All aboard for stage sensation

I'll be working my way back' to see the phenomenal Jersey Boys again when the musical comes to Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre early next year.

But for now I'll have to content myself with some great memories of my action-packed coach break to the capital, which included tickets for the West End show, a visit to Kew Gardens, afternoon tea at a top London hotel and a tour of the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House.

Jersey Boys is based around the lives of sixties pop legends Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Their songs are the classics we all grew up with, including Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man, Rag Doll, Let's Hang on, Bye Bye Baby, (yes, I thought it was the Bay City Rollers too), Working My Way Back to You and many, many others.

We arrived at Piccadilly Theatre in our posh frocks, having just enjoyed afternoon tea at The Waldorf, and settled down to enjoy the show with drinks delivered to our seats through a handy service called Ordertorium. What a great way to beat the queues to the bar. You can either download the free app and place an order on your phone or wave a menu in the air and someone will come and serve you.

Michael Watson has the perfect voice and stature to play Frankie and heads a strong cast. No wonder it has drawn stars like The Hoff and even the legendary Frankie Valli himself to see the show. It's a belter. The audience clearly thought so, giving the cast a standing ovation and even mobbing two of the boys – Frankie and Bob at the stage door.

It had been a busy day. First stop was the world-famous Kew Gardens. Being on a coach was a bonus because we were dropped at the door which was good because it was raining heavily.

Kew is a world leader in plant science and conservation and the sheer size of the place was amazing.

It was too wet for the treetop walkway. Instead we toured the vast site on the Kew Explorer land train. I never knew there were so many variety of trees.

Our accommodation during our two-night stay was at Tower Hotel which overlooks Tower Bridge from where there are great views of The Shard and the Tower of London. It's a good location, being only a two-minute stroll from St Katharine Docks where there are dozens of restaurants, pubs and cafes.

If you like your breaks to be stress-free, coach trips are just the ticket. On our journey from Tower Bridge that morning we were caught up in a jam but the driver's local knowledge meant he did a clever detour and still arrived on schedule. Coach holidays are good value for money too as operators can offer packages that we would struggle to match by ourselves.

Our final stop was a tour of the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasting House at Portland Place. The sun was shining and I really enjoyed the 45-minute journey through the City and into the West End. The seats were comfortable and panoramic windows provided bird's eye views. Being so high up, it was probably the most I have ever seen of London in one go. We saw where the Great Fire of London started, the Millennium Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral, which was looking fabulous since its spruce-up. I felt I was really starting to orientate myself and getting to know London a bit better.

The BBC tour includes plenty of fun, hands-on stuff, including the chance to read the news and make a short radio play, complete with sound effects. Through floor length windows we watched journalists at work in the state-of-the-art newsroom and visited The One Show studio, taking it in turns to sit on the famous sofa. We even spotted the odd celebrity, including Fiona Bruce filming outside. It was a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of a much-loved British institution.

Travel facts

Elcock Reisen of Dawley, Telford, have a trip to London for the Lord Mayor's Parade, including 1 night B&B staying in Kensington for £199pp departing November 6; www.elcockreisen.co.uk, 01952 255560 and Owens of Oswestry has a 2-night London break departing December 4 from £215, 01691 652126 www.owenstravel.co.uk;

The Kew Explorer land train costs £4.50 for adults (£1.50 children) visit www.kew.org about admission prices.

To book a BBC tour visit www.bbc.co.uk