"I loved it but I think the language was too heavy for Iranian people. I think they should have put more slang in it so people could understand it," said Noushin, a drama student. For those whose English was not quite up to scratch, a simultaneous Persian translation was available, high up on a screen above the stage. But this did not go as smoothly as planned. Technical difficulties meant the screen frequently froze or zipped across so quickly it was almost impossible to read. Irrational behaviour The audience reaction to the hitches was mixed. "I thought it was very good. The standard of the performance was very high but unfortunately the subtitles went a bit haywire and I think that put a lot of people off," said Reza, a university lecturer. Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale combines jealousy and irrational behaviour with tragedy and laughter. Meg Fraser played Hermione King Leontes of Sicilia suspects his wife Hermione of having an affair with his childhood best friend Polixenes.ss He rages to himself about their paddling palms and pinching fingers and convinces himself of their guilt. He consequently sends his wife to prison and orders his friend to die. For the director Dominic Hill, the fact that physical contact between the sexes is banned makes the play more relevant. "Concentrating on the physicality and when it's important is quite helpful so that when they do first touch, it becomes more exciting and more electrifying," he said. "At home, people ask the question why does King Leontes behave like that and it's just a kind of psychosis. "But when you put it in this environment, in some ways it is more understandable because in some ways the 2 people are breaking a taboo."

The actresses had to cover their heads Meg Fraser played Hermione

Relaxed rules

In order for the play to be accepted by the authorities, women had to be dressed in hejab or head scarves and certain aspects of the production had to be changed.

Some of the dance themes were re-choreographed with women dancing with women and men dancing with men.


The company put on a modern interpretation

But the rule banning any kind of physical contact was not enforced. In fact at a dress rehearsal in the afternoon, the only parts that they were asked to change involved the men's attire.

"The women had a bit of a triumph because it was the men that were pulled up for revealing their legs," said Ann Louise Ross who plays Paulina.

"We were able to show a little bit of hair, have a little body contact but the men were told to cover up their legs.

"They saw bare flesh exposed and they didn't think that would be appropriate. Us women were delighted."

The trip was organised by the British Council who hope this will be the first of many cultural exchanges between the UK and Iran in the future.

Diplomatic links between the two countries were severed after the Revolution in 1979.

The last time a UK theatre company performed here was in 1977 when Derek Jacobi starred in Hamlet.

Like many other Iranian entertainers, he had to leave the county after the Islamic revolution in 1979, which banned pop music. Across more than half a century, Vigen performed some of the most memorable songs in recent Iranian history. He had a wonderful, resonant voice. For Iranians, young and old, he was a legend. Great entertainer He was born Vigen Derderian in 1929 in western Iran into a relatively poor family. He became Iran's real first male pop and jazz star and was generally known in Persian as the ''Sultan of Jazz''. Some of his fans compared him to the American singer Elvis Presley.

Vigen in his heyday with his daughter Jacqueline

After the Islamic revolution in 1979, which banned pop music, Vigen left the country and began a new life in Los Angeles.

He regularly performed in European and American cities to packed audiences.

Although he was from Iran's minority Armenian community, he was loved by all Iranians.

Vigen sang both in Persian and Armenian. He will be remembered by millions of his fans as one of Iran's greatest entertainers.

More than £200,000 has been received by the Iranian embassy in London to help earthquake victims. One anonymous donor, believed to be an Iranian living in London, gave 100,000 US dollars, or more than £50,000. But most cheques pushed through the embassy's door since the earthquake in Bam on 26 December have been for much smaller sums. Embassy spokesman Mohammed Eskandari said it had attracted responses "from all countries and faiths". Staff working at the London embassy - one of the biggest Iranian embassies in the world - have also agreed to give up three days' pay to help the people of Bam. Another £25,000 has been collected by Pakistanis living in London and more has come from different organisations and the Red Cross.

The earthquake flattened the ancient city of Bam

The British government has so far contributed £900,000 to the relief effort for those affected by the quake which is thought to have killed more than 30,000 people.

The quake destroyed 90% of the city's buildings. Survivors have been sleeping in tents close to the rubble of their homes.

International aid agencies are this week planning to launch a massive appeal for specific donations to help Bam in the long term.