Going Full Circle to raise money for Helen House

The first Full Circle evening, based on Radio 4’s Chain Reaction show, raised about £9,000 for Helen & Douglas House last year.

It saw comedians David Mitchell and Jo Brand join Hollywood actor Tom Hollander and John Lloyd, creator of QI, to debate on stage at the Oxford Playhouse.

The next event has been organised for Sunday, November 18, with actress Sheila Hancock and BBC arts editor Will Gompertz now signed up.

Co-organiser Kate Day said: “We are delighted. When we started thinking about who to invite, we thought Sheila Hancock was someone who an Oxford audience would be excited to see.

“And of course, she was married to John Thaw for all those years, who famously played Oxford’s Inspector Morse.

“Now we are working on the other names and hopefully we’ll have some big names to reveal in the next day or two.”

Miss Hancock has worked extensively in theatre, TV and film, including BBC’s I Claudius and a recent run in Sister Act at the London Palladium.

Mr Gompertz joined the BBC as arts editor in December 2009, after spending seven years as media director at the Tate gallery.

In Full Circle, a group of guests take it in turns to interview each other until they come full circle.

It has been organised by the team behind Childish Things, the annual comedy night in aid of the hospice which raises tens of thousands of pounds each year.

Ms Day said: “The first event last year was a sell-out and it was a really interesting night of theatre.

“You don’t know what you’re going to get, so it’s really good fun to watch.

“Last year, Jo Brand interviewed Sister Frances from the hospice, which was a really odd mix, but they got on brilliantly, because they were both trained nurses.”

She added: “We’re confident we’ll get a similar line-up of people this year.”

• Tickets for Full Circle 2, which starts at 6.30pm, cost £20 and all proceeds go to Helen & Douglas House. Call the box office on 01865 305305 or go online at oxfordplayhouse.com