1. Take two – Pursuing a lifelong dream

“I am inspired by people I meet,” says Claudette Flint. “By ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary events. I think it comes from my grandmother: as a young woman she worked at the Hotel Regina in Nice, the same place where Queen Victoria spent her holidays, and she ironed the Queen’s knickers so well that she was given a jar of piccalilli.”

2. Hey, it’s The Fonz!

Henry ‘The Fonz’ Winkler is a glutton for  punishment – he’s crossing the pond this Christmas for his second panto, playing Captain Hook in Peter Pan at Woking’s New Victoria Theatre.

3. From little acorns.. Stage round-up

A LITTLE acorn sewn by Victoria Wood over 20 years as a regular weekly comedy sketch has grown into a full-blown musical.

4. A sprinkling of Stardust

Despite its starry cast Stardust has so far received a cool reception.

The story is based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, with a screenplay written by Matthew Vaughn and Jonathan Ross’s wife, Jane Goldman.

5. It’s hotting up for the Spices

LOVE them or loathe them you just can’t keep the Spice Girls down.

6. Dedicated followers of fashion, listen up!

DON’T be surprised if you see Supermodel Giselle Bundchen in her underwear in Reading.

7. Societies revisit Handel’s Messiah

TWO of Reading’s leading musical societies are joining together on Saturday to present Handel’s Messiah, more than 60 years after their first Easter performance of the ever-popular masterpiece.

8. Magical movie nights

NOW you can enjoy your favourite film with a glass of white wine or a pint, as Reading’s Town Hall Film Theatre eases into 2007 with another excellent offering of the very best art house, popular and independent cinema with something for everyone.

9. Bold and beautiful

Natasha Bedingfield has clearly made up her mind that Reading’s Hexagon is far from dull.

10. One woman show

Punjabi actress Anjali Mya Chadha brings her “exotic take” on English wedding rituals to Maidenhead’s Norden Farm Centre for the Arts this weekend.