Gossip

Celebrity Autobiography & Potted Panto London Bound???

In addition to the many shows that have already announced their London transfers – including Five Guys Named Moe, My Romantic History, Penelope, Beautiful Burnout and, albeit for one night only (initially at least), Frances Ruffelle: Beneath the Dress – we hear several others are close to doing so, including Celebrity Autobiography and Potted Panto.

In Celebrity Autobiography, actors and comedians (celebrities themselves) read excerpts from real autobiographies, chosen for their incredibly vacuous, melodramatic, egotistical or just plain outrageous nature. The start started as a cable TV one-off special in 2005, then spun off as a stage show in Los Angeles and New York, where it’s proved a long-running hit.

In Edinburgh, Americans George Wendt (Cheers) and Michael Uhrie (Ugly Betty) joined British actors and comedians including James Lance and Phill Jupitus in a rota of “celebrity book club” readers.

Potted Panto is the latest children’s offering from CBBC’s Dan and Jeff (aka Daniel Clarkson and Jeff Turner, after success with their abridgements of the Harry Potter novels (Potted Potter) and piratical yarns (Potted Pirates). Given the festive subject matter, it’s little surprise that it’s aiming for a Christmas engagement in the West End.