HOT: Hamlet, The Factory, King's Head Theatre, 115 Upper St, Islington N1 1QN

I think The Factory's production of Hamlet would have been 5 stars for me if I hadn't gone to bed at 3am the night before - three hours of the Danish prince was an ordeal. Putting that aside, this unusual production had lots to commend it. While I think 'bring your own props' and 'obstructions' are gimmicks which tend to provoke inappropriate hilarity at tense, dramatic moments, you have to applaud the actors' ability to improvise, especially coupled with the fact that each act shifts to a different space: the stage; a garden; the crypt of an old church; the side seating of the theatre. In the end what impressed me most was actually what would impress me at a 'standard' Shakespearean performance: diction, projection, rhythm and the ability to bring out the nuances of the text. For those reasons my Oscar goes to the actors playing Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude.

HOT: Othello, Royal Shakespeare Company, 291 Mare St Hackney E8 1EJ

The Royal Shakespeare Company have taken their plays on tour to London, and the travelling troupe have landed at the Hackney Empire. In a city filled with beautifully restored theatres, the Empire is still striking with its lofty gilded and ornate interior. However, in my view its traditional raised stage and far-away circle was not as effective as the RSC's own theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. And it is really far away from any useful form of public transport to West or South London.

I've never seen Othello before, so before I start, let me just warn any other first-timers that they take a long time to die - 3.5 hours of intense Shakespearean text on a school night is a hard ask. I think it's a play that rewards deep and prolonged study, and a quick scan of Wikipedia on the tube doesn't begin to scratch the surface.

In this production, I thought the stand out performance was Antony Sher's as Iago, Othello's twisted and menacing Ancient. He did fluff his line a couple of times, but he was exciting to watch (Funnily enough I recognised him from The Factory's production of Hamlet, and had thought at the time that he was a talented out-of-work actor looking for a break while pulling pints.) On the other hand, I really disliked Othello. His spitting, drawling and rolling delivery was not just light and shade, but created unnecessary melodrama which distracted me from an already dramatic text.

The Finale: The Top Fives

It's really true. I'm about to board my one-way flight from London Heathrow, so this last post marks the end of LDN: HOT OR NOT.

Thanks for reading, agreeing and disagreeing with me for the last two years. As a final parting gift, here's a random list of Top Fives (off the top of my head):

Top five HOT London views

• Babylon at Kensington Roof Gardens
• National Portrait Gallery Restaurant
• Skylon at Royal Festival Hall
• Tate Modern Restaurant
• Along the canals of Little Venice

Top five NOTs where I've wanted to throw something

• Cy Twombly at Tate Modern
• Arbutus Restaurant
• sorting out ISA account balance transfers
• Daylesford Organic mail order
• Bertorelli, Covent Garden

Top five never-to-be-repeated HOT experiences

• Classical Brit Awards at Royal Albert Hall
• VIP at O2 Wireless Festival
• Glastonbury
• Guest Night at Gray's Inn
• Swan Lake at Royal Opera House

Top five HOT art

• Anthony Gormley at Hayward Gallery
• Henry Moore at Kew Gardens
• Conceptual art at Tate Modern
• National Gallery free tours
• Candlelight viewing of secret Hogarths at Sir John Soane's Museum

Top five NOTs where I had wished they'd just stop it, please

• Breakin' Boundaries at Roundhouse
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• The Walworth Farce at National Theatre
• Speed the Plow at Old Vic
• British Ambassador's Belly Dancer at Arcola Theatre

Top Five HOT cinema experiences

• Secret Cinema
• Anything at the Electric Cinema
• BFI Mediatheque
• The English Surgeon at the London Film Festival
• Paris, je t'aime at Odeon Whiteleys

Top five HOT moments which moved me to tears

• Spyski at Lyric Theatre
• Daniel Barenboim playing Beethoven's Appassionata
• War Horse at the National Theatre
• Karma Police, Radiohead, clear evening sky at Victoria Park
• Getting sweaty with my bestest buddies at Lucky Voice Karaoke

Top Five HOT unusual theatre experiences

• Helium at Barbican
• Contains Violence at Lyric Theatre
• Masque of the Red Death at Battersea Arts Centre
• Just To(o) Long at Battersea Arts Centre
• Hamlet at King's Head Theatre

And you want more gushing, eye-rolling and visceral hatred from Jetsetting Joyce, come and join me at MEL:HOT OR NOT.