Ann Widdecombe

Ann Widdicombe came to Windsor Theatre on Monday night last week with tales from her parliamentary career, the hit TV dance show and her antics in a Panto with Craig Revel-Horwood who was one of the judges when she appeared in Strictly.

A writer from the age of 10 when she wrote her first novel in school Ann has gone on the write a number of works including her first published which was The Clematis Tree. Her dream though was to be the author of a published detective story and spawned an idea while working on Strictly. She published her novel via Amazon and it is called 'The Dancing Detective' with the main character based on her dance partner in the series.

Following her retirement from Parliament in 2010, Widdecombe made her stage debut in December 2011 at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford in the Christmas pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs alongside Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood.]

In April 2012, she had a ten-minute non-singing cameo part in Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera La Fille Du Regiment and played the Duchesse de Crackentorp. She reunited with Revel Horwood, at The Swan Theatre Panto in High Wycombe in December 2012. She then surprised everybody in the Windsor audience by announcing that she would be appearing in this years Panto at The Theatre Royal Windsor with none other than Basil Brush. They should get along well as she is opposed to fox hunting.

A great evening was completed after the interval when Ann took 'any questions at all' from the audience for the whole second half of the show.

Cornered on who she thought would be the next Tory leader after Cameron she said that none of the obvious candidates would be in the running by the time it came up but if she had to vote now she would go for George Osbourne for his record on the economy.
Mike Swift

Royal Windsor Arts Festival continues this week with Germain Greer and Spirit of the Dance. For a full round up and tickets visit www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk