The sold-out performance is due to be broadcast on ITV1 on 3 December at 19:30 GMT. All proceeds are donated to The Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund (EABF), which cares for entertainers throughout the UK who need help.
Theatre News - The Mousetrap has celebrated going into its 60th year on stage with a gala performance featuring stars including Hugh Bonneville and Miranda Hart. The Agatha Christie play opened in the West End in 1952 and holds the record for the world's longest-running show. To mark the success of the production, a memorial celebrating novelist Christie has also been unveiled. Christie's grandson Mathew Prichard, was on hand for the unveiling and introduced the 25,000th performance.
Studio News - Multi-million pound plans to expand Elstree Studios have been boosted by a £2m loan towards the redevelopment. The loan comes from the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership's Growing Places Fund and was formally approved by Hertsmere Borough Council last week. It will be put towards the £4.5m project to clear four acres of land at Elstree Studios and construct new film and television production facilities.
Morris Bright, council leader and chairman of the board of directors at Elstree Studios, said, "I am delighted with the unanimous cross-party support given to this project by the council. This is the largest investment in the site in 15 years. Both the council and the studios are looking forward to moving ahead with this project for the benefit of the media industry and the residents of Hertsmere."
Lottery Funding - Performing arts centre Hoxton Hall has received a grant of around £1.8m from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its restoration project. The grade II-listed Victorian music hall, which is in east London, is thought to be one of only four such venues remaining in the UK. It will use the money to preserve and restore the building by exposing original features. The venue, which houses a 120-seat theatre plus music rooms, recording space, rehearsal rooms and a dance studio, expects to raise more than £400,000 to put towards the total project cost of almost £2.5m
Downloading - AC/DC has released their music on Apple music store iTunes. They had previously voiced strong opposition to the digital service. Until now its members maintained their songs should not be made available for individual download because they were all integral parts of various albums. But the Australian band's 16 studio albums, four live albums and three compilations, which have sold more than 150m physical copies worldwide, are now available in the iTunes store.
(Jim Evans)
