Karen Koren: A Frosty Christmas welcome

My general manager Rowan has just come back from a three-week holiday to India and will be in the office for only four days before she gets another two-week holiday for Christmas and New Year.

Why didn’t I think of that? Ah well, good on her, she deserves it after such a hard year without many holidays. I think I’ll do the same next year.

I am very much looking forward to our Christmas break. I will be in London this weekend collecting my daughter Katy, and we will be spending time with the Frosts.

Stephen Frost and Janet Prince and their daughter Poppy have been our close friends since I started the Gilded Balloon. In fact, when she has had a few, Janet has been known to say she built it.

It is true, however, that Stephen, best known for Whose Line Is it Anyway, and Janet have been very involved in helping me launch the Gilded Balloon.

All their friends were in the comedy business and Janet helped create Late’n’Live with me back in 1987, so they are as much in with the bricks as I am.

Stephen spends most of his time performing to ex-pats in Hong Kong or Dubai and enjoys travelling the world. We always have a Christmas or New Year with them and enjoy lots of silly games and loudness – Stephen is quite loud and I have been known to be a little noisy too.

I have to think of more and more daft presents every year.

This year I have a ‘hovering UFO’ for Stephen and disco lights for his bath. Not that I will witness his bath-time pleasure – but I’m sure we will hear him.