A new charity initiative was launched this week that sees pop stars taking to the West End stage for special encores. Pop Goes The Musical raises money for Children in Need by offering special £80 tickets for fab West End shows, which are then followed by special performances by pop stars.

• Les Miserables followed by a performance by Alexandra Burke, 18 Sep
• Jersey Boys followed by a performance by Blue, 11 Oct
• Singin in the Rain followed by a performance by Geri Halliwell, 25 Oct
• Thriller Live followed by a performance by Macy Gray and Stooshe, 15 Nov

Tickets can be purchased exclusively at www.lastminute.com/pudsey and include a top price seat, signed programme, Pudsey bear toy, complementary drink and access to a VIP after show reception hosted by the famous bear himself.

Hampstead Downstairs has announced its autumn season this week. Three plays, Brain, Blue Sky and Ignorance will be produced by the theatre; both Brain and Ignorance are new shows, the first by writer Rona Munro; the second by Steve Waters. The space was created for new writers to showcase their work, so if you’re a fan of seeing and feeding back on new theatre, book now.

If you’re looking ahead to theatre production in London for the summer 2013, I’ve got some great news from the Open Air Theatre. Their summer season will contain a production of Harper Lee’s American classic To Kill A Mockingbird alongside the much-loved musical The Sound Of Music. Christopher Sergel’s adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mockingbird will play from 16 May to 15 June. And the Von Trapp family will be encouraging you to Climb Every Mountain and consider your Favourite Things from 25 July to 7 September. These are just two of the four shows on offer at the venue next summer.

London Theatre Casting News:

• Stephen Campbell Moore and Dominic Rowan will appear on stage at the Donmar Warehouse in Berenice this autumn.
• Sian Phillips joins Will Young and Michelle Ryan in the revival of Rufus Norris’ Olivier Award-winning production of Cabaret this autumn. Other cast members include Harriet Thorpe, who was in the original production, as Fraulein Kost; and Matt Rawle, who plays the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw. Cabaret opens at the Savoy Theatre in October.
• Marcus Lovett is taking over from Peter Joback as the eponymous lead in The Phantom Of The Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre next month. Joining him are Lara Martins as Carlotta, Anna O’Byrne who plays Christine, taking over from Sofia Escobar, and Simon Thomas, who replaces Killian Donnelly as Raoul.

At the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, West End stars including Richard Blackwood and Carly Stenson (from Shrek), Tom Chambers (Top Hat), Bonnie Langford (Spamalot) and the boys from Thriller Live, gave an audience of super-chirpy children a taste of all the excitement to come this summer.

This year, theatregoers will be able to book for hit musicals including Billy Elliot, The Lion King, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Singin’ In The Rain and We Will Rock You, comedies like The 39 Steps, One Man, Two Guvnors and Yes, Prime Minister, dramas Chariots Of Fire, The Doctor’s Dilemma and The Woman In Black, and colourful children’s shows such as Dora The Explorer and The Tiger Who Came To Tea. Kids Week offers you a free child’s ticket for every adult ticket purchased to one of the participating shows, plus the opportunity to purchase up to two more children’s tickets half-price.

As well as the shows, Kids Week gives children the chance to take part in singing workshops, Q&As, dance classes and puppet workshops, backstage demonstrations and more. You can take part in a Tigerlympics Tea Party, become a Munchkin in the Wizard of Oz or learn about the Terrible Tudors in a Horrible Histories workshop.

Go to www.kidsweek.co.uk for a full line-up of shows and activities on offer. Tickets go on sale on the website at 10am tomorrow or you can call the Kids Week 24 hour booking hotline on 0844 248 5151. You can also keep up-to-date with Kids Week on their facebook and twitter pages. www.facebook.com/kidsweeklondon and www.twitter.com/kidsweek

• Long runners extending their booking periods include:
  Wicked, Jersey Boys, Les Mis, Phantom, and We Will Rock You
• New blockbusters getting in on the forward planning include:
  The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Ghost

For a full list of shows that have extended their booking into 2012, check out the Official London Theatre website.

Edward Hall’s all-male theatre company Propeller have also announced their 2012 plans. They’ll perform their Shakespearean pairing of Henry V and The Winter’s Tale at the Hampstead Theatre from 4 to 21 July.

Before we get to that all-important Olympic year, there’s still exciting casting news to think about. This week’s announcements include:

• Hollywood star Thandie Newton, who’ll appear in Ariel Dorfman’s Death And The Maiden at the Comedy Theatre from October
• Doctor Who star Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) is making her professional stage debut in Inadmissible Evidence at the Donmar, also in October
• Another debut, this time from Hannah Spearritt (who you’ll know from Primeval, or if you’re my age, S Club 7!) in The Belle’s Stratagem at the Southwark Playhouse from September
• And finally, a real favourite of mine, David Suchet’s going to be back on the London stage in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, at the Apollo Theatre. You’ll have to wait til next April for that one, I’m afraid.

Last of all if you’re a fan of London theatre: don’t forget Kids Week, next month!

If you’re not able to catch Ruby Wax at the Menier Chocolate Factory, where she’s currently performing Losing It (until 19 March), you’ll be pleased to hear she’s coming back in the summer.

You can now catch her show, which deals with the darkest moments of depression through poignant prose and funny songs for five weeks from 17 May.

Second up: great news about a return London journey for The Railway Children. The hit London show is back at its unique venue inside the former Eurostar terminal at Waterloo Station from 18 June until 4 September. If the you know anyone who’s a fan of E Nesbit’s book, trains, or just fantastic family entertainment, I’d thoroughly recommend taking them along to this show…

Finally, another fantastic family hit gets a cast refresh. Nicola Stephenson and Patrick Robinson join the cast of War Horse next week. The actors are best known for inhabiting the hallways of Holby General; they’ll now be playing in Michael Morpurgo’s Second World War drama at the New London Theatre.

Stephenson will play the protagonist’s mother, left worrying for her son’s life when he runs away to worn-torn France in search of his beloved horse, Joey. The actress’s numerous TV credits include Clocking Off, Law And Order and Larkrise To Candleford. Robinson plays German soldier Friedrich Muller. In addition to Casualty, Robinson is well known for his work on ITV drama The Bill. The pair joins War Horse as it enters its fifth year; the show’s recently celebrated its one millionth customer.

Finally, have you voted for your favourite show in the BBC Radio 2 Olivier Audience Award? The shortlist makes decisions difficult, with 4 fantastic musicals fighting it out for this year’s prize:

• Billy Elliot
• Les Miserables
• Jersey Boys
• We Will Rock You

Have your say now at www.olivierawards.com/vote. The winner will be announced at the Olivier Awards on 13 March.

Littleblom shared this great photo of the ice rink at Somerset house with our Flickr group.

If you’ve stuffed yourself with mince pies and had your fill of Christmas telly, book a skating session at one of London’s ice rinks now.

Don’t forget your camera – share your photos of London with us by entering our Only in London Flickr photo competition. Add them to our Flickr group and tag them onlyinlondon2010 and you could win a night for two at the Thistle Marble Arch with champagne and top price tickets to Jersey Boys.

Quick! Follow that reindeer! Even Santa knows that cycling in London is a great way to get around.

www.LKGPhoto.com shared this photo with the Visit London Flickr group.

If you’ve taken a great photo of London, enter our Only in London Flickr photo competition and you could win top price tickets to Jersey Boys and a night for two at the Thistle Marble Arch with a bottle of champagne! Don’t forget to tag your entry onlyinlondon2010.

Tom_art entered our Only In London Flickr photo competition with this atmospheric shot of Canary Wharf.

Have you got a winning London photo? Enter our competition by adding it to the Visit London flickr group and tagging it onlyinlondon2010.

The prize is a pair of top price tickets to Jersey Boys and a night for two at the Thistle Marble Arch with a bottle of champagne.

Have you entered our Only in London Flickr Photo competition yet? Add your London photos to the Visit London Flickr Pool and tag them onlyinlondon2010 and you could win two top price tickets to Jersey Boys and a night for two at the Thistle Marble Arch with a bottle of champagne!

Rominicole entered this stunning photo of London Bridge taken from the Thames path at London Bridge Pier.

Starlighty entered the Visit London Only in London Flickr photo competition with this gorgeous photo of the National Theatre with St Paul’s Cathedral in the background.

If you’ve taken a wonderful photo of London, share it with the Visit London Flickr pool and tag it onlyinlondon2010 and you could win a night at the Thistle Marble Arch with champagne and top price tickets to Jersey Boys.

Did you go to Regent Street last night to see the Christmas lights being switched on? We put on our mittens and went along to hear music from Joe McElderry and the cast of Jersey Boys, and a special appearance by cast members of the new film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. At one point there was a little flurry of snow, but we’re not sure if it was real, fake, or we imagined it!

If you love shopping on Regent Street, don’t forget that it’s West End VIP Day on the 27th November. Check out our round up of London’s best Christmas lights and Christmas trees if you’re looking for some sparkle!