What I Did During The Summer Holidays of 2026!
Updated: Sep 28
Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. It’s safe to say I had a lot on, and the Summer had its challenges, along with some moments which put a smile on my face, including a trip to the Beatles' home, seeing a Newark pop star and author, and starting to rehearse a play to put my hometown on the map. So without further ado, here is what I got up to during the Summer of 2026!
Professional:
Content Making:
Whilst the summer was a time to relax and unwind, it was also a time for me to make some more content for my social media. With the Heartstopper Forever now out on Netflix, I did a self tape based on that, and I also filmed some material from my acting class that looked at text analysis (which I’ll go into more detail on in “Acting Class”). But the main thing I did was sketches linking to the summer, which I split into 3 parts as I had ALOT of things happening. Click the links below to see them for yourself!
Job Applying:
Summer was a time to stay ahead of the game and apply for some more acting jobs. Whilst I didn’t get much luck from Mandy and Spotlight, did get a dance audition coming through, and whilst I didn’t get the gig, I’m glad I now have some footage of me following a basic dance routine which I can now develop. I also auditioned for a pantomime company (the same one who offered me a contract but couldn’t do it due to reasons beyond my control) and whilst I didn’t get that gig, I'm glad to even audition for it again, and I want to wish those who do get a contract/are coming back to it the very best of luck! I also applied for an immersive experience happening in Nottingham in January, and because of me not getting the pantomime gig, this will definitely be something to start 2027 on a high! So keep an eye out on my social media for more updates on it!
One Woman Show Writing:
During the summer I made a start on writing down on the notes section of my phone a potential one woman show. After thinking about it and after working on a script as part of a course with the National Youth Theatre, I decided to stop waiting and make a start. As I’m posting this blog, it’s still in my notes section. But keep up to date with my weekly highlights and updates on my social media (with one of them being my Instagram @theautisticactress) for updates on the development stages. With the goal to go to Edinburgh Fringe Festival before I turn 30, and with some assistance from writers and people who performed there, I hope to take this play to the festival itself to not only gain work for myself, but to also make people aware of the topic of autism.
Rehearsing for a New Play:
At the start of September I started rehearsing for a new play about a horrific event taking place in Newark during World War Two. I’ll be honest, I never even heard of this event before I signed up, but after getting stuck into the rehearsals, I’m really enjoying this process. I also like the character I was given, and I feel I could really develop it into something magical. I’ll be keeping you all up to date in my weekly highlights how the rest of the rehearsals went, but as I’m posting this, we’re in full swing rehearsal wise, as in total we didn’t have long to actually get it on its feet. It’s also something to keep me productive, as I have a feeling I won’t be able to do any more Halloween work this year, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to get stuck in and work on something originating in my hometown. And with only a short amount of rehearsal time we are under the clock. But I know that we’ll pull through together as a team to show that we can make something magical!
Classes:
Despite the summer being a time to relax and unwind, it was also a time to develop my acting muscles in my class. From text analysis to improvisation, I continued to develop some of my skills. There were a few sessions I missed out on for different reasons, but that didn’t stop me from developing those skill sets. Please see a couple of links below to some tapes (one being done in class and one inspired by Heartstopper Forever) where I took on the text analysis skills and used them in it.
Minted Vinted: https://youtu.be/wXTh27LuOGs?is=H-QxrKvyTCv9U0yM
An Honest Chat (inspired by Heartstopper Forever): https://youtu.be/pDehBFf1WeU?is=6rt5CUptXRaqyPg7
Rogue Socks: One Version: https://youtu.be/sTpnRBT9RpM?is=Zi6tTtPmfkGjZPZR
Act On This Podcasts:
Throughout the summer I’ve been continuing to listen to some more podcasts by the brilliant Ross Grant from Act On This. From casting directors to award winning actors, each session had something I could take away from them. I also learnt new things like how a producer worked and also the world of Vertical Drama by a director, and particularly when contacting them, I’ve definitely learnt a thing or two. One of my favourties was with TV Director Diarmuid Goggins, who gave me some real food for thought when it came to actually applying for acting jobs and auditioning.
Nottingham Puppet Festival:
During the summer, Nottingham Puppet Festival took place. I love puppets, and so I was glad to see a festival of this art form back in the city I love. I didn’t get as involved in seeing stuff like last time and there were stuff where it was all happening at the same time, but I did some bits, which was better than nothing at all. Click the link below to read the full article of the festival from my perspective and what I got up to during that moment.
Run At It Shouting Workshop:
During August I took part in my first Run At It Shouting workshop with casting director Christopher Worrall. After watching Punch back in March (which he casted and you can read the blog on my thoughts of the show here: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/punch-the-play-that-put-nottingham-on-the-map), it was the perfect opportunity to find out his casting process and how he works with actors. Click the link below to read the full blog of my time in the workshop and what my thoughts about it were.
TV Shows:
During the summer along with the serial dramas (where there was ALOT happening), I watched plenty of television. From comedy to high stakes, from action to romance, I’ve definitely seen it all! Click the links below to read the reviews of some of the shows that I’ve seen, and let me know your thoughts on them as well if you’ve seen them!
Famous Novel, Horrific True Crime & Prejudice: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/famous-novel-horrific-true-crime-prejudice
Exploring Masculinity, Risky Love & The Show That Packed A Thousand Blows: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/exploring-masculinity-risky-love-the-show-that-packed-a-thousand-blows
More Allsbrooke Chaos, Round 2 In Wapping & Robotic Comedy: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/more-allsbrooke-chaos-round-2-in-wapping-robotic-comedy
Movies:
Throughout the summer I managed to catch up on a couple of movies as seen below. From action to nostalgia, from romance to live remakes, it’s safe to say it was great to watch them and remind myself of why I like this industry so much. Keep an eye out for the first instalment of films I saw this year next week, and let me know after reading it if you’ve seen them!
Theatre Shows:
During the summer I had plenty of entertainment to see, going to the theatre plenty of times. I saw everything, from puppet shows to musicals, this summer had it all and I was definitely entertained! Click the link below to see my blog of the Summer of theatre to find out what shows I saw during that time!
Summer of Theatre 2026: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/summer-of-theatre-2026-an-evolution-in-newark-a-show-i-couldn-t-take-my-eyes-off-a-journey-of-str
National Television Awards:
In the beginning of September I started watching the iconic awards show to celebrate the best of the TV highlights. I’ll admit it wasn’t as good as it was last year, but there were moments which I was happy about. These included Gogglebox winning Best Factual Entertainment and David Attenborough winning Best TV Presenter. I didn’t quite get Alan Carr’s clue when he won the Special Recognition award as I didn’t think it was necessary, but after seeing the work he did over the years, I can see why he got it (although a part of me was hoping it was Tess Daley and Claudia Winkleman for their work on Strictly Come Dancing but I’m glad the show itself won Best Talent Show). The best Authored Documentary Our Girls: The Southport Families had me in tears, and I loved how Sheridan Smith was so supportive of Vicky McClure for winning best Drama Performance (which was an all female category), making Nottingham proud.
Saturday Night Live UK:
Towards the end of the summer the second season of the incoming sketch show originally from the US got up and running, with the hosts being Jeff Goldblum and Jamie Demetriou, with music from CMAT and Royal Blood. I definitly enjoyed it, and I'm glad I can watch this show to end my week on a high, with sketches that were original and were parodies of well known film and TV shows, including King Kong and The X Factor. I just can’t wait to see what this wonderful cast have in store for the rest of the season, as it is a show I’d like to be seen for, or anything similar.
Personal:
Exercise:
Throughout the summer I’ve managed to continue to get some exercise in. I did miss the odd few days due to other things but I didn’t use that as an excuse to complain. Instead I dusted myself off and start again. The start of the summer saw me doing well, but towards the end (and I’ll mention it in “Challenges I Faced & How I Overcame Them”), I did slow down, a little bit like when you have to put your phone on low power mode, and by the time of posting, I did have to alternate between my brisk walks and the bike. But high performance mindset coach Matt Hall said that even on days when you don’t feel 100%, give 100% into what you’ve got that day e.g. if you’re only running at 60%, give 100% into that 60%, and I did just that. Towards the end of the summer, I also came to the realisation that maybe this slowness was due to my eating habits, as I love my food, but maybe this was also the time where I maybe need to swap for healthier alternatives in some parts of my life. In this case, for my lunch at my “proper job”, maybe swapping a sandwich with white bread for a sandwich with brown bread (as it’s high in fibre), and also cutting out sausage rolls to swap for yogurt (especially low fat ones). Those little tweaks may seem small but if I do it over a certain period of time I may feel the difference. So I’ll try and keep posted on my weekly highlights on if it made a difference or not, and if it hasn’t maybe go and see the doctors to make sure it isn’t a chest infection (as I did have a phase where I went on doctor google, which certainly didn’t help).
Reading:
This summer I got up to plenty of reading. It mainly included this book by Laurie Gilmore, where it was the start of the series set in the fictional world of Dream Harbour. Now I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series, but in the meantime I’m starting on a new book called "The Wolf King" (where there was two books with the same name, and the version I'm reading wasn't the one I was expecting, but surprisingly I'm enjoying it), which I’m continuing by the time of posting this, but keep an eye out on my weekly highlights and on my personal Instagram account @moon_lucy_292 for when I finished it!
Cooking:
The summer got my culinary skills going. I made all kinds of meals, from ones I made before to things that were new to me. As seen below, the ramen was one of my favourite dishes to make, as not only did I make it before, but it’s very warm and comforting, whether you’re in the summer or winter, it’s certainly a dish for all seasons.
Meeting Jay McGuiness:
I’ve put this in personal as reading is something I like to do outside of acting. During the Summer I had the pleasure of meeting The Wanted singer Jay McGuiness, coming to Newark to talk about his writing career as part of Newark Book Festival. From how Newark got his inspiration to how he forms the characters and getting an insight on scenes that didn’t make the cut, it was fascinating on how he brought his story to life. Click the link below to read the full article on the talk and my interaction after the talk!
Liverpool:
This summer I took a city break with my father to the home of the Beatles that is Liverpool. Now I hadn’t been on holiday since August 2019, so I would class this as one, and I can now honestly say it was the best few days of my life. From going to the iconic cavern club (which was my favourite part of the holiday), to meeting family for a BBQ, it definitely captured my heart in more ways than one. Keep an eye out for the full blog of my time in Liverpool, and also keep an eye my first YouTube vlog in a while so you can see me and my dad in the home of The Beatles itself!
Archery:
During the summer I went back to the shooting line as I went back to an archery class. It felt good to be back, as not only did I enjoy this sport before, but to have something outside of acting that I went back to also did good for my mentality. So much so that I even entered a few competitions within the club, where I’ve completed two of my challenges, and now I’ve got only one more to do. I don’t think I’ll be able to continue when they go back indoors (as it’ll clash with my “proper job”), but I’m glad that I got back into it before the year ended.
Darts:
Throughout the Summer I’ve been practicing my favourite sport, having 2 practice legs a week (and I know professional players will do more but for me that’s a win in itself). There have been some days where I give up completely but there have also been some days where I finish high (literally if I finish on tops). But the important part was I continued this momentum, and that was enough for me throughout the summer.
World Matchplay of Darts:
This summer the iconic tournament that is the World Matchplay of Darts took place in the I comic winter gardens in Blackpool! I obviously knew that Luke Littler would win it again, and Beau Greaves was rocking it for the women, but there were many highlights throughout the tournament which got me on the edge of my seat! One of them was Nathan Aspinal against his match with Luke Littler, where even though he didn’t win, he definitely made Luke work hard. Now normally I don’t like Gerwyn Price, but just for a change I actually wanted him to win the whole thing, but I’m glad he showed good sportsmanship when Luke won it again. I also watched the darts show live on YouTube hosted by Polly James and Michael Bridge, which was also entertaining. But overall a brilliant tournament to not only keep me entertained, but to help me take a step back from the chaos and help me rest.
The Piano:
This summer the famous show where amateur pianists took to many stations was back. This one was different, as singer Mika was with a different mentor each week, so it was great to see the different opinions on each contestant by having someone different. Episode 1 saw Mika with Tiffany Pooh find new pianists in Birmingham New Street (where the final concert will also be held). Some of the standouts included Grace who didn’t let her disability get in the way, and Chris who gave an insight into his visit to the Grand Canyon via music (and he performed it at my local theatre in Newark, and it was a shame I didn’t get to see it myself). We also saw Megan who showed the reality of a nerve related illness and not let it get in her way, and Charlotte who opened up about her now late husband Charlie’s illness (where he sadly passed away following the recording of the episode, but i know he’ll be looking down on Charlotte and his family and I do hope she continues to play the piano in honour of his memory). Episode 2 saw Mika with Jamie Cullum, it took played at Liverpool Lime Street (where it was originally was Glasgow but had to be moved due to a fire) where some of the people included Cailean who opened the show, and Paul, who found a way to use just his left hand to play, Sophie who was a miracle child and left me in tears, Eva (who did her own piece based on a small town), and Gabby, playing a piece to show her Mexican heritage, with her getting selected for the final concert. Episode 3 saw Mika with Hiromi at York. Some of the standouts included Janine who played for her Kate friend, Frank the oldest landlord who did a medley of wartime classics, and Gwilyn who played for his late mum. Other people included Caspar who at 12 made his own piece, Gracie doing a David Bowie classic and Harri taking lyrics from his grandads poem to make a song out of it, with him getting selected for the final concert. Episode 4 saw Mika with Jools Holland in London Liverpool Street. Tommy gave us a McFly classic, Grace going into her own world, Edwin with a pop classic, Run with a romantic version of an Avicii classic, Fuad being a romance on the paint and Maria bringing elements of her home country into her passion, and William showing how the piano has helped him through his autism diagnosis, with him getting selected for the final concert. Episode 5 saw Mika with Alice Sara Ott at Manchester Piccadilly. Teddie opened the show with an Alan Walker classic which he taught himself and Drew doing a difficult Chopin piece, Joanna breaking boundaries after her ME and FND diagnosis, and Nico doing a composition from his Italian roots, Emma doing a piece based on a boy she liked, Andi doing a piece based on a cult he joined which got him out of a cult, Brendan playing a piano on how it helped him save his life during his homeless period, and I’m glad he managed to get the help he needed and living off of the streets. But it was Jamie who got selected after doing a first for the piano with an improvised piece based off of 2 notes by Claudia Winkelman herself. Episode 6 saw Brendan, Joanna, Sophie, Gwinlyn and Megan performing with Sophie being picked for the final concert. They then all had a mentoring session with Mika and Jon Batiste. But it was safe to say they all needed hard work. The final episode saw the day of the big concert taking place, with Mika joined by Alice Sara Ott. The finalists definitely did their homework and really gave everything in the room. Gabby not only made everyone smile with her personality, but definitely did her homework when it came to her piece despite having an injury moments before. Harri had a little stumble, but despite that he carried on like a true professional and left Alice in tears. Grace got a standing ovation after a moving performance, whilst Sophie definitely did her homework on focusing on the piano first and then the singing second. Finally, Williams' performance really moved me, and Jamie’s improvisation left the crowd stunned. In the end, it was Grace who got the performance of the night, which definitely left me in tears, but in the best way possible. I just hope this boosts her confidence even more, and I can’t wait to see what happens for her next!
Celebrity Masterchef:
This summer the iconic cooking show came back! This time, Grace Dent was joined by legendary Italian Chef Gorgio Locatelli, and let’s just say you don’t want to get on his bad side. The heats were a whirlwind, with new rounds including the cook-a-long, where they get to cook a recipe with Giorgio in the flesh, and “Who’s Coming To Dinner”, where they get a celebrity to set up a challenge of their own. I was sad to see some people go, like fellow Newark citizen and member of “The Wanted” Jay McGuiness, who I think had a lot of potential to continue and see him experiment with different vegetarian recipes, but I also wasn’t surprised by some people as the recipes didn’t look great.
The quarter finals saw the celebrities do a challenge where in pairs they had to serve Grace and Giorgio a starter, main and dessert all in 90 minutes, which sees them working together as a team, and a challenge where famous cooks and chefs come in to set them the challenge of recreating their recipes, which included TikTok chef Seema Panmhania, Tom Kerridge and Big Zuu (who was my personal favourite one coming in). At this stage in the competition I was routing for Emily Campbell (who’s from Nottingham), Emily Steel, and Sue Cleever (aka Eileen Grimshaw from Coronation Street), and Nitin Granata was also a dark horse within the competition.
The Semi Finals of the competition definitely had the remains celebrities tested. The first challenge was a catering event for people celebrating Ramadan, and if the dessert didn’t have salt in it (as the team featured Donna Preston, Emily Campbell and Nitin Granata didn’t realise it), they would’ve won and gained immunity from the challenge. It then led to the rest doing their favourite comfort food, which resulted in Max Fosh being eliminated. They then had the challenge to make a layered dessert set by chef and author Ravneet Gill, where Emily Steele was sadly eliminated. The next challenge was for the celebrities to make a burger, where Joe Pasquale bless him had a vulnerable side after his setback in the last challenge, which made me change my opinion of him. It was a shame Nitin was the next one to leave, as I felt like he was a real dark horse in the competition. One of the final challenges included a Masterchef auction, where they had to sacrifice some of their 2 hours for an ingredient under each cloche, it was interesting to say the least, as Sue only had 1 hour to make something from her chicken, and if I was in her shoes, for me I would focus on getting the chicken fully cooked, so even if the presentation wasn’t the best (although for Masterchef it is important), as long as they didn’t get food poisoning I’d be happy. They then had to cook for the critics, which was also a challenge in itself, and Emily Campbell did well to infuse her heritage into the apple crumble she made (and normally I wouldn’t have anything with alcohol in it but it did make my mouth water). But Donna was the next one to leave then after one of her fish wasn’t cooked all the way through.
Finals week saw the final 5 cater at Crufts, with dog themed dishes set up by Michelin star chef Tom Shepherd. It’s moments like this where when I have a recipe I stick to it, so for Sue and Lauren to nearly mess it up by going off recipe was not ideal. But somehow all of them managed to get through, and everyone at the event loved the food. They were then challenged with making a dish inspired by a holiday they went to. Whilst Joe’s presentation on his day of the dead cake was amazing, it wasn’t enough for him, and was the next one to leave the competition. This was then followed by Sue Cleever, who after the remaining 4 were tasked to reimagine their signature dish from day 1, her lamb was a little but too rare. I was happy their was an All-Female final as Shakira, Lauren and Emily took on the iconic Chef's table at the fancy Ritz restaurant, where they certainly didn't disappoint. The final three made a 3 course meal where they definitely showed how far they’ve come. I was rooting for Emily Campbell to win it, but I’m equally glad Lauren Steadman won it, as she was the better cook in that final. Overall I thought it was a very good series. New judge duo, new challenges, and lots and lots of food. What more would you want in a series?
The Assembly:
After starting this series before the summer, I watched the rest of the TV show where disabled, neurodivergent and autistic journalists interviewed well known celebrities, where the last two were Aitch and Rylan, along with some unseen bits from all of the people they interviewed. I think out of all of them, Aitch was my favourite, partly because I’ve got a little bit of a crush on him lol! But also because as he has a sister with Downs Syndrome, I felt he definitely had more of an understanding when meeting the interviewers. But I’m glad I got to watch the rest of this series, as interviews where they get to the point is what we need more of, with both entertaining and thought provoking answers.
Strictly Come Dancing:
At the end of the summer, I watched the launch show of the iconic ballroom and latin show. You know when summer is at an end, when this show comes on. So far, I'm loving it, and meeting the celebrities and who they were paired up with was a joy to see. That and Karen and Carlos coming back to perform their jive which made them champions last year, which really got me dancing myself. I'll be keeping you up to date on mu weekly highlights what I thought of each show, but with the new presenters already doing a good job, I can't wait to see what this series has in stall.
Gogglebox & Celebrity Gogglebox:
During the summer I watched both the Celebrity version and the new series of the show where I was watching tv of people watching TV. From high end dramas, to the news, from comedy to competitions, they definitely reacted to everything you could think of. I can’t wait to watch the rest of the new series and see what they react to next!
Challenges I Faced & How I Overcame Them:
Whilst the summer had its positives, it also had its setbacks. One of them was facing a series of heatwaves that I’m pretty sure 99% of us could not handle. So to cope with this I did what I could to keep cool, and also keep cool when it came to the house and what I wear. Another setback during the summer was having to end up turning down some jobs due to overwhelm and reasons beyond my control (one of which was a scratch night for the National Youth Theatre), but I managed to see a way to manage my workload by looking realistically at what I couldn’t and can do. There were also times where I didn’t get into a job I auditioned for and also missed the deadline to apply for a casting workshop that would potentially open some doors for me, but turned it by focusing on other stuff and remembering how getting rid of the good to make way for the great. I also sadly couldn’t see two of my fellow creatives for different reasons, which was a shame as it would’ve been great to catch up with them, and one of them performing with a band he was in, but hopefully I’ll have plenty of opportunities during October and also during the festive period (providing I don’t get overwhelmed and burnt out from my “proper job” and other potential opportunities). But like every summer, the biggest hurdle for me was the anniversary of my mums death, and it did cause me to mentally and physically slow down (and I have a feeling it may be the early sign of a burnout), and as mentioned in “Exercise” in the personal section of this blog, I did have to go into low power mode (that and also because I was on my time of the month which didn’t help as August was the worst phase I had). But throughout that week I just gave what I could give, and somehow I managed to survive it, giving 100% into what I had for that moment.
And that is it for my blog on what I got up to this summer! Let me know what you did over this period, and keep an eye out for my first weekly highlights!
See you soon for another blog. Until next time…
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)
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