As I've always done since 1976, I spent New Year's Eve at the Theatre Royal.

After the second show we take over the upstairs caf and party to the chimes of the Minster bells. Just before midnight I pondered on the ups and downs of 1998.

I casually peeled a banana, it was empty. Yes, that just about sums up 1998 for your old Dame.

Instant gear change as I flung my brain into a positive thinking mode. Yes, I can still do that at my age without getting a headache.

What does 1999 hold in store for me?

A change of lifestyle?

Give up the weed?

If I gave up fags and booze, I've calculated that every person in this country would have to pay 10p extra on their income tax.

Me Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown (a man who has taxed everything but his brain), rang personally to inform me that the country could not sustain the financial burden of my giving up the dreaded weed. A few years ago I gave up smoking for a day and the pound sank to its lowest level ever - ex-chancellor Norman Lamont still blames me for Black Wednesday!

So up to now I have not found a New Year's resolution that is acceptable to me government.

It was great to see Kevin Kennedy (Curly from Coronation Street) the other Saturday. He was in town to see his team, Manchester City, get hammered by York City. Apparently he had to take a bit of ribbing from the Manchester fans about his drinking. He came to see Beauty And The Beast in the evening and a full house gave him a rousing reception. Over a pint of nothing stronger than Coke, he told me he was firmly in control of his life now and will be returning to the Street in February.

Let's hope this New Year is a good one for Kev.

It's certainly going to be a good year for York actor Mark Addy. He popped in to see the show on Christmas Eve, before jetting off to Hollywood to make the sequel to The Flintstones. Many years ago he was a stagehand on one of our pantos, he then went off to drama school and returned to play the immortal role of Donor Kebab in our version of Sindbad The Sailor.

We might not have any stars on the stage, but we certainly do in the audience.

Jimmy Nail was in last Wednesday for his annual trip to see 'the rubbish'. When we did Mother Goose he delayed the filming of Evita by 24 hours so he could fit in a visit to see it. The next morning he flew off to Argentina!

I've had a couple of chances at what we call stardom and Jimmy cost me one of them.

I was first choice for the part of Oz in Auf Wiedersehen Pet! Till Jimmy Nail walked through the door. The producers played me his audition tape and I had to agree he was Oz. They paid me a fortune to play a tiny role in the series and I cried all the way to the post office.

Jimmy has a reputation for being difficult to work with. I can categorically confirm that he is difficult to work with - if you don't know your job!

So how come this old Dame, who knows nowt about out, get on so well with Mr Nail?

He's just not rumbled me yet, pet!

01/01/99

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.