Tag Archives: football

Barcelona

April 1, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really nice couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy with lots of fun things going on. The main thing in particular was a visit to a European city that I had never been to before. So as the United Kingdom was getting ready to remove itself from the European Union I was finally embracing a new area of it. For my fortieth some friends of mine clubbed together and got me a travel voucher, which I used towards a long weekend away in Barcelona. So that is where I was last weekend.

I flew out very early on the Friday morning from Luton airport. As I was only going for a couple of nights I decided I would only take hand luggage on the plane with me. This was the first time I had ever done this and ended up losing my deodorant and face wash at security control. As they contained over one hundred millilitres of liquid. Which is not allowed seemingly. I never even thought of that issue. To be fair to the good people of Barcelona I did replace those items as soon as I arrived in the city.

I had a pleasant flight there with Easy Jet. They looked after me well and were all happy and friendly. When I landed in Barcelona I decided to take the train to my hotel. I will be honest it did take me a little while to firstly find the train station there and secondly work out roughly where I needed to get off. I took the train in to the centre and then I used their Metro network to get nearer to the hotel. I was impressed by the fact that on the underground trains there is full 3G available. This proved very useful when I got a bit lost and had to re-check my route. As I could do that while still sat on a Metro train.

My hotel was situated in the Gothic Quarter of the City. It was just off La Rambla, which is a very vibrant and busy street with lots of places to eat and drink. The street off it where the hotel was where I was staying, was very easy to find as the start of it was between a Mcdonald’s and a KFC. Two places which I am very familiar with. So it made the place I was staying very easy to find.

When I arrived it was bucketing it down with rain. But even so after I had checked in to the hotel. I thought I should still try and do some exploring and sight-seeing. The architecture and style of some of the buildings is breath taking and I took a look inside a few of them that were open to the public. In fact not long in to my walk I stumbled across a statue showing St George standing over the dragon. I have not done any research on this, so I have no idea why they have a tribute to our patron saint on display, may be he was actually Catalonian.

The rain then got the better of me for a moment, so I went in to a coffee shop to sample the local tea. I am not saying that it was not very good or up to my normal standard but that was the last time I attempted a tea until I got home. After sheltering for a bit I headed back out in to the wet and continued looking at the great Cathedral’s and regal state buildings. As well as the very narrow and populated old streets.

I was trying to stay out of bars and restaurants for as long as possible, as I did not want to start drinking to early. But the rain was not easing and I was getting wetter and wetter. So I gave in and found a lovely little bar to stay dry in. I had my first glass of Spanish red wine. With my motto for the weekend being to try new local things only. I had a stuffed peppers dish followed by a green raspberry cheesecake. All of which was fantastic and which may or may not have been washed down with a second glass of red.

When I left there the rain had become so heavy it was practically biblical, so I decided it was not worth trying to see anymore of my surroundings. So I made the executive plan to just visit a few bars close to my hotel for the evening. They were all very nice and friendly and thankfully for me with my terrible language skills. They all seemed to speak English or in some cases have English staff.

The atmosphere was relaxed and I got chatting to many different people from all over the world during the course of the night. It did seem that there were quite a few Americans visiting, which I do not know why but that surprised me a bit. I then headed back to the hotel at a reasonable time, as the next morning I was going to go and do the thing I wanted to do most while I was there.

I am a big football fan. I have been lucky enough to visit a lot of big stadiums over the years. I spent some time working at Wembley Stadium. So as I was in Barcelona for the weekend. There was one place that I had to visit. The stadium with the biggest capacity in the whole of Europe. I am of course talking about the Nou Camp, the home of the epic Barcelona Football Club.

I was way too excited for a man of my age as I got off the Metro Train, walked down towards the ground and got my first glimpse of it from the outside. It does look pretty old and basic as you approach it. But then when you get a bit closer and see the colours and massive pictures of the star players on it, it looks very impressive.

I arrived and got my ticket for the Tour Experience after a slight scare, as at first the machine was not working so I could not get one. But happily it was swiftly fixed and I was heading towards the entrance with my ticket in my hand and a big smile on my face,

The first thing they do is take a welcome photo against a green screen, which they let you see at the end, against a selection of different back drops. There are several other photo opportunities as you move through the tour, which I will tell you about later.

Then you head through to the Barcelona FC museum. That is just sensational. They have so much memorabilia on display including some ridiculously old and original shirts. They also have a signed Maradona shirt, the boots Ronald Koeman wore when he scored that winning free kick at the old Wembley in the European Cup Final in 1992 and a shirt and pair of boots belonging to Lionel Messi.

And then the trophy cabinets are immense. They seem to hold every trophy the club has ever won. Including the trophy’s they currently hold. And their five Champions League Trophy’s. I have done the Tottenham Hotspur tour and it puts our trophy room to shame, that is for sure.

You then get to head out in to the stands, it was nice to finally be inside this great home of football. From there you can make your way down to the press room and on to a replica of the away dressing room. The whole tour includes lots of great pictures and interactive video displays as you walk round.

Next they give you chance to walk out that famous tunnel. Which does actually have its very own elaborate chapel. You walk up some steps to get pitch side. Where you can take some photos and sit in both the home and away dug outs. The pitch looked amazing, although they did appear to have a bit of a problem with pigeons there bizarrely. Next up it is the corporate areas and then the press box. Which I have to say offered a great view of the pitch.

Heading down from there, they give you chance to have your picture taken with a replica of the Champions League Trophy with the Nou Camp in the background. I have got my picture and it is brilliant. I also have a picture of me celebrating with the team after the 2011 Wembley win, one with the current team and one of me and Lionel Messi with our arms round each other.

The tour was brilliant. I would definitely recommend it if you are a football fan. It is a spectacular and historic stadium that has been graced by many of the world’s greatest players at some point or another.

Now happily the weather on my second day was much better, the rain had stopped and the sun was out. So after I left the Nou Camp I headed back to my hotel to drop off all the pictures from my tour. I then decided to head out for a walk to try and find the Barcelona beach. I mean the city really does have everything.

To get to the beach I had to walk past the port. Which had some of the most amazing Yachts I had even seen moored there. It would appear there is obviously money about. It was a nice stroll and being as in my head I was on holiday I treated myself to an ice-cream.

I eventually found the beach. It is fair to say the sea was a bit lively and was actually full of surfers catching some waves. I found myself a beach side cafe overlooking the sea. Where I treated myself to a glass of Sangria and some Tapas. Both of which I thoroughly enjoyed, while listening to the sound of the waves in the background. I returned to the hotel to get changed before heading out for a traditional Spanish meal.

So I found a nice restaurant in which I tried my first ever Paella. I never take pictures of my food but for this big occasion I made an exception. It was lovely and accompanied by a glass of red wine. I then hit a few more different bars in the area for the rest of the evening. Like in England the clocks also go forward, so technically I lost an hour when I was there.

On my final day I did the typical tourist thing of taking a City Bus Tour, which lasted about an hour and an half and was very interesting and educational. They really do have some stunning looking buildings. Much like London there are old style ones mixed in with brand new ones. They also have a huge aquarium which I visited.

It has a part of it where you walk through a special tunnel with different species including Sharks swimming alongside and above you. It was fascinating and the closest I have been to a shark. All to soon it was time to come home late on the Sunday. Again another lovely flight with Easy Jet led by a funny and amusing cabin manager. All in all it was a great weekend in a city that I would be happy to visit again in the future.

Next weekend I am looking forward to my annual trip up to Liverpool for the Grand National Meeting at Aintree. I always have a great time when I visit the place. But there is always something special about these four days.

We normally just go to the course for Ladies Day on the Friday but there is talk of possibly making it on the day of the big race to. Either way the atmosphere in what is always a party city is electric. It will be a lot of fun. I will tell you all about it next time we speak.

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

Thoroughly Modern Me

March 18, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been fairly busy with some fun stuff going on. Now as I have mentioned before I am a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing. One of my current favourite dancer’s on the show is the brilliant Joanne Clifton. So when I discovered she was going to be starring in the new touring version of Thoroughly Modern Millie. And that it was coming to one of my local theatre’s. I decided that I had to get along to see it.

Therefore a couple of Tuesday’s ago I did just that at The Swan Theatre in High Wycombe. I have to confess that although I am a huge fan of musicals, it was not one that I had seen before. I did not even know what the story was about, which actually made a nice change. Seeing something that was completely new to me. I was genuinely surprised and absorbed by the plot.

Happily and conveniently for the show’s title I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. The whole cast were fantastic. The songs were great. It featured a live Orchestra, which always enhances any performance, I think. It is quite a high energy, fast moving show with a relatively small cast, so some of the actors have to play a couple of different parts. It is fair to say that everyone is working hard while on and also off stage. As ever, like with most musicals it has a story line that looks at perceptions, decisions and morals with an element of good versus evil. But there are a few clever twists in it, which I really liked.

Now we come on to the main reason I went in the first place. The gorgeous Joanne Clifton, who shines in the lead role and carries the whole show so effortlessly. She really has not taken the easy option here for her first big production. As this part requires her to do an American accent. Which she does perfectly. She seems to have an aura around her, which attracts your attention and means you cannot take your eyes off her. Which I believe demonstrates star quality.

It really is a stunning performance. She has a great voice and really belts out those big numbers. Her acting is believable. And there is of course no need to question her dancing, she is a world champion in that arena.

She is definitely going to go on to star in more musicals. And I would be amazed not to see her in the West End sometime soon. Right at the end, as the curtain was falling, after the play had finished. She and one of the other actors gave us a little bit of a classic jive to enjoy, which was ace. She was giving it her all right to the very last second. She seemed to be loving it and I must admit I loved watching it to.

I also spent another night in High Wycombe recently checking out a new shop that has opened there. It is called the Brewery Shop. And it does what it says on the tin. It is a shop serving a huge selection of different beers from lots of various independent and local brewery’s.

It does also have a decent bar area with a huge selection of different guest craft ales on tap. So you can sit in there and try lots of different drinks. It seemed nice and friendly in there. Plus the selection of drinks they had was impressive. I tried a couple of them while I was there. I would imagine that I will be going back there again to sample some more of them at some point.

Saturday Night Take Away is back on television for another series. And once again I am really enjoying it. It is one of the maddest show’s of the year. With the two Geordie geniuses acting as ring masters to the huge Circus. I have said this before but they have cleverly taken all the best bits from every Saturday night entertainment programme that there has ever been. Put them all together and adapted them to their own unique style.

I went and watched a show live in the studio last year and that was brilliant. The atmosphere in that studio is electric. It is just like one big giant party. The ninety minutes go so quickly. It is fun seeing them get things ready and set things up during the advert breaks. It is just plain old fashioned silly fun and very entertaining.

The two of them are in their element and are given a bit of freedom to ad-lib and create magic moments in this inclusive and live environment. Now while they are not comedians, the relationship and comedy timing that exists between them does at least slightly remind me of Morecambe and Wise. They certainly have that connection together and the ability to make the audience feel we are all in on the joke with them.

I like the new weekly serials that they have added over the last two years. They are both ridiculous and hilarious, full of silly and amusing jokes. And feature some great cameos with the lads very happy to send themselves up in them. Plus the end of the show show is of course always a winner. And in many ways the idea behind that, seems like another nod to the two comedy legends I mentioned earlier. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. It is simply fun, which is what the world needs more of in my opinion.

The Nightly Show has now started on ITV1. I went to see the pilot version of it. At that time I felt it still needed a bit of work to get it right. And three weeks in I have to say I still think it does. It is the type of programme that the United Kingdom has been missing. They have been doing this kind of show very well in America for a very long time. Now I do really want it to work and for it to become a regular thing. But having watched a couple of episodes over the first few weeks. I think it is trying a bit too hard, it all seems a little too forced and they are trying to pack too much in, making it quite a difficult and awkward watch for me personally.

Although I appreciate it is not easy writing funny and topical material to order, every single night. But for me the opening monologue’s do need to be better. To set the tone, get the audience on side and give it that sense of the day. To make it unique and up to the minute. If you want to do a nightly topical show, it does need to be just that. Some of the guest choices have been a bit odd to. And I am not totally convinced the quick games with members of the public really add anything to it either.

I saw via social media that Danny Baker has offered his services to mould this show and build it up. Now love him or hate him. He has got form with this sort of thing from his past TV work. Which suggests he could may be give it the kick start that it needs. I do really want it to work and for it to be good. I hope they can tweak it and find the right vibe for it. That said the viewing figures for it are pretty good for a new show at that time, but I genuinely think it can be better.

Last Friday night I went with my dad to the Official Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Association Dinner at Adams Park. The home of the football team it assists. Both he and my mum are season ticket holders at the club. And members of the aforementioned organisation, as am I. It was a very pleasant evening including an enjoyable three course meal. That featured the best chocolate mousse dessert I have had for a while.

Since it was formed over twenty five years ago. It has donated over seventy-five thousand pounds to the club. It was good to see the manager Gareth Ainsworth there supporting the event. They auctioned off Myles Weston’s shirt from the FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur, which was signed by the whole squad. Plus there was a raffle in which I won a bottle of red wine, which topped off a very enjoyable evening, very nicely.

Talking of the mighty Tottenham Hotspur our season has been going through another quite decent spell. Well if you completely ignore crashing out of the Europa League that is. Certainly in the Premier League, things have been looking good with wins and good performances becoming the norm.

Still cannot see us getting past Cheslea though, I think they have the title sewn up already. The most exciting thing for me though is reaching the FA Cup Semi-Final. It has been far too long since we have been in one. Although we do now have to get past Chelsea in that to get to the final.

My only ever trip to Old Trafford was to see us lose to Newcastle in a FA Cup Semi-final, several years ago now. I have always loved the competition and it has been to long since we have had a shot at the final of it. When you consider that we have not won it since 1991 and that was the last time that we were even in the final.

We must be due another appearance, I hope. If for no other reason than Chas N Dave can release a new Spurs song for the occasion. I can’t wait for the Semi-final it is going to be huge. And if we get to the final I will have to try and get a ticket for that somehow. Come on you Spurs.

Yesterday it was the seventeenth of March and therefore of course St Patrick’s Day. I do have a surname of Irish origin. My Granddad was born there. Plus I have been over to Dublin four times. So as far as I am concerned that qualifies me to be able to spend this very special day in a pub, having a few drinks. This year was no different. I went to my favourite pub in London.

Which just so happens to be an Irish Bar called Waxy O’Connor’s. Where I enjoyed a few pints of Guinness. The atmosphere in there is always top quality. To add to the flavour of the occasion they have music playing all day plus a traditional Irish Trio performing live a few times during the day to.

Last year I won a competition on social media for my photos of the event. That prize pack included T-shirts from the place, which I really like. I was tempted to wear one of them this year but then I realised that I would look like the staff and end up having to serve people pints or tell them where the toilets were all day.

It was brilliant fun as ever and made even more entertaining by the fact they showed the Cheltenham Gold Cup live on the big screen. For a second during the race it almost felt like I was there. I always enjoy this day, every year. It was lots of fun celebrating with a great group of people.

I am looking forward to next weekend visiting and exploring somewhere that I have never been before. For my fortieth birthday some friends of mine got together and got me a travel voucher as a present. So I have used that to enjoy a weekend away in Barcelona.

I have never been to main land Spain before, so I am very excited. I have heard great things about the place from friends who have been before. I will tell you all about it and let you know what I got up to next time we speak.

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

A Right Old Laugh

February 17, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of week’s. Mine have been very busy with lots of fun things going on. My run of recent trips to see TV programme’s being filmed continued. This time an episode for the new series of the DAVE comedy computer games show “Go 8 Bit” at the Elstree Studios.

It is presented by Dara O’Briain. He is joined by team captain’s Steve McNeil and Sam Pamphilon. Who came up with the idea for the Edinburgh Festival, a couple of years ago. Plus comedian and former computer games journalist Ellie Gibson. Who acts as the oracle for all the games. And as co-commentator with Dara for all the high octane action.

Steve was joined by comedian Russell Kane and Sam’s team mate was the comedian Lolly Adefope. The teams go head to head in a wide range of new and classic computer games. One of which was Lemmings. I had completely forgotten about it but I loved the game as a kid. I am not sure if it was just the way they were playing it. But it certainly looked a lot harder than I remembered.

For the final challenge they played a new virtual reality game. Where you work in a burger bar. And have to make and serve burgers. It sounds rubbish but it actually looked like fun. And it also proved to be pretty difficult. Who knew? The new series will be shown later this year, so keep an eye out for it.

The other weekend I went to Cheshire to see one of my oldest friends and his family. The purpose of my visit was to celebrate his wife’s fortieth birthday. I got there on the Friday evening. He has a two year old daughter. Who insisted on showing me all of her toys. Then on us reading some books together. While watching the Shaun The Sheep Movie.

For those of you who may have not seen it. I can recommend it, it is very amusing. She is a big fan. I think I must have seen it at least three times while I was there. After the little one had gone to bed. We had a few beers. And watched one of the grown up’s DVD’s. The latest one from the ace Sarah Millican. Which was hilarious. Very clever and simply laugh out loud funny.

Saturday was the party day. In the morning we went for a walk in a local park. While there, none other than the mother of One Direction’s Harry Style’s walked past us. When we got back to their house. We were all blowing up inflatable guitars and microphones. Plus lots of helium balloons. Which was actually much harder work than it sounds. And we had pumps.

We had about an hour to get the venue ready before the guest’s arrived. Which we did. Strangely they had a few electricity issues and the lights in the toilets were not working. So they had put lots of candles in there. Which actually gave them a very romantic and seductive feel. Which was odd but weirdly relaxing.

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The party itself was fantastic. I had a few drinks and some tasty food. Including the birthday cake that my mate had baked and decorated himself. It looked and tasted amazing. I had a dance with the Birthday girl. Then thanks to the aforementioned inflatable instruments. Me and my friend recreated the glory of a live Gun’s N Roses stage show. With Slash and Axl Rose during Sweet Child O’ Mine. He was on the guitar. I had the mic.

Thankfully as far as I am aware there is no video evidence of this incident. The next day along with her parents. We all went out for a slap up Chinese Meal. Which was a fitting end to the weekend.

I recently made my first visit to the Comedy Store in London for about eighteen years. I was not purposely avoiding the place. I had just not got round to going back. But I did put that right a couple of Monday’s ago. I went to a Gala Comedy Night in aid of a children’s charity. It was fronted by Tim Vine. Who was great with his quick fire jokes and silly visual gags. Plus I got to see pen behind the ear live.

Also performing we had Tom Lucy, who has recently been supporting Shappi Khorsandi. Elliot Steel, who is the son of Mark Steel. Charlie Baker who is a top comedian and an excellent singer, who has appeared in a few musicals. Angela Barnes who is of course the current host of Newsjack on Radio 4 Extra. And the headline act Adam Hills. They were all on top form. It was a very funny night. And I will definitely not leave it so long until I return there again.

I do like a trip to the theatre to see a musical. This show had been on my radar since it opened. So I was very happy the other week. When I managed to get a ticket to see the new version of Half A Sixpence at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End.

I was familiar with the film version that starred Tommy Steele in the lead role. A role he also played on stage. And one that he very much made his own. So I knew the songs and the story line already.I did however absolutely love this latest version. The cast were all fantastic.

The three lead females are all quality performers with amazing voices. And for me they nearly stole the show. But the man who had the biggest shoe’s to fill by taking on the part of Arthur Kipps was Charlie Stemp. And he does not disappoint. He totally makes it his own. But at the same time possibly due to the time and geographical area that it is set in (which remains the same.) There is, I felt at least a nod to the original star in his performance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I would recommend you go and see it. As always with classics, the stories and dilemmas the characters face are still relevant today. Plus there are some great show stopping songs in it. Another successful night at the theatre. Which left me dancing and singing on the way home.

Last Wednesday I went to a specially refurbished theatre in the Holborn area of London. To witness a run through of a new entertainment show. That ITV are currently in the process of developing called The Nightly Show. It is due to start at the end of this month. It will be on five days a week at ten o’clock at night. For around a month at first.

It will be presented by a different presenter each week. The plan is for it to feature up to date topical jokes, some great guests and some fun games. So they are doing some practice shows to get used to the theatre. And to work out exactly what they will or will not be able to achieve in thirty minutes of fast paced television.

On the version I watched. They had a very experienced presenter in Eamonn Holmes. It was filmed as an actual show would be. Before it started he came out and explained what would be happening. The first part was the opening monologue. Then the guests were Right Said Fred and Saira Khan.

The interviews were pretty straight forward with slight little twists. For example during the pop stars’ chat. They played a quick game with some audience members. And the last part of the Loose Women’s bit saw her and Eamonn being fed special love food ready for Valentines Day. Which basically involved the Irishman having a few Oysters and Saira having a chocolate banana.

The most interesting thing for me was Eamonn discussing things with the director. Asking them how much time he had for each item. Advising what he thought was working or not. And making some suggestions of things they might like to look at. It was kind of like, say a Formula One racing driver test driving a new car and giving the mechanics feedback. To make it smoother and better.

It gave a nice insight in to things that need to be considered. For it all to work for the programme and the presenter. It was still early days. But they have got quite a bit to iron out before it all starts, I feel. It was interesting to be a part of. I cannot wait to see what the actual show will look like. When it goes out. Another fun evening spent in the world of television.

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Last weekend I visited a town in Somerset. Where I spent five and an half years working and living. I went to Yeovil to catch up with some old friends and to see how much it has changed since I was last there. I moved down there in 2004 to work for the radio station Ivel fm. Which later became Midwest Radio.

I then left there in February 2010. In fact randomly last weekend was the seventh year anniversary of my leaving and returning to Buckinghamshire. Much of the town still looks the same. As I took the taxi from the train station to the hotel. I felt quite at home there.

I visited the road where I used to live. And had a look at my flat from the outside. I actually lived about five minutes walk from the radio station. In a little Cul-De-Sac called Ivel Court. So yes that is correct. I was living there when I was working at Ivel fm. So I was certainly very much on brand when I was there.

On the Friday Night I went to a few pubs I used to drink in first. Then met my former boss Steve Carpenter and ex colleague Chris Criddle for a Curry in the Viceroy Indian Restaurant. Somewhere that was just around the corner from my flat and where I used to go regularly.

The food and service was as ever excellent. And the company to was delightful. I had a great night catching up on the current and talking about the past. It was great to see them both.

On the Saturday morning I met up with another mate for a cup of tea and a nice chat. Then in the afternoon I went and saw Yeovil Town play. In the past I have reported and commentated on a lot of their big games. Including a match that saw them win the league at home and a trip to Wembley Stadium for a play off final.

I also went to loads of press conferences. And regularly spoke to the manager and the players. I went to the game with the former Yeovil Town, Bristol Rovers and Hereford United player Tony Pounder and the former Yeovil Town and Torquay United defender Paul Thorpe.

It was great to catch up with them. They are top blokes. Who have loads of brilliant stories from their playing days. The Glovers were playing Leyton Orient. Both teams were pretty equally matched. So an one all draw was probably a fair result.

I mentioned I used to know the players when I was working down there. So I did find it a little odd seeing two players I knew from that time Darren Way and Terry Skiverton in the dug out as the current management team. Despite Yeovil Town not being able to hold on for the win. It was a very enjoyable afternoon at a lovely club with some brilliant company.

That night I met up with a few people in the establishment. That was actually below the Ivel fm studios. It was the place where we held the station’s first birthday party. And somewhere I used to DJ and spend a lot of my free time.

I also was a judge and host for lots of different talent competitions held there. The place was the Chicago Rock Cafe. Since I moved away it has had a few refits and changed its name several times. But it has reverted back to its original title again. It felt a little strange being back in there. And bought back lots of great memories.

Before returning home on the Sunday I met up with another former work friend of mine and her husband in one of the town’s coffee shops. It was lovely to see them both. We had a good chat about old times and some exciting plans for the future.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. In a place where I have so far spent an eighth of my life. I am glad I ventured down there. To coin an old radio station strap line Good times, Great Music.

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

Use The Force

November 25, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of week’s. Mine have been busy with lots of fun things going on. The other week I found myself back in a very fancy bar in London. That I had not been in for a while. I popped in to Sushi Samba to have a few cocktails and enjoy the amazing views.

It is a pretty cool venue not far from Liverpool Street Underground Station in the Heron Tower. It is on the thirty-eighth floor and you get up to it by using these glass elevators. That reminded me of the ones’ at the end of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. They are so quick, it seems that you travel from the ground floor to the bar level in under twenty seconds.

So once you have arrived at the correct floor. Obviously the first thing you need is a nice tasty cocktail to settle your stomach. The selection is excellent and the staff are all fully trained in the art of flaring. I tried a mango one and also a strawberry one, while I was there. They both tasted sensational but very dangerous. As you could not tell that they contained any alcohol, at all. You could only really taste the fruits. But I can confirm that when I got up to leave. I did notice it then.

The views from there are spectacular. They have an outside roof bar. Plus huge windows that look out of every side. You can pretty much pick out any London landmark that you wish to. You get an instant feel how high up you are, when you realise you are towering right above The Gherkin.

It is a really good place to visit every now and again. I always really enjoy it in there. Afterwards me and the people I was with headed off just down the road to find somewhere to grab a bit of food. I had never been to a Turkish Restaurant before. And to be clear we are not counting Kebab Shops we are talking serious proper eateries only. So we thought we would try the Turkish place called Haz.

We had the selection share platter option. The food was very nice but heavily bread and hummus based. Which was perfectly fine with me, as I like both of them a lot. It was all washed down with a couple of glasses of red wine. Which possibly helped my enjoyment of it even further.

I am a massive Star Wars fan. So I was very excited when I found out that there was going to be a massive Star Wars Exhibition taking place at the O2 in London. I was even more excited when I manged to get a ticket to go along to the preview day a few Monday’s ago. So I could have a look around it before it officially opened to the general public. When I arrived there on the day. I could not work out why there were so many people already there.

It then dawned on me that the ATP Tennis Finals were taking place there. And that Andy Murray was due on court in the next hour. The whole place was absolutely heaving. Well done to him on becoming the number one tennis player in the world. That is a fantastic achievement. It is great that he is of course British to. Well at least until he slips down to number two anyway.

Right so back to Star Wars then. I have to confess that on the way there I was way to excited for a man of my age going to such an event. The actual full name of the attraction is “Star Wars Identities”. So as well as lots of amazing items, memorabilia and costumes from the actual films.

It also looks in to the individual make up of each of the character’s. And gives you chance to discover your own Star Wars Identity. This part of it is really tailored to the children. And is actually very cleverly done, I think. But everybody who goes round gets the chance to do it.

When you arrive you get issued with an earpiece. So you can hear the audio from all the screens you see and also for extra audio information about the items on display. You also get an interactive wristband. Which is what you use, as you go round to create your own personalised Star Wars Identity.

You are then shown to the starting point. Which is a cool welcome video to watch. When that has finished you can just take yourself round the place at your own pace.

The first actual items you see from the films are several different Storm Trouper costumes. Followed by the actual C3PO and R2-D2 used by Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker respectively. Which nearly blew my mind. Then you get to see the carbon cask that held Hans Solo and Princess Leia’s gold bikini from Return Of The Jedi. Before Yoda, Jabba The Huts actual eyes and one of Peter Mayhew’s actual Chewbacca outfits.

Not to mention other costumes worn by Hans Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Queen Amidala. Plus some of the members of the Dark side of the force including The Emperor, Darth Maul and of course the man played by the Green Cross Code man Darth Vader.

As well as taking lots of pictures as I went round. I was also using my wristband at the various sections to build and find out my own personal identity. It was a nice fun added thing to do. The way it was explained and linked back to the development of human beings. I think would be very educational and interesting for children. At the end they show you a picture of what the Star Wars you, looks like.

And you can sign up to have them email you the whole back story of your character. Just in case there was any doubt. I can confirm that I was a high ranking Jedi. As a massive fan of the whole thing. I really enjoyed the exhibition. And I would recommend checking it out if you are a Star Wars fan.

I went with my dad to Wembley Stadium to see England play Spain the other week. It had been planned for a while. In fact when we got our tickets for it. Sam Allardyce was still the manager. It was a classic Quigley visit to the home of football. We got there early had a drink before we went in. Then we had a bit of Pizza pre-match inside the ground and settled down in our seats in time to watch the players warm up. We did get a free commemorative t-shirt each as well, which was nice. A freebie is a freebie. I am not proud.

The game itself was alright. If I am honest we had hoped to see more of Spain’s star players on show and being Spurs fans it may have been nice to see more of our players out there. The game started well with England getting an early penalty. Which was won by Vardy and then confidently put away by Lallana.

Then early in the second half Vardy scored with a diving header. Then completely confused me with his Mannequin Challenge. As I could not work out why he stopped mid celebration. I thought the goal had been ruled out at first. Before I finally realised what they were doing.

It was all going so well. Until the last five minutes when England suddenly decided to throw away. What would have been a nice morale boosting two nil win albeit against an under strength Spanish team. To finish with, let us say a respectable draw. The more changes they made the better they got and the more substitutes we made the worse we seemed to get.

After the game we went and had a beer. While we waited for the queues at Wembley Stadium Station to go. It was an enjoyable night. And only a friendly, so the result did not really matter. But how the game ended however was a little bit frustrating.

Now I do not want to shatter any illusions here and ruin the magic of television. But sometimes even for charity shows people may not be available on the night due to other commitments but still want to be involved. This means that occasionally they will pre-record bits in the studio to be inserted in to the live show.

So the day before Children in Need this year I was at the BBC Elstree Studios to see some performances being filmed in advance. It is always fun being there. It is where they film Eastenders. And it is also the studio complex where the original Muppet Show was made to.

The first thing I got to see was a comedy sketch featuring the comedian Russell Kane and the sitcom character Mr Khan with their “families”. For a fun dance off to settle a quiz at a church hall. It was very cleverly done and well choreographed.

Plus if you saw it, you will know that it featured some very fancy moves from the Grannies of the families’. Thanks to some clever camera work and two amazing stand in body double dancers. Who were totally brilliant and came in and did their bit in only one take.

I was so pleased and surprised by what came next. I got to witness three numbers by the cast of the new big West End production of Aladdin. It was a massive hit on Broadway in America and has recently transferred to England. It is something that has been on my radar to go to. But I have not quite got round to it yet. Anyway they were all totally brilliant specially the Genie Trevor Dion Nicholas. Who so looks and sounds the part.

It was also good to see the beautiful Jade Ewen performing. She is playing Princess Jasmine. And did a fantastic version of A Whole New World with Aladdin himself Dean John -Wilson. I was so pleased to see this. Now I really cannot wait to go and see the full show.

The final insert that was recorded the day before, while I was there. Was a performance from real life great mates Shane Richie and Tony Hadley. The Spandau Ballet front man was the first radio interview I ever did. He is a top bloke and good fun. He told me back then that he does sometimes have a few problems remembering lyrics. So it was not a surprise to me when he pulled out a piece of paper with the words on to check them again before the song started. He lives near me nowadays, so I do occasionally see him out and about at various places. They performed “Do It For Love” which is off of Shane’s latest album.

They both have great voices and it sounded brilliant. Plus they were both a lot of fun before and after the song. With Shane offering to take us all for a quick pint in the Queen Vic. It was another fun day at Elstree seeing some great stuff. It was all very well done.

I bet if you watched Children in Need on the Friday night. You would have had no idea that any of those things that I have mentioned had been recorded the day before. And were not being performed live on the night. Congratulations to everyone involved in the show. Which this year raised a record breaking £46 Million pounds. Just on the night alone itself.

So in my working life recently. I got to watch a radio interview with the brilliant Laura Mvula taking place. I shared a lift with Gabby Logan. Each of the lifts at the BBC have different radio stations playing in them. We were both in the Radio 1xtra lift.

And I have also have seen Ian Wright around quite a bit recently. He is just one huge bundle of energy that fella.

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

Golden Times

August 19, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of week’s. Mine have been pretty busy with a lots of fun things going on. I have mentioned previously that there is actually another Neil Quigley. And that he is a well known and respected Dance Music DJ and producer. Who often does remixes of some really big songs.

I am a regular user of Twitter. On the social networking site I am simply @NeilQuigley. While my namesake is @djneilquigley.

So from time to time people will get us confused. I will get a tweet saying what a brilliant new track I have released. Or even better sometimes I get a review of my latest remix promoted on line. Normally when I get the chance to. I try to point out that they have got the wrong man. And also I suggest the man they want.

The other day this led to me having a very brief conversation with the other Neil Quigley. We are not at all related. Although we do both have similar hair styles. It was nice to finally speak to him and acknowledge each other. I wonder if he ever gets any tweets that were meant for me?

I had another great night out at the theatre recently watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s at the Theatre Royal in London. It is the musical stage version of the 1961 film starring Audrey Hepburn. That movie gave us quite a few iconic moments and images. Most of which featured the lead actress.

In this adaptation the singer Pixie Lott plays the mysterious Holly Golightly. Although best known as a pop star. She went to a very well known stage school. So is no stranger to the world of acting. And of course after her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. The same applies to dancing.

I thought she was fantastic in the role. We all know that she has a sensational singing voice. Which she showed us with the two great versions of Moon River she did during the show. Her accent, timing and over all performance was excellent. She played it brilliantly in my opinion.

The rest of the cast were also great. It was brilliant to see the hugely talented Victor McGuire. Who I remember from the television comedy Bread, perform. The lead male Matt Barber was also fabulous.

I have to confess I have never watched the whole film previously. So I found the story interesting and engaging, seeing it for the first time. As ever with timeless classics that are brilliantly written. A lot of it is as applicable now to our lives as it was back then.

Another show that is worth a look if you get the chance. It is only on in London for a limited time and then it is going on a nationwide tour. I can see Pixie Lott doing more work in musicals after this has finished. She is perfectly suited to it.

Breakfast At Tiffany's — Breakfast At Tiffany’s

I must admit that I have not watched that much of the Olympic games this time round. A lot of the main events have just been on a little to late for me to stay up and watch. During London 2012 I just about managed to catch all of the big moments.

And I was delighted to go along with my mum to see one of the events. I went to watch the Beach Volley Ball. Which was at Horse Guard’s Parade in London. Great though that was for me. I am guessing that the teams possibly prefer playing at the Copacabana Beach at this championship.

The view from my seat at the Beach Volleyball

Well done to Mo Farah for his amazing achievements on the track. The brilliant Max Whitlock for winning two gold medals in the Gymnastics. The great Justin Rose for getting gold in the golf. Andy Murray for regaining the title he won in London four years ago. Katherine Grainger for being great in the rowing. And Laura Trott for becoming our most decorated female Olympian.

Not forgetting her fiance Jason Kenny who now tops the over all men’s medals table along side Sir Chris Hoy. Adam Peaty for his gold in the pool. And the whole of Team GB. Who did the country proud and provided us with so many great sporting moments. There have been so many great individual and team performances. It has been a good games overall for us. Building and improving impressively on the last one. Which is all you can do in life.

I think the Sports Personality of the Year show is going to be intriguing this year. There are already so many contenders for the main award. They may as well just make this year an Olympics Special and forget about all the other sporting achievements this year.

One thing we can be sure about after the recent European Championships is that the winner will not be a footballer.

While the sportsmen and women have been out in Brazil. The comedians have been up in Scotland taking part in their own sort of Olympics. I am of course talking about the Edinburgh Festival. I have been keeping an eye on some of the shows and performers up there.

Mainly to see if I can find any new acts that I have not seen before. To watch in London later on in the year. As a massive comedy fan. I am always on the look out for new people to go and check out. And new shows to see.

There are quite a few comics up there performing who I have seen before. There are quite a few I have interviewed or spoken to in the past. And there are a few that I have actually had the pleasure of gigging with. These include the wonderful Tony Law. Who headlined my first four stand up gigs. The hilarious Silky, who was on the same bill as me for my debut. And is brilliant.

And the unbelievable Olaf Falafel, who I have performed with a couple of times. He also did the same comedy course I did the year before I did it. He is doing his first one hour show at the Fringe this year.

He also is a huge producer of very funny comedy vines. Which have currently had over seventy-five million views. So keep an eye out for him.

Last weekend I went up to Liverpool to see my good friend Jeff Nolan. And to enjoy the start of the new Premier League season. By watching my team Tottenham in action against his team Everton at Goodison Park. I got up there on the Friday evening. We went straight to the Pub for a few drinks and a good old chat.

Then we went back to his for some food. And then as can sometimes happen. When you have two people who are massive music fans. We ended up staying up and talking until the early hours listening to songs. Great fun at the time but it did leave us a little light on sleep for the match day.

We were up bright and early on the Saturday ready for the start of the season. And after a hearty protein inspired egg and cheese breakfast. We set off in to the centre of Liverpool to meet the others who we were going to the game with. I really like being there. I know the place pretty well, as I go there so often. So I enjoy visiting the usual pubs while I am there.

When we arrived at the ground ready for kick off. We found Everton had slightly changed their season ticket system. Which meant there were massive queues outside. Which actually led to us missing about the first ten minutes.

We were standing outside when we heard a cheer. Initially I thought it was coming from the Tottenham fans and that we had taken the lead. But I was wrong and it was the home side that had gone in front. So when I got to my seat my team were already losing. That was still the case at half time, when we met up inside for the traditional half time pint of Chang Lager. They are Everton’s sponsor. And it is the only place and time I ever drink the stuff.

Then it was back in for the second half. Tottenham equalised and had a few chances to win the game. But one all it finished. I was a little disappointed that we did not win it, to be honest. Although I was happy with a point. I think Everton under Ronald Koeman will be difficult to beat at home.

After the game we visited a few more of Liverpool’s drinking establishments finishing up in one that was called the Old Ballroom. It was like a real old fashioned social club. It had a Wedding going on in the function room. While we and a few other locals were in the main bar.

This room had a jukebox that seemed to play nothing but eighties music. With that soundtrack, the venue and the other people there. It did feel a bit like we were in an episode of Only Fools and Horses. I did think that at any moment somebody could fall through the bar hatch.

So the football season is now under way and I had another brilliant weekend in Liverpool. We finished the evening with a Pizza. From a well known chain that used to use ex England footballers in its adverts. Classic lads day out. On the Sunday before I got the train home.

I had a quick walk down Mathew Street. Which is where the original Cavern Club used to be. It is fair to say that pretty much all the venues there have some sort of nod to the Beatles. I have had some good fun around that area over the years. It is a lively place to visit.

One of the television quiz shows that I went to an audition for earlier this year began this week on ITV 1. It is called Alphabetical and is hosted by the great Jeff Stelling. I had a good time meeting the production staff and playing a version of the game at their offices.

I did well I thought. And won my head to head on the day. So if I was playing for real I would have walked away with some money. It is a fairly straight forward general knowledge quiz. Where they will tell you either what letter the answer starts or ends with depending on the round.

I did get short listed for the show but I was never invited along to the studios to play it for real unfortunately. Which is a shame for two reasons. It was great fun to play in the audition and secondly the prize money on it is really good. It would have also been nice to meet Jeff Stelling.

I am a big fan of his work on the Sky Sports Show Soccer Saturday. He is brilliant on there. He did walk past me once when I was working at Wembley Stadium. But I never got the chance to speak to him.

So as well as releasing a new David Brent film. Ricky Gervais is also making a return to stand up comedy and working on a new show. Like most of the comedians do when they are honing a new show. He is doing some warm up shows for it in London. Thanks to a friend of mine I am actually going to see one of these performances in London this week.

I am really looking forward to it. I have enjoyed his previous tours. And I am fascinated to see the early stages of this new one. I will of course tell you about it next time we speak.

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

Neil Quigley Presenter