Where Has London Theatre Doc Been?

Dear Reader,

This post is a little different from what you are used to reading here.

Over the past few months I have been largely absent. I have not been writing reviews, attending shows or appearing on social media, and I felt that as someone who has supported London Theatre Doc over the years, you deserved to know why.

Towards the end of 2025 my partner became seriously unwell and was diagnosed with cancer in his early thirties. Thankfully it was localised and successfully treated, and he is now cancer free. However, that period placed an enormous strain on both of us and on our relationship. Sadly, that strain proved too much. What followed was a very difficult and painful breakdown of our relationship, which had a significant impact on my mental health. During that time I struggled with day to day functioning and with being able to do the thing I love here, which is writing about theatre.

During the final stages of that relationship, my father passed away after a long and cruel battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was an extraordinary man, endlessly kind and supportive, and truly my biggest inspiration. Losing him felt like losing my best friend. Combined with everything else that was happening, my mental health deteriorated further.

As many of you know, London Theatre Doc is not just a reviewer but also a practising doctor. After taking time away from work, I returned during what became one of the most challenging winters the NHS has ever faced. Emergency departments across the country experienced record attendances with fewer resources than ever before. Balancing that reality alongside personal grief and recovery was overwhelming.

In short, this has been the hardest winter of my life. I struggled not only as a theatre critic and as a doctor, but at times simply as a human being. With the support of friends and family, I made the decision to step back from London Theatre Doc temporarily as a way of coping and surviving.

But this is not an ending.

I want to reassure you that London Theatre Doc is returning. This month marks my way back into the theatre, alongside some exciting new medical opportunities and a new face joining the London Theatre Doc project. Slowly, carefully, I am finding my way back to the joy that theatre brings, and back to myself.

Thank you to every single one of you who has stayed, to the PR teams who continued to send kind messages and invitations, and to my friends and family who carried me through when I could not do it alone.

Here is to 2026. To theatre, to joy, to connection, and to new beginnings. I cannot wait to welcome both old and new readers as London Theatre Doc begins again.

All my love,

Andrew

London Theatre Doc