The Secret Diary of Henry VIII at Drum Castle by The Three Inch Fools

Last night we were at Drum Castle watching The Three Inch Fools performing The Secret Diary of Henry VIII. This is an activity we’ve done almost every year since we moved here – except for the covid years – and we all love it.

Last year it was Robin Hood, also produced by The Three Inch Fools, a very talented theatre group founded by two brothers, James and Stephen Hyde. James is the producer while Stephen is the writer, composer and director. The cast is different each year but they’re always very talented actors and musicians.

It was drizzly last night so I wondered whether that would affect the show, and in particular whether you can still play instruments in the rain. But the show must go on and it was a stellar performance; they still played all their instruments in the rain while we sat under coats and blankets.

We always sit on a picnic rug right at the front and possibly due to the rain there were fewer people doing this with most others bringing their own chairs. This meant we were used in the show more often than usual. Let’s see – I had a chamber pot emptied on top of me, Jane Seymore’s bra tossed at me as well as a severed head – I can’t remember who it belonged to as many people were beheaded. Katherine Howard flirted with Ben while Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, took refuge under one of our coats to hide from Thomas Cromwell. It was laugh-out-loud funny from start to finish.

The actor in the black skirt is Catherine of Aragon, played by James Aldred and Henry the VIII by Charlotte Horner.

This is Anne Boleyn, played by Peter Long.

I didn’t get a photo of Charles Brandon but he was played by a very energetic Lucy Chamberlain who had me in stitches just with her facial expressions.

Here I am with the severed head.

I took a couple of short videos of the music. All the music is original and The Three Inch Fools are now starting to release it on Spotify.

They’re performing throughout the summer all over the UK. Go to upcoming performances to find a show near you. Until next year …