Alexandra Taylor: Writer

Moseley writer Tim Stimpson has had an amazing twelve months. He’s played a major part in the ground-breaking, headline-grabbing Rob and Helen storyline on the Archers, which led to an Outstanding Contribution award for the soap at this year’s BBC Audio Drama Awards. And now, after fourteen years in Ambridge, he’s turning his hand to another much-loved, but very different British soap, EastEnders. Tim came to Birmingham University in 1998, where then-Editor of the Archers, Vanessa Whitburn taught a module. Her advice was to “pester someone who can help you”, and Tim took her at her word, pestering her into giving him work experience on the show, then invitations to script meetings then opportunities to write trial scripts. His persistence paid off and in 2003 he was asked to be a part of the Archers writing team, where he’s been ever since. In contrast, Tim’s move to EastEnders was a lot less calculated. In 2016 Sean O’Connor, the then-Editor of the Archers, took over the helm...

A moving tale of love, loss and letting go. Those familiar with the 1990 film will think of ‘Ghost’ as a sad and intimate story which deals with the sensitive emotions around losing a loved one. It’s not an immediately obvious subject for musical theatre, a genre best known for its bold, brash and upbeat song-and-dance routines. However, this production proves that, when done well, stage musicals can be both entertaining and emotional. It’s the visual effects that are the star of this show, most notably the stunning projections which create impact, mood, depth and movement in a variety of innovative ways. They enable the action to move swiftly and smoothly from loft apartment to tube train, rainy street to police station. But it’s not all about the big spectacle - just as much care has been put into the small touches, such as newspapers which fly unaided into the air, characters which walk through walls and some very nice sleight of hand tricks. The lighting is also wonde...

This month spades hit the ground in the latest ambitious construction project at Mosley School. It’s the final stage of what has been a long and expensive plan to drag time-worn buildings up to modern educational standards. Three years ago, the school facilities were quite different - a beautiful, well used, listed grammar school building from 1856 and a dilapidated 1960s secondary modern that were united as one school, but whose separate buildings gave children a great excuse to be late for class as they dawdled on the walk between the two. With the help of £20 million from the government’s ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme, the crumbling 1960s construction was finally replaced by a new state-of-the-art school with up-to-date IT facilities, big, bright classrooms and with a much shorter walk to the listed part, which also received a facelift and some interior re-design. It opened for business in October 2012 and staff and pupils alike have been delighted with t...

Like its characters, this production is rather stuck in the past. ‘Go Back For Murder’ is a 1960 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1942 novel ‘Five Little Pigs’. It tells the story of Carla Le Marchant (Sophie Ward) whose mother was convicted of her father’s murder. Twenty years after the crime, and convinced her mother was innocent, Carla enlists the help of lawyer Justin Fogg (Ben Nealon) to revisit the five other suspects in order to discover what really happened. In the original novel Agatha Christie took a stylistic risk, telling the same story several times, each from the perspective of a different character. While this technique worked in the book, it doesn’t translate well to the stage. There is far too much ‘tell’ and not enough ‘show’, particularly in the first act, which consists almost entirely of a series of static dialogues in which the characters do little but reminisce. In the second half we finally get some action, as the events of the fateful day are playe...

From the Jug of Ale to jugs of lassi, it’s hard to imagine a transformation more complete than the one that has taken place at the top of Park Road. The former bar and live music venue has been reborn as Tipu Sultan, home of Indian fine dining, and the differences are stark. Firstly, and perhaps most bravely, Tipu Sultan is dry - there is no alcohol served and you cannot bring your own. Clearly aimed at the Muslim community, this is not the place to go for a late night beer-and-balti. As a result, there is a more serene atmosphere than your average curry house, and a drinks menu which boasts an impressive range of juices, lassis and tasty mocktails. Secondly, the decor. The opulent splendour that greets you is a very far cry from the Jug’s dingy rooms and sticky floors. Stone lions guard the entrance to a waiting area lined with bejewelled sofas, beyond which is a vast dining area hung with glittering chandeliers, where smart, attentive waiters glide effortlessly amongst the or...