ONE of Britain's favourite TV impressionists, Alistair McGowan, and musical actress Charlotte Page are joining forces to showcase a selection of poems and songs by legendary playwright and actor Noël Coward.

Cocktails with Coward, at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, is an evening dedicated to a man who was a keen observer of language, character and the human heart.

Songs range from Mad About The Boy to A Room With a View, and poems include Honeymoon 1905 and This Is To Let You Know. The production offers a chance to see a different side to the great man in this Edinburgh 2009 hit show.

BAFTA winner Alistair McGowan is best known for his hit TV show The Big Impression, in which he parodied leading celebrities of the day.

Charlotte Page is a consummate singer and actress and has recently appeared in The Phantom of the Opera and the show Follies.

what: Cocktails with Coward when: March 26 to April 4, 7.30pm where: Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London W6 9RL cost: £16, concessions £14 contact: box office 020 8237 1111 see: www.riversidestudios.co.uk

Ealing book signing

A BOOK signing is being held next week by a mum-of-two who has written her first novel, on the controversial subject of incest.

Ciara Hegarty, 29, grew up in Ealing, just off Pitshanger Lane and not far from the bookshop where she is signing. She went to school at St Gregory's and was involved in Ealing Abbey.

Now living in Dorset with her two daughters, aged 10 and six, she said: "The book is about quite a controversial subject. People have asked me what made me choose to write about incest, but I just don't know. It just developed that way. I have no plan when I write. I just follow my nose."

The story is set in a small rural community in 1940s Ireland and tells the story of Kathleen and her relationship with her father.

What? Book signing of The Road to the Sea where? Pitshanger Bookshop, 141 Pitshanger Lane, Ealing, W5 1RH when? Wednesday, March 31, from 7pm cost? £11.99 see: www.ciarahegarty.com

Comedy in South Ken

FRESH from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, comedian Tom Craine headlines the Punchline comedy night in West London on Sunday.

He has played gigs across the UK and in 2006 won the best Comedy and Drama category in the BBC national student awards.

One of the UK's fastest-rising comedy stars, Craine has a degree in child psychology - no doubt an added benefit when it comes to writing comedy - and had his own radio show at BBC Bristol.

Appearing with him is funny woman Nat Lurtseema, who was nominated as Best Newcomer by Chortle earlier this year.

What? Set Up[2026] Punchline Comedy Night where? Builders Arms, 1 Kensington Court Place, W8 5BJ when? Sunday, March 28, 8pm cost? Free contact: 07976 821 429

A glimpse of Shakespeare's world

With the Easter holidays coming, a tour of Shakespeare's Globe theatre offers a unique experience for the whole family.

A programme of activities for children and families will be available throughout the day, including storytelling, sword-fighting, Elizabethan costume and printing demonstrations, using a recreation of a 17th-century printing press.

Entry to the Globe exhibition includes a 40-minute tour of the theatre.

What: Easter Fun at the Globe when: April 2-18, 9am-5pm where: 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London, SE1 9DT cost: Adults £10.50; children (5-15) £6.50; students £7.50; family £28 contact: 020 7902 1500 See: www.shakespeares-globe.org

William Morris treasures on show in Hammersmith

A PERFECTLY preserved historic house, full of William Morris art treasures, opens again for tours from Easter.

Nestling in a row of Georgian houses, 7 Hammersmith Terrace was home to Sir Emery Walker.

A printer and antiquary who helped his friend and neighbour William Morris set up the Kelmscott Press, Walker lived at the house from 1903 until his death in 1933. After Walker's death, his daughter Dorothy preserved the house as her father left it.

Full of original William Morris wallpapers, textiles and furniture, it has the best-preserved arts and crafts interior in Britain. The house was a private home until 1999 and opened to the public for the first time in 2005.

New to the tour this year will be a Kelmscott Press book, The Floure and the Leafe, & the Boke of Cupide, a 19th birthday present from Walker to his daughter in 1897. A wooden chest by Cotswold arts and crafts artist Ernest Gimson will be back on display after restoration.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy the fruits of the garden renovation project, started last year, based on Dorothy's planting notes and photographs from the 1920s and 1930s, especially during Open Garden Squares Weekend in June.

What? Historic tour of Sir Emery Walker's house where? 7 Hammersmith Terrace, Hammersmith, W6 9TS when? April 8 until September, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. One-hour tours at 11am, 12.30pm and w.30pm. cost? Entry is by pre-booked/paid tours. Tickets £10 each (full-time students £5). Limited availability for late bookings contact: 020 8741 4104. see: www.emerywalker.org.uk/visiting.php