Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. I have had a very busy fortnight doing a whole variety of fun and exciting stuff. Most of which have actually just revolved around either comedy or sport. Last week it was Royal Ascot, which although unfortunately I did not actually get to go to this year. I was a very keen observer of it on the television. Being a fan of horse racing, it was a must watch for me. Credit to Clare Balding and the rest of the Channel 4 racing team who do a brilliant job with their coverage of the event. I really do like the fact that the Queen is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her horse racing. Although I am a little bit jealous that she does not have to face the daily scrum at Ascot train station. And instead gets a horse drawn carriage to the racecourse from her house just around the corner. I would love to have a fanfare played just before I arrive anywhere. During this event you can gamble on pretty much everything. Every day of the meeting most book makers were taking bets on what colour outfit the Queen would wear to the races that day. This is just one of the very many reasons why our country is great. Just for the record. As I have no fashion sense and completely no idea what colours are in this season. I stuck to putting my money solely on the horses, with it is fair to say mixed results.

A couple of Sunday’s ago I went to watch the recording of a brand new BBC radio comedy sitcom pilot called Friends on Benefits written by stand up comedian and writer Lloyd Langford. It starred Lloyd alongside his mate and fellow TV comedian Jon Richardson. Now as it was actually a nice, warm and sunny day in London I managed to meet a former boss of mine for a few drinks on the South Bank by the river during the afternoon. As you would expect it was packed and the atmosphere down there was great. As soon as we have a day off and the sun is shinning. We do all like to make an effort to get outside and enjoy it don’t we? Which looking at how the weather has been since. It appears to have been a very good decision by everybody who was out that day. After chilling out by the Thames. I then made my way to the BBC Radio Theatre at New Broadcasting House for the recording. On arrival they always allow you to relax in the BBC Cafe before you are called through to your seats. From the cafe you can actually look down into the newsroom and see all the journalists at their desks working away, preparing the stories for the evening news. I do always find it strangely therapeutic watching people working hard. While I am just sitting down having a drink and relaxing.

Then around thirty minutes before the recording was due to start we were called into the theatre and led to our seats. Which for me happened to be right in the middle of the front row. So to say I had an excellent view of the proceedings is an understatement. I did really enjoy being that close. It really made me feel part of things. Like my laughter and applause were an important part of the show. Lloyd Langford and Jon Richardson played the main two characters in the show but they were joined by a few others to make up the cast including Eastender Nina Wadia and the comedian Tony Law. I enjoyed the whole experience from a nervous Lloyd coming out to the stage to explain a little bit about the show he had written. And then introduce all the cast members in turn. At one point getting one of their biographies a bit wrong claiming they had been in a hit TV show that they hadn’t. All of which added to the fun and the whole atmosphere. I thought the sitcom itself was very funny with some great and very clever jokes in it. So what happens at these recording is this. They do the whole episode straight through in one go. Then the producer comes on to the stage to request any retakes, that are required from the cast. And sometimes a few different variations of certain jokes. Just in case the original ones do not make it past the lawyers. I am not sure as yet when this will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra but I would advise you to keep an eye out for it and give it a listen. It was yet another very enjoyable trip to the BBC Radio Theatre. Who does not like to end the day laughing at brand new comedy.

I mentioned Tony Law a moment ago. It was really good to see him again. He was the headline act I worked with when I made my stand up comedy debut at the Tringe Festival two years ago. We did four gigs together that night in four different venues in Tring. As we were walking between gigs I got to chat to him and ask him about the art of stand up comedy. He was really nice and helpful and gave me lots of very good and useful advice. Plus the chance to get to watch him close up in action four times in a row performing to the same audience I had was an invaluable experience. The way he grabbed hold of the audience from the second he walked on to the stage was a master class in stage presence. He was also very funny and good during the sitcom recording. In situations when he was performing with the script and when he was just messing about in between the recording. Tony Law is back performing at the Tringe Festival again this year headlining the Comedy Marathon on Sunday 13th July. The comedy festival kicks off on Sunday 29th June with the Roving Comedy Night. I am hoping to be able to get along to this event. To see the brand new crop of trainee comedians in action. And to catch up with some familiar faces like Ben Moorhouse and Logan Murray. I am working on a couple of potential comedy projects of my own for later in the year. Which if they come off could be very exciting.

So owing to the fact that Dads can sometimes be difficult to buy for. This year for Father’s Day I decided to organise a tour around Wembley Stadium for my dad, mum and sister. So we could celebrate the special day as a family and so my dad could do something that he had not done before. That I thought he would enjoy. As a child my dad had taken me to the old Wembley a few times to see a couple of England matches and to both of Wycombe Wanderers FA Trophy victories under Martin O’Neill. So as he had not even been to the new stadium. I thought it was time to return the favour and take him along to see it. With me having done a lot of work at Wembley this year. The surroundings were pretty familiar to me. But it was fun to see the families reaction as they got to go in to the Press Conference Room, the England Changing Room and the players tunnel. Before walking up the famous one hundred and seven steps to the Royal Box. There was then a nice family picture taken with the FA Cup. After a few more facts and figures the tour ended. Then we ended up having a look around the stadium store before heading home. My dad enjoyed the experience and now after having a look around the place. He has decided that he would not mind watching an England match there. So at least that gives me an idea of what to get him for Father’s Day next year.

The World Cup in Brazil is well and truly under way then. I have really been enjoying the matches so far. It is great to see so many goals going in at this early stage of the competition. Normally these group stage matches are really tight and cagey but its good to see lots of teams are looking to attack this time around. I think it must be to do with the atmosphere in South America. Which seems to be encouraging the players to get forward and try to score. I thought England played very well in their first game against Italy and were very unlucky to lose. That is the best I have seen the team play in a long time and so I really enjoyed it. I think we really did deserve at least a draw from the match. The second match against Uruguay was slightly more disappointing though. We never really reached the same heights as we did against the Italians and a player like Suarez, only needs two chances to score two great goals and win the game it would seem. Then just when we thought it could not get any worse Costa Rica beat the Italians and qualify first. So even before their final game England are out of the World Cup. For the first time ever without even reaching the second round. For the record I will still be wearing my England shirt and tracksuit top for that last game though. I like to think it helps me feel more part of things and it shows my support for the team and the country. Even in times of adversity like this. Plus they are white and pretty much every t-shirt and shirt I own is either black or white. So they do fit quite nicely with my existing wardrobe. To say I am disappointed with England’s showing at the competition is an understatement. To try and cheer us all up a little below is a picture of me with the World Cup. As close as any Englishman will get to it this year now unfortunately.

Last week I had a very interesting meeting at Global Radio’s head office in Leicester Square about a potential feature work opportunity within the radio group. I have to say that has always been a building I have really liked looking at and then walking past every time I went into Central London. I used to listen to Capital Fm when I was growing up. So I always associated the building as a place where cool people worked and where great radio was made. As well as Capital Radio the same building now houses the Capital Extra, Heart, Smooth, LBC, Classic and XFM studios. The amount of times over the years that I have just gazed up at it. Trying to see if I could spot anyone I recognised. Or even on some occasions purposely gone to coffee shops near by just to sit outside and see who I could see just walking in and out of the place. So as you can imagine to actually be able to set foot inside it. Walk up to the reception desk. Say who I was and who I was there to see. And then to be sat down in the reception area, was a far as I was concerned amazing.

I am really looking forward to starting work with the Regatta Radio team this week. As we prepare and get ready to bring unrivalled coverage of the Henley Royal Regatta to the airwaves. The Regatta itself runs between Wednesday 2nd July to Sunday 6th July. This week we will be putting the final touches to the station’s sound, production and studios. Before it starts broadcasting on Friday 27th June. Starting with coverage of the qualifying races ahead of the main event. I will be producing some of the live shows and the excellent rowing commentary. As the station brings you full commentary, behind the scenes information and gossip from it studios right at the heart of the event.The races are always exciting. And it is fair to say we always do seem to meet some interesting characters in the breaks from the action out on the water. Plus I will be producing the daily Henley Regatta Radio Podcast during race week. It will all be a lot of fun and an honour to be involved with such a prestigious sporting event. It is going to be great sharing the story of the week with all the listeners as it unfolds. http://www.regattaradio.co.uk/

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

Hello again, I hope all is well with you. And that you have had a very good couple of weeks. Once again I have had a lot of fun during the last fortnight getting involved with loads of different things. Meaning the time has flown by. And left me slightly confused by how come we are already nearly half way through the year. June has just kind of crept up on me from nowhere then suddenly jumped on my back. A few Sunday’s ago I spent a lovely afternoon at a friends house catching up with him and his family. Along with another good mate and his family to. The weather was good. So we spent most of the time just chatting in the garden. While enjoying some nibbles and a couple of glasses of wine. Then breaking off occasionally to play a little bit of football and rugby with my friends sons. The children are only three and eighteen months, so it is fair to say I was looking pretty good during these games. As I am basically just a big kid I really enjoyed it. It was an excellent afternoon. Sometimes in our often busy lives now. We do not always seem to spend as much time relaxing with our friends and family as we should. This is something I am going to make a concious effort to do more of. Well at least until their children become better at sport than me anyway.

A couple of weeks ago now I spent a brilliant afternoon at a production company’s office in London. Helping them to run through an idea for a new game show that they are in the process of putting together. I obviously can’t give away too much information about it at this stage. However it is I think a very clever twist on how conventional shows of this nature have always been played. It was a lot of fun to play, very challenging and very exciting. I did get to have a really good laugh with everyone who was there. The people involved in the project are really nice. I believe they already have a big television network very interested in buying the format to the show and making it a focal point of their tea time quiz show programming. It was great being involved with it at this stage. In the reception area of the office that I was in. There was a glass cabinet that had at least five Bafta’s displayed in it. As well as many other recognisable big televisions awards. Looking at that and seeing those awards so close to me. It really made me want to one day win a Bafta. Trust me those things would look great on a shelf in the living room.

Last Thursday I was back in the office to again help with the shows development. It was a another run through of the game show but this time with some executives from a major TV channel there. To see it in action. They had brought with them someone that they were trying out as a potential presenter for the show. Should it actually be commissioned. Now I am afraid I obviously can’t tell you who it is, but I can tell you that they started on children’s television and have been involved in a couple of reality TV programmes during the last few years. So they hosted it and we went through the whole thing from start to finish. Exactly how it would be done if it was being filmed in a studio ready for broadcast. It was great to be involved again and it was a good fun day out. If the idea does make it to the next stage of its development. There is still a very good chance that I could well be part of that process. Which would be amazing. As ever when I hear any more and when I am allowed to say more about it I will do.

I was lucky enough to be at Wembley Stadium to witness the final of the first Nike Cup. It’s a new competition introduced this season for all professional team’s Under 14 development squads. I would have loved the chance at that age to play in a competition where the final was at Wembley.The game between Chelsea and Reading drew a nice little crowd to with lots of family and friends there to support the players. The match itself was a very tight affair and ended up finishing goalless and heading into extra time. Then with the final just two minutes away from being decided by the dreaded penalty shoot out. Reading broke away and grabbed the winner. Imagine getting the winning goal at Wembley at the age of fourteen. You will always be able to tell that story, for ever. It was also nice to see the Reading first team manager Nigel Adkins there making sure that he individually congratulated the whole of the team. Premier League referee Phil Dowd was the man in charge. I am guessing that he had never refereed at Wembley before because when he lead his team of officials up to the Royal Box to collect their medals. I had to show him which way to go.

The countdown to the world cup is well and truly under way. I have been watching all of England’s warm up friendlies. For the final game at Wembley before the squad flew out to Miami for some warm weather training. I looked out my new world cup clothes. Which I intend to wear every time England play this summer. I have an England shirt with the squad number of 20 on it. I appreciate I am not good enough for the starting eleven. But I thought I might have had an outside chance of making the squad. I also have a England Warm up top to wear. I figured with the lateness of the some of the matches and the English summer I might need a second layer to be warm while I am watching. I am hoping these items will act as a lucky charm. Win, lose or draw I will support the team until the end. I do hope the team have more luck than I did when the draw for the sweepstake I have entered was made. I managed to select Honduras. To win the money I need them to some how win the World Cup. Now I am a hugely optimistic person but even I realise that I have no chance here.

The Tringe Festival starts at the end of this month with another amazing line up of comedians. It kicks off on Sunday 29th June with the Roving Comedy Night featuring four professionals and sixteen trainees doing their very first gigs across four different pubs in Tring. One straight after the other. This is the place where I made my stand up comedy debut two years ago. It is a great event for performers and the audience a like. It is so much fun and always very popular. In fact it has very nearly completely sold out. So if you were thinking of going do not delay get a ticket for it today. The next night see’s Arthur Smith appear at the Pendley Theatre in Tring and three weeks later Phil Jupitus brings the curtain down on the festival at the same venue. Some of the other comedians performing at the Tringe include Milton Jones, Sean Walsh, Justin Moorhouse, Mark Watson and Josh Widdicombe. If you want a taste of the Edinburgh Festival but live in Herts, Beds, Bucks or Oxon and want to save yourself the long journey up to Scotland. I would recommend you do get yourself along to at least a couple of the great gigs that are being staged this year.

Tomorrow I am making yet another trip to the BBC Radio Theatre in London to watch the recording of a brand new radio sitcom pilot episode called Friends on Benefits. It stars Jon Richardson and Lloyd Langford. I am really looking forward to it. From the planned pint before hand in my favourite pub in London. To the waiting in the BBC Cafe at New Broadcasting House to be summoned to our seats inside the theatre. Not to mention the actual programme recording itself of course. Writing comedy for radio is something I am currently looking at. Through a couple of different projects I am working on at present. So for me it will be really interesting to see how they go about this recording process in front of a live theatre audience. I am a fan of both of the comics in the lead roles and as ever with these things I suspect they may be a couple of interesting cameo appearances from other actors during the making of this show. I did get to do a tour of Broadcasting House last year. Which included the chance to take part in recording a pretend Radio 4 drama, in the style if the Archers. Which I have to admit was a lot of fun, specially in the sound effects department. I will let you know what the new comedy was like in the next instalment from me here in a few weeks time.

It was my dad’s birthday last week. So as a family we went out for a meal at one of his favourite local places to eat. It was a really nice night. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Even though my dad had not been there for about three months they remembered him and gave him his favourite normal table in the corner right by the window. I can’t fault the food either. It was really well executed. I selected the belly of pork, with black pudding and caramelised pear served on a bed of sweet potato and cabbage. I have to say it tasted amazing. I then followed that with their Pimms flavoured Eton Mess. Which was again exquisite. The service was great and to be fair the prices were all very reasonable. But most importantly my dad had a great night, we all ate well. And had a good catch up as a family. So well done and thank you very much to the Firecrest in Wendover.

I am in the process of preparing for my association with this year’s Regatta Radio the official radio station for the Henley Regatta. Which I have to say I am really looking forward to. It is always an amazing spectacle to be involved with. It will be a very busy period for me but also lots of fun. You always meet some amazing sportsman and women plus some amazing characters there.

 

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

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. I have had a very busy fortnight doing a whole variety of fun and exciting things. For starters I went to White Hart Lane to see Ledley King’s Testimonial game. As a Tottenham Hotspur supporter I have always been a huge fan of the big stylish defender. Who used to make playing the sport look so easy. I was disappointed for him when he had to retire due to his on going knee problems at the end of last season. So it was very nice to be able to go along to the match. To show my appreciation for his great service to my club over the years. The game was between a Ledley King Eleven and a Spurs Eleven. The Spurs team included current first team players such as Christian Eriksen. Emmanuel Adebayor, Sandro, Lewis Holtby and club captain Michael Dawson. The Ledley King Eleven side featured many great former Tottenham players including Paul Robinson, Teddy Sherringham, Dimitar Berbatov, David Ginola, Darren Anderton, Peter Crouch, Louis Saha and Edgar Davids.

It was played in a real fun and relaxed atmosphere. There were plenty of goals to see as it ended in a 6-3 win for the Ledley King Eleven. The first goal of the night really set the tone for the rest of the match. It was a penalty from the man of the moment Ledley after he had been spectacularly hauled down at a corner by Michael Dawson and Sandro. The other goals for the legends side were scored by Teddy Sherringham who got two and Louis Saha who completed a second half hat-trick. The referee was top World Cup official Howard Webb. Who really got into the spirit of things when in the second half he suddenly started playing for Ledley King’s team. Until he was felled by a terrible two footed tackle from Lewis Holtby. Who was then jokingly pushed to the ground by the laughing Webb. Great fun, brilliant laugh and a great send off for possibly one of the best defender’s the country has ever produced. If only his knee’s were stronger he would have gone on to win many more England caps surely.

The other week I was lucky enough to get to go to the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane to see the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical. Like nearly every person in the country as a child I was a huge fan of the work of Roald Dahl. I read all of his books. Including of course the story of the very poor chocolate lover Charlie Bucket, who finds a lucky golden ticket. Which leads to lots of adventure and quite an eventful trip to see a world renowned confectioner at his place of work. I have actually seen the original film version starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. Although I have to confess that I have not seen the remake with Johnny Depp in the lead role. The Theatre Royal itself is an amazing theatre, totally stunning. It is what I would personally describe as a proper West End theatre. Which I really enjoy going to. There is something extra special about seeing a show in the West End I find. I had a brilliant seat to enjoy the performance from. I was sitting right in the middle of the Royal Circle. The show itself was absolutely fantastic. The way it was staged with the clever special effects used to help and enhance the telling of the story was just superb. I thought the whole cast were great but Nigel Planer as Grandpa Joe and Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka were the stars of the show for me. And without giving too much away. I really liked the way that they bring in all the different characters. It’s very clever with a little bit of a modern twist to it to. If you fancy a great night out enjoying a nice family friendly show. I would definitely recommend that you go and see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I promise you that you will not leave disappointed, possibly craving chocolate but certainly not disappointed.

Last Sunday I again found myself watching another star studded event from the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. This time though I was sat in my house watching the TV BAFTA’s on television. I always like to watch award ceremonies mainly because as I do not watch that much TV. I can catch up on a year’s worth of shows in a couple of hours. I thought Graham Norton did a great job hosting the event, moving it along as quickly as possible not over playing his role but trying his best to keep everything on track. And unlike a lot of these kind of events. They did seem to find people to present the awards who could actually read the auto cue. So there were not too many of those awkward or embarrassing moments your normally get at these things. Nice to see Ant and Dec win a couple of awards for Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway which I still think is perfect early evening Saturday TV, done so well. Those two can bring any programme to life and make it even more watch-able. That doesn’t happen by accident. They do work extremely hard on every project they are involved in. I can’t think of two more natural presenters than them two. Other winners I was pleased for on the night were. Richard Ayoade who I think is very original with his comedy performances. David Attenborough because he is just a broadcasting legend and Cilla Black for some deserved recognition for her services to television over the years. I saw her a few years ago in pantomime. You really could not fault her stage presence, singing and her interaction with the audience. Also it was nice to see Julie Walters get the BAFTA Fellowship Award. Such a great actress and so versatile. If you look at the very different roles she has played over the years. Which of course is the mark of a great performer. And highlights why she is so good and such a worthy recipient of the statue.

I met up with a couple of friends to watch the FA Cup Final last weekend. Bearing in mind which football team I support. I would imagine you can probably guess which team I wanted to win the game. It is fair to say I was pretty happy with the first eight minutes of this year’s Wembley show piece. However once Arsenal pulled a goal back it did very much look like they would win the game. Which turned out to be the case. Fair play to Hull City they gave it a really good go and were may be just a little bit unlucky at the end not to take the match to penalties. I have to say I thought the engravers were taking a risk when at 3-2 during extra time the director cut to a shot of them putting Arsenal’s name on the trophy. While they were still playing extra time. After that moment Hull City had two chances to equalise. Which if they had of done could have been a bit embarrassing for somebody. I was doing a bit of work at Wembley this week when I bumped into somebody who I had not seen for about five years. As I was standing in the home England changing room. The whole of the Leyton Orient squad, who were having a look around the place in readiness for the League One Play Off Final this weekend just walked in. With them was of course their manager Russell Slade. Who used to manage Yeovil Town. At the same time I was working for the radio station in the town. During that period I met and interviewed him lots of times and saw him at various different events. Including on one occasion when we both happened to be at the same New Year’s Eve Party. So it was very nice to have a quick catch up with him and get the chance to wish him and his team all the best for the game on Sunday.

This coming Thursday I am heading up to London to help out with the development of a brand new television quiz show. I am going to spend the afternoon just running through the show with its producers to test the format. And possibly try and tweak a few parts of it here and there. So they can make the final pitch to a major television channel. That they have already very interested in the idea. As ever I’m afraid I can’t tell you any more about it at this stage. But all I will say is that it is quite a twist on how normal conventional TV quiz shows work. And it sounds like it will be a lot of fun to play. I have also applied to be a contestant on another game show. I have already had a brief conversation with one of the researchers about it. If that does come off it will be very exciting and a whole lot of fun.

I have recently made a few improvements to my home recording studio. Which I have to confess I have had great fun setting up. I am really looking forward to using them on many of the upcoming projects that I have in the pipeline. I have to say I have got it all set up perfectly and sounding really good. I am also pleased to announce that once again I will be involved with Regatta Radio this year. It is the official radio station for the Henley Royal Regatta. Which broadcasts live commentary of all the rowing races and all the reaction and atmosphere from the event itself. I am really looking forward to being part of the team. Who do a fantastic job bringing the event to the airwaves enhancing the audiences enjoyment. The main event runs from Wednesday 2nd July to Sunday 6th July.

And finally in a few weeks time I am going to the BBC Radio Theatre in London. To watch the recording of a brand new radio sitcom pilot called Friends on Benefits. It stars Jon Richardson and Lloyd Langford. It has been written by Lloyd, who has previously worked with and written for his old flat mate Rhod Gilbert. As well as being a successful stand up comedian in his own right. Jon is probably best known for being one of the team captain’s on Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats. I am looking forward to it. An evening at the BBC is always good fun. I like sitting in the BBC café before it starts just to see who I can spot in there. Plus I do love seeing new comedy show ideas.

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

Hello again, I hope all is well with you. And that you have had a very good couple of weeks. During this period we have of course had Stars Wars Day on May 4th. “May the fourth be with you” I have to confess I am a huge Star Wars fan. I loved the first three films and very much enjoyed the three prequels that were made much later on. As a child I actually owned lots of Star Wars toys and figures including several different versions of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Hans Solo. I even had a model of the Millennium Falcon. All of which I used to play with quite often as a young child until the age of about eleven. I am not sure why but Hans was definitely my favourite character. As I was so fond of the collection I kept it up in the loft for years. Only selling it at a car boot sale a couple of years ago. If I knew they were planning on making more films I have to be honest I probably would have kept hold of them. Not to play with any more just to still be able to look at them from time to time of course. Nothing makes me smile more than just seeing random people dressed as Storm Troopers wondering about in seemingly ordinary situations. Recently it has been announced that they are making an episode seven which will be written, produced and directed by JJ Abrams. It will also feature most of the original cast. Which I think is genius. It is being filmed at PInewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. I would love to be an extra in that movie. As that is fairly unlikely to happen I think the next party I throw will be a Star Wars themed fancy dress party. I wonder if I can book that band from the Star Bar in the first film. Mind you they only seem to know one song. So may be not!

Two years ago now I made my stand up comedy debut at the Tringe Festival supporting Tony Law at four gigs at four different venues around Tring on the same night. As part of the Roving Comedy Night. In the lead up to the big night itself I had a fantastic eight weeks being trained in the art of comedy by the master that is Logan Murray. Once a week we turned up at a church hall spent all night messing around and laughing. Then at the end of the course all twelve of us had five minutes of our own material to be able to unleash on the unsuspecting public. It was such an amazing experience and the night of the performances left me with a smile on my face and a great feeling of euphoria for the next week. This year’s Tringe Festival once again kicks off with the Roving Comedy Night on Saturday 29th June. It runs through until Saturday 19th July. Comedians who are performing their shows include Phill Jupitus, Josh Widdicombe, Mark Watson, Shappi Khorshandi, Sean Walsh, Milton Jones and Arthur Smith. It is always a great event and one which the comics really enjoy coming to and performing at. Which I think comes across in their shows. Generally the shows are work in progress previews for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which takes place in the summer. Which makes them even better if you are serious comedy fan as you get to see how these people at the top of their game evolve and progress their work. I am currently working on something which may mean I will be spending a couple of weeks in Edinburgh during the Festival which if it comes off will be amazing. I would urge you to check out the Tringe this year if you can. And try and get along to a few gigs. For more details click on the link below.
http://www.get-stuffed.biz/tringe/

Have you tried getting an appointment with your doctor recently. I have had a little bit of a sore throat and was slightly losing my voice which in my profession is not very good for business. So I thought I would phone the Surgery and make an appointment. This was at about ten in the morning. I was told their was no chance of seeing a doctor today and to try calling back tomorrow morning from eight. By the time I had managed to get through all the appointments for that day had gone. The same thing happened for the next two days. So on the third day when it happened again I asked if I could make an appointment in advance for the future and they said the earliest was in two weeks time. At that point I was starting to think by the time I got anything I would either be better or dead. Which ever one it was I would of course no longer require a medical professional. I did manage to get one in the end just after my voice had returned. But I thought it best to get it checked out. For the record the doctor himself was great and very helpful. Although I have now already booked up one appointment every three months through the rest of the year. Just in case anything comes up that I may need to get looked at.

So with the domestic football season coming to an end this weekend that means the World Cup is just around the corner. It will be here and under way before we know it. As a fan of Tottenham Hotspur this season has ended with a bit of a whimper for my team. Not only that but it has cost me some money thanks to a bet I had with two Everton supporting friend’s of mine. As to which of our clubs would finish highest in the Premier League. I am looking forward to going to White Hart Lane with my Dad on Monday night to see Ledley King’s Testimonial. He was a great player and ambassador for the club. If he had better knee’s he would have been a England regular throughout his whole career. Also on Monday the England manager will name his England World Cup Squad ahead of the final home friendly of the season on Friday 30th May at Wembley Stadium against Peru. Even though we have a tough group and conditions in Brazil will be difficult for the European sides I know once the squad is announced I will be getting excited and still hoping we can perform well. I have never entered anything I didn’t think I could not win. So they need to be positive give it the best shot they can. And give us a few things to cheer about while we are staying up ridiculously late to watch all the matches and feeling constantly shattered for the duration of the tournament. Come on England!

Talking of football I made a brief appearance in a Charity Match at Risborough Rangers last night. It is an annual event in memory of a young footballer from the town Jason Travers who sadly died six years ago of cancer. His old managers and team mates get together and play a match and in doing so also raise some money for the Everyman charity. It was good fun and nice to see some old faces. Some of which I had not seen for nearly twenty years. It was also nice to be on the same football pitch as my uncle for the first time in many years. To be fair we did both seem a bit slower than I remembered. The team I was playing for “the Veterans” did get well beaten by the younger players on the other side. I really do need to get back into training and play football more often if I want to try and return to the glory days of my youth I think. On the plus side I do not ache today. I had a great time and most importantly we raised some money for a very good cause.

On Monday 12th May it is also the Radio Academy Awards at London’s Grosvenor House hosted by none other than the broadcasting genius that is Chris Evans. Good luck to all my friends and former colleagues who are nominated for awards. I hope you have a wonderful evening. And also that you win. It is the biggest night of the year for the radio industry in the UK. There will be some fantastic live entertainment provided. It will be an entertaining and fun night with lots of very talented people getting the recognition they deserve. I look forward to seeing the pictures from it.

It was my sister’s birthday in the week, so to celebrate me and her went to Crocodile World. No I had never heard of it either but she is a big fan of the animal, had heard about the place and decided that is where she wanted to spend her special day. It is not far from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Although without the wonders of Sat Nav I am not totally sure we would have found it. I have to say it was absolutely brilliant. The staff there were really welcoming, friendly and so enthusiastic about their work. Once you were in they just left you to wonder around and look at the exhibits. Which there were about one hundred of. Including a huge Alligator who must have been at least nine foot in length I reckon. For every species they have lots of easy to read and understand information about the animals so I learnt loads and have to say they are pretty amazing creatures with all the things they can do with their nature designed features. While we were there a film crew was around filming bits and pieces for an upcoming BBC 2 programme on animals. So watch out for that and you may see me casually walking around in the background. The staff also put on various little shows during the day. While we were there me and my sister witnessed feeding time for around forty young crocodiles. Which I have to say was quite an amazing sight. As they feed them by encouraging them to leap out of the water to grab the food held above them. And while this was happening the keeper was giving us a talk on the animals to. Which was very interesting. It was a good day out and if you fancy doing something a bit different and seeing some awesome animals close up. I would very much recommend it.

I have recently been speaking to a production company who are making a new television show for ITV 2. It will be hosted by fairly well known comedian and presenter. It will also feature a selection of guests every week talking about certain elements regarding what it’s main focus is and what it is based around. Sorry to be so vague but I can’t say too much at this stage, I am hoping to have some involvement in this project. So as ever as soon as I know any more I will of course let you know. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

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

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. I have had a fantastic fortnight. That has been full of fun, extremely busy and which included a special weekend in one of my favourite places in the United Kingdom, Liverpool. I will tell you all about that trip very shortly. But first I would like to wish you a slightly belated happy St George’s Day for last Wednesday. I always feel that we in England never really properly celebrate our Saint’s Day. Well not like the Scottish, the Welsh and in particular the Irish do anyway. May be this is because in the modern world we have issues relating to a Knight slaying a Dragon. Which could still happen if Alan Sugar ever really laid into or had a go at Peter Jones or Duncan Bannatyne. Although whenever I think of St George now it makes me think of Shrek when he rescues Princess Fiona from the Dragon in the castle. It is a day I personally think we should really get behind more and make more of it. Perhaps when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s son becomes King in the future. He will want to make a bigger deal out of it. This year I celebrated St George’s Day by going out for a Chinese meal with a friend and former colleague of mine. So combining our English qualities with a culture in which Dragons play a big part. Therefore killing two birds with one stone or to put it another way slaying two dragons with one huge sword.

So the other weekend I went to Liverpool for a few days to attend a Wedding of a good friend of mine. Who I actually met through working in the radio industry over thirteen years ago now. I love Liverpool and as far as I am concerned it is one of the best nights out in the country. The Wedding was on the Friday but as I wanted to settle in and spend some time in the North West. I took the train up on the Thursday. Although the journey did take a little bit longer than I had planned. It is never a great start when your first train of three is late, meaning you miss your other two connections. But I eventually arrived and then checked in to my hotel room above the Parr Street Recording Studios. Where bands such as Coldplay. Beautiful South, Stereophonics and the Spice Girls have recorded alongside solo artists including Barry Manilow and Diana Ross. It is still a well used place, with lots of bands seemingly heading in and out of the place all through the period I was there. I did manage to stick my head in one of the studios. And it is far to say they have a very impressive set up there. As you would expect looking at the people who have worked in there in the past . As soon as I arrived I headed out to meet the Groom to be and his Best Man and we went to a couple of fantastic bars for a few drinks including the iconic Cavern. Which is just a truly magical place decorated with pictures and memorabilia from many of the great musicians who have played there over the years. On stage there was a brilliant acoustic guitarist playing Beatles songs. Which the whole bar were singing along to. I always like to pop in there when I visit.

The next day it was the Wedding Day. We met the Groom and his Best Man in his favourite pub right in the centre of Liverpool for a pre wedding drink to calm any last minute nerves. Of which there did not seem to be any to be honest. We then all jumped in taxis to head to the Wedding Venue. Which was actually the home of the team the Groom supports Goodison Park. This was the first wedding I had ever been to at a football ground, so I was really looking forward to it. We pulled up outside Everton Football Club and walked straight in the main entrance. Which is where the players arrive on a match day. Soon we were heading upstairs to the Dixie Dean Suite which is where the actual Wedding Ceremony took place. It was a very nice service with some great readings including a poem by Pam Ayres on relationships. Which I thought was a different but a very nice touch. Then we went and had all the usual Wedding style photos taken but in the main stand. We then came back inside and headed to the room where the reception was being held. While the Wedding Party headed down to have some more pictures in the tunnel and at the side of the pitch. Which the groom really enjoyed. The evening itself was perfect. The speeches were all great, the food was lovely and the whole night went with a bang. I got to catch up with lots of people I had not seen for a while. As well as having a good old dance. It is a bit hazy but I think I may have been having a small dance off to Steps and Tragedy with the person who will be shortly taking over the Radio City Breakfast Show. Now despite the fact that I did once win a competition doing this routine in Magaluf many years ago, she is a trained actress and dancer so was easily doing it a lot better than me. But it was good fun. It was a very special, funny and memorable day. And I would like to say huge congratulations to Jeff and Diane and thank them for inviting me to be a part of their big day.

Now the groom Jeff is not only a massive Everton fan but is also a king of rock n roll and can party with the best of them. The day after the wedding his beloved team were playing. So we all met up in Liverpool again to watch the game and continue the party. After the match we did a tour of quite a few of the amazing pubs that the city has to offer. All of which I have to confess I had been in many times before. My two favourites from the night were Lennon’s Bar where Jeff got up and did a brilliant version of the Madness song It Must Be Love on Karaoke. Before we all ended up stood around the bar singing along to Beatles songs that the DJ was playing. And the Tube which is an 80’s bar complete with music from that decade and a flashing colour squares dance floor like in Saturday Night Fever. It is such a fun place to pop into. The next morning I then met another mate who is a Liverpool fan for a cup of tea at Lime Street Station. He was up to watch the Liverpool versus Manchester City game taking place at Anfield. While we were at the train station we spotted former footballer Nigel Spackman in a coffee shop and Noel Gallagher from Oasis arriving off the train and looking like the definition of cool, as he walked across the platform to his waiting car. I then left my mate to go to the match and had a walk round the Albert Docks. Which is actually where This Morning used to come from until they moved it to London. At the Dock there was a Radio Caroline boat which is broadcasting for a short time in the area. Of course with my love of radio it would have been rude not to go on board and have a quick look round. Which is exactly what I did. The studios they had were actually set up a lot like they would have been on the original Radio Caroline pirate ship. In fact some of the equipment they were using was actually used on the film loosely based on the radio station by Richard Curtis The Boat That Rocked.

I was at Wembley Stadium recently again doing a little bit of work there with the Football Association. I was standing with a group of people in the players tunnel area just at the side of the pitch. Up in the stands I saw someone I recognised doing a few television interviews. I then returned to the talking to the people with me. Then a couple of minutes later the person I had spotted actually appeared in the tunnel area stopping briefly to talk to the group assembled before posing for a few photographs and shaking a few people’s hands. Then just before he headed off I wished him good luck for the World Cup and thanked him for stopping to see us. He then had a very brief chat to me before shaking my hand and then patting me warmly on the shoulder. I sure you have guessed who it was by now. It was the England manager Roy Hodgson. Who was fantastic for stopping and chatting to us. He is not only a top manager but a top bloke to. That is one of the things I like about working at Wembley the people you see. As well as the England manager I have also seen Sir Trevor Brooking, Clive Allen, Kyle Walker, Martin Peters and Gareth Southgate all walking around the place recently.

The last television show that I went to see being recorded at Elstree Studios “All About Two” was on Easter Sunday Night on BBC 2. It was good to see it again and see which bits actually made it on to the TV because as with all shows it is fair to say there were a lot more items recorded than were actually shown in the programme. It is so clever how they edit it all together to make sense. I knew of several parts where things went wrong and they had to re-take bits of it but watching it from the comfort of your home you would have no idea. Dara O’Briain is really great at hosting those sort of things. But my personal highlight of the night was being in the same room as Sir David Attenborough. What a remarkable man. He is clever, creative and also very funny. Strangely when I was watching it in the studio I had got some mini eggs and was eating them between takes. Then when I watched it at home on Easter Sunday weirdly I was also eating a packet of mini eggs once again. The odd thing about BBC 2’s fiftieth anniversary is the rather embarrassing fact that none of the programmes it was due to launch with actually went out. Due to a massive power cut in London that night. So the first transmission was from the BBC news room and was a pretty dismal short report on why this new big shiny channel was not actually available on it’s first night. That said when you think of all the great programmes that have started life on BBC 2 since. I think they have more than made up for it. If you did see it I hope you managed to hear my unnaturally loud clap. I could easily pick it out and on a few occasions I have to confess that I was that annoying person who puts in just that one clap too many.

I friend of mine was in hospital last week having an operation on his elbow that he damaged playing football. I went in to visit him, to see how he was doing and hopefully to cheer him up and have a bit of a laugh. Great though the staff are few people actually enjoy being in Hospital. He had been given a big bag of muffins from an earlier visitor, so as he didn’t think he could eat them all he very kindly gave me one. It never occurred to me when I took it but you should have seen the looks I was getting from people as I was holding a muffin that they must have thought I had stolen from a patient possibly because they had fallen asleep due to the pain killers they were on. It was an awkward feeling but I got through it and enjoyed eating the cake when I got home.

Finally most of the line up has now been announced for the Comedy Festival that I made my Stand Up Comedy debut at nearly two years ago now The Tringe. The event based in Tring is where many top comedians preview their shows for the summer’s Edinburgh Festival. I am hoping to get along to watch a few of the shows myself if I can. If you want to find out more about it and I would strongly urge you do. Please see the link.  http://www.get-stuffed.biz/ 

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