We love Rom. He is dead pan, sarcastic and seems completely genuine. 

We didn't like it so much when he cancelled his Edinburgh Fringe Festival Tour two years ago... Probably to go off filming that very successful BBC stuff. 

But we've not so kissed but definitely made up after finally seeing him Live in Halifax.

The Book of Mormon. Right. OK. So where do I start.

I can quite say it was unlike any musical I have ever seen before. 

I had no clue about the story line, I had never heard any of the songs and had only seen the outrage on twitter. So I felt I was both under prepared and yet well prepared for the experience. 

I queued outside the venue in anticipation. The Prince of Wales theatre is only a minutes walk from Leicester Square, perched discretely on the corner of a street. The inside is extremely small and classy, with no large entrance or foyer, and little yet decorative corridors that herd you to the auditorium. 

It was quite funny when the doorman checked our tickets actually. He inspected the print out paper, looked at us with a bored expression and said 'you need to take the left stairs and head ALL the way to the back'. I capitalise the word 'all' as he seemed to vocally stress it with an additional roll of his eyes. How odd I thought. We had circle seats, albeit it further to the back, but still pretty damn good. We thanked him, entered and soon realised why he seemed so disgusted. The auditorium is so tiny, that the circle is the furthest away from the stage. There is no Balcony or Grand Tier. Fair dos. 

Anyway, how ironic that such a quaint little venue houses such a loud and risky show. 

It is written by the makers of South Park, so that gives you a pretty good idea of the type of comedy that ensues. Cue, a comical and camp look at the beliefs of the church. We see a group of newly graduated Mormons assigned to preach in countries across the globe. The duo we follow are assigned... Africa. That can only be a good thing, right? Right?  

The duo consist of the uptight Elder Kevin Price, and the loose nut Elder Arnold Cunningham. The latter stole the show. Daylight blummin robbery. He's that socially awkward friend we've all been stuck with.

Yet, Arnold stole my heart too. Yes, he's annoying as hell. Wait, there was one scene in Hell and it was more than annoying. Watching Hitler 'grind' upon another person was frankly disturbing. So let me take that back. Arnold isn't as annoying as Hell. Just annoying. Like when a bug won't stop flying around your face, but you don't want to kill it because you'd feel bad. The poor thing doesn't realise what it's doing. That's a better comparison.

His comic timing and character was the best I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of musicals. 

He goes on to teach an African Tribe about the Book of Mormon. Unfortunately he has never actually read it. It's a bit boring he says. Now remember he is a... colourful, energetic character, that compulsively lies and has a big interest in science fictional characters. So let's just say his teachings had some creative license...

So, try to imagine every stereotype and insult you have heard, triple the offence of it, times that by 100 and you're still nowhere near close to this outrageous show. I am pretty sure I had my hand covering my mouth, attempting to hide my gaping jaw and hard to fight back snigger, the whole way through. Damn I was parched by the end. But, seriously I didn't know if I should or could laugh, cry or storm out. 

As South Park are notorious for, they've thrown PC out of the window. No they've tied it to a brick and dropped it in to the ocean. No they've poured petrol all over it and watched it burn. No they nailed it to a cross and celebrated the absurdity of it. You get the idea. 

Overall, the songs were ok, but it was the top class comedic characters and off the scale crazy plot that made this an unforgettable show. 

All Hail the Book of... Arnold. Now buy your express ticket to the show that's high as f**k. Unless you're easily offended and/or have heart problems. This isn't for wimps. Peace out. 

http://www.bookofmormonlondon.com/

They describe themselves as the UKs leading open air gallery.

I describe them as a ground bursting with giant structures where every corner holds a hidden delight. A few more adjectives does the trick.

I entered the park on a crisp, unusually warm, autumnal afternoon, ready to wonder. We took a walk on the wild side, going ancestral as we didn't use a map. We opted for some blind discovery like a modern day Christopher Columbus.

Now we are not the arty types. And by that I mean we don't look at a sculpture and analyse the hidden meaning. We're much more superficial in that we discuss the aesthetics. Because as most ITV dating shows prove, anything deeper than that doesn't really matter... Although we of course might recall memories from looking at something or it might prompt an interesting conversation but that's about it. 

So in my layman's terms here are a few highlights.  

We passed a big shiny ball titled The Moon. It had craters and reflective surfaces for some more creative pics. And I guess the moon reflects light too, so there's some appropriate science too. 

I remember walking past some odd shaped oblong structures standing along a hill. Pictures through the holes looked snazzy. 

There was a giant Budha that glittered from afar pretty much beckoning us over with its karma or something. I felt like I had trekked in some Eastern humid forest as I was up a hill, wearing shorts and a backpack. My fella decided its belly looked like a Pokeball, so make what you will of that. Or better yet, see if you can spot it on your trip. 

Next was their biggest attraction both in size and media coverage. KAWs. These giant Mickey Mice (plural) came in different sizes, textures, colours and poses. I saw visitors of all ages responding to them as Disney transcends all generations. Kids might have seen them as cute but as an adult I kind of saw them lonely, scared and dead by the looks of their eyes. If I was going to get arty then I'd say this could represent the Disney foundation who many say is toxic... 

There was also a sexy rabbit split in two. And no it wasn't bugs bunny's girlfriend Lola. Or was it? I should have read the panel. Really I have nothing more to say on that so we should probably leave it there. 

YSP makes for a beautiful walk with intriguing sights and we didn't even catch them all. No wait, wrong post. We didn't see them all. 

We will be heading back in the winter as this place no doubt transforms over the seasons and I know we will find more treats along the way.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an Instagrammers Paradise. So charge your mobile phones, put on your comfiest shoes and snapchat, insta and tweet til you drop. 

               The sun 

                      Beaming 

                  Delicate 

                 Flowers are 

                 Budding 

                                      GC.

Kew Royal Botanical Gardens in South West London is a colourful and vast world of flowers, plants, fungi and insects. They hold the most diverse botanical collection in the world, no doubt due to being over 250 years old. With attractions such as the Palm House, pictured below, themed gardens, the Creeper and Climbers playhouse and Tree Top walk, it's no surprise this place is so popular. 

One of their newest attractions, that has gained a lot of media coverage, is The Hive.

The structure inspired by the Science of Bees, designed by UK based artist Wolfgang Buttress. Its size is impressive and its design is eye catching. I was immediately intrigued and wowed by this metal, glowing and humming installation. This sensory sensation is not just a gimmick either. 

It is alive.

The work of a colony of bees affect the light and sound output. So as you stand on the outside, inside and even under, you 'real time' experience these incredible creatures. 

The bone conductor columns underneath the artwork also allow you to hear sound through vibration, a nifty comparison to how bees communicate. 

Considering Bees are in crisis and 2014 saw the huge campaign 'The Great British Bee Count', The Hive is either a little off trend or trying to continue the efforts. I vote for the latter. 

For someone who doesn't like bees or wasps, this sculpture made me rethink the reasoning behind that. Bees are our friends. We need them to pollinate our fruit and vegetables, which in turn improves our environment and economy. I've BEEn converted. 

And as Kew Gardens continues to share and expand their knowledge, expertise and understanding of plant life, it makes complete sense that they started a Science Festival that grabs 'budding' (sorry I went there) scientists early. In the current STEM orientated climate, they are positioned perfectly to take full advantage. 

Their first ever festival was spread across the gardens, which made for a lot of walking. So comfortable shoes and lots of water was a must. From microscopes workshops and curatorial demonstrations to interactive trails, it was great to see so many people talking about what they were seeing. You can quite easily become passive in these places, but the festival managed to tackle that. 

The whole day made me realise that Kew has some impressive facilities, many inspiring scientists and absolutely incredible collections.

My visit was an eye opening reminder to the fact that we truly depend on plants, fungi and insects to survive, not as only humans but as a planet.*

*that was a bit of a dramatic ending wasn't it... the day was obviously a lot of fun too!

http://www.kew.org/

You must have heard of them? They've been around for a while, switching up the way we experience films. From a spectator to a partaker you are thrown into the middle of the action. 

 
What action is that? Well it depends on the film they are recreating. From 28 Days Later to Back to the Future, they change the genre as often as Taylor Swift changes boyfriends.

I believe with no access to technology you can truly immerse yourself in the moment. Drink in all of action. Interact with the characters. And feel like you are are part of something truly spectacular. Of course people can take photos, by using a disposable camera, which is even more authentic! Having them printed really brought back some memories. Those good old days when your pictures came back with the heads cut off or that big red 'image is f*cked' sticker.  

Now I visited the classic. DIRTY DANCING. A film my mum had on repeat when I was a child. Possibly the reason I took up dancing at a young age. And a true feel good movie with music that catapults you higher than Johnny and Baby's lift.

If you're not familiar with the story. Shame on you. But here's my super quick synopsis. 

A daddy's girl, called Baby to reinforce that, goes on summer holiday with her middle class family. Her older sister is a bit of a cow. Her dad, a Doctor which comes in pretty hand at one point, is overprotective.  And her mum definitely has a wild side buried deep within. Baby meets the bad boy of the camp and there ensues a rocky rumba inspired relationship, that ends in the famous 'nobody puts baby in a corner' scene.

At the event, I was greeted by a geeky porter who had his whole backstory worked out (he was saving up for college, bless him), took part in a dance class with Johnny, tried on different wigs, did the famous 'lover boy' scene, jived in the hotel, tried some craft activities and dirty danced in the hidden staff quarters. Phew! 

Once I had relived the film, I left it to the professionals to compliment and replicate the outdoor screening with live scenes. The audience even had the chance to join in at parts. I obliged. Obviously. 

My Top Tips 

My holiday at Kellerman's was everything I hoped it would be - other than the fact that my fella is a pretty poor dancer and I looked terrible in a brown permed wig...

That aside, I simply cannot wait for the next one!!

http://www.secretcinema.org/