Julian Lloyd Webber on the joys of the random discovery of new experiences

Our every move seems to be monitored by the marketing industry with random algorithms sending all manner of unwanted suggestions about what we might want to buy next.You know the stuff. It pitches up on our phones, tablets and laptops with monotonous regularity. Hey, you bought a lawnmower last week so how about looking at our leaf blowers? Or you listened to The Beatles so you are bound to love The Rutles? For this reason among others I enjoyed hearing Julian Lloyd Webber on BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House on Sunday singing the praises of a new app called Stack.

Historian Lucy Worsley explores the very British obsession with murder

You only have to see the number of cop dramas reeling in millions of viewers almost nightly on TV to know that, as a nation, we Brits simply love a murder.From Line of Duty to Morse, Lewis and Endeavour. From Unforgotten to Vera, the fictional body count is staggering. And thats before you even begin to examine true crime documentaries or the books, plays and murder walks that dwell on this dark but compelling subject.

Newsman Clive Myrie to take over as host of BBC's Mastermind

Journalist and news presenter Clive Myrie has been signed up to replace John Humphrys as the host of the long-running BBC quiz show Mastermind. What a good choice. Quietly authoritative and a hugely experienced broadcaster, Myrie brings exactly the right mix of friendliness and gravitas to the role.

The golden rose named after Leah Tutu the "repeat-flowering mensch"

Meet the beautiful modern shrub rose 'Leah Tutu' - a floribunda with large golden-yellow, almost Dahlia like blooms that contrasts strikingly with its rich green foliage.It’s been around a while and was introduced to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show back in 2009. It was specially named after the wife of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who had a red rose named after him at the same illustrious horticultural event.

Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank's guide to 500 years of Soho

One of Britain's best-loved historians, Dan Cruickshank, eveals an intimacy with centuries of rich and varied history as he guides us around the Soho of the last five hundred years. We learn of its original aspirations towards respectability, how it became London's bohemian quarter and why it was once home to its criminal underworld. The bars, clubs, theatres and their frequenters are described with detail that evokes the heart of the district.

Rev Richard Coles new book The Madness of Grief explores love and loss

The Rev. Richard Coles, vicar, broadcaster and former pop star, is certainly no stranger to the many and sometimes strange ways in which grief can affect people after the death of a loved one. After years of performing last rites, conducting funerals and comforting bereaved parishioners, he had seen it all. Then, just before Christmas 2019, his husband and partner of 12 years, David, died at the young age of 43.

West End producer Cameron Mackintosh donates £500,000 to help the pandemic's unpaid theatre freelancers

Theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh has donated £500,000 from his foundation to the Theatre Artists Fund to help hard-pressed freelance theatre workers weather the financial crisis caused by Covid. It is part of the essential effort to get the theatre industry, present and future, and its workers back on track after a year of dark auditoria and desperate efforts to figure out how to workaround the necessary restrictions of the pandemic.

Author tells of wealthy ancestor's escape from abuse and slavery in the plantations ofthe Caribbean

Lucy: Ultimate Survivor by Elizabeth Haywood, a vibrant intimate description of early 19th-century life – giving birth at sea, braving disease and cruelty, and witnessing the abject misery of slavery – it is a story of courage in adversity, a runaway marriage to an unfaithful husband and a descent from a life of pampered luxury to a struggle for survival in a far-off land.

Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc's TV show delivers Le Manoir magic on a plate

Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc has been busy dishing up some Le Manoir Magic in his weekly ITV programme, Simply Raymond Blanc, presenting a series of delicious dishes from the heart of his famed Oxfordshire kitchen.

Andrew Lloyd Webber urges wealthy to fund drama school scholarships to boost diversity in theatre

It is five years since an inquiry into the nation’s drama schools decided they needed to be far more diverse. Things are improving but not enough. Now Andrew Lloyd Webber is asking wealthy people to boost diversity by directly funding drama school scholarships

Joan Bakewell among those demanding an inquiry into the UK's handling of the pandemic

Veteran journalist and broadcaster Dame Joan Bakewell and the poet and children's writer Michael Rosen are among prominent figures demanding an investigation into the way the UK’s has handled the Covid-19 pandemic.

Truth to Power exhibition will showcase Tutu's activism against apartheid and injustice

How Antiques Roadshow's Paul Atterbury was the original inspiration for Andy Pandy

With theatres closed and lockdown restrictions keeping us all at home far more, our Curtain Up series of online celebrity talks, presented in conjunction with Iconic Media Solutions, has provided a cultural lifeline, Last week saw another show added from Antiques Roadshow stalwart Paul Atterbury who presents his Desert Island Antiques.

Apply now for Oxford Summer School bursaries.

The wonderful Oxford Flute Summer School is back and young flute players aged from 15 to 24 are being encouraged to apply for full or part-time bursaries to aid their studies.

Remembering When The Boat Comes In with James Bolam and Susan Jameson

It is now 40 years since the hugely popular TV drama When The Boat Comes In bid farewell to viewers with its fourth and final series. It starred James Bolam and his real-life wife Susan Jameson both of who are now valued contributors to CCP Anthology shows.

Woman who fought for improved healthcare in apartheid South Africa dies aged 90

Joy Kaiser, one of the champions of social justice and equality in apartheid South Africa alongside Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has died. She was 90 years old.

Discover Paul Atterbury's Desert Island Antiques

With theatres closed during the pandemic our Curtain Up series of online talks have been a big success.This week sees the addition of ‘Desert Island Antiques’ with Antiques Roadshow stalwart Paul Atterbury with Tickets on sale from Wednesday 10th March.

Meet Lucy Worsley the hardest working historian in television

She’s here, she’s there, she’s everywhere. Lucy Worsley, the hardest working historian in television, never seems to be off the box. And that certainly isn’t a bad thing.

Dame Patricia at peace with the ghost of Hyacinth

Her Facing the Music show seeks to emphasise that as well as being a sit-com star, Dame Patricia Routledge has an illustrious past in musical theatre but the ghost of Hyacinth Bucket continues to haunt her.

Welcome to our exciting new website

Welcome to our new-look Clive Conway Productions website. A one-stop, simple to navigate platform that makes finding our shows and all we have to offer more straight forward than ever before...