ARTS / And what's more . . .

Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame is looking for a London theatre to house his one-man Broadway hit A Christmas Carol - tickets (27 Dec-9 Jan) on 071-497 9977 . . . If the Society of Crime Authors' judges thought there was no work of sufficient quality to justify awarding the John Creasey prize, why were three books shortlisted? . . . Channel Four has bought the Cheers spin-off Frazier, the sci-fi hit Babylon, the top sitcom Home Improvement and Steve Bochco's controversial cop show NYPD - expect them spring / summer 1994 . . . Video sales of Disney's Beauty and the Beast have broken all UK records, shipping 2.2 million units in 20 days . . . Actor Brian Blessed has failed to reach the top of Everest, quitting at 26,000ft . . .