Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. Mine have been great with quite a bit going on. I had to go for my annual contact lens check up appointment recently. I have been wearing them since I was fourteen years old. So it is a pretty straightforward process. Which I am very familiar with. Just in case you are not. This is what happens. You arrive wearing the lenses, then they check you can still see perfectly through them. To make sure your prescription is correct.

They then check the fit of them using a giant piece of equipment that would not look out of place in a Bond villain’s lair. Before then getting you to take out the lenses. So they can put a blue dye in your eyes that is so strong, you have to leave the lenses out for at least five hours afterwards. Because it might melt them, sorry I mean stain them. Just in case you care, all was fine. I passed the MOT and have another twelve months contact lens wearing to look forward to.

I was lucky enough to be at Wembley Stadium for this year’s Capital One Cup Final between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. I was there before the game to help take some competition winners around the venue. While we were strolling about. We saw Kris Kamara presenting Goals on Sunday for Sky Sports, wearing a very shiny grey suit. And Ricky Wilson from the Kaiser Chiefs and The Voice, who was there doing some filming. He was great, very nice, friendly and approachable. He was very happy to chat to everyone and everyone did want to chat to him.

The competition winners were also treated to a question and answer session featuring a former player from each of the teams. These players were Frank Sinclair and Darren Anderton. It was good to see Darren Anderton again. The last time I had met him was in a nightclub in Watford about sixteen years ago. I did then get to stay and see the game itself. Which as a Spurs fan was ultimately a bit disappointing. Without wanting to seem bitter, I thought my team did well. We were a bit unlucky when Christian Eriksen’s free kick hit the bar. And were just beaten by two deflected shots in the end. The atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic. It was still a good day out at the home of football. Despite the result.

I was back at one of my favourite locations, the BBC Radio Theatre the other Wednesday. To see an episode of the Radio 4 Extra comedy Newsjack being recorded. It was the first one that I had been to that featured the show’s new host Nish Kumar. I thought he did a brilliant job with it. They do quite regularly change the front man of the programme. Then the show itself kind of takes on their style and personality. And I have to confess I did like the feel of it with Nish at the helm. There were some really clever topical jokes on the night. Which makes me proud to have written jokes for the show in the past. The show combines the jokes with short sketches.

It always features a high quality cast of established and up and coming comedy performers. At the recording I went to the cast were Lewis Macleod,  Jocelyn Jee Esien and Freya Parker. All three of them were excellent, so funny. I am still doing some writing myself for the show. So hopefully I will get some more of my material featured on it before the end of this current series. Although there were no celebrity spots in the BBC Cafe before watching the radio recording. They do currently have a clever little mock up of part of the Eastender’s set in there. Which does look pretty cool. Basically you can sit on a bench, so that it looks like you are in Albert Square itself.

I have now finished John Cleese’s autobiography “So Anyway”. It is a very interesting read. Well written and extremely funny. It was fascinating to learn about his upbringing, school and university years. As well of course how he forged a career in comedy. And ended up being involved with the rest of the team. Who then went on to become Monty Python’s Flying Circus. He doesn’t shy away from the rumoured friction between him and some of his former colleagues. But he never deals with this in a crass or nasty way. And to be fair he himself shoulders some of the blame for it all.

The only slight  disappointment for me was that he does not talk about writing and making any of the ace Monty Python films. Nor does he cover writing and filming one of the greatest comedies of all time, Fawlty Towers. And there is no mention of some of his films like Clockwise and A Fish Called Wanda. The way it was left though. I am very much hoping that there is a part two of the book to come. In which he will cover all of these missing subjects. If that is not the plan currently. Please can someone ask Mr Cleese to get writing and make this happen. I need to know what went on here. Although if history has taught us anything. We may have to wait until his next divorce before he produces this book to pay for it.

I am loving the latest series of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. For me they are still the best presenters in the business. And the show has just, the perfect format for a Saturday Night. It has some of the very top people in television working on it. And you can see that from the features and the attention to detail in all aspects of the show.

The floor manager for it is the brilliant Alan Conley, whose CV reads like a who’s, who of all the biggest programmes on the box. The audience are whipped in to a frenzy every week by Andy Collins. You can feel their excitement and enthusiasm bursting through the screen into your living room. Then they top the whole thing off with the always brilliant End Of The Show, Show. Which on the last show was a magic act featuring the two cheeky Geordie’s as glamorous assistant’s. Let us be thankful though that they decided not to put them in leotards.

Last week’s Ant versus Dec featured the boys going head to head to see who was the best at reading the news. While answering questions by filling in the blanks on the Autocue. The segment was hosted and anchored by the excellent Mark Austin from ITV News. He is a truly brilliant newsreader in my opinion. I have been lucky enough to meet him once.

When I was working down at Ivel fm in Yeovil. We had a local lady who was being featured on that evening’s main ITV news programme. So they came down to do some filming of her while she was at the radio station. Mark Austin also came along to so he could interview her himself. He is such a nice man. He came in, said hello to everyone. Then just sat quietly reading the paper. While he was just waiting to do his bit. And at the same time he was very happy to join in and get involved with any office banter that was going on. Proving like with most serious news people. That he has a very good sense of humour. He does not seem to age either. He is like the George Clooney of journalism.

Last Monday afternoon I went to the ITV Studios on London’s South Bank to see an episode of Celebrity Squares being recorded. It featured both the aforementioned Andy Collins and Alan Conley who were both working on this show, carrying out their normal roles brilliantly. It’s hosted by Warwick Davis. Who I actually think is brilliant at it. He is sharp, funny, he moves the show along nicely and gives everybody chance to contribute to it. It is the first time I have ever been to a quiz show recording. And I did really enjoy it. You do really want both of the contestant’s to do well. Plus it is still fun to play along in your head from the comfort of your seat. Obviously I can’t give away anything that happened. So you will have to wait until the series airs next month, to find out how it went. And if someone managed to win the jackpot or not.

On the show I watched. This was the Celebrity Square’s panel. Tim Vine, Ana Matronic, Joe Lycett, Duncan Bannatyne, Sarah Millican, Tess Daily, Joe Wilkinson, Rickie & Melvin and Milton Jones. They were all on good form and as you would expect all the comedians were very good value with their exchanges with Warwick and the contestants. Although as is often the case I predict some of the funniest jokes and moments will not make it on to our television screens. Mainly because of taste and decency issues. Apart from one bit which I do not think will make the edit simply because of one of the celebrity’s flying skills.

I have actually interviewed one of the panel before. A few years ago I had the pleasure of chatting to the lovely Ana Matronic.     It was when I was working at Mix 96. Her band the Scissor Sisters were just about to release their latest album. So I got to talk to her about that and her career in general. To hear the interview just click on the link here. http://www.neilquigley.co.uk/interviews/

So it was Comic Relief Night last night. It is always great fun with some amazing and memorable moments featured on the main show. This year it is the event’s thirtieth anniversary. I can’t believe it has been going that long. It actually makes me feel quite old. As I can remember the very first one.

It has now raised around one billion pounds for various charities both within the United Kingdom and abroad. Which is an exceptional achievement. As every event passes there are more and more different sponsored events and television shows made under the Comic Relief banner. To help with the fundraising. Amongst them this year were special versions of The Great British Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing. But the one I watched myself was “Let’s Play Darts”.

I have always liked the sport and at various times in my life have played it quite regularly without ever being any good at it. I do enjoy watching it on TV. So a show that featured darts and comedians was always going to be something to attract my attention. I think it is pretty fair to say some of the celebrities on the show were better at the sport than others. Though pairing them up with professionals made the matches more fun and it most cases slightly more competitive.

I have read Lee Mack’s book. So I do know that at one point in his life he did want to be a darts professional. So he spent a lot of time practising the game as a teenager. So I knew that he would be good. The surprise of the competition for me was Tim Vine. I had no idea he was a serious fan of the sport and a decent player. The two of them are friends and play against each other a lot. Which from what I saw, they must be very close games. Well done to Lee Mack on winning with his partner Martin Adams. I hope they bring it back for the next Comic Relief as I think it was good quality entertainment. While at the same time of course raising money for excellent causes.

I am really looking forward to going to see The Book Of Mormon in London this week. I have heard some brilliant things about it and I am glad that I am finally getting round to watching it. I saw Avenue Q last year which I thoroughly enjoyed. And the songs in that, which are brilliant were written by the same guys, who wrote the songs in this. So therefore I should love it. I will let you know what it was like, next time we speak.

Now with a name like Quigley you have probably already guessed that I do have some Irish roots in my family. This Tuesday it is St Patrick’s Day. I have had some brilliant times on this day over the years. I do remember one year I was out with my mates in London. I had already had a few pints. When a mate of mine who was working for a radio station up north at the time. Gave me a call on my phone and asked me to describe my St Patricks’ Day celebrations. Which I did live from the balcony of the Punch and Judy pub in Covent Garden. I hope I got across in the piece how much fun I was having. While hopefully remaining very professional. I have to confess I am partial to the odd pint of Guiness not least on special occasions. So when you combine all this information. I think there is a good chance I could well be out for a few drinks to celebrate this year. Well it would be rude not to right? Happy St Patrick’s Day for Tuesday.

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