The RSC is OPEN - it says so so it must be true

You remember Ian McKellen's bit in The Office? When he goes "Sir Ian Sir Ian Sir Ian GANDALF Sir Ian", talking about acting. Makes me laugh a lot.

I felt a bit like that on Saturday; driving to Stratford, happy, parking happy, wandering around happy, walking towards theatre happy, seeing desolate destruction of old theatre of which I was very fond sad, seeing Henry V at courtyard happy happy happy.

Stratford means much to me. I've been a Shakespeare-ophile since very young and tender, seeing Henry V three or four times before my age hit double figures. Once, when we went to see MSND, which I had also seen a goodly number of times, we even found that on that night it was Henry V and we'd seen a different production just a few weeks before. Then there was the open air version in Regent's Park; three times in one summer. To us, in our family, it was simply obvious that Shakey was to be loved and so we did, from day one, almost.

I'm always a bit nervous about going to Stratford. Especially this time: I haven't been for ages. Divorce and Adrian Noble conspired to keep me at home. I still can't get the image of David Troughton as Richard III in a purple satin hot pant set out of my mind. Risible work - and the RSC had an extended period of presenting it, at phenomenal cost too. But I also remember many productions there with incredible fondness, yes, even Merry Wives once. And John Nettles in Winter's Tale.

And I loved the theatre itself. I could see nothing wrong with it, but gather the backstage area was problematic for cast and crews. So out it goes. The first important public building in this country to be designed by a woman. The replacement, due in 2010, is being designed by a husband and wife team. That doesn't quite fill me with the sense of respect I had for Elizabeth Scott.

Finger's crossed for the new one, and if they grace it with work as fine as the current Henry V, and keep the £20 prices, it'll be a place I really look forward to becoming friends with. And hopefully the new place will become as loved as the old place was.

And the Courtyard is superb. It's a bit of shame that the next thing we're off to see, "Noughts and Crosses" with the boys, isn't in the same place.