Latest 7 magazine

Rachel Pegg talks to John Hamilton , chairman of Brighton and Hove (actually) Gay Men’s Chorus, ahead of their Christmas show

Why did you set up the chorus three years ago?
I felt there was a need for a fun, safe environment. Of the three gay choruses that are in Brighton, they are all unique. When I was younger I sang in a choir and played a bit of piano and clarinet. I hadn’t sung for many years. It was the best decision I’ve made to start the chorus.
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Julie Burchill writes exclusively for Latest 7 about her part in She’s a Punk Rocker UK, a documentary by Zillah Minx

When the ever-persuasive Miss Zillah Minx asked me to appear in her excellent documentary She’s A Punk Rocker I was not entirely convinced. For a start, I think back to the period of my life when I WAS a – shudder – punk rocker as the only time of my life when I knowingly practised hypocrisy: one of my very least favourite vices.
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Vintage radio comedy live on stage may sound mad but with a cast as strong as this it is a sure fire winner. Classic scripts and popular characters were revived for a side-achingly funny evening of nostalgia. Unlike the previous show, this time we had a full band and Not the Frazer Haynes Four, a close harmony group who added musical interludes of high musical campery. The cast were brilliant, Robin Sebastian is Kenneth Williams but top marks this time to Sally Grace who played Betty Marsden superbly.
Theatre Royal Brighton, 18 November
5/5
Andrew Kay

Mr Coogan seemed to be on autopilot for the first half of this show – the ‘Less Successful Characters’ – which, on this evidence, aren’t going to become any more successful. I’ve always had a soft spot for Paul and Pauline Calf but they were reduced to innuendo and gypsy jokes, although Pauline’s ‘Marriott Hotel’ was very funny. Partridge was altogether a different beast; reinventing himself as a motivational speaker, impressing on us his life-changing philosophy which came to him after soiling himself in PC World. Brilliant stuff, but you can’t erase the memory of a patchy first half.
Brighton Centre, 21 November
3/5
Simon Plotkin