John Anson

KayCee Stroh, who played Martha in the original High School Musical film, is returning to the franchise as drama teacher Ms Darbus in a new stage production premiering at The Lowry in Salford. She says the adaptation preserves the original’s nostalgia while adding new choreography, songs and a character, and views her return as an opportunity to mentor a new generation. Stroh also discusses how the role transformed her career, helped challenge perceptions about body size in performance, and inspired her advocacy for inclusivity.

In 2007, unusually short double yellow lines measuring about 39 inches were found on Swift Close in Blackburn. Contractors had reportedly been instructed to paint a four-metre restriction but produced several much shorter markings, leaving residents baffled and raising questions about whether the council could enforce them. Blackburn’s informal claim to having Britain’s shortest double yellow lines later ended when even shorter markings were found in Cambridge.