Names this year have included … Ian Lavender who, with his wife, was enjoying his first experience of cruising; Peter Purves – with hilarious TV stories; Gordon Banks, who came on board during the World Cup and thrilled passengers with his often controversial views – he also watched some world cup games on TV together with the passengers. Henry Sandon delighted guests with his tales of antiques and was always happy to discuss everyone’s long lost treasures.

Just last week Shirley Ann Field enchanted passengers with stories of her life in Hollywood and acting with legends from Stage and Screen.

Look out for more well-known names who we will be presenting on our Thomson Ships in 2013 – including famous ex-footballers, actors and TV personalities.

Here’s what the critics have said about Black Beauty Live:

Mail on Sunday:
“A new light shines on a dark horse”
“Sugar lumps and rosettes all round”
“Tiny movements bring Haley Neil’s impressive creations to wonderfully expressive equine life”

The Stage:
“Breath taking”
“Black Beauty has re-emerged from the stables and is very much a dark horse for open air production of the summer”
“There’s no chance of anyone bolting here”

Manchester Evening News:
“You beauty….Classic tale given new lease of life in the open air”

York Press:
“Gone are the days when Shakespeare had the summer time all to himself in the great British outdoor season”
“Simeon John Wake has noble disposition….a thespian voice of Patrick Stewart”

Daventry Express:
“The family friendly plays ticks all the right boxes with drama, humour, sadness and romance”
“Using different parts of the ground was a stroke of genius”

Brentwood Gazette:
“So captivating”
“Director Jamie Osbourne has done an incredible job”
“Simeon John Wake made a fantastic Beauty”

Dorset Echo:
“The production is a visual feast with stunning and carefully created scenes”

East London Enquirer:
“A great way for children to experience the theatre”
“For a small touring theatre company, they have done a brilliant job”

Gloucestershire Gazette:
“A visual feast”
“Highly unique head costumes and meticulous choreography and stage sets enable the actors to truly inhabit their equine characters for the first time bring the story to life theatrically”

And we had an excellent response for Freerunning@ – this was the first year of the new show developed to showcase and introduce heritage sites to new audiences and young families….

BBC Breakfast:
“Spectacular” “Amazing”

Bournemouth Echo:
“Freerunners will make your jaw drop”

Daily Echo:
“A Flipping good show”

The Stage:
“Breath taking moves”

Eastern Daily Press:
“Talent to drive you up the walls”

Dereham Times:
“A must-see for all ages”

Fakenham Times:
“Holding 12 world records between them they wowed the audience with their strength, agility and grace”

Some great national coverage today; BBC Breakfast broadcast live from Croome Park, Worcestershire (where the next show is being held on 20^th & 21^st July) this morning and featured demos from the freerunning team and an interview with Sam Parham, the show’s creative director.

Saturday also saw the first date of the nationwide Black Beauty Live Tour at the magnificent Woburn Abbey. The show was also a success and a little rain didn’t dampen spirits. Susannah Daley MD of Peel said ‘ Both shows, although very different, are very much for all the family and we are so pleased that the shows have been so well received on their opening nights and the national tours are now underway’.

The conference will focus on how future audiences will consume entertainment, heritage and tourism, and how cultural venues need to adapt to meet the needs of the modern visitor. Susannah Daley, Managing Director of Peel, sponsor of the conference commented, ‘We are delighted to announce such prestigious speakers for the conference, we hope to create a fantastic platform for debate, new ideas, and cross industry thinking on the way the UK’s heritage sector can adapt and deliver for the modern visitor’.

To register interest in attending the conference please e-mail annette@peelentertainment.com

In 1998 Jeannie Wilkins and her partner bought Chapel Cleeve for £360,000. They enlisted the help of friends to renovate it, but after 33 years together they parted ways, and now 63-year-old Jeannie lives on her own in this 15 bedroom house and survives on £100 per week. Simon Davies, Country House Rescue’s dynamic new presenter, brings Susannah in to look at potential entertainment based solutions for the property. Jeannie agrees with the strategy, and the PEEL team steam in to produce a slightly different kind of show; but will the visitors come? Find out on 21^st June at 8.00pm on Channel 4.

For the last three months the PEEL team have been providing production support to Pink Sneakers, who are the Miami based production company behind CMT’s ‘My Big Neck Vacation’. The second series sees the family of ‘Red Neck’s’ coming to England for their vacation. PEEL Entertainment provided general production support and produced a variety of special events for the family to make the vacation extra special. The murder mystery evening was one of the highlights of their trip. PEEL Talent sourced on screen talent including  the family’s butler, who we think will be a star of the show , and general crew for the production. Roger Tempest, owner of Broughton Hall, where the series was filmed said – ‘Having PEEL in the background was extremely re-assuring, the team are consistently professional and I know everyone appreciated the ‘can do attitude’. The American series premiere is June 6^th in the USA and the UK broadcast date will be announced shortly.

This summer some of Britain’s best loved Stately Homes, parks and leisure centres will provide the back-drop to Freerunning@, a spectacular open-air street dance production.  The  show  brings together some of the world’s best free runners, martial artists and multiple world record holders in an awe-inspiring display of extreme sports athleticism, agility and acrobatics.  Venues include  Speke Hall, Croome Park,  Holkham Hall, Harewood,  Wollaton Hall and Scone Palace,  with additional performances at Grassington Festival,  Bournemouth Littledown Leisure Centre and Newcastle Exhibition Park.  The tour will begin at Grassington Festival on June 23^rd with the final performance at Scone Castle in Scotland on August 26^th.

Showcasing the kind of thrilling action made famous by street dance troupes like ‘Diversity’, film scenes such as the opening of ‘Casino Royale’,  genre defining programmes like ‘Jump London’ (http://bit.ly/HV56XM) and the BBC’s remarkable ‘Rush Hour’ sequence (http://bit.ly/qHqPr) , the show uses exhilarating music, eye-popping staging and stunning choreography to create a spectacle for all the family.

Featuring Creative Director and triple Guinness World Record holder Sam Parham (Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Harry Potter, Woman In Black), the show tells the story of Jake, a homeless teenager who teaches himself Free Running.  A successful open audition as a film stunt extra gives Jake his big break, but as punishing schedule filming action scenes get underway he realises how much he still has to learn from the likes of stunt coordinator and martial arts expert Scarlett – played jointly by Guinness world record holder Chloe Bruce (Harry Potter, Clash of the Titans 2)  and sister Grace Bruce (Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows).  When filming is thrown into crisis, Jake is faced with the biggest challenge of his life, both personally and professionally.

This is the first Free Running theatrical tour to be staged in the UK, which will bring together some of the leading performers in the art.  Free Running or Parkour has exploded in popularity over the past few years, with more than 500,000 videos currently on YouTube.  It is also set to feature in the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.  Representing great value for money, audiences at the shows will be  able to take in the fantastic surroundings, visit the homes and grounds and enjoy a picnic before the show.  There will also be workshops at selected venues, where adults and children have a once in a lifetime opportunity to try out some moves for themselves under the expert guidance of the world-renowned cast!

The show is fully interactive, with audience members becoming part of the production as ‘extras’ in the filming scenes and at other times able to get close up to the action and see the incredible moves first-hand.  It is the first production of its kind, combining classical music with contemporary beats to reflect the changing scenes, fusing street-dance with Free Running, choreography with improvisation and the heritage backdrops of the houses with the most exciting street-style action. (see a preview video here: http://bit.ly/HYALq6)

Speaking about the tour, producer Susannah Daley said: “Free Running is one of the most exciting extreme sports around at the moment.  It will feature in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and is being promoted as an official sport by the Mayor of London.  These athletes are remarkable and audiences of all ages will be able to enjoy their agility, strength and athleticism in an exhilarating show in fantastic settings.  Whether you’re young or old, this show has something for everyone and is a great way to entertain the kids during the summer holidays.”     

For more information and to book tickets please visit www.freerunningat.com

As night-time falls on the weekend of 18^th to 20^th May, something mysterious begins to stir in the usually darkened halls of Museums, Galleries and Stately Homes across Great Britain.  Doors inexplicably swing open and curious figures; men, women and children, begin to appear, peering inside, hoping to catch a glimpse of what is hiding within…And for one weekend a year, they can.

This May, the ‘Museums at Night’ Festival once again brings Cultural and Heritage attractions to life across the UK, long after the doors and gates have usually been closed. If you, like many others, have ever wondered what these beautiful and atmospheric buildings might be like after sunset; the Museums at Night Festival offers a unique opportunity to experience them in a new light (well, in the dark actually!).

The idea behind this innovative festival is to attract new audiences to some of the UK’s most fascinating historic and arts venues by offering out-of-the-ordinary experiences to those who attend.  Last year’s weekend attracted over 105,000 visitors to 352 venues across the UK, many of whom had never visited any such sites before.

For this one evening, Harewood and its inhabitants will be transported back in time to a traditional 1930’s party. With the splendid rooms and interiors of the house dressed accordingly, visitors can expect a truly immersive experience including evocative soundscapes and even some real-life characters from the time.

Whether you are an ardent supporter of Cultural and Heritage attractions, or if you have never set foot in a Museum or Stately Home before; ‘Museums at Night’ offers you the chance to experience these incomparable sites in a way you had never imagined possible.

To find out more about Harewood’s 1930’s ‘Museums at Night’ or to book tickets, please click here.

PEEL Heritage will be holding a one-day conference focusing on how future audiences will consume entertainment, heritage and tourism, and how cultural venues need to adapt to meet the needs of the modern visitor. The conference will be held on Tuesday 11 September 2012 at Broughton Hall, just outside of Skipton in North Yorkshire.

We are pleased to announce that John Penrose MP, Minister for Tourism and Heritage, will be speaking at the conference on cultural tourism and its importance to the economy. There will also be the opportunity to put questions to the minister directly on the day.

John is MP for Weston-super-mere, a seaside town famed for its beach and which deals with tourism issues all the time. After the 2010 election, John was appointed in the newly created role of Tourism Minister. Since then he has launched the Government’s new Tourism Policy, which includes more than £150 million in various marketing campaigns to promote Britain to foreign and domestic visitors, and measures to improve the industry’s productivity and commercial edge.

Susannah Daley, Managing Director of PEEL Heritage, commented:

‘We are delighted to have the Minster speaking at the conference in order to highlight the wider issues facing the sector. The landscape of the heritage, museum and tourism sector is changing at a relentless pace and this conference will address the new challenges facing the industry head on.’

Other topics on the day will include audience development, building new user groups and innovations within the sector. The conference will also provide a great opportunity to meet with other tourism professionals and specialists.

Further information, including more keynote speakers from the sector and a full conference agenda, will be announced at the end of May 2012.