Backstage at The Gateway – with theatre manager Sophia Moseley

Life is full of disappointments – Johnson, Truss, Sunak, and Brad Pitt.

I felt very let down by Brad last month for not paying us a visit, and I dropped plenty of hints to George Clooney too with our 'Ticket to Paradise' film. Either I'm not being clear enough, or maybe it's the social media algorithm that's ignoring me.

Isn't social media great? You can find all manner of helpful advice, and everyone's an expert giving their expert opinions, even if they're not. Ali is constantly putting up posts about our theatre programme, but Meta has decided who gets to see what, and it's unlikely to be what you want to see.

Anyway, did you see the George and Julia film last week? If you did, you'll know the scene I'm talking about when Julia Roberts is being proposed to by the airline pilot, and she gets head-butted. The entire theatre literally jumped in their seats with a loud 'aghh'. I like it when our audiences are so engrossed with what they are watching, escaping all the nonsense that is going on in the outside world.

Bad news about the Seaton Christmas light switch-on, isn't it? Seems the bright city lights of Exeter have lured our performers over to their grand event, and I have it on good authority it is going to be twice the normal size this year, sprawled across the whole city, so they needed lots of extra oompah to draw in the crowds.

We had organised our first Christmas fair since pre-Covid, so along with the lights switch-on and late-night shopping, it was all looking to be a jolly festive occasion on November 26.

 Not to be thwarted by such challenges, we are going ahead with the fair, just a bit earlier in the day, and our plan is to tie up with all the local businesses to create a jolly good start to your Christmas shopping experience.

So even if you are planning to go over to the less than dark side of Exeter in the evening, just make sure you spend the day, and your money in Seaton first. Seaton's lights will then finally be switched on at the later date of December 10.

Have you met Justine, our new duty manager? Being a DM is just the best way to get to see pretty much every aspect of theatre front of house life. It's been a gradual process for her, meeting the wonderful full-of-life lot who help make the Gateway what it is. I still dip in now and then when needed, as was the case with The Darkside of Pink Floyd. I'll save that story for another day.

You will have seen Seaton's answer to the Giles cartoonist. I'm not sure how Kevin Rye chooses his subjects, and it's all done in the best possible taste, but I was thinking we could maybe join forces.

I could mention someone in my column, and he could draw one of his caricatures. Between the two of us, we could encapsulate what is going on at no10, have everyone wondering who will be next.