Whipping It Up

I went to watch the highly enjoyable play "Whipping It Up" at the New Ambassadors Theatre.

It is set in the whips office of a newly elected Tory Government - back in power after 12 years of Labour - but with a majority of only 3, facing a pack of plotting rebels.

Full of some great one-liners, many worth savouring, the play makes frequent reference to the mythology - and sometimes the reality - of whipping in the House of Commons. It stars Richard Wilson as Chief Whip; Robert Bathurst as Deputy Chief Whip - and Lee Ross as the young whip seeking to gain his whips' tie. Helen Schlesinger plays the Opposition whip and Kellie Bright (Kate Aldridge in the Archers) is the "researcher" with a secret to reveal.

Playing to an almost full house, which included at least one prominent parliamentarian, the run lasts until 16th June. It's worth watching!