News about Sheila Hancock

Novelist Kate Mosse on the liberation of owning just one type of shoe: platform brothel creepers that have walked her through life's highs and lows

Put on your festive thinking hat and tackle Egm Hardcastle's Boxing Day Quiz on the stars. We're fried turkey and crackers.

A new clip from ITV's 'Together at Christmas' Carol Service, which airs at 7:45 p.m. tonight, shows youth Rico smiling broadly as he shook Kate's hand. 41 During the surprise encouter, the Princess delighted three hardworking adults, including Rico's former coach Russell, 70, with the surprise encouter. (Pictured from left) The Princess of Wales and footballer Rico. Inset: the moment she surprised him)

SELINA SCOTT: This Christmas, the traditional crib has been at the center of our celebrations throughout the country, in cathedrals, churches, and schools. Any cribs are overspent, store-bought representations of Jesus' birth in the manger. Plasticine, straw, and toys were among those that may have been more lovingly made by children; others may have been more sophisticatedly made by children. Of course, all depict the Nativity in its humble roots. With mother Mary and Joseph, the shepherds tending their flocks, the three wise men, and the lowing animals, the stable, baby Jesus.

Kate, 41, looked radiant as she arrived at Westminster Abbey for her third time at the Christmas carol service this evening. As she arrived at the venue, where she is hosting her third annual Together at Christmas party, she stunned in a cream jumper paired with wide-leg Holland Cooper trousers and a long, double breasted coat. With a white handbag and £6,000 dangling earrings from Van Cleef and Arpels, the royal mother-of-three was able to accessorize with plus nude pumps.

At least Camilla will not be as curmudgeonly as her predecessor, EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: At least Camilla will not be as curmudgeonly as her predecessor, Philip, as consort. His 95th birthday was held on the same day as the national service at St Paul's for the Queen's 90th anniversary, and he denied calls that it should be a joint commemoration. He turned down a gift from a well-wisher at a garden party, complaining that he didn't want to 'lug it around the garden.'

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: An additional layer of chill has been placed over The Sixth Commandment (BBC1). Anyhow, the fact that each of its victims is immediately recognisable has made it even more frightening. Timothy Spall, a much loved character actor since the days of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, was bad enough to murder him. Anne Reid, who dates back to Hancock's Half Hour and the beginning of Coronation Street, is much worse. Sheila Hancock, the grand dame of the English stage, is now the clerical killer in this true crime drama. Is no one safe?Please could someone go round and check on Dame Judi Dench?

The moorings off Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, have provided an idyllic setting for creative people who lived on the bohemian side for the past 30 years. However, their way of life is under attack, and many of the residents believe that measures to deny them mooring licenses and increasing maintenance fees could make them destitute and destroy the community's forever.

JENNI MURRAY: I had a terrifying riptide in 1971. I knew the sea existed. Or so I thought. One jump over a small wave, but there was nothing but water under my feet right away. The seabed had simply disappeared. I began to swim toward the shore. Nothing happened. I could imagine the current pulling me further out to sea. No matter how much I struggled to combat the riptide's strength, I made no progress.

ROGER LEWIS: A large portion of Perry's life has been spent in clinics and rehabilitation centers. "I've spent over $7 million trying to get sober," he says, much more than I've spent getting alcoholic. He's been going to therapy twice a week for the past 30 years and has attended 6,000 AA meetings. Little of it was helpful. Perry didn't listen to his doctors and called detoxification "hell." He wanted vodka to'soothe my nerves and help me have fun.' Although he was sober for 18 months at the time of writing, his prescriptions have resulted in insomnia, respiratory difficulties, pancreatitis, and a perforated bowel.

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: Without repeats of the Morecambe and Wise TV series, Christmas would not be Christmas. And there will be no re-run of Eric and Ern without the fantastic There Is Nothing Like A Dame routine. Who could forget assorted BBC newsreaders and sports commentators, including Rugger-Bee League's Eddie 'Up'n'Under' Waring and This Is Your Life's 'Ask' Aspel, dressing up in sailor suits and making complete berks of themselves while singing and dancing along to the soundtrack from South Pacific? So it was 45 years ago. However, it's trotted out every Christmas, and to some of us, it's as fresh as if it was yesterday. When reading the common defiant sketches of two of our most distinguished theatre dames, Sheila Hancock and Joanna Lumley, I was reminded of this stunning sketch.

What a stroke of diplomatic genius on the part of the Americans, Gyles BRANDRETH: What a stroke of diplomatic genius. Their embassy workers are taking a crash course in the uninhibited life of ordinary Brits by watching Gogglebox. This week, a spokesperson for the US State Department, a gentleman with the lovely American moniker Aaron Snipe, announced that a substantial contingent at the embassy in Nine Elms, London, is addicted to the spectacle. Good for them! Even when I'm not on it, I adore Gogglebox, and I cried vociferously when it took home the award for Best Factual Entertainment show at last week's National Television Awards. The Americans adore the Goggleboxers' "humorous wit," which gives them with 'perspectives you won't hear in London" according to Mr Snipe. I should say so! Both the celebrity version, which I'm lucky enough to be on display since 2019, and the original, with its slew of enchanting characters, are crammed with rich regional accents and rambunctious twists of phrase. The rolling cast of Gogglebox is a microcosm of our world, which is why the often uniform reaction to news and television shows all the more telling. Sidddiqui, the patriarch of Baasit and Umar (inset), who were occasionally joined by brother Raza, can often convey the awkwardness of adult children watching television with their father. The sons are courteous, loving, and polite, and their father is obviously in charge.

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Has King Charles a master plan to placate the Republican Greens holding the balance of power with Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland? According to Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie, royal "shooting and hunting estates can be put to better use for benefiting the local communities and creating more jobs." Might Charles gift Balmoral to the Scottish nation for that purpose? It was revealed in 2008 that he made just such a bid during a private dinner at Birkhall with then first minister Alex Salmond. His motivation was said to be to save the £3 million annual running costs and keep Birkhall as his official Scottish residence. Watch this space.