Tag Archives: BGT

Food for Thought

June 9, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been pretty busy with some fun stuff happening. A couple of Friday’s ago, a good friend of mine invited me around to his house for some food and a few drinks.

Everybody has such busy lives nowadays, it is really hard to organise the time to meet up and see people. Which I think makes this time spent with mates and family even more special and precious. Even more so in light of the recent events in Manchester and London. So it was brilliant to catch up with one of my oldest friends and his family.

It was a lovely hot and sunny day. He has a very nice garden. So we had a few beers outside before he fired up the barbecue. Both him and his wife are excellent cooks, so the standard of food when I go round to there place is always high. He cooked up a selection of steak, chicken, salmon and sausages. Which was supplemented by a potato salad and finished off by a wonderful home made fruit salad.

This was all washed down with a few glasses of a twelve year old Rioja, which I supplied. I know my Red Wine. It was a fun night spent in great company with lovely food and drink. It is so important to enjoy and appreciate the simple things in life.

I also went out in Oxford recently for some food and drink. One of the things I really enjoyed from my recent trip to Barcelona was the Catalan style Tapas. Somebody told me about a great restaurant in the Jericho area of Oxford, which did this type of cuisine. So it would have been rude not to try it out. Firstly I sampled the wine. The Rioja there was very nice. Then I ordered a selection of four different dishes to try. Which is kind of how a Tapas style meal works. You have a little selection of what is on offer from the vast menu.

The first dish that arrived was baked goats cheese and honey. Which although I admit sounds a bit of an odd combination was fantastic. So that was a very strong start. Then the waiter brought out the spicy potatoes, the chicken and chorizo in tomato sauce and the roasted peppers dish.

The first two were nice and I enjoyed them but the peppers were a little disappointing. The first meal I had in Barcelona was a pepper dish and that was sensational. I was hoping for more of the same here, but sadly this offering was no where near as good. Mind you, I was too full for pudding, which I must confess is very rare for me.

After the food I continued the evening at a really nice wine bar down the same road as the restaurant with a few more glasses of what else but Rioja. It was a civilised evening. Some decent food and and few glasses of a nice Red Wine. Which is the kind of night I am starting to enjoy more as I get a little bit older.

Oxford is such a beautiful City. And now a really easy journey from my local train station. So I think I might end up doing some more exploring there before the end of the summer. I did work there for a bit at a radio station called Passion 107.9. But I did not really go out there that much at the time, so there is plenty for me still to discover.

I have to be totally honest for the first time ever in my entire life I had no interest in the FA Cup Final and for the first time ever I did not watch it. Normally I will want one of the teams to win, so support them for the day. Or I will really not mind who wins and just watch it hoping for a good and entertaining match. Sadly this year it was kind of like the perfect storm for me.

Being a Tottenham Hotspur fan, my two least favourite teams in the world are Arsenal and Chelsea. I wanted both of them to lose and did not want either of them to win the cup. Which I knew was impossible, so I avoided the game. That said well done to Arsenal on winning. Hopefully next year I will be able to return to the joy and excitement of FA Cup Final day once again.

My dad celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday last weekend. He also retired from work to. So he held a retirement party for all the people he has worked with for the last twelve years at his final place of employment. Fair play to him. He organised it all by himself at a local pub near by where he lives. There was food, music and some nice speeches, so I was very impressed. It was also nice to see how popular he was at work, judging by the number of people who turned up to be there with him. And the nice messages that he got in his many leaving cards.

During his speech I found myself in the rather unusual position of cameraman, so he could have a nice memory of the occasion. Although me, my mum and sister slightly spoiled the effect by laughing a little bit too loud at his former boss making fun of some of his quirks. Which he only discovered when he watched the video the next day.

I to played my part. He had a buffet there. When it was announced it was open. Nobody at all was going up to get any of the food. As they were all politely waiting for someone to go first. Luckily I stepped in here, went up and filled my plate up. Then suddenly everyone started following me and started eating. In life there are shepherds and sheep and that night I was the shepherd.

I am not saying he was really milking the occasion but we also went out for a nice Sunday lunch to celebrate. There is nothing better than heading out to a pub for a nice roast dinner, it saves cooking and washing up for starters. We returned to the same place where my dad had held his party the night before.

While there I continued my support of locally produced beer by having a pint of the award winning Chiltern Brewery “Beechwood” beer. The other bonus about having food out is that generally most places have a much better selection of puddings than you do at home. Which for someone who always likes to finish off any meal with something sweet is a big plus point.

Then the final part of his Birthday celebrations was a trip to Windsor Races. He booked us a table in one of the restaurants in the Club Enclosure. Which overlooked the the home straight. It was the first time that we had, had this experience at a course that we have visited many times. I have to say it was brilliant.

There was a glass of Champagne on arrival. A fish platter to share. Which was amazing and unbelievably the first time I had ever tried Crab and Mussel. It will not be the last. Then we had a top quality three course meal. I had the Pork dish for my main. Not only did it taste fantastic but the presentation was sensational. It was made to look like a rural country field with even the crackling made in to a gate. It almost looked to good to eat.

After the food was over we enjoyed a great evening of racing. I was wearing what has now become my lucky racing suit. I bought it for Aintree and had a winner there. I then wore it at Newbury and had a winner there. And once again at Windsor it gave me a decent winner. Which pretty much paid for my night. So next time I go racing, I make no apology for the fact that I will be wearing it again. It was a lovely way of rounding of my dad’s celebrations and a great way to enjoy an evening’s horse racing.

It was also the Britain’s Got Talent final last weekend. This year was a bit different as the judges did not actually have any say in the acts going through to the final. They were allowed to have their say on the performances but for the first time ever it was solely decided by the public vote. Credit where it is due. Doing it this way did mean there was generally a nice variety of acts. Although three magicians with two of them doing similar things was probably a little bit over the top.

As ever with this show there were quite a few people in the final who you could not see progressing any further. The whole act was what you saw and you could not really see it developing or evolving. But then if the competition is to just to win a quarter of a million pounds and perform at The Royal Variety Performance, I guess that does not really matter.

The show was brilliantly held together by Ant & Dec who for me are still the best presenting duo on television. Even when they make mistakes they help each other out, make a joke out of it and sort of just gloss over it. Which is a skill in itself. Love or hate the judges they do complement each other nicely. They all bring something different to the party across the entertainment genre. They do all have different areas of expertise.

I have said this before Simon Cowell has definitely mellowed a bit since becoming a dad. I mean he still can be honest and brutal when he needs to but he is better at talking to the kids. And certainly seems a lot more emotional about some of the performances that he witnesses. And much as it pains me to admit it, he is still the judge I agree with most often.

It was won this year by the very talented multi-instrumentalist Tokio Myers. Clearly a very clever and accomplished performer. Although it is difficult to see what he can do with it to develop and grow it. He may find it tricky finding a big audience to see an individual concert because he is not really a standard classical artist. And you wonder if the people he appeals to would go to that sort of gig. I think collaborations could be the future for him. That said congratulations to him. He deserved to win it.

In third place it was the comedian Daliso Chaponda. He was very good but I do think it is very hard to shine as a comedian on this show. They are clearly very restricted with what they can do and it also feels a bit forced. And it is not a typical comedy style audience. If you are a singer with a great voice you can sing someone else’s song and impress. Comics have to do all their own stuff. I just think it is tough, so personally I can never see a comedian winning it. May be there should be a spin off show just for comedian’s only. If that now happens I want royalties, as it was clearly my idea.

It is now less than a month until my next big stand up comedy gig at the Tringe Festival Roving Comedy Night. It takes place across four pubs in Tring on Sunday 2nd July. I am really looking forward to it. I will be on with some other former Roving Comedy performers from over the last eight years.

I made my first appearance there five years ago now. If you fancy coming along for what is always a fun evening. There are still some tickets available. You will get to see about sixteen comedians in one evening, in one venue. Including at least four professional comics. Follow this link for more details. http://www.get-stuffed.biz/tringe/2017/07/roving-comedy-night/

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

Sport and Leisure

June 10, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy as ever, with lots of fun things going on. So firstly congratulations to Richard Jones on winning this year’s Britain’s Got Talent. In doing so, he became the first magician ever to win it. I think he might have been the only magical act this year. Who basically did not look like he would injure or kill himself in some way during his act.

It was kind of fitting that in this, the Queen’s 90th Birthday year. A member of the Military Services was successful. And will now therefore perform at this year’s Royal Variety Show. Providing his boss, who is technically Her Majesty of course. Will give him the time off.

So once again well done to him on this massive achievement. I will now look forward to seeing him performing alongside the other famous soldier turned entertainer James Blunt at the Queen’s 95th Birthday Party.

It was another fun series hosted brilliantly by the masters that are Ant & Dec. The judges were great again. And all do bring something different to the party. Annoyingly Simon Cowell is still the one judge I find myself agreeing with most. When he is commenting on the act’s performances. Although sometimes I might personally have phrased this criticism in a slightly different way.

I really enjoyed my night at the Dominion seeing one of the heats. I will most likely try to get to another one next series. Being there live does give you a good chance to get an idea of the overall standard of that year’s contestants.

I am a huge football fan. I have always played the sport. I really enjoy watching it. I have been lucky enough to visit many of the great stadiums in the country. And I have even managed to play a match at the biggest and best one of all, Wembley Stadium. Rugby however is something I hated playing as a kid at school. I was never really any good at it. I was quite tall and fairly skinny as a child.

But my games teacher still put me in the second row. Which meant I had to go in the scrum. Which I really disliked. Mind you that said with my lack of pace. I could never have been a winger or full back. Since leaving education I have watched the odd game on the television and kind of enjoyed that. Even though I have little idea of what is actually going on.

However when a mate of mine offered me the chance to go and see England play Wales at Twickenham. I jumped at the chance. Even though I used to live in Iseworth for a couple of years, when I was growing up. And therefore drove past it quite a few times. I had never actually been to the stadium to see a match. And despite not being a massive fan of the sport.

I am very patriotic and always happy to support an England team at whatever they are competing in. I had heard what a great experience it was suppose to be. Plus how the feel and atmosphere differed from that of a football match. And I am pleased to say this information was perfectly accurate. It did feel different.

I met my friend in Wembley and we got the tube to Hounslow East. A station I last used around thirty-two years ago I reckon. When my mum took me for my first ever day trip in to central London. So it was nice and at the same time quite weird to be back there. We then decided to walk to the ground. Stopping to enjoy a drink at a lovely little pub, we found on the way.

Once we were refreshed we continued our walk to the ground. I have to say as you approach it. It is a very impressive sight. We got in to the fans area outside the stadium. Which was impressive in itself, with live music and television screens to watch. Not to mention a nice selection of places to get pretty much every type of food you could think of.

We then made our way towards where our seats were. We were up in the top part of the South Stand. Which meant that we had to make our way up a concrete style ramp. Like in a multi-storey car park. To get to where we needed to. I actually preferred that idea to having lots of steps to climb up.

To blend in with the rest of the crowd only, of course. We found the nearest bar and got some drinks. With the two main choices being Lager or Guinness. When you buy your first drink they charge you an extra pound for the plastic glass it comes in. Then as long as you bring this back to the bar they will refill at the normal price.

I am guessing this is to encourage people to bring glasses back to the bar and not leave them lying around the place. At the end you can either take the glass home as a souvenir or take it to the bar and get your original pound back. Fair play to some kids at the end. Who I saw collecting up any glasses that had been left. To take them back to the bar and get the cash for them. One child I saw must have had about ten pounds worth in their hands.

The atmosphere was really friendly and relaxed. And one thing I found very strange coming from a football watching background. Was that the fans were not segregated. It did not matter who you were supporting. You could just sit anywhere, it would seem.

I really enjoyed the game. Even though I did not understand the finer points of it. We had some good seats. So we got a decent view of all the action. I think by following the rest of the fans I shouted and cheered at the right times. It was great to see England win.

It was just simply a fun and relaxing afternoon. Watching an England team play in the correct national stadium for that sport. I would definitely go and see a game of rugby there again. If I got offered the chance to.

Last Tuesday I went to the fabulous Up The Creek Comedy Club in Greenwich. To see the first London heat of this year’s BBC New Comedy Award. It was the first time that I had been there. I have to say it is a lovely little room for comedy. With a nice bar that has a nice selection of drinks. Which is pretty unusual for these kind of places.

I would say it was the perfect place to hold this event in. Very comfortable for the audience. Which means it is a nice arena for the acts to perform their comedy in. In front of a very supportive and enthusiastic crowd.

Previous finalists in the competition include amongst others Silky, Lee Mack, Marcus Brigstocke, Peter Kay, Shappi Korsandi, Russell Howard, Rhod Gilbert, Alan Carr, Sarah Millican and Joe Lycett. So as you can see over the years since the first one in 1995. The standard has been pretty high.

It has also been a great stepping stone for many new and up coming comics. There were ten comedians taking part. All performing their own original stuff. I can’t say any more at this stage. As it was all recorded for Radio 4 Extra. Who will be playing out all the heats and acts in a special radio series later in the summer.

What I can say is. The heat was hosted by the excellent Jessica Fostekew. Who was very funny and did a brilliant job. I was sat right on the front row. Which did lead to a very awkward conversation between me and her.

When she asked me if I could be any food at all. What food would that be? To be honest this is something I had never previously considered. So after a lengthy pause I panicked and said a burger. Funnily enough she did come back to me at all after this incident.

Then later on one of the acts used me. So they could tell a sort of knock knock joke. So do listen out for it when it is on the radio. As you may get to briefly hear my dulcet tones. I thought all the comedians were great. I know from experience. That it is not easy getting up there and making people laugh.

And on reflection I do think the judging panel of three. Which included the brilliant Holly Walsh. Got the decision about right on which three acts to send to the semi finals. Another great night enjoying some live comedy. Go and see some yourself. When you can. Laughter is always good for you.

Also last week I went to see a former colleague and friend of mine Jack Harding in his latest stage production. He was starring in the brilliant Sea Life at The Hope Theatre in Islington.

It was the first time I had been there. It is a lovely venue above the Hope and Anchor pub. Which of course acts as a theatre bar for the performances.The play was totally amazing. It was a very dark comedy written by Lucy Catherine and directed by Matthew Parker.

The set was fantastic. Being sat in the audience you really felt you were there. The sound, lighting and staging were also spot on. Even to the point that as the play is set in a coastal town. When you walk in to the auditorium. There is a strong smell of Fish and Chips that greets you.

The whole cast were excellent but I have to say Jack Harding was sensational as Eddie. A really strong and powerful performance. Showing exactly why he has been Offie nominated for Best Male actor for this role. It was a full two hour show. Which flew by so quickly. As it was so gripping and entertaining.

It was also lovely to catch up with him after the show. And it gave me the chance to buy him a well deserved drink. For the role he has had to grow a big bushy beard. Which to be fair is an absolute triumph in itself.

It seemed to me like it was a quite an emotionally draining role. So I imagine he has been sleeping very well during its run. The final performance is actually tonight. So I am glad I managed to catch it when I did. Also keep an eye out for Jack Harding. When the next series of People Just Do Nothing is released.

I was away for a couple of weeks for work related reasons recently. I stayed in a great hotel in Worcestershire. That had some great photographs of old BBC Television shows on many of the walls. The room that I was staying in had some pictures from the original Generation Game with Bruce Forsyth.

And two from Allo Allo featuring the great Gordon Kaye. When I was a child my parents ran a newsagents in Iseworth. And he used to come in to the shop regularly to buy his papers.

In the hall way just outside my room was a picture of Smashie and Nicey. The DJ creations of Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse. Harry actually lives near to me nowadays. I actually saw him at my local train station the other month.

Small world isn’t it? I think the person who came up with that sixth degrees of separation thing, could really have been on to something.

So the Euro 2016 Football Tournament is underway and England play their opening game against Russia tonight. I have to confess I have not got too excited about this yet.

But a good England victory tonight could change all that. Good luck to Roy Hodgson and the squad. Somebody has got to win it. So why can’t it be us?

I remember I was very excited before Euro 1996. Which was held in England. There was a really good documentary about it with Alan Shearer on the BBC the other week. He caught up with the manager Terry Venables and lots of the players from the squad. To talk through their memories of it.

That made me remember how great it was. The feel good factor in the country. And how close we came to winning it. If only Paul Gascoigne was two inches taller. We would have made the final at the very least. So near and yet so far. A win for England this time would make for an amazing summer. Come on England!

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

Face in The Crowd

May 14, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy with lots of fun things going on. Firstly on the May Day Bank Holiday Monday. I went on a road trip with my good friend Andy Holmes. To see his football team Hereford FC play in a Cup Final.

It was the Herefordshire FA County Cup Final between Hereford FC and their local rivals Westfields. It just so happened, that it was being played at Edgar Street. Which is The Bulls home stadium. Mainly because it is the biggest and best ground in the county. It was the first time I had been there. And the first time I had ever seen his side play.

We decided to watch from the seated area. There was no seat allocation. So you could basically sit anywhere you liked. We sat right at the back and by ourselves. With no-one either side of us. Before kick off the Hereford FC mascot.

A great big huge pedigree Bull was shown around the pitch a couple of times. While they were playing Woolly Bully by Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs. Which to be fair was the perfect song for the occasion. They play in the FA Vase final next weekend against Morpeth. And apparently the same Bull is heading to Wembley to do the same thing there.

The game itself was pretty entertaining. If not a very one sided affair. Hereford FC beat Westfields by five goals to one. With the visitors being reduced to ten men after conceding a penalty. At the end of the game we were allowed to go on to the pitch. To see the players lift the trophy in the stand over the other side of the ground.

It was a very pleasant afternoon watching a better standard of football than I was expecting. It was nice to be able to share in my mate’s team’s victory. It also means I have an one hundred percent record of every time I have seen them play they have won. I really do wish that I could say the same with my team Tottenham Hotspur.

Talking of my team. We did get back from Hereford in time to see Spurs draw with Chelsea on the television. In what was a very lively game to say the least. It has been a while since I have seen that many of our players get booked. And I have to admit I was a little bit disappointed at the final whistle. I then also watched us lose to Southampton at home last Sunday to. Which was equally as annoying, to be honest.

That said a point tomorrow away at Newcastle. Will mean that we finish second in the Premier League. Our highest finish in twenty-three years. Mind you whatever happens. It has been a brilliant season. And I am greatly looking forward to next season already. The club motto is “Audere est Facere” which means “To Dare is To Do”. Which is also a mantra, that I do try to use in my everyday life to.

The other week I was once again back at the fantastic Museum of Comedy. It is a place that firstly contains lots of great comedy memorabilia, from the Carry On Films to Tommy Cooper and much more in between. Including the actual stuffed bear that appeared in an episode of Steptoe and Son.

And secondly it has a lovely small performance room. Where lots of top comics often come to perform “work in progress” shows. In front of audiences of around ninety people. I was there to see Stewart Lee do just that.

I have to confess that I had not really seen much of his live stand up myself. So I was not sure totally what to expect and if I would like his stuff. But he does seem to be the comedians’ comedian. As lots of his peers often reference him as being someone very clever and creative. Who totally gets the art form. And who you can learn from. I have to say that he was brilliant from start to finish. A master of his craft.

From his very specific and explicit no pictures rule. That he laid down the second he walked out on stage. Through to him then reading out some of his columns from The Sunday Times. He was hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed it. He also did the set he used to do at Open Spots. When he was just starting out in comedy in 1989. And that in itself is a bit of a masterpiece. Which has weirdly just about stood the test of time. Well it has with a few ad-libbed amendments anyway.

It was another great gig. At one of my new favourite comedy venue’s in London. So far I have seen Trevor Noah, Josh Widdicome, James Acaster and Michael McIntyre play there. It is a really friendly room, giving the acts a great environment to try out new jokes in. While I was there I did notice that the exceptionally talented Maddy Anholt is there performing her new show Rent Girl on 23rd July. If you are free and around London. I would suggest you get along and check this out.

While we are talking about comedy and comedy venues. The line up for this year’s Tringe Festival has been released. It is a three week annual event organised by the great Ben Moorhouse. Most of the gigs take place at the Pendley Court Theatre in Tring.

A lot of the acts who perform are previewing their latest Edinburgh Festival shows. This year the Tringe runs from Sunday 26th June through to Saturday 16th July. Comedian’s appearing include Milton Jones, Sam Simmons, Shappi Khorsandi, Nish Kumar, Katy Brand, Mark Watson and Sean Walsh to mention just a few.

The Tringe Festival does hold a lot of very happy memories for me. Because it was as part of this great event four years ago now. That I made my stand up comedy debut. I took part in the brilliant eight week comedy course led by the Guru that is Logan Murray. When I started I thought I was amusing. But had no idea if I could write material, stand up on stage and then make people laugh. I met lots of great new friends. We spent the time just playing games and constantly laughing. Then some how at the end of it. All of us had five minutes worth of jokes to perform at The Roving Comedy Night.

For the night we were split in to groups of four. Then we were allocated our own professional comedian. We then travelled around four pubs in Tring performing our new comedy musings to around four hundred people in the process. With the professional comic headlining each of our little shows. I went around with the sensational Tony Law.

It was great to see him at close quarters and then get to talk to him as we walked between gigs. The whole of the night was just a totally unbelievable experience. It gave me such as buzz. It is hard to explain the feeling of excitement, relief and satisfaction. That I felt as I met up with the rest of my comedy group for a pint after our memorable shared experience.

This year’s Roving Comedy Night is on Sunday 3rd July. I would recommend you go to see new people giving comedy a go for the first time. While also being supported by top class comedian’s. It is a really entertaining night out.

Best of luck to all the trainees currently on the course. And preparing to give their first performances. You will absolutely love it. For more information about the Tringe Festival and The Roving Comedy Night click on the link here. Tringe Festival

I was back at the Fountain Studios in Wembley last week. To witness a recoding of an episode from the new series of the Dave Channel comedy show Taskmaster. I have just realised it is quite a hard concept to explain in writing.

A team of celebrities are given a selection of weird and wonderful tasks to complete. They are all set the same one and have to compete against each other to win points. Their efforts are then scored in his own unique way by the Taskmaster. Who is Greg Davies. The show was devised by Alex Horne. Who assists Greg with the show itself and also he helps the contestants with some of the challenges to.

Greg Davies was hilarious. And did a great job hosting and chatting to the audience in between takes. He and Alex Horne were really good together. It is a very funny. If not at times slightly surreal programme. With some of the things that they make them do. Taking part in this series are Doc Brown, Joe Wilkinson, Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Richard Osman.

Now I do not want to give too much away but to say Jon and Katherine are very competitive is an understatement. The whole panel were on form and very entertaining. But for me on the night I thought Joe Wilkinson just edged it. Mainly with his sly looks to the crowd and his reactions to what the others were saying. Which at times were priceless.

It was a fun show to watch being filmed. I had a decent seat right in the middle of the second row. So I got a perfect view of all the action. Not only that but the production team also gave me a free bottle of Budweiser on entry. If you saw the first series. You will know a lot of it is filmed in advance with them doing the tasks.

Well we got to see them played to us on a big screen. While watching the contestants watching themselves and more amusingly the others attack these dilemmas in very different ways. Keep your eye out on Dave for when this new series starts. It is well worth seeing. I witnessed some true works of genius. While I was sat there in that studio.

Last Sunday Night it was the TV Baftas. Hosted brilliantly by Graham Norton. I thought his opening monologue was great. He kept the whole thing together very nicely. I do always try to watch the awards ceremony if I can. Mainly to see what great dramas or documentaries have passed me by over the last twelve months.

Well done to Peter Kay for winning two nods for his brilliant come back situation comedy Car Share. I thought it was right that Strictly Come Dancing won the Entertainment award. The last series was brilliant. The standard of the dancing was so high. Every week the show was a real spectacle. And very enjoyable.

Lastly it was nice to see Leigh Francis win Entertainment Performance. The character’s that he plays including the wild Keith Lemon. Are I get the impression a million miles away from the actual man. Who I have heard is one of the nicest and loveliest people. You could wish to meet and to work with. That is according to a friend and former colleague of mine, anyway.

I even liked the way he did not want to or feel comfortable accepting the award in his own voice. May be showing how he likes to try to keep his public and private life completely separate. Anyway Well done Leigh Francis. Totally deserved. I almost got to interview him once. It was all booked in. Then unfortunately something came up at the last minuet and it never happened. Oh well that is showbiz.

If you watched last week’s Britain’s Got Talent. Towards the end of the show you may have seen a familiar face appear in the crowd. I went to the final London audition. Now as they cut and change from location to location during this stage of the show. You never know when acts you witnessed will be on or indeed if they will make it on screen at all. There was a fantastic singer called Rachael Wooding. Who came on and did a great version of “With You” from the musical Ghost.

She admitted she had been an actress and appeared in the West End before taking a break to have children. At the end of her song the camera cut to the audience. And you got a nice view of me appreciating her stunning performance. Clapping and smiling. It must have been quite obvious it was me. As basically straight away after it happened. I was getting text and Facebook messages from friends and family. Telling me that they had just spotted me on their television.

So it might be worth keeping your eyes out for me for the rest of the audition shows. Just in case you see me clapping and cheering for another one of the wannabe’s. That I saw when at the Dominion Theatre, trying out for the judges. That is them not me, just to be clear. I was sat right behind the top judging panel. So I got a good view of their reactions to the acts.

As I said previously I am going to be working for the BBC starting this summer. I will be doing some behind the scenes radio production work. Across several different shows on a few of their different networks. I am really looking forward to the challenge. And I am very much looking forward to when I start with them. I have always wanted to work for this great organisation. So I am very thankful for this amazing opportunity.

Neil Quigley TV Radio & Live — Neil Quigley TV, Radio & Live

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

Flash Bang Wallop

April 2, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of week’s. Mine have been quite busy with a few fun things going on. Last time we spoke. I was telling you about the brilliant St Patrick’s Day I spent in Waxy O’Connor’s in London. Well it actually got even better a few days later.

On the day I was putting a few photos up of me enjoying myself at the pub on my Twitter page and of course was tagging the venue in to. So I was both surprised and delighted to receive a tweet from my favourite Irish drinking establishment in the Capital. Telling me that I had won a special goody bag in their St Patrick’s Day competition.

I will be totally honest with you. I had no idea I had actually entered a competition or that they were even running one. It was only when I looked back through their Twitter. That I discovered they were encouraging people to send them pictures of the day. For the chance to grab a prize pack. They were really nice people to deal with. They are a really great team in there. It was agreed that I would go in and collect my prize from them the Saturday after the big day itself.

It was not until I walked in to the place at the arranged time. That I realised Ireland were playing Scotland in the Six Nations Rugby. So needless to say it was totally packed. I treated myself to a Guinness and made my way to the main bar to speak to Caitlin and Sean, the management team. When I found them. They were fantastic. Despite the bar being absolutely heaving with people. They still went and got the goods and gave them to me straight away. Firstly of course pausing for a quick photograph to mark this great moment.

The goody bag contained a bottle of Jameson Whiskey with some branded metal measures and tumblers. A Guinness hat, and some comedy shamrock green sun glasses. Plus my favourite part. Two of the Waxy O’Connor rugby shirts that the staff wear. One in black and the other in green. Now I have secretly wanted one of these for years.

And I now own a couple of them. It is great to have some cool mementos from my favourite London Pub. I am thinking of may be wearing one of the shirts next time I go there. Then just quickly hopping behind their bar. Pretending that I am a member of staff and pouring myself a nice pint of the black stuff.

I have since found out that Shane Lynch from Boyzone was also in there on the day to. I did not see him on St Patrick’s Day but I have met him before. Many years ago I helped host a live music event in Great Missenden with Richard Carr. I think that may have been the one and only time we worked together on stage as a double act. It was after Shane had left Boyzone the first time round. He was performing with a band called Redhill. I got to meet him and have a quick chat with him just before the gig. He was lovely, friendly and very relaxed.

The only other things I remember about this event are. It was staged managed by the same man who had been doing that same job for Steps last tour. And the other presenter working with us was from the ITV Children’s show Diggit. All I can remember is that she was female but I can’t remember her name. It was a good fun evening though. To be fair any time when I have a microphone in my hand and I am on a stage. That is always good evening.

The other weekend my former boss from when I was working at Ivel fm in Yeovil, Steve Carpenter. Was up from deepest darkest Somerset to do a DJ set at a very high class event at the Hilton Park Lane in London. So I went along there to see him for a nice chat and a bit of a catch up. Before he was required to entertain the invited guests. It was all very showbiz, as you would imagine. First we grabbed a nice cup of tea in the performers green room area with the band and dancers. Who were also on the bill.

There were plenty of feathers and sparkle around backstage, mostly supplied by the dancers. We then nipped down to the Traders Bar at the hotel for a quick drink before showtime. It was brilliant to see him. It was nice to reminisce about old times and talk about the future and upcoming plans. I did have lots of fun and memorable moments, while I was working in the West Country. Then he headed off to do his thing behind the decks and I headed off home.

Neil Quigley with Steve Carpenter in Yeovil

While I was there before the guests arrived I managed to have a quick look in the room and hear the sound check. It all sounded and looked great. He has performed all other the world and is a class act.

I remember once Steve and I headlined a big gig in a field in Yeovil. After a fun disco concert night with live performances from Odyssey, The Real Thing and Gwen Dickey. Not a bad little show line up to close in front of thousands of people. Another brilliant night, just messing about and having fun on stage!

I mentioned previously about my friend’s series of Radio Plays called The Andy Holmes Angle. There are six in total and I feature in two of them. The first of which was released a few weeks ago. And the second one this week. I have quite a big part in the previous story. But in this latest one I have a little cameo role. Playing a radio presenter, ironically. So therefore hopefully not testing my acting ability too much.

The latest episode is called “Video Killed The Radio Star”. Which weirdly and I promise you this is totally true. Used to be my mobile phone ring tone for many years. If you would like to listen to it and see if you can spot my very brief appearance as a guest star. Here is the link to it. Just click on it to play it. Video Killed The Radio Star

I am not going to lie I am still very excited about the end of the football season. I can’t see Leicester City slipping up currently. They look like they have just forgotten how to lose. But with Tottenham Hotspur in second anything could still happen. So I might still see my team win the league for the first time in my lifetime. Which would be pretty cool, to say the least.

It was also nice to see the Spurs players helping England to beat Germany in Berlin. I know it was only a friendly, still a win is a win. And personally I enjoyed seeing my team’s stars shining for the National team.

I am even starting to dream of potential Euro 2016 success. What is that famous quote about the England Team? Oh yes that is it. “It is the hope that kills you”. Then we went and lost to Holland at Wembley a few days later of course. So point proven there. I guess!

I had a nice and relaxing Easter Bank Holiday Weekend. I just watched the England game on television on the Saturday. Then I had a nice family roast dinner with my parents on the Sunday. Here is the really impressive bit then. I only had one Easter Egg. It was an Orange Matchmaker one and I have to say it tasted amazing. I even managed to avoid having any hot cross buns to.

As Easter breaks go it was a relatively healthy one for a change. It was an hour shorter this year. As the clocks went forward in the early hours of last Sunday morning. I hope you remembered and were not late for any appointments or for work as a result of these changes. The best thing about being tired due to a lack of sleep from the lost hour. Is that it does mean the evening’s will be staying lighter later. Which is always a bonus I think. More day to work with.

So today it is the last in the current series of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. When they will be doing the whole show live from a cruise ship in Barcelona full of competition winners. I mean what can possibly go wrong.

I think it has once again been a great run. As the programme is so popular and entertaining. It is getting harder for them to come up with new fun stuff that has not already been done before. And like all productions of course some things work better than others.

But it never fails to make me laugh out loud. With the two Geordie’s the perfect ringmasters at the centre of the circus. I really enjoyed being there in the audience for show three. It was interesting to see behind the scenes. Seeing what it is like in the studio. As opposed to what you see when you are sat at home watching.

The atmosphere there is brilliant. The audience are kind of the heartbeat of the show. That the two presenters and the guests all feed off. And the eagle eyed people amongst you will also know that it did give me a little bit of Saturday night prime time screen time. Including a few shots of me dancing to Little Mix’s Black Magic.

Next week sees the return of Britain’s Got Talent to Saturday night’s for the auditions stage. Which does mean we will still get our weekend fix of Ant & Dec. I went and saw one of the London recordings.

Brace yourself then for the normal selection of terrible acts and amazing performers. Plus those random and unbelievable moments when the judges put someone through seemingly just for a laugh. Or possibly because they can see something that I am pretty sure that the rest of the country will not be able to see.

It is good fun entertainment. So just remember none of the performers are there against their will. Some of them will already know they are awful but are doing it for a laugh or just to get on television.

Stick with it and remember normally for the final they will find at least five really good acts. That all said, I think I did see at least two or three acts at my audition alone. That I would expect to see in the last show. And who could actually win it.

Tomorrow I am going to the NEC in Birmingham for the Gadget Show Live. I have never been before, so I do not really fully know what to expect. I imagine that there will be lots of stands with some amazing new bits of as yet unreleased top technology on. Hopefully that I can test and try out for myself. I have never been someone who is at the forefront of new gadgets and technology.

I even resisted getting a mobile phone for ages at first. And I was one of the last of my mates to get one. I do not own a tablet of any kind. And I would rather read old school paper books than use a new electrical device for them. But who knows I could well find a new passion for flash new tools after a couple of hours wandering around, trying the goods and talking to the makers. I will let you know how it was and what life changing items I purchased while I was there. In the next instalment on here.

I am very excited to be heading up to Liverpool next weekend. For the Aintree Grand National Horse Racing meeting. This will be the third time that I have been there for the event. It is brilliant, the atmosphere is top quality and everyone dresses up and makes a real effort. So needless to say my best suit has already been dry cleaned and is ready for action.

Our big day at the races tends to be Ladies Day. Which is on the Friday. This is the day I will actually be at Aintree. It is a quality day from the start to the finish. And it is fair to say the whole of Liverpool is rocking once the days racing is over.

My mate lives near the course. And when I see him during non Grand National times. We always have a drive down the famous Melling Road. The one that the famous National course crosses over. It will be a lively and exciting three days. That is for sure. Last year I had the National winner in a sweepstake. I am hoping to repeat this feat once again this time round. Fingers crossed.

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

The Science of Television

February 5, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been pretty busy with some interesting things going on. I have still not heard back from the new game show audition I did a fortnight ago as yet. But as it is being recorded at the end of this month I expect to find out one way or another very soon.

While I was waiting to go in for my turn with the producers at their production office I got talking to one of the other potential contestants. Around a year ago I helped to do some development work on a brand new quiz called Smart Ask.

This included me playing the game in front of some Channel 4 executives. To try and convince them to buy it.Well from speaking to the guy I met at my latest audition I found out that he was used as a contestant when they recorded the pilot episode of it in the studio.

It was nice to find out that something I had been involved in had made it to the next stage in its development. They have not commissioned a series as yet and I can’t say much more about it at this stage. But all I will say is this, the presenter who hosted the pilot episode was not the one that Channel 4 used when we ran through the quiz for them privately.

Recently I went to the BBC Elstree Studios to see an episode of a brand new ITV1 show called “It’s Not Rocket Science” being recorded. I was very well looked after and had a great seat, right in the middle on the very front row.

It is presented by Ben Miller, Rachel Riley and Romesh Ranganathan. As its title suggests it is a science and technology gadget show that features a mixture of weird and wild experiments. As well as a look at new innovations that are being introduced to try to make our lives easier.

They do some of the tests live in the studio during the filming and others have already been pre-recorded in advance but we still got to see them while we were there. The main guest on the show I saw was Eamonn Holmes. Who although he was on very briefly was very good, friendly and professional, as you would expect from a man of his calibre.

It was an extremely fun and different kind of show to watch. I can’t say why but during it I did get to hi five Romesh. If I am honest I would have much rather it had been Rachel but you can’t have it all can you? The series starts on Tuesday 16th February at 8pm. I not sure when the one I was at will be broadcast but keep an eye out for when Eamonn Holmes is the guest on it and then see if you can spot me.

For the second year running I attended the final London audition for Britain’s Got Talent. They hold them at the fabulous Dominion Theatre on the Tottenham Court Road. It really is a fantastic venue. Once again I was very well looked after. They sat me a few rows behind the judges. I had a good view of the stage and also more importantly a very good view of the judges, so I could see their reactions to what was happening in front of them.

Now if you have seen the show of course, you will know that at the auditions Ant & Dec only really interview the acts off the stage before and after they have performed. Happily before the recording starts they do come out on to the stage to say hello, explain what will be happening and they introduce the judges. During the filming you do sometimes see them popping up at the side of the stage watching the acts or more likely messing around. While the filming was taking place we did also get treated to a cameo appearance from ITV2’s “Britain’s Got More Talent” host Stephen Mulhern.

The judges all looked great and were in fine form. Joking with each other and messing about in between the acts appearing. While the stage was being reset. At one point Simon Cowell appeared to steal Amanda Holden’s phone and post something on her twitter page. They were also happy to chat to the audience during any down time.

Alesha Dixon and David Walliams were on fine form to. In fact David seemed to take control and keep things in order moving them forward more so than even Simon, which seemed slightly odd as he is technically the boss of the whole thing.

I think since the birth of his son Simon has very much mellowed a bit. Although I have to confess I do normally agree with everything he says when he is critiquing the acts. At the audition I witnessed there were the usual mixture of excellent and terrible acts. And the judges did rightly have to buzz a few of them off. There was one point when I actually wished that I had my own buzzer.

I obviously do not want to give anything away but I think I saw two acts that could well both make it to the grand final. One of them was a singer and the other a pretty unique impressionist. I look forward to seeing the show when it is shown in April. The game you can play when it is on is to try and spot me sitting behind Simon Cowell. It was a lovely evening watching one of my favourite shows being made in a great city.

Before I went to the Britain’s Got Talent auditions I stopped off for some food in a well known comedy venue pub in London called The Phoenix. It is a place where a lot of comics drink and it is also home to the Old Rope Comedy Club, which is on in their basement bar every Monday Night. It normally attracts some very well known comedians, who use it to try out new material.

The pub is holding its own comedy festival next month and I am looking forward to seeing Russell Howard perform there as part of it. Just while I was standing at the bar ordering my soft drink the other day. The Welsh comic and former flat mate of Rhod Gilbert, Lloyd Langford appeared next me. It is a cracking pub and just for the record the food in there is fantastic to.

I am currently in the middle of reading my second book of the year so far and as ever it is an autobiography. This time it is the life story of the twenty times champion jump racing jockey AP McCoy. As you would imagine it is brilliant and fascinating in equal measure giving a real insight in to his own life and the racing world in general. He is one tough and totally driven guy, the desire and will power to achieve what he did in his chosen sport is right there to see from the first chapter. The thing that really comes across is just how modest and low key he is. When you consider the levels he reached as a sportsman.

Many years ago my great friend Dez Kay and I did the Wedding Disco for the former jump jockey Gee Armytage when she married fellow jockey Mark Bradburne. At the time Gee was actually working as AP McCoy’s personal assistant. So he was there at the reception along with the great and good of the horse racing family, including John Francome and Clare Balding. It was a brilliant night and let me tell you those folks know how to party. I seem to remember we finished the disco in the end at around 4am.

But one man who doesn’t drink alcohol had left long before that and was I guess at home resting, as true greats often are. To be the best at anything you must be totally dedicated to your goal. I am of course talking about AP McCoy. For the record the biggest party animal there seemed to be Carl Llewellyn, who was also a hugely successful jockey and now is an assistant trainer with Nigel Twiston-Davis.

I would have liked to go out on a night out with him. I would imagine there would never be a dull moment. He is very close friends with AP McCoy, although it would appear from the outside their style of a social night out differs slightly. Anyway I am totally loving the book and now have even more respect and admiration for him than I did before. He seems like a ace man to be around and a great friend to have around you and in your corner.

The Jump has returned to our television screens for another series. It is a show for celebrities who do not think Dancing on Ice was dangerous enough to go on. With the events they make them compete in I am surprised that they can actually get insurance to be able to make the show. May be they go and have a private meeting with the head Meerkat or that annoying opera singer to thrash out a deal.

As ever with reality shows nowadays there are a couple of people on it who I have never heard of. But there is something quite fun about it that makes me enjoy watching it. Davina McCall is great on it linking it all together. And when they are not competing in those terrifying events, the contestants look like they are all having a good time. Enjoying all the excellent hospitality at the resort.

I am supporting Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding for the very simple reason that she lives in the same town as me. Therefore I do want her to win it. She turned on the lights at Christmas last year and I have seen her in the local supermarket and filling up with petrol in the town. I think the place would look good with a golden cow horn bought back in to it. May be she could donate it to us. Good luck to Sarah Harding. I am behind you all the way.

My self enforced alcohol ban is now officially over. I took the whole of January off the booze, so I could try to have a slightly healthier start to the year and I also upped my exercise routine a bit. But that all that could come to an end this weekend. Not decided what I am doing yet but if I fancy a drink I can now have one. Looking forward to it and I am hoping that I might try to ease myself back into things gently but I guess we will just see how it goes.

I have got a couple of busy weeks coming up. Next Wednesday I am going to see a recording of Alan Davies As Yet Untitled at the famous Hospital Club in London. It is a comedy discussion show made by the TV station Dave featuring the comedian and his guests basically just sitting around a table having a chat. Which will be a lot of fun, I’m sure. And as it is quite an intimate venue people tend to may be reveal more through their stories than they possibly should.

I am also going to two new West End shows two nights running. I am off to see Gemma Arterton star in Nell Gwynn and former Friends star Matthew Perry in a play he has written himself called The End of Longing. Both of which I am very much looking forward to. I will tell you all about them next time we speak.

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

Neil Quigley Presenter