Hello again, I hope all is good and that you have had an enjoyable couple of weeks. Mine have been busy as ever with lots of exciting things going on. Since we spoke last we have had the arrival of the new Royal Baby. An event which somehow led to lots of people all camping outside a hospital waiting for the baby to arrive. I know of occasions in the past when even the dad has not been there for the birth let alone a couple of hundred people outside, who do not even know the couple personally. Congratulations to Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge and welcome to the world Prince George. I must admit I did wonder if they might include Spencer somewhere in all the middle names as a tribute to Diana but I think that there is a special list of Royal names you have to use and that one would not have been on the list I guess. Finally I have got a lot of respect for the way they both came out and spoke to the media, while waving to the people also waiting outside the hospital.  I thought they spent a lot longer doing that than they needed to. And fair play to Prince William for fitting the car seat in the back and then driving his wife and new born home to the Palace himself.

I had a rare day off the other Sunday and as the weather was good me and a friend went and spent the afternoon in Marlow. I always like to go there during the summer. It is great to walk along the river and it is usually busy with lots going on. We did take a football with us. So I had a bit of a kick around in the park down by the river and got to show off some of my football skills that I perfected as a kid. For the record I have still got it. Overlooking the park where I go, there is the statue of Marlow’s five times Olympic Gold Medal Winner Sir Steve Redgrave, depicting him holding an oar and in all his rowing gear. It looks great but personally I hope that if I am ever lucky enough to have a statue of me somewhere, that I am not wearing Lycra. It works for him but I am not sure it would be such a good a look for me. I was lucky enough to meet and help interview Sir Steve Redgrave with a colleague once at the Judges Lodgings in Aylesbury at a Buckinghamshire Sports Awards night. He was absolutely lovely and a very inspirational person to talk to.  And just in case you are wondering he is very much a giant in real life in every sense of the word.

So the Ashes series continues with England two test’s up and trying to hopefully win the whole series with two matches still left to play, which would be a fantastic achievement if they can manage to pull it off. Now I will be honest I am not a big cricketer myself but I did actually play in a Celebrity Cricket Match once. When I was working at a radio station in Somerset. The team featured me, the local bishop, the MP Oliver Letwin, a Mick Jagger lookalike called Mick Jogger and our team captain the celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Some of the highlights of the afternoon included the right honourable Oliver Letwin offering to let me borrow his box while I was in bat. I politely declined his very kind offer though. Hugh and I sharing cream teas together, which was a little awkward as they did not have any spoons, so we both had to use the butter knife to put sugar in our tea’s and stir them. Fair play to Mick Jogger as he stayed in character the whole time and even came out to bat wearing his sunglasses. If I am honest I did not really contribute too much towards the teams performance.  I didn’t score any runs, didn’t bowl any overs, nor did I take any catches either. I stayed in bat for just three overs and one of them was from the organisers fourteen year old daughter. Hugh I have to say is an excellent cricketer. He scored runs as a batsman and took wickets as a bowler.  My team did win the match. Although that was largely due to the former West Indies Under  21 international we had playing for us. He was amazing. At the end of the game you could see the gulf in celebrity status between me and Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall. He was filming a TV series at the time and had something important to do early the next day up the other end of the country.  So before the game had even finished a helicopter landed in the field next door and Hugh ran straight from the field of play and got in it. He then flew off, circling us once so he could give us a final wave. I finished the game stayed for a drink and got a lift home with my boss in the radio station outside broadcast Land Rover, that we were using to cover the event during the afternoon. It was a good fun day out and have to say I really did enjoy it. But it is fair and accurate to say I have not played cricket since.

Here is a link for the pre game paper report http://www.yeovilexpress.co.uk/archive/2006/07/19/839720.Celebrities_stump_up_charity_cash/

Here is a link for the post game paper report http://www.yeovilexpress.co.uk/archive/2006/07/26/849356.I_m_a_celebrity__don_t_get_me_out_of_here_/

Here is a link for the game with some added pictures  http://www.kaaboom.com/cricket/

I was watching This Morning last Friday when I was delighted to see the brilliant Nigel Mitchell hosting the Hub section of the show. I have been for a drink with him as he is really good mates with one of my former radio colleagues. He is a really nice guy and very good at his job. So it was great to see him presenting on ITV with Jamie Theakston and Emma Bunton. He used to present the Disney Club and work for Nickelodeon TV.  So as you can imagine he has some fantastic stories about some of the bands and singers he has interviewed over they years. Do keep an eye out for him popping up again on your TV screens again soon.

Talking of TV Presenters if you ever go to Windsor keep an eye out for a very special phone box opposite Windsor Castle that has been painted by Timmy Mallett. He painted it last year for the Jubilee celebrations and it features the Queen, Prince Harry, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge but this week in the pram behind the Princess he added the new addition to the family Prince George. It is a really clever piece of work and a good fun tourist attraction  Timmy is a very talented artist. He has sold lots of his paintings and holds regular exhibitions. I have had the pleasure of meeting him on a couple of occasions. And he is exactly the same as he is on the television and how you would expect him to be lively and excitable but so friendly and a really fantastic guy to talk to. A really top fella.

Due to other commitments there has been a slight delay to the short film project I am involved with. However the good news is that this month I should be finally filming my cameo appearance for it. I have learnt all my lines and I am completely ready for it. I am just waiting to find out what day I will be required on set. It is still hoped that it will be released by the end of the year. I am also working on another couple of potential appearances in other TV and film projects including a comedy written by a former Eastender! As always I will tell you more, when I know more about it myself.

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

Hi there, how are things with you? I hope you have been enjoying the glorious weather we have been experiencing. I was surprised to hear on the news this has been the longest spell of continuous warm weather we have had since 2006. It doesn’t seem like that long ago to me I must have a very selective memory or I always just think it is sunny. Not bad at all though is it considering the experts from the Met Office were warning us not to expect too much of a summer this year. They are about as good at predicting the weather as I am at predicting the winning lotto numbers.

I have now recovered from working at the Henley Regatta with Regatta Radio. It was the first time I had ever been to the event and I definitely would recommend it to anyone. The atmosphere, the people you meet, the athleticism and determination of the rowers and the overall excitement makes it such a fun occasion to be at . I was very busy mainly producing highlight packages of the hugely exciting races that were regularly powering down the Thames. While also helping to produce live programmes from backstage at the event during any breaks from the action. During these were heard from Olympic champions and fashion experts alike. I have to say there were certainly some very interesting looks on display. Rowers tend to wear colourful blazers and colourful trousers when they are not on the water.  They also had on moored outside the boat houses the special rowing boat that was built especially for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations last year.  Which led the procession down the Thames in London the “Gloriana” which just looked stunning. If you would like to check out some of the race highlights and relive some of the excitement from this year follow this link  http://www.regattaradio.co.uk/audio_year/2012/

I have also been doing quite a bit of work on my comedy stuff recently including with my sitcom pilot. I have been holding some more interesting conversations with a couple of production companies about moving the project forward. And I have also been doing a bit of writing for a new project that I am just starting working on. But that is in the very early planning stages.  I am still doing a bit of stand up comedy when I can. The other Friday I performed at a Charity Comedy Night at the Essendon Country Club with some of the other comedians who I met through the Tringe Comedy Course I did last summer. It was a really fun evening catching up with everyone, getting some nice food (including the most up market sausage rolls I had ever seen) and more importantly raising lots of money for some excellent causes. I am currently in the process of booking up a few more gigs towards the end of this year, which I will announce in the next month or so.

Now I was still at the Henley Regatta working during the Wimbledon Men’s final this year but I did keep up to date with events from Centre Court and watched the highlights when I got in. I  would like to congratulate Andy Murray on being the first British Wimbledon men’s Singles Champion since Fred Perry in 1936. I have to be honest that at one point during his career I was sometimes a little critical of the Scottish youngster on more than a few occasions.  Although not of his undoubted tennis ability but the way he sounded in interviews. It used to be impossible to tell if he had won or lost by the tone of his voice. He never sounded excited or like he had any emotions at all about the game. Which I did not find very inspiring or motivating. I do think now that he does have a very good dry sense of humour. Which at that early stage of his career nobody really knew about back then. So some things that he said may have been taken the wrong way or out of context. In the last couple of years he has really opened himself up to the media and we have had the chance to witness this great sense of humour that all of his friends kept telling us he had. After losing last year in the final the tears and emotion that he showed finally let us see that he did want to win it badly and was not just a robot. Then couple that with the Olympic Gold last year. Which I think gained him even more support across the UK and finally made be really want him to win it and made me think that he actually could. We know now he has given up so much, he works so hard every day. And has that he has had to deal with the weight and expectation of the whole country on his shoulders since he was a teenager. So that is why I was delighted to see him do it. I was genuinely really happy for him and hope he goes on to dominate the tournament and tennis for the next couple of years. Plus the amount of earnings he has donated to the Cancer Centre that is treating one of his best mate’s deserves a place on the honours list itself. Let alone for his sporting achievements. Well done Andy!

I use to play a bit of tennis as a teenager normally around the time Wimbledon was on. I still have the racket I bought but it does age me slightly, I have an Andre Agassi one. The last time I played was a couple of years ago, but the mate who I kept beating decided that he could not play anymore because he had a bad back. I just think it was because who knew he could never beat me.

It really is an amazing summer of sport this year already. Last weekend saw the exciting climax of the first Ashes test against Australia at Trent Bridge. It all rested on the final day and with England needing just one wicket and Australia needing around thirty runs to win the umpires called for the lunch break. This situation then helped to remind me what I love about Twitter and why I so enjoy using it. Having just posted some light hearted joke tweets about giving the Australian’s a big and stodgy dinner. This then led to me having a bit of fun banter with a guy in Australia about Stuart Broad’s involvement in the game and the match in general. We did not know each other yet we were supporting our countries, while having a bit of a laugh from opposite sides of the world. For me that is exactly what the social networking site should be. Friendly and fun!

Other Twitter highlights from the last fortnight include getting some personal health and fitness advice from the former Olympic swimmer Sharon Davies about how to balance enjoying yourself at the weekend with staying fit and healthy. I also managed to grab a quick chat with England Women’s International Striker Ellen White, as she was trying to fire the Lionesses to victory in the Euro 2013 Championships in Sweden. Unfortunately that did not quite go to plan. But I wish Ellen and the team all the best for this season.

I am really looking forward to working with my old mate Dez Kay at the Radio Rocks concert in aid of Stoke Mandeville Hospital on Sunday 11th August at the Westcott Sports and Social Club. I am going to be doing a bit of hosting and a little bit of comedy. There is a whole host of great local bands and singers performing including Frowser, Paul Adams, Nickita, El Bronson and the Sonny Waters band. The headline act is Brian “Nasher” Nash from Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Tickets are available now. So if you are about why not come along and have some fun with us.  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151463390646780&set=a.10151136456641780.431936.557116779&type=1&theater

For the next few weeks at least I am pleased to reveal that I will be working with the FA at Wembley Stadium assisting with their Tours Organisation. It is going to be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to being at the home of English Football for a time.

Have fun and we will catch up in a couple of weeks. Cheers Neil.

Hello again, I hope all is good and that you had an enjoyable couple of weeks. Mine have been as ever busy and pretty varied. I was due to meet up for a cup of tea with a mate of mine the other week. When I received a phone call from him apologising for the fact that he would not be round to see me as he had in his words “just done something really stupid”. When I pressed him on this matter I found out that he had put unleaded petrol in his diesel vehicle. A vehicle he has had for over six months I would like to add at this stage. Initially he was told his breakdown service provider would send their mobile fuel removal unit. Which for them to actually have one of these suggests this sort of thing happens more often than I realised. But he would have had to wait over two hours for that to arrive. So instead he got towed to a local garage, who managed to deal with the issue shall we say. An annoying mistake that cost him time and money he wasn’t expecting to lose and most importantly lost him the chance to share a cup of tea or two with me. His loss. I phoned another mate of ours with the intention of making fun of my friends predicament, until he pointed out very early on he couldn’t really make fun of him because he had done the same thing once! I am now wondering if I am one of the few people in the country who has not put the wrong fuel in a car.

There was so much going on last weekend event wise it was insane with Robbie Williams playing Wembley Stadium, Bruce Springsteen playing the Olympic Park, Wimbledon continuing, the British Grand Prix and of course Glastonbury. I watched quite a bit of it on television really wishing I was there up to the point where the music finished and I could just go upstairs to my comfy bed rather than sleeping in a tent. Having been before it is an amazing event and still worth a few days roughing it in a sleeping bag to be part of the fun and the madness. Highlights for me included Nile Rogers and Chic, Primal Scream and the Artic Monkey’s, who I saw last timed they headlined at Glastonbury. I did enjoy seeing Kenny Rogers performance in the Sunday afternoon slot that during my times at the festival I have seen Shirley Bassey and Neil Diamond play in. It is just the perfect sort of thing for that time in the weekend. No exception this year with thousands of people singing along with and swaying to the seventy-five year old Country & Western Star. Where else in the world would you get that other that Glastonbury. I thought the Rolling Stones were excellent and showed why they are arguably the best and coolest rock and roll band in the world. A great set full of hits, led by the worryingly energetic Mick Jagger and backed up by the coolest and most laid back guitarists in Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards. I know some people were less than complementary about them, but they are wrong and to slightly clean up and use a quote from the legend that is Danny Baker “I would like to see anyone who had a pop at The Stones still be that good at their jobs when they are seventy!

I mentioned this briefly earlier on but Bruce Springsteen was back playing Hard Rock Calling at the Olympic Park last Saturday. He and the E-Street Band played the whole of the Born in The USA album as well as many more of “The Boss’s” Hits. I was lucky enough to be in Hyde Park for last year’s Hard Rock event. When after playing for over three hours Bruce suddenly decides to bring Sir Paul McCartney out for the encore. Which has to be my greatest live concert moment ever. Even the fact that the concert was famously cut short when someone was actually brave enough to pull the plug while they were still playing it was still brilliant. It was a truly amazing evening and one that will live on in my memory for ever. Mainly for the shock, excitement and delight when the former Beatle appeared. Class.

Last Sunday it was the Tringe Festival Roving Comedy Night 2013 the event that now traditionally kicks off the three week comedy festival in Tring. And the arena where I made my stand up comedy debut last year. So this year I went along to support and enjoy this year’s trainees as they performed for the first time in public. It bought back so many great memories for me from my time doing it, the nerves, the excitement, the thrill and the buzz I got from completing those first four gigs and then the joy meeting up with all my fellow comedians at the end of the night to talk about our experiences of the evening. It was a lot more relaxing watching it rather then being involved in it if I am honest and despite being in it last year it was the first time I had actually been to it as an audience member. It was a great night. All the first time comedians did really well and it was brilliant to see Dominic Holland, Duncan Oakley, Silky and Tony Law play such intimate gigs. Basically it was just a very funny night. It was also good to catch up with some people who did the night with me last year including Tony Law who was the professional comedian I went round with and Silky who I gave a lift back to his hotel last year. He was on excellent form all night. Another person I was really pleased to be able to grab a chat with was the comedy guru himself Logan Murray who takes the eight week course that leads up to the Roving Comedy Night performance. He trains all of the comedians and as someone who did his course last year I would recommend it to anyone, great teacher and a very funny man. Well done to Ben Moorhouse who runs the Tringe Festival. Once again the line up for this year’s event is brilliant it is like a who’s who of comedy.

At the moment I am in the middle of working with the team at Regatta Radio helping them to cover the Henley Regatta in all it’s glory. We have a great team of commentators bringing the action to life. I am having a wonderful time being involved and working with everyone there. It is final’s day tomorrow, which I am really looking forward to. I think I am slowly becoming an expert on rowing you know. With the main thing I have learnt being that compared to these athletes I am really unfit. They have a love of early mornings and exercising well beyond the means of normal human beings to achieve their goals. Not only that but I have also discovered that I am to tall and to heavy to be a cox, so I can not even be the one who just sits there shouting instructions.

And finally just another quick reminder that I will be making an appearance at Radio Rocks on Sunday 11th August, which is an event raising money for Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio, where I started my broadcasting career. It will feature Brian “Nasher” Nash from Frankie Goes To Hollywood plus lots of fantastic bands and a bit of comedy to. If you fancy coming along for some good music and a good laugh then follow the link below for ticket details.
http://www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/8971/chk/5dfb

Have fun and we will speak again in a couple of weeks. Cheers Neil.

Hello again, how’s it going? The last two weeks have flown by with lots happening plus we have even had more than a fleeting appearance from that big bright yellow thing in the sky. Which has been a welcome sight after what seemed like the longest winter ever.

It has not only been the weather that has been improving recently. I also found out I was slightly richer than I expected. I was going through some old radio files and folders of mine last week when I came across seventy pounds in cash. I must have put it there at some point for a reason but I honestly can’t remember what that reason might have been. But this excitement instantly turned to concern as I noticed the notes in question were so old that they had been taken out of circulation some time ago. So I was then worried that they might actually be worthless. Thankfully after a quick check on the internet all was good again. Although I found out that they were definitely not legal tender.  I also discovered that they never actually lose their value and that the Bank of England have to exchange them plus High Street Banks can do so at their own discretion. So I went straight to my local bank who happily exchanged the notes for me for ones I could actually use. Giving me a nice seventy pound bonus that day. I am not sure how long the money had been hidden there but the two five pound notes included in the find became obsolete more than ten years ago. For the last seven days I have been searching the house to try and find out where else I may have stored cash in the past.

I spent another great day at Wembley Stadium last weekend, including quite a bit of time just hanging around in the England Dressing Room and The Royal Box, as you do. And I can tell you those 107 steps from the pitch to the box must be a tough walk after you have lost a game there. I found them hard enough without even having actually played a match. While I was there they were getting ready for the host of Summer Concerts to be held at the Stadium including performances from Robbie Williams and Bruce Springsteen both of whom I wouldn’t mind seeing. I have seen them both live a couple of times before and they are truly amazing live performers, who really do put on great shows. The International Poker Stadium Tour was also taking place while I was there. With the players competing in massive domes on the pitch with each one being named after a different footballer so one of them was called the Beckham Room for example. Looking at the prize money that was on offer I am thinking of taking up the game and trying to get good at it very quickly. I will be doing some work with the FA and Wembley over the summer, which I am really looking forward to. It should be a lot of fun.

I have to confess I am partial to a nice day or evening at the races. Last Monday I went to Windsor Races with my parents to celebrate my Dad’s birthday, his idea not mine. Though I did applaud his choice of treat, mind you that was all the clapping I did all night. It is a lovely little course and a really fun, friendly and exciting evening out, plus it does serve some exceptionally nice Fish & Chips. Which I enjoyed before the first race as I do not like to gamble on an empty stomach. I have no idea about form, how to spot a good horse or anything like that I simply pick the name I like and go from there really. I like going to the bookies closest to the track once I have picked a horse. As I do like moving between them to try and get the best odds on it. Which to be fair is normally difficult as they have good communication between them and normally are all offering the same. I did not have any winners but it was still a good fun evening out. And just to prove that I am not completely rubbish I did manage to pick the Derby Winner at Epsom last Saturday. Thanks to “Ruler of the World” for bringing me in a few quid. I saw the winning jockey Ryan Moore at Windsor but I didn’t get the chance to shake his hand and thank him personally.

I have not done too many live DJ gigs recently but the other Sunday’s I dusted off my CD’s and did the disco at my second cousin’s sons Christening, which was great fun. Family events are always entertaining as you do get very well supplied with drinks but you also do get a more direct approach when it comes to requesting songs or giving you feedback on the songs you are playing. It all went well so do not fear I have still got it. It was nice to get back behind the mixing desk and get a crowd going. I have got a few more gigs lined up for later in the year to look forward to.

I went on a midweek road trip down to the West Country to have a couple of meetings about potential future projects with the BBC. The sun was shinning and the traffic was not to bad, so it was actually quite a nice and relaxing cruise up and down the M4. I went to BBC Bristol first, which I have to say is a very impressive building from the outside and the inside. Not only that but a really friendly place to visit to. It was a very useful and productive meeting but I am not sure what the final outcome may be at this stage. Then from there it was off to Swindon to meet a few more people at BBC Wiltshire, once again to talk about some upcoming opportunities.

On my way back from Swindon I popped in to see a mate, his wife and their one year old son. When I arrived we went straight into their garden to enjoy the sunshine and I found myself playing a bit of football and messing about in the sand pit with the little lad, not my mate. Which bearing in mind I do not have kids myself was something I was not really used to, but I think I coped with it alright. We then went inside for a bit and his son ended up holding my hand and walking with me up and down the living room for a bit. Later on I found out that he will not normally even let his mum or dad hold his hand and walk with him. So I am not sure if that means I am welcome back there in the future of not. Or if I am now on the potential baby sitter list. Once the little one had gone to bed my friend then fired up the BBQ. Which was the first one I have had this year. Burgers and sausages just seem to taste so much better when cooked outside on charcoal for some unexplainable reason. Fingers crossed that will be the first of many this summer.

It’s the final of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent tonight.  I have to confess I have been watching this series and I worryingly also have to confess that I tend to agree with Simon Cowell’s comments and judgements a lot of the time. Although the show does discover some very talented performers. I think their focus is more on making a great TV show than worrying about new talent too much. Which I think can be the only explanation how some of the acts that made it to the semi finals, did so. The other danger is that it seems to be becoming more of a singing show, with the occasional dance group thrown in. It never seems to have enough different variety acts in it for me. I know there are plenty of good ones in the UK, so I guess they probably must be put off by the shows format. And by the fact that the people who generally vote and a lot of the judges do not seem that keen on real variety acts. For that reason I would like to see Attraction, the impressionist or the young comedian win this year but suspect it will be either a singing or dancing act still. That said I will still very much be watching the final and enjoying it for what it is good light hearted entertainment hosted brilliantly by Ant & Dec.

I am really looking forward to being involved with Regatta Radio this year at The Henley Regatta. I will be working onsite there between the 3rd and 7th July. Helping to produce their coverage of all the boat races and interviews as well as bringing a flavour of the event to the airwaves. It will be great to get such a close behind the scenes look at this huge traditional annual event.

And finally tickets are now on sale for the Stoke Mandeville Hospital Fundraiser in August that I will be making an appearance at to do a bit of hosting. The Radio Rocks Music Festival is taking place at the Westcott Sports and Social Club on Sunday 11th August. For more details just click on this link http://www.tickettailor.com/checkout/view-event/id/8971/chk/5dfb

Have fun and we will speak again in a fortnight. Cheers Neil.