EntertainmentTheatreTours

An Audience With Kate Humble at Derby Theatre Review

21 May 2018

Reviewed by Jude Featherby

On a very warm Spring evening, Derby Theatre was the chosen venue for the 1st night of Kate Humble’s “An Audience With” tour. An evening designed hopefully to give us a special insight into Kate’s life of television presenting.

As Kate was welcomed onto centre stage dressed casually in a star motif top, jeans and sparkly wedge sandals with her beautiful trademark tousled hair, she began her evening by thanking us all for making the effort to be there on such a glorious and hot evening and from that moment on it wasn’t just the sunshine that was generating warmth in Derby.

With a large projector screen behind her and not showing any signs of nerves with her confident smile and chatter, she was keen to show us straight away that being a television presenter wasn’t always a glamorous job! By answering, as she put it, her most “FAQ’s” (frequently asked questions) “I bet you stay in some wonderful places?”, “I bet you get to try some delicious food?” and “I bet you have some brilliant experiences?” Kate proceeded to show us her sleeping accommodation in Peru where a dead cat hung from the ceiling. Her dinner time experience of eating lamb’s testicles. And as the audience held their breath of her experience of underwater pot holing. Definitely far from glamorous!

She spoke of her non-restrictive childhood, where playing out had no boundaries in the 1970s. How she enjoyed the countryside’s freedom and her love of animals from a very early age. Kate spoke fondly of these memories and everyone listened intently how her conversation flowed into her career in television and starting from being a runner ”tea making” to progressing through the ranks, to being the assistant producer on Animal Hospital and her amusing story of her very first presenting work for the Holiday Programme.

Listening to Kate at this point it wasn’t hard to understand why her television presenting career went from strength to strength on programmes like Rough Science, Spring Watch and Lambing Live. Her enthusiasm, addictive personality and sheer loveliness had us all mesmerised as she let us into her life and special memories.

Without any doubt though, her heart certainly lies with her love of animals and especially her natural affection of her own Welsh Border Collie called Teg, who she had patiently trained to be a working sheep dog. With wonderful film clips of her progress herding lambs in the beautiful Welsh countryside, Teg filled the theatre with laughter and applause.

An evening with Kate leaves you with a fresh enthusiasm for your own life. A lady who has certainly lived life to the very fullest and leaves you wanting to hear more of her wonderful experiences and travels. A lady who is certainly not boastful but just a very entertaining and genuinely lovely person.

Rating: 5/5

Kate Humble is currently on tour around the UK, for more information and tour dates visit www.katehumble.com.

For other shows at the Derby Theatre visit www.derbytheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01332 593939.

Derby Theatre, 15 Theatre Walk, St Peter’s Quarter, Derby, DE1 2NF | 01332 593939

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