On the 28th of Jan, my mothers Christmas present was finally ready. The cast had rehearsed and the theater was prepared. Mum and Dad came down to stay at my flat for the night and I took my Mum on the train down to London to see Les Misérables at the Queens Theater on Shaftesbury Avenue, W1.

It's a great show and having seen just Les Mis twice and The Phantom of the Opera once, I feel confident in saying that Les Mis is the best musical in the world, ever. It's just incredibly perfect. The music, acting, costumes, sound and lighting, set and props... They're all brilliant.

There were some additions to the play since the last time I saw it back in May 2005 that helped tell the story a little better. My Mum has been a fan of the show since she was a kid (which of course is only really a couple of years) and I was shocked to find out that she didn't realise Eponine was the Thénardier's real daughter.

After the show, we got one of those honk-honk things back to Kings Cross station. Rickshaws they're called I think. It cost £20 for a 25 minute ride which isn't too bad I guess; we got to see a bit of London. By using the tube you don't really get to see much of the capital other than the main line station you arrive at and the area around your destination. Having said that, winding crazily between stretched limos, wailing police cars and crazy London traffic, inhaling the capital's fumes whist freezing your tits off requires a certain amound of bravery.