BBC Four, 27 Nov 2008, 21:00

An amazing journey in Norway's Far North as Joanna Lumley pursues a lifelong dream to track down the elusive, stunningly beautiful Northern Lights - 'the true wonder of the world,' as she puts it.

Joanna grew up in tropical Malaysia, and as a little girl never saw snow or felt cold. Inspired by fairytales and picture books, she always longed to make the journey north. At last she travels north across the Arctic Circle, up through Norway to Svalbard, the most northerly permanently inhabited place on Earth, where she has to cope with temperatures approaching minus 30 deg C.

With a box of crayons in hand, her journey takes her from train to boat, to husky-sled, to snowmobile, as she is pulled ever northwards by what she calls 'the strongest point of the compass'. She explores the romantic fjords of Lofoten and learns to ride a snowmobile, speeding across endless expanses of Lapland tundra with a Sami herdsman in search of his reindeer. As she reaches the Arctic Ocean, she prepares for bed in a hotel made entirely of ice. Everywhere she goes, she asks about the mysterious Northern Lights.

St Lucia's Day, 13 December, is celebrated throughout Scandinavia with a children's candlelit procession to church and a carol service. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lucia_Day for details.

Every year, the Swedish Consul in Birmingham arranges a service at St Philip's Cathedral (off Colmore Row) for the local Scandinavian community. This year, it's at 18.00 on Monday 15 December - after the end of term, so there are no classes at the Brasshouse.

If anyone would like to attend (with or without family), please contact John Bennison (via Kontakt Oss on the menu) with your first name and surname, which norsk/svensk class you attend and the number of people in your party, and he will arrange for the Consul to send an invitation.