People

The BBC's UN correspondent Laura Trevelyan has published a book about her family, A Very British Family. The Trevelyans are unique in British social and political history: for several generations they dedicated themselves to the service and chronicling of their country. Laura, the great-grandaughter of the historian GM Trevelyan, dispassionately explores the lives and achievements of her family. She launched the book in London and Wallington Hall, Northumberland, which the family owned before they gave it to the National Trust.

Just to prove that age is no barrier to (alleged) bad behaviour for musicians, the 73-year-old country star Willie Nelson has been charged with possession of drugs after his tour bus was stopped in the US. State police said the charges resulted from an early morning vehicle inspection on the Louisiana highway. A search of the bus produced 1.5lb of marijuana and 10 grams of narcotic mushrooms. Nelson recorded the songs On the Road Again and Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys. Four other people were also charged and later released.

After playing Myra Hindley in ITV's See No Evil and Veronica in the Channel 4 comedy series Shameless, actor Maxine Peake said it was a relief to get rid of her trademark bleached blonde hair so she could move physically away from those roles. Sporting a new, mousier look, she was almost unrecognisable at the Royal Exchange Theatre's playwright awards. She stressed the importance of the competition, adding that there should be more events to encourage young writers and nurture talent. Also at the awards were film stars Sir Tom Courtenay
Pete Postlethwaite and actor turned director Kathy Burke. Postlethwaite said: "You've got to listen to the youth, they'll tell us where we're going - not the oldies. Apart from Shakespeare, of course." The judges included the Oscar-winning actor Brenda Blethyn and National Theatre director Nicholas Hytner. The winner was 25-year-old Ben Musgrave for Pretend You Have Big Buildings, which will be produced at the theatre at next year's Manchester International Festival.

More on the festival - the musician Damon Albarn, of the enduringly popular animated band Gorillaz, has written a musical score for Monkey: Journey to the West - a new circus production based on the Chinese literary classic. The visual setting is designed by artist Jamie Hewlett, who also worked on Gorillaz. Monkey will be premiered at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, as part of next June's festival and will feature Shaolin Monks and singers from the Peking Opera. Tickets go on sale next month for the 12 performances.