Watch out for...

BEN TURNER, Mohammad Amiri, Ammar Haj Ahmad, John Pfumojena, Jo McInnes, Trevor Fox, rachel redford and Alex Lawther, who are part of the sublime ensemble gathered by joint directors Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin for the rare, raw, gripping play The Jungle, by Joe Murphy and Joe robertson, about the makeshift refugee and migrant camp in Calais.

The work is a joint production, splendidly realised by the Young Vic, the national Theatre and the Good Chance Theatre company. The Young Vic’s stage has been sensationally transformed by designer Miriam Buether into the camp’s restaurant, with fenced off ‘designated national areas’. I was seated in Iraq.

It’s an unmissable work that is having an all too short a run at the Young Vic. However, there are behind-the-scenes efforts by producer Sonia Friedman, the national and the Young Vic to transfer it into a theatre or ‘space’ in the West end, or thereabouts.

MERYL STREEP and tom Hanks, who star in the post, exquisitely directed by Steven Spielberg. Streep and Hanks portray Washington post publisher Katharine Graham and her legendary editor Ben Bradlee at a time when newspapers were printed using hot-metal type and stories were bashed out on typewriters. Spielberg focuses on the post’s efforts to secure the pentagon papers, a secret U.S. government report about America’s long involvement in Vietnam. the paper had to play catch-up after the New york times got hold of the documents first, and a cat-andmouse game ensued between the rival publications and richard Nixon’s White House. Just as importantly, the film charts Graham’s awakening from timid widow to red-hot force in Washington. She had the courage of a lioness, and Streep captures her magnificently.

JULIAN CLARY, elaine Paige, Charlie Stemp, emma Williams, Gary Wilmot, Paul Zerdin, nigel Havers and Ashley Banjo, who are part of the funniest company on the London stage. They star in Dick Whittington at the London Palladium.

I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much. It’s all ridiculously silly but I guess that’s the point.

One of the kids sitting behind me laughed so hard he fell off his chair. In fact, I nearly did the same thing myself.