Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really nice couple of week’s. Mine have been fairly quiet and relaxing. Well it has been Christmas. I occasionally do take it easy and not do too much. That said I was working Christmas Eve night for the BBC. I finished at around 8.30am on Christmas Day.

I then headed straight to my parents. I got there at about 9.45am. When I walked in my Dad was already cooking the fried breakfast. You have no idea how amazing it smelt. And despite having been up all night. It woke me up instantly. This is how we always start every Christmas Day.

After we had finished breakfast. It was time to open our presents to each other. Now to avoid any awkwardness and unwanted gifts. We do have a very direct way of dealing with this. We all write a list saying what we would like. Which then gets passed around to other members of the family.

So we all pick what we buy from this list. The benefit of this is you tend to get what you want. The downside of this is that there are rarely any surprises during the unwrapping process.

I was really lucky this year and got everything on my list. I did not ask for too much, I promise. I got a really good electric toothbrush. As recommend by my dentist. A Star Wars T-shirt. Which by the way is really cool and features all the original main characters on it. Which of course sadly became more poignant over the festive period.

I also received two new Tottenham Hotspur T-shirts, a chocolate Santa, a racing post diary and courtesy of my dad a Calendar. Which features a different picture of him and my mum every month. Which great and individual though it is. I can confirm that was not on my original wish list. And to think that last year, I had a Kylie Minogue one.

Next on Christmas Day it was the traditional lunch time trip to the pub. To have a few drinks with some of my Uncle’s and Cousin’s. I have been doing this every year since I was legally old enough to drink. So let us just say I have been following this ritual for a good many years now. It was good fun as always.

I then returned to my parents opened a nice bottle of red wine and settled in for the rest of the day. We had decided to have a later dinner than usual. So we spent the afternoon chatting and watching some television. Which did include seeing The Queen’s Speech, of course.

My dad cooked the food this year, ably assisted by me. Well I peeled the potatoes and cut up the parsnips at least. So I am pretty sure that makes me a Sous- Chef. Have to say dinner was great. A traditional turkey meal with all the trimmings. In fact my parents ordered such a huge bird. I believe they have only just finished using it for their Sandwiches.

The pudding was toffee cheesecake selected by me. But supplied and made by a big supermarket chain. It finished things off very nicely. And did also go very well with the red wine, I was still drinking.

After dinner we returned to the living room to watch Dr Who and the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special. Both of which were excellent. Now my parents have a home karaoke machine. Which is always set up and ready to go at a moments notice. So my dad and sister decided to fire it up and do a few songs each. This was around 8pm.

Now bearing in mind I had been awake since around 9am on Christmas Eve. I will be honest. I was starting to flag a little bit by now. And was drifting off in my chair. Which I must add was no reflection on their performance. So after around an hour. I called it quits and headed off to bed. After a really nice traditional family Christmas Day.

Boxing Day and the Christmas Bank Holiday the day after followed a pretty similar pattern. With lots of nice food, good company and a few drinks. So basically I had a very nice festive period. During which I managed to catch up with friends and family, exchange gifts and have a good laugh.

I caught up with some mates in a coffee shop on Christmas Eve morning. For a get together over a cup of tea and some cakes. How times have changed. A few years ago this would have been later in the day and involved a few pints. But we are more grown up and responsible now. Well the three friends I was with are anyway.

There was one other present I received that I did not mention earlier. I got given Bruce Springsteen’s Book Born to Run. Which was something that I had very much asked for. I have seen The Boss and the E-Street Band play live twice. Both times they were out of this world. I am a fan of the man and his music. So therefore I am really enjoying reading this book.

You know how he writes intriguing and heart felt real song lyrics. Well he has written it in that same style. He is very honest and open about his upbringing, his family and the area that he grew up in. It actually also gives you a very good idea, as to what that part of America was like at that time to.

Although I have only read the first five chapters so far. It does highlight the fact. That we are all what we are from what we experienced, when we were growing up. The interactions with family members. The people we went to school with and were taught by. All seem to have some influence on the way you develop, your mind set, motivations and to degree your own character. And your desire to succeed.

Certainly with Bruce, things that happened in his childhood helped shape things like his work ethic and the desire to better himself and improve his life. I am looking forward to finding out how he made it in the world of music. And how he has stayed at the top of his game for so long. It is an excellent read, so far.

Now I mentioned this the other month and advised you to watch it. And I very much hope you did. I am talking about “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” by the genius Mischief Theatre Company. A specially recorded version featuring David Suchet as the guest star was shown on BBC 1 on New Year’s Eve. And just like all their other plays that I have seen. It was brilliant.

They have a very unique and perfectly honed style. With their shows just becoming more and more chaotic in so many different and clever ways. They perform the shows themselves. As well as writing them. The whole cast is so talented and great together. They are possibly the hardest working group of actors, I know. The comedy they do is often physical and very demanding.

I thought Peter Pan Goes Wrong was hilarious and brilliant. Plus because I have seen their other two shows on in London. The Play That Goes Wrong and Comedy About A Bank Robbery. I have seen the whole cast perform live. And feel like I kind of know them all. Which made it even better seeing them on my television. I thought Nancy Zamit was brilliant. I noticed it when I saw their last play in the West End. But as well as being naturally very funny. She does have a sensational singing voice.

It reminded me of old style fun, silly and crazy variety. And for me it was possibly the best thing on over the entire festive season. Their original show The Play That Goes Wrong is heading to Broadway this year with the original London cast. So I wish them all the best for their American adventure. They are going to go down a storm there, I reckon.

The only other thing I watched on television over Christmas and New Year. Which is something I have to see every year. Was some classic moments of the best comedy double act ever Morecambe and Wise. They always have so many tribute programmes in their honour every year. And they never fail to make me laugh out loud.

Even though I have seen the sketches and bits so many times. For example Eric Morecambe advising the ambulance going past is not going to sell many ice-creams going at that speed. Is never not going to be funny. They were geniuses and I could watch them all day long.

It was a good Christmas and New Year period for my football team Tottenham Hotspur. We had a couple of decent wins, scored some good goals and played some nice football. Which as a supporter I think is pretty much all you can ask. It looks like we should be making another decent challenge to try to finish in the top four in the League. To try to get into the Champions League again.

Although we have already been knocked out of that this time round. We are still in the Europa League and still playing our home games at Wembley. So I am not ruling out another trip to the national stadium to see Spurs play in the next month or so.

Over the years I have worked a lot of New Year’s Eve’s mainly dj’ing at Private Parties. And once again I finished the last year and started this, while at work. I was working through the night at the BBC. Although luckily I was actually on a break around midnight. And thanks to a chance meeting with another colleague. I ended up finding a nice vantage point at Broadcasting House. From where I could watch the fireworks display on the South Bank taking place around the London Eye.

So I saw out 2016 and welcomed in 2017 on a famous roof. Enjoying a great view of the Capital. While taking in what I thought was a brilliant show. The fireworks looked stunning. And I really think we gave Sydney a run for their money this year in the fireworks stakes. It was I think one of the strangest most memorable places that I had seen in the New Year. May I wish you a very happy New Year. I hope you have a fun and interesting 2017.

I gave up making any new year’s resolutions decades ago. I decided that if you want to change something in your life. Why wait for a specific time and excuse, just do it. If it is the right thing to do for you. I do like to think of things that I might like to do or achieve in the next twelve months.

This year I would like to return to doing a bit more stand up comedy. I have got the taste for it again after my performance at my birthday party. I would also like to host some more live events. So I will be looking at a few options in that area. And putting out a few feelers.

It has also been far too long since I presented a live radio show. So that is something that I would really like to do again in 2017. Not so worried about having my own regular daily show again. But if I could get back behind the mic and do a few programmes here and there. That would be pretty good.

I also want to do a bit more travelling. And get to a few more places on my to see and visit list. But mostly I just want to be healthy, happy and to have a good laugh. You never know what exciting and new opportunities are around the corner. That is the beauty of life.

Have fun and we will catch up again in a couple of weeks. Happy New Year. Cheers Neil.