COMEDIAN Alan Davies joined other actors at an Oxford University college to film his guest appearance in the Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis.

The star of Jonathan Creek and QI is playing a quizmaster in Sudden Death Question, the second of four new episodes of the ITV drama set in Oxford.

The film crew was shooting scenes at Merton College and the Cherwell boathouse in Bardwell Road, North Oxford.

Last month, Lewis actors Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox, who play Det Insp Robbie Lewis and Sgt Hathaway, appeared in scenes at Oriel College and in Broad Street, for the first of the new episodes, Dark Matter.

Mr Davies said: “I’m delighted to be here in Oxford and joining the Lewis team.

“I was here in Oxford a couple of weeks ago doing a Horizon film and I used to come here when the QI Club in Turl Street was open so I know the place quite well.”

A sudden shower forced the 70-strong film crew to move out of the college grounds into the college chapel for a scene involving Mr Davies and actress Ruth Gemmell.

Author Colin Dexter, from North Oxford, who wrote the Inspector Morse novels on which the TV series was based, turned up for his traditional cameo role in each episode.

He said: “It’s lovely to be with the crew again for my cameo – I don’t think I will ever be in the running for a BAFTA.”

Lewis producer Chris Burt added: “The weather has been up and down, which makes filming more difficult.

“When it rained we decided to film inside this beautiful college chapel instead.

“Oxford is one of the main characters in Lewis and Inspector Morse, and the audience love watching because of the beauty of the architecture.

“I know the crew would love to make a fifth series of Lewis and ideally I would like to see the series match Inspector Morse, with 33 films made.

“The selling of Lewis around the world has been very successful, and the sales of DVDs has been very high.”

Mr Burt added that he hoped the four latest episodes would be screened early next year.

Third assistant director Emma Peter said at Tuesday’s filming: “It’s gorgeous being here in Oxford and the film crew really look forward to it. We get a big following from the tourists and members of the public who like to stop and watch.”

Episodes of Lewis regularly attract 8m viewers and there was relief when ITV confirmed it was commissioning a fourth series, despite being forced to make cutbacks in other dramas.

Original article source

OXFORD has been named as the least affordable place to live in the UK – with houses so expensive many young people will never be able to buy a home.

A new report says the average cost of a house in Oxford is 13 times the average salary in the city.

And the situation is no better if you want a council home, with 5,000 families on the waiting list and hardly any properties becoming available.

Last night, Oxford City Council leader Bob Price said the situation was so dire that young professionals were being “forced out” of their city, prompting fears a generation could be lost, because of the city’s sky-high house prices.

The report, called Cities Outlook 2009, was commissioned by the Local Government Association, which represents councils across the UK. It says: l The average cost of a house in Oxford is £339,237 l The average salary is £25,896 l House prices are 13 times the average salary l 8,000 council homes are occupied – but another 5,000 families are waiting to be housed.

The report said Oxford was a more expensive place to live than London, Bournemouth, Cambridge and Brighton.

Burnley, in Lancashire, was rated as Britain’s most affordable town, with prospective buyers needing only 5.3 times the average salary to afford an average priced home.

Mr Price said the current situation in Oxford backed up the report’s findings. He added: “People have to live outside the city, unless they can afford extremely high rental and house prices.

“They’re effectively being forced out and this leads to a fragmented community, because young people and those with families have to move around the county.

“The jobs are available in Oxford, but the homes aren’t. This is also leading to an unsustainable transport system.”

Graham Stratford, the council’s head of community housing, said most of the 5,000 families on the register would never get a council property.

He said: “Oxford continues to face severe challenges in terms of the provision of affordable and appropriate housing for all sections of the community.

“Although house prices have fallen somewhat, Oxford has not seen the reductions of the scale experienced in other parts of the country, and sites for developments of any size remain scarce.

“The fact remains that demand continues to outstrip supply in the city by a factor of around 10.

“This means that, while their circumstances remain unchang-ed, the majority of households on the waiting list will never access social housing, as we focus our available housing on those in the greatest need.”

Mr Stratford said this was why the council supported so-called large-scale “urban extension” housing schemes, proposed for land south of Grenoble Road on the edge of the city and to the west of Barton.

Across Britain, an average house costs £224,064,while the average salary is £24,908.

Chris Dixie, of estate agents Breckon & Breckon, said: “While prices have fallen across the country during the recession and houses have become more accessible to first-time buyers, this hasn’t really happened in Oxford.”

The situation around the county is not much better.

Figures released by the National Housing Federation show south Oxfordshire is the fifth least affordable rural district in South-East England, with the average house costing £346,417, while the average salary is £29,031.

In the Vale of White Horse, homes cost an average of £257,798 – 8.6 times the average salary of £29,842. In west Oxfordshire, the average cost of a house is £257,692 – nine times the average salary of £26,462.

Cherwell has the lowest average house price in the county – £234,213 – while the average salary is £25,339.

Typically, mortgage lenders will lend a single buyer three to 3.5 times their salary, while joint buyers can expect a loan of four times the salary of the higher earner.

National Housing Federation spokesman Simon Nunn said: “With a dire shortage of affordable housing in rural communities, young families are finding it harder and harder to stay in the village where they grew up or have family and friends.”

Martin Hanss, 26, has owned Combibos Coffee, in Gloucester Green, Oxford, for three years.

But each day he has to drive into Oxford from his home in Abingdon because he cannot afford to buy a property in the city.

Mr Hanss has been trying to find a home in Oxford for a year, but said that property prices were “extortionate”.

He added: “Unless house prices fall dramatically or the banks start offering more mortgages, it’s just not going to happen.

“The only way young professionals like me can afford to work in Oxford is to live in one of the towns surrounding it.

“I’m self-employed and trying to run my own business, so I pay myself a low wage.

“This makes it virtually impossible to get my foot on the housing ladder.

“I want to live in the city, but it’s a funny old place.

“It seems there are lots of other people in my situation who just can’t afford to buy here.”

Original article source

Ben Power and Tim Carroll have adapted Spike’s wonderful books for the stage and an excellent job has been done. The show features Sholto Morgan as a young Spike and the show takes the form of a review, last night entitled “Dreams of Oxford” according to the backdrop but I dare say this changes from venue to venue!

Spike Milligan is one of those rare comedians who was virtually unknown as a young man, so Sholto Morgan does not need to attempt an impression; however I can imagine the real Spike being very like this representation.

Anyone who has read the books will recognize a lot of the dialogue which has been faithfully and cleverly adapted into sketches, songs and monologues. A smattering of wartime and jazz tunes are including, reflecting Spike’s love of the genre which was nurtured during the war by the Boys of Battery D. The other members of the cast make up the Battery and all play a variety of instruments very well.

There are also several original songs that blend in neatly, in particular a very funny tribute to Tommy Trinder.

The humour and pathos of the books are very well reflected, and my wife, who has not read the books also thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Reviewed by Martin Gully (@MartinGully)

Adolf Hitler - My Part in Hi Downfall is showing at the Oxford Playhouse Tuesday 25th - Saturday 29th August, 19.30 (Thursday - 14.30 & 19.30, Friday - 20.00, Saturday 14.30 & 19.30). Tickets and Information

The definitive film about the U.S. involvement in Iraq has yet to be made, and "The Hurt Locker" doesn't aspire to compete in the category. Tensely action-packed and muscularly directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this tale of an elite U.S. army bomb disposal unit in Baghdad is a familiar story in new clothes, targeted at the young male demographic. Its Iraq setting is downplayed as incidental, perhaps to avoid the commercial disappointment of the two Iraq-themed titles screened in Venice last year, "Redacted" and "In the Valley of Elah." "Locker's" refusal to take a moral stance on the war should widen its audience to the U.S. military, while lowering its chance for a a major festival prize.

Bigelow (Point Break, K-19: The Widowmaker) and screenwriter Mark Boal (who has story credit on "In the Valley of Elah") here toy with the idea of war as a drug whose adrenaline-inducing excitement is addictive. In a fast-paced opener, shot like newsreel footage, a three-man team loses their commander (Guy Pearce) when he tries to detonate a street bomb. Arriving to take his place is Sgt. Will James (Jeremy Renner), who immediately does something incredibly dangerous, demonstrating fearlessness bordering on a death wish.

His men Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Eldridge (Brian Geraghty) are shocked by his reckless behavior. Sanborn is furious with him for not following the rules, and Eldridge is scared out of his wits. As they bounce around the gutted city in their Humvee, counting the days until their tour of duty is over, their missions become increasingly dangerous. On one, the foolhardy Sgt. James removes his protective suit to disarm a car rigged with explosives in front of the U.N. building. On another, he tries to help a frightened man remove explosives locked to his body before a timer blows him to kingdom come.

At one point, they stumble across a make-shift bomb factory and find the blood-soaked body of a young boy. His stomach is stuffed with explosives - he apparently died while being turned into a human bomb. James's emotional reaction to the sight readies us for a plot twist, but leads to nothing more than a picturesque solo excursion through nighttime Baghdad. Typically, his encounter with the locals is fleeting and inconclusive.

For a film purporting to be about soldiers' psychology, "The Hurt Locker" makes little in-depth analysis of its characters. An army psychologist (Christian Camargo) spouting priestly platitudes to poor terrified Eldridge gets short shrift from the manly script. As final credits roll, James's motivation is the same as when he first came on screen: he simply gets high on danger.

Renner, Mackie and Geraghty acquit themselves honestly in a film that offers them little character arc or chance to become likeable. David Morse cameos as a colonel who compliments James on his bravery, and Ralph Fiennes as a British bounty hunter. The indistinguishable Arab actors just stare at the Americans.

Convincingly lensed in Jordan by cinematographer Barry Ackroyd in a classic actor's point-of-view documentary mode, the action scenes are shot through with raw tension, in 140 fast minutes and the quiet bits edited out.

Written By Deborah Young

Belly dancers, harpists, and Kung Fu artists will transform a Cowley allotment when a summer festival kicks off.

About 3,000 people are expected to attend the 18th Elder Stubbs Festival, organised by mental health charity Restore and the Elder Stubbs Charity, which owns 100 allotments in Rymers Lane.

The festival is being held at the site on Saturday.

Restore, which is based in Manzil Way, Cowley, supports people with mental health problems by providing training, encouragement and one-to-one support.

Day-to-day, the allotments in Rymers Lane are tended by people who use its services.

They grow vegetables on the nine-acre patch, but next weekend it will be transformed with two music stages, fairground rides, sculptures, food stalls and, of course, a vegetable show.

Elder Stubbs Garden Group team leader Jed Dale said the fundraising festival would be its usual diverse mix of fun and entertainment.

He added: “Preparations are in full swing and everyone is all set for it.

“Although the day does raise money for the two organisations, the main aim of the festival is to raise awareness of mental health issues.

He added: “The best thing about the festival is the atmosphere.

“There is a real mix of people and community spirit. Pretty much everyone gives their time either free or for a heavily reduced rate too, and that’s a nice feeling.”

The event runs from noon to 5pm.

Music will be provided by Huw Lloyd-Langton, formerly of Hawkwind, and Oxford bands Redox and Billy Pure.

Discussion groups, presentations and talks by mental health speakers will also be held in the woods during the afternoon.

Mr Dale said: “It should be a lot of fun, but it also gives people a different point of view of things.

“It gives them a chance to come and see mental heath issues from a different angle.”

Entry to the festival is £1.

To find out more visit the website elderstubbs.org.uk

Original Article Source

Oxford could soon be getting its very own mini version of the London Eye — in a city centre car park.

Great City Attractions (GCA) has applied to set up the 40-metre-high giant wheel in Worcester Street car park.

The idea has been welcomed by community leaders who hope it will boost tourism in the winter.

The application is for November to January, but if the scheme proves a success GCA could apply to keep the observation wheel running for longer.

Max Carlish, a spokesman for Roger Etchells and Co, which is acting on behalf of GCA, said the firm had applied to the city council for planning permission for the big wheel.

He said: “GCA are the global market leaders in the installation of these graceful machines, having previously operated in some of the world’s leading locations.

“These include Belfast, Brisbane, Brussels, Copenhagen, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Paris, Perth, Sheffield, Singapore, Windsor and York, and we are excited at the possibility of adding Oxford to this distinguished list.

“We are confident that, if approved, the wheel will add to the city’s tourism offering and become a welcome addition to the local skyline.”

Mr Carlish added there would be 30 glass-sided, enclosed capsules and a 13-minute ride is expected to cost £6.50 for adults.

Council spokesman Chris Lee said GCA planned to put the wheel in a section of the car park owned by Nuffield College, and added: “One or two items for the running of the wheel might have to be in the main car park, but it will be remain open.”

It is not known how many car parking spaces will be taken up by the wheel.

Susanna Pressel, Labour city councillor for Jericho and Osney, said: “I’m all in favour of this and I think it would be great fun.

“It would be a bit like the London Eye and you would have great views of the city.

“I’m sure this is something that would be appreciated by tourists and people living in Oxford.

“The planning application could be dealt with by planning officers, although it’s an application that councillors on a forthcoming central, south and west area committee might want to consider.

“Eventually, I would like to see a canal basin created at the car park, but that might not happen for some time.”

Written by Andrew French. Original Article Source

One million downloads have been made from Oxford’s site on iTunes U – a free website featuring more than 500 audio and video podcasts about the University.

Oxford also currently enjoys the number one spot in the global iTunes U top downloads chart, with philosophy lecturer Marianne Talbot’s ‘Romp through the history of philosophy’.

Previously, Nobel laureate and former Chief Economist of the World Bank, Professor Joseph Stiglitz, held the top spot for five weeks with his lecture about the recession.

The site contains public lectures, interviews with leading academics and important visitors, and advice on how to apply to the University.

There have been more than 30,000 downloads of admissions-related material alone. Potential applicants are able to download podcasts about how to choose a course and college, how to apply to the University, and how to prepare for interview. Recently new audio tours of Oxford, which potential applicants can listen to while visiting the city and the colleges, were added to the site.

The site was judged Website of the Year 2008 by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and was short-listed for the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards 2009. On 7 October it will be celebrating its first anniversary.

The site contains 264 hours of material in total, on 163 themed ‘feeds’. Visitors to the site can subscribe to feeds that interest them, in order to receive automatic updates when new podcasts are added. Three quarters of the podcasts are audio, and one quarter are video.

For more information, visit The University of Oxford on iTunes page on the official Oxford University website.

Original article source

Recently I attended the Creation Theatre Company’s performance of “Twelfth Night” at the amphitheatre at the Said Business School. Altogether it was a great show.

It was a surprisingly dry and balmy night, allowing the performance to take place outside, as the theatre company intended. On rainy nights the play moves indoors to the Nelson Mandela Theatre. The set design was simple yet effective, with a semicircle of sand and a few props placed on the stage area. The actors wore tattered rags, which I assume are inspired by the first scene, which is a shipwreck. The simplicity of the set and costumes allows the viewer to focus entirely on the actors and the scenes, with minor costume changes differentiating characters for actors who played multiple parts.

Like many of Shakespeare’s comedies, Twelfth Night centres on mistaken identity. The leading character, Viola, capably played by Emily Pennant-Rea, is shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria during the opening scene. She loses contact with her twin brother, Sebastian (played by an underused Johnny Bower), whom she believes dead. Disguising herself as a young page by the name of Cesario, Viola enters the service of Duke Orsino (the hilarious Stephen Carlile), who is in love with Lady Olivia (Melanie MacHugh), who is mourning the dead of her father and brother and who has no interest in the Duke or any suitor. Orsino uses Cesario to deliver his messages to Olivia who, believing Viola to be a man, falls in love with him. Viola, in turn, has fallen in love with the Duke, who also believes Viola is a man, and who regards her as his confidant.

There is a subplot going on at the same time in which several characters conspire to make Olivia’s pompous head steward, Malvolio, believe that his lady has fallen in love with him. They trick Malvolio into acting in ways which make Olivia think he’s gone mad, leading to him being locked up in a dark cellar.

Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s best and funniest comedies. Director Heather Davies has done a fantastic job casting this play, choosing actors who can deliver the well-written lines with excellent timing and with clear delivery, allowing the audience to follow along easily. Actor Andrew Macbean particularly stands out as Olivia’s head steward Malvolio, who delivers an unforgettable performance. On the whole, the performances were all outstanding. I especially enjoyed the comedy of Sir Toby (Nick Earnshaw) and Orsino (Stephen Carlile). Antony Jardine ( Feste/Fabian) was excellent in his acting, singing and guitar playing, and the show was held together well by the enthusiasm and skill of Jonny Bower (Sebastian), Janet Greaves (Maria), Melanie MacHugh (Olivia) and Emily Pennant-Rea (Viola). All of the actors performed well, and the audience clearly loved the show. I know I did.

Reviewed by: Alissa J. Robinson, Editor of Oxford City Guide

Twelfth Night
9 July - 5 September 2009
The Amphitheatre at Saïd Business School, Oxford city centre, OX1 1HP
http://www.creationtheatre.co.uk/

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