos for drummers in your minds…) Yes, we fully intend to keep on trucking. But it may be limited, and it may be different. Catch us while you can.

And have a peaceful and happy Christmas.

Dillie