Her earliest movie memory was watching Mary Poppins (aged five) - and her first outing to the theatre was to see either Tommy Steele in Singing in the Rain or Emma Thompson and Robert Lindsay in Me and My Girl. She can't quite remember which.

Musicals have remained her passion and she has probably seen everything worth seeing in the last ten years. Favourites include Judy Dench in A Little Night Music, Hugh Jackman in Oklahoma!, Ewan McGregor in Guys and Dolls, Nathan Lane in The Producers, the Billy Elliot musical and, of course, Mary Poppins.

Aside from her musicals, she also liked The History Boys and Mourning Becomes Electra at the National, the Oxford Stage Company revival of Rookery Nook and pretty much everything she's seen at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond.

Her taste in films involves anything that's "so bad it's good". Cartoons and kids' films, bad summer blockbusters and chick flicks - plus the occasional quality movie. But, having acquired several degrees in history, many more 'serious' movies just end up annoying her.

If she has any remaining free time she loves to read (anything), sew, gossip with friends and haunt art galleries.