The Xtra Diary - Bashy backs his home town Harrow
Published: 18 June, 2010
ONCE known for a rather unlikely endorsement deal with Chupa Chups (spawning some even more unlikely product placement rhymes), Bashy is no longer the lollipop kid of grime music.
When he’s not leafing through film scripts and making hit records, Bashy (right) is a proud champion of his old stomping ground the Harrow Road – where he lived from the age of 11. So it was no surprise to see him at the opening of the Paddington Festival at Maida Hill market.
He was joined at the weekend by hip hop star Akala, local dance troupe Hypnotick and the Ebony Steel Band in getting the two-month festival off the starting blocks.
Other events to look out for include performances from the Harrow Road Community Choir, a hotly-contested front garden competition and al-fresco jazz in the market.
• Full programme at www.paddingtonfestival.co.uk
Curious case of the incomplete curtain call…
DIARY left the theatre on Saturday evening emotionally drained after an extraordinary, intense, performance by Ariyon Bakare in a South African drama, Dream of the Dog.
One of the best performances Diary had seen in the West End for years.
On came the actors for their well-deserved bow, including Janet Suzman, whose performance was equally good – but where was Bakare?
Not there. More applause and on came the cast for the second bow – and still no Bakare. We were surprised to hear no muttering from the audience as we trooped out of the small, cosy, Trafalgar Studios in Whitehall.
Diary must have seen at least 1,000 West End performances and never once has the lead actor simply not appeared for the applause.
A member of the theatre staff said she thought Bakare had disappeared because of a “personal” reason. Well, she would say that, wouldn’t she? What did it amount to? Then on Wednesday the puzzle was solved.
Janet Suzman, who lives in Hampstead, told Diary that Bakare had had to go off suddenly to attend a wedding. An amused Janet added: “He wanted to be the best man but couldn’t because of the show, but he suddenly had to dash off to Longleat where his cousin was getting married to the Marquess of Bath!”
Diary assumes a marriage went ahead in some form, though we gather the Marquess leads a polygamous lifestyle about which he freely writes.
• The final curtain comes down on this play on Saturday evening – see it.
Judges’ epic quest to discover the very best of travel writing
WHAT makes a good travel book?
Epic journeys, close encounters, exotic locations; all pulled together by a writer with a razor-sharp eye for what social scientists call “the other”, might be close to the small ad.
Seven authors who certainly fit the description will battle it out for a prize awarded to the year’s best travel offering in July, the Dolman Award.
A train journey to the “soul of Britain”, stories from Russia and a trip through Kingston’s narcotics underworld are three of the titles to get you pulling out your passport (or your bullet-proof vest). But if you need an excuse, all of the writers will be giving readings at London’s spiritual home of travel literature Daunt Books in Marylebone High Street on Tuesday June 29.
Brett Wolstencroft, co-founder of Daunt Books and one of the Dolman judges, said: “I haven’t made up my mind yet and it’s going to be a struggle because this year’s field is so good. It’s important that travel writing is recognised, although sometimes we struggle to know exactly what travel writing is. For me it has to give an insight or a portrait of a country.”
The winner will be announced on July 6 at the Author’s Club. Shortlisted authors are: William Blacker, Horatio Clare, Matthew Engel, Susan Richards, Daniel Metcalfe, Hugh Thomson and Ian Thomson.