One of our favourite gardens, Sensed, Not Seen. Designed by Rebecca Williams. Photo by Rob Tysall Pro Photography. BBC Gardeners’ World Live and Good Food Show is on from 18 – 21 June at the NEC Birmingham. Review by Ann Evans For many visitors to the BBC Gardeners' World Live Show today and over the weekend, they will be heading straight for the beautiful show gardens, to see what the experts have come up with this year. Well, they won’t be disappointed as a dozen gardens

Ghostbusting charity fundraisers. Photo courtesy of Rob Tysal Pro Photography. Showmaster’s Collectormania was back at Milton Keynes Centre:mk for three days at the end of May, drawing in huge crowds, and attracting stallholders from all over the country. The show was held over the weekend of Friday 29 to Sunday 31 May with free admittance. Centre:mk in Milton Keynes was an ideal place to hold this Comic Con event as it already had a bustling footfall with all the local shopp

Playbox cast of ORFEO. Photo courtesy of Luci Barriball. Playbox Theatre presents ORFEO - A Midsummer night's journey from dusk to dawn. Saturday 20 (audience arrivals from 10pm) to Sunday 21 June 2026. At The Dream Factory, Warwick. This Midsummer Night, audiences are invited to step beyond theatre and enter an extraordinary overnight journey through love, celebration, loss, memory, music, and the Underworld itself. For the first time in its history, Playbox Theatre pre

BBC Orchestra. Friday Night is Musicals Night with the BBC Orchestra, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre at 7.30pm. Preview Lovers of the long-running Friday night is Music Night are in for a treat when the BBC Concert Orchestra visits Coventry. The long-running show has been wowing its legions of loyal fans for more than seventy years with its frequent tours, each show focusing on a different theme. And as part of this year’s season the concert at the Warwick Arts Centr

Popcorn by Ben Elton at The Criterion Theatre, Earlsdon, Coventry from 27 June to 4 July 2026. Preview A play adaptation of the best-selling 1996 novel of the same name by well-known comedian and author Ben Elton. Set against the glimmering backdrop of Hollywood, Popcorn follows acclaimed film director Bruce Delamitri on the night of his Oscar triumph. His celebrations are cut short when two violent intruders — fans who claim his movies inspired their crimes — invade his ho

Photo courtesy of the British Motor Museum. The British Motor Museum invites visitors to return to the golden age of hot hatches in the new exhibition: ‘Spoiler Alert: The Hot Hatch Story’, celebrating these everyday heroes of the streets. This exhibition is inspired by the energetic atmosphere of car meets and the bold visuals of era-defining car magazines, immersing visitors in the 80s and 90s hot hatch culture in a space brimming with nostalgia. Opening on 20 June, ‘Spoi

Brainiac Live, Sydney Opera House. Photo (c) Anna Kucera. Brainiac Live, the Olivier award-winning family science spectacular is coming to The Belgrade on Saturday, 20 June with performances at 12.30pm and 3pm. Running time 1 hour, suitable for 5 years and upwards, but great for all the family. Preview After winning the 2025 Olivier Award for Best Family Show, the science sensation Brainiac Live will visit the Belgrade Theatre on Saturday 20 June as part of its UK tour and

Adam Frost and James Martin. Photo © BBC Gardeners' World Events. BBC Good Food Show and BBC Gardeners World Live – two shows, one ticket, at the Birmingham NEC from 18-21 June 2026. Preview It’s the ultimate day out whether you’re a foodie, a garden lover – or both. Enjoy both shows at the Birmingham NEC from Thursday to Sunday this week (18-21 June). There will be everything to inspire you, pick up new tips and tricks, get new recipes, shop from a huge range of producers a

Sam, Jack and David with Sherry Expression. Photo courtesy of Shakespeare Distillery. Shakespeare Distillery is celebrating its biggest international success to date after Jester Rum Cask Strength Sherry Expression was crowned World's Best at the prestigious World Rum Awards 2026. Following last year's Bronze Medal success, the Stratford-upon-Avon distillery has gone one step further, with its latest limited-edition release progressing through every stage of the competiti

Jools Holland at the WAC. Photo courtesy of Antony Hopker. Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Warwick Arts Centre, 13 June. Review by Hilary Hopker. I know Jools Holland well - he’s always in my front room on New Year’s Eve. I am of course referring to years of having watched Hootenanny and Later…with Jools Holland. This was the first time I’ve seen him live. The show opened with support act Will Brown, who is a pop and soul newcomer. He started his set with hi

The World Premiere of Game of Thrones: The Mad King by George R.R.Martin, adapted by Duncan Macmillan at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 20 July to 5 September 2026. Preview The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) have announced the full cast for the world premiere of Game of Thrones: The Mad King, a new play based on the novels by George R. R. Martin, adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke. Director, Dominic Cooke said: “I’m very lucky to be working along

Keith Brymer Jones and Marj Hogarth. Photo courtesy of the artists. Us, Pots and a Welsh Chapel- Keith Brymer Jones and Marj Hogarth at Warwick Arts Centre, Friday 12 June 2026 Review by Alison Manning In April 2022, whilst holidaying in Wales, we noticed an impressive, large old chapel for sale in the town of Pwllheli. My daughter joked about buying it, but sadly we didn't have a spare £200,000, though that seemed like quite a reasonable price for such an expansive, grade

Rugby’s Festival on The Close, In support of the Bradby Boys Club takes place from 20-25 June 2026. Preview Set against the stunning backdrop of Rugby School, this year's Festival on the Close promises an unforgettable season of world-class entertainment, featuring everything from laugh-out-loud comedy and incredible live music to family favourites and unmissable special events. Gather your friends, bring the family, and make memories under the summer sky – because Festival o

Shakers - Under New Management. Photo credit Rob Fuz@FuzFilms Shakers: Under New Management by John Godber, presented by Tread The Boards, at The Attic Theatre, Cox's Yard, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 2 - 12 July. Preview John Godber’s play Bouncers about an evening is a seedy northern night club is well known and equally well loved. Four male actors play the eponymous bouncers but take on numerous other parts. The companion piece, co-written with Jane Thornton Shakers: Under

Alma and John (Leonie Slater and Zander Gibney). Photo by Richard Smith. Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams at The Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa from 10 – 20 June 2026. Directed by Sue Moore. Review by Ann Evans Summer and Smoke is set in the deep south of the Mississippi around the turn of the 20th century up to around 1916. Basically, it’s a love story – one which certainly doesn’t run smoothly. Alma Winemiller (Leonie Slater) is the puritanical daughter of the gruff an

Keith and Marj coming to Warwick Arts Centre. Photo courtesy of the artists. Keith Brymer Jones and Marj Hogarth present Us, Pots and a Welsh Chapel at Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre on Friday 12 June 2026 8pm. Preview If you’ve been following Channel 4's Our Welsh Chapel Dream you will have already met ceramic designer Keith Brymer Jones and his partner actor and designer Marj Hogarth. This stage show gives you an opportunity to meet the beloved Great Pottery Throw Do

Warwickshire Singers are delighted to be teaming up with Singing for Pleasure’s Ula Weber to host a Come and Sing Day at Kenilworth Methodist Church on Saturday 12 September 2026. Open to all singers, the day will be an opportunity to meet other singers and experience the joy of singing a wide range of music together, including folk, jazz, gospel and sacred. It is preferable if singers can read or follow written music, but much of the singing will be learnt in the moment. Ula

Image courtesy of Oddsocks Productions. Romeo and Juliet, an Oddsocks Production on at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until Wednesday 10 June with performances on Tuesday at 1.30pm and 7pm, and Wednesday at 1.30pm. Review by Alison Manning. Although this play needs no introduction, this version of Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare with a difference. It is both shortened and simplified to make it more accessible to a potentially younger audience (recommended for 7+, though still

L-R: James McLean, Georgina Liley, Rob Took and Catherine Warnock. Photo credit: Jobling Photography. Top of the Wold at St Peter’s Parish Hall, Market Bosworth on 6 June 2026. Performed by The Mikron Theatre. Director: Marianne McNamara. Review by Charles Essex The same four actors from Mikron’s 2025 double bill of plays return to take us on a tour the East Riding of Yorkshire in a mobile library, portraying numerous characters along the way. James McLean and Georgina L