Are Sophie Ellis-Bextor and 80s icon Diane Chorley the most fabulous pairing since champagne and caviar?

metro.co.uk:

‘The look? This is 50% Sue Ryder and 60% TK Maxx discount range. I’m struggling these days,’ says Diane Chorley of Down The Flick fame as she shows us around the Edinburgh Fringe set-up that includes a chat show and throwback 1980s nightclub. ‘That’s the biggest glitterball in Europe,’ she says pointing at what may or may not be the biggest glitterball in Europe.

The Flick, originally a nightclub in Canvey Island that ‘cult songstress’ Diane took over (you’ll have to work out for yourselves how much of this is real and how much comes from the fevered imagination of David Selley, the brains behind Diane Chorley), and it’s a concept she’s bringing to London’s National Theatre River Stage Festival for the night with a very special guest, Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

As we speak, Sophie pops up on Zoom as Diane is conducting us on the tour. They’d met before but the connection between them started when Diane did Sophie’s 40th birthday party (and apparently stole some dresses from the wardrobe!).‘It was so fun,’ says Sophie, overlooking the theft. ‘There was a lovely spread,’ says Diane. ‘A lovely little mariachi band, tacos…’‘It was the original Kitchen Disco,’ says Sophie, at which Diane starts to discuss the royalties she is or should be getting for the concept. ‘You can have 100% of the no money we charged for the Kitchen Discos if you like,’ Sophie offers. ‘Actually, the first time I saw Diane was at my friend Dan’s birthday,’ says Sophie, by which she means Dan Gillespie Sells of The Feeling, the band her husband plays in. ‘Diane got the room singing and it was pure joy so that’s where the relationship started. ‘And because the 40th was a joint party between my husband Richard [Jones] and I, it was the biggest party we’ve ever.