Tag Archives: theatre

TV Times

May 9, 2015 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. Mine have been great with lots of fun things going on. I spent quite a bit of time in various television studios and in a well known West End theatre watching several TV programmes being made. I did have one mini personal disaster the other day though.

On the way back from London I managed to somehow leave my wallet on the train. Which led to a few slight issues with getting in to my house. As my key was in it. And with paying for any items that I needed for the next few days. Happily I did get it and all the contents that it contained back. So thank you very much to Chiltern Railway’s for finding it and returning it to me. That was very much appreciated and saved me a lot of hassle. I will be more careful in the future, to make sure my wallet always leaves the service when I do.

The excellent “The Last Leg” has been doing a very short run of election special shows for Channel 4. I went and saw the first one of these programmes broadcast live from the Fountain Studios in Wembley. It was in a smaller studio than the one they normally use. So the audience were much nearer to the action and right on top of the team. Which I think actually created a better atmosphere for it. The host Adam Hills and the regulars Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe were on top form. They were all very funny.

The show was live on Channel 4 from ten that night but fair play all three of them came out on to the set about twenty minutes before it was due to start, to have some fun and a laugh with the crowd. And to film the opening titles sequence. Adam Hills did admit that he was a little bit jet lagged when he walked out. As he had only just recently arrived back in to the country from Australia. I have to say though you could not tell and it did not affect his performance. He was still as razor sharp as ever. It featured possibly the oddest two guests I had personally seen on the show. Bearing in mind it was an election special of course. So this did kind of limit their options as the guests had to be relevant.

The first one was the then deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Who to be fair came across quite well and showed that he could take a joke. He also did pretty well considering that it is not really the ideal show to get into big political discussions and opinions. As they are basically just waiting for the opportunity to try and get the next joke in. Or to bring in some embarrassing footage of politics going wrong. They did have a clip of Nick trying to tell a joke at a press conference. It was that bad he should probably stick to his day job, and that is saying something.

The second guest was Piers Morgan. Who actually got booed when he walked on to the set. I can’t think of many other guests who have ever received that treatment when appearing on any programme. He took it well. But with the things he often says and does for effect. He is clever enough to know he always risks this reaction. I can’t say I particularly like him, but I admire and respect what he has achieved. And annoying I do sometimes have to agree with some of things he says. It was a fun night out and you left the studio in a good mood, even after all the election talk. Which I think is the sign of a good show.

Next up it was a trip in to the heart of London’s theatre land to go and see the final episode in the latest instalment of Sunday Night at The Palladium being filmed. On the way to the show my friend and I stopped off for a lovely Italian meal in a well known and popular chain of themed restaurants. I had the steak washed down with a nice glass of red wine. The perfect pre-theatre meal in my opinion. We had collected our tickets earlier in the day so had some free time before we had to return to see the show.

So after we had eaten we then went for a quick look round Carnaby Street to walk off the food. We accidentally stumbled across this shop just off the main street. Which the very stylish looking manager informed us was the oldest shop in the Street. It certainly had a great selection of original sixties style clothes, classic band t-shirts, and handmade leather boots, which all looked very cool. The manger was also a tailor who designs and makes many of the items on sale. It is a really eccentric and authentic place and well worth a look at if you are in the area.

Then it was time to take our seats in the Upper Circle of the iconic London Palladium to enjoy the return of the ITV weekend variety programme. The host for the night was Jack Whitehall. I really like him and I do think he is extremely funny. He did a brilliant job anchoring the night. I have seen him out in social situations. His stage persona can, I guess seem a little brash sometimes, but in “real life” he is a very nice, friendly bloke. Who is happy to just have a quiet drink with mates with no fuss whatsoever.

The acts on the bill included a Japanese Dance Troop, who were amazing. A knife throwing act, who I had to watch through my fingers as it was scary stuff. Jack Carroll the young comedian from Britain’s Got Talent. Top comedian Sara Pascoe, who was on great form. The music for the evening was supplied by Jess Glynne, Leona Lewis and the fantastic Simply Red. Who had the whole place totally rocking.

It was a great night out at a tremendous venue. I love variety shows and think that there should be more of them on television. As it was the very last one in the current series, it will not be on our screens until the end of May. But do look out for it and give it a watch if you get chance. It’s fantastic Sunday night entertainment.

Then the next night I was back at the Fountain Studios in Wembley to see an episode of the new Saturday Night show “Play To The Whistle” being filmed. It is hosted by the excellent Holly Willoughby, who for me is one of the best presenters around. Switched on, very slick and funny when she needs to be, perfect in many ways. The executive producer on the show is Dan Baldwin, who is also Holly’s husband. He is involved with a lot of high profile panel and game shows.

Also on the show is Bradley Walsh, who is great, a true professional and very nice man. And footballer Frank Lampard, who plays his role brilliantly. He knows why he is there and what he needs to do. The other regulars are comedian’s Romesh Ranganathan and Sean Walsh (Both of whom I have seen perform live) They are both very funny men. And finally ex-footballer Jimmy Bullard pops up when required to bring a bit of madness and his own brand of fun. From what I have seen I think he may be a little bit crazy.

The guests on the panel at this particular recording were the legend that is Bob Mortimer, Pat Cash and Natalie Anderson from Emmerdale. They were all great fun, but for me Bob stole the show. He has a unique sense of humour. I think it is the way that he delivers his stuff in that kind of matter of a fact way, that makes it so amusing.

Without giving too much away. There is one bit in the show where it goes a little bit off piste. And everyone involved suddenly has a go at a fun little game. Which just started off as a challenge between Bradley Walsh and Pat Cash. This ultimately leads to seeing an airborne Holly Willoughby. Which is something I thought I may never get to see but I was glad to be there to witness it. This may or may not make it in to the show but if it does the way she lands goes some way to demonstrating Newton’s Laws of gravity.

It was great entertainment and the whole gang were up for it and really throwing themselves in to it. Again this episode was recorded well in advance and will not be on our screens until at least next Saturday night. If you are in and fancy a laugh keep an eye out for it. It will make you smile. As ever with these things the funniest moments probably will not make the edit. Which is why I really enjoy being in the studio on filming days. You never know exactly what will happen.

And finally from the world of television I went to a Celebrity Juice recording at Elstree Studios. They normally record the show on a Wednesday and then it goes out the following night. The one I was at was Keith Lemon’s special birthday show. Which was great because they all wore fancy dress and they played all the host’s favourite games from the past. It was good to see Holly Willoughby for the second time in three nights, without her accusing me of stalking her. This show is also produced by her husband Dan Baldwin.

As well as the other regulars Ferne Cotton and Gino D’acampo, on the show were Professor Green, Charlotte Crosby and Gok Wan. I once interviewed Gok when he was filming one of his television shows in Bristol. He told me right at the end of it that he had to dash off as he had a lady waiting for him in her underwear. For those of you who know him or his shows. You will know that this is perfectly wholesome and all above board. The alcohol was flowing through out, it was a pretty wild and fun recording. Celebrity Juice that is, not my interview with Gok. I think you could certainly see that if you did watch the show on ITV2 the other Thursday.

On Bank Holiday Monday I went and tried out a new sport for the very first time. Having never set foot on a proper golf course before because I have never really had the desire to try that particular game. I was much keener to try a new form of this sport featuring my favourite sport football. So after being invited by a former football team mate to play Foot Golf with him and a few of his mates. I jumped at the chance. Ritchings Park Golf Club in Iver has built a specially adapted course for football’s. It has only just recently opened, so we were one of the first people to try it out. It costs sixteen pounds per person for a round. Which does include a football and a scorecard for your group, detailing the par for each hole. Plus a map of the course.

It was a good laugh and if I am honest a little bit harder than I had thought it would be. It took us about two hours to get round the eighteen holes. When we had finished we had a pint in the club house, so we could just double check the scorecards. I came in last place out of four but it was a close game. And I was only four shots or if you like kicks off the leader. If you are a football fan and fancy a good giggle with your mates I would definitely suggest giving it a go. It is really well set out. The holes are set in to the greens like proper golf, only they are football sized. And they all have flags in them to. I do plan on having another game or two before the summer is over. It was certainly a very pleasant way to spend a May morning.

I have mentioned before that I am a big fan of twitter. And one of the reasons I like it, is for moments like this. Listening to Chris Evans on the Radio One Breakfast Show is what made me decide that I wanted to work in radio. So imagine my delight when one of my broadcasting hero’s re-tweeted something I had posted over the weekend. It is fair to say it did lead to an increase in my personal traffic on the site. Well at least for a couple of hours anyway.

It was simply an observation about how his description of what he was experiencing at the airport. Would have made for a very different start to the film Love Actually. I still enjoy listening to Chris Evans on Radio Two now. He is such an exceptional communicator and a very interesting man. So cheers for the on-line mention Sir, it was very decent of you.

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

Fools and Horses

April 9, 2015 Neil

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 managed a celebrity spot on the train in to London the other day. Now to be fair I already knew that this particular person lived in this certain location, so I was always keeping an eye out for them every time I stopped at their station. So statistically it was bound to happen eventually and it did on that morning. I was just sat in my seat minding my own business when the unmistakable figure of Robert Lindsay walked past and took a seat slightly further down the carriage and facing me.

I was close enough to hear the full conversation he was having with his friend, with that wonderful and very distinctive voice that he has. So I am well up to date on his latest projects and immediate plans. He is a truly great all round performer. He can do it all act, sing, dance the lot. Most recently he has been starring in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in the West End. In the eighties he was starring in the musical Me and My Girl. When it was in London and then he went with it when it transferred to Broadway. In that show he does an amazing version of the Lambeth Walk. He seemed like a really nice friendly and approachable gentleman. So hopefully it will not be long before he is back on our television screens again.

A few Saturday’s ago I went and saw my mate Andy Holmes perform in the Harold Pinter play Betrayal at the Queens Park Arts Centre in Aylesbury. If you are already familiar with it. You will know that it has three main roles. One of which, he was playing. It is always slightly odd I find seeing a friend performing on stage. You want to enjoy the show but you are also just rooting for it to go well for them at the same time. I have seen him in a couple of things before but this was possibly the most dramatic piece that I have personally witnessed him in. I really enjoyed it. I thought the whole cast were great. And I know from speaking to Andy the time and effort that they had all put in to it, to make it work. Which I think showed in the performance.

He did have a couple of kissing scenes in it. In the fairly busy bar afterwards he made the mistake of asking me what I had thought of his love scenes, to which I replied well that is the most action you have had in ages. He did tell me later that the actress who he had to kiss actually had her husband in watching that night. Now I am no actor but that has to be a little bit awkward surely. It was a lovely fun way to spend the evening and congratulations to everyone involved with the production.

After seeing the play I then went to a pub in Aylesbury for a quick fortieth birthday drink with someone I have known for about twenty years now. His name is Colin Morton. We met when I joined Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio. This is how and why I decided to join. It was while I was in my final year of a Leisure and Tourism course at Aylesbury College that I really developed an interest in radio. Mix 96 had recently launched in Aylesbury, so I wrote to them and managed to get a week’s work experience there. It was while I was there during that week that someone suggested that I joined the local Hospital Radio, so I did.

Neil Quigley back at Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio with Martin Kinch

Colin was already there and had his own show. You start out as a producer gathering requests from the wards. Then you get trained on the equipment and hopefully get your own show. All of which I did. Colin then got a job at Mix 96 hosting the evening show and the Saturday Sports Show. I have to thank him really for getting me involved in the Sports Show. As I think he suggested me, when they needed someone to come in and ring up all the local football clubs to get the scores. And then to read out the half time and full time scores from these games. Which I then did. And the rest as they say is history. That is what really gave me my break in radio, if you like. So it was great to see Colin and Andrew Duthie, who was also there for a nice catch up and to talk about old times.

I am still doing quite a bit of work at Wembley Stadium. I was there taking some people around on behalf of the Football Association before the FA Trophy Final between North Ferriby United and Wrexham. I was taking a select group of North Ferriby fans round. It is always great to be there on a match day. Walking through the Mixed Zone, being in the players tunnel and then going pitch side. You can really feel the excitement of the occasion building up. It was a cracking game as well with the underdogs winning five-four on penalties after a three all draw in extra time.

So well done North Ferriby United. I like to think my tour was a lucky charm for them. I think some special praise needs to go to the Wembley ground staff to. On the Friday Night England played Lithuania there. Then on the Saturday a Rugby Union game between Saracens and Harlequins took place. And then the FA Trophy Final was there on the Sunday. The pitch looked perfect and there was not even any trace of the rugby pitch markings from the day before.

It is always good to do new things in life and experience things for the first time. So last week I went for my first ever crown fitting at the Dentists. This was required because I have had a root canal treatment. And apparently to protect the tooth you need a crown on it. So to make sure that the finished crown fits they have to take impressions of your teeth. I have to confess I didn’t find that process much fun and it does not leave a very pleasant taste in your mouth at the end. It seemed like she took an impression of all my teeth not just the one required. So I am now slightly concerned she may be worried that all my teeth may be falling apart, and that she will need to replace them all. I have a temporary one on at the minute with the proper one due to be fitted in a week or so. Wish me luck.

On Good Friday I went with my mum to see Wycombe Wanderers play Oxford United in League Two. Now as a teenager I was for a couple of years a season ticket holder at Wycombe. I also briefly played for their under sixteen side and I did have a trial game for their youth team. However I did not get selected. I instead went and played for two years in the Aylesbury United Youth Team. Funnily enough my first game for them was in a one-nil win against the Wycombe Wanderers Youth Team in Beaconsfield. The Wycombe/Oxford game was pretty poor for the home side specially in the first half but they did battle back and make a fight of it in the second half. Although ultimately it was in the end a very disappointing result for the team who are currently chasing promotion. Plus let’s face it no one likes losing to their local rivals.

Before the game I managed to catch up with a couple of people I know. Firstly Daniel Freeman, who was there to report on the game for Sky Sports and my good friend Nathan Cooper, who was there covering the match for BBC Radio Oxford. Strangely the three of us have all previously worked on a game together before. When I was working at Ivel Fm in Somerset, Yeovil Town then managed by Russell Slade got to the League One Play Off Final at the then newly built Wembley Stadium in 2007 against Blackpool.

We managed to get full commentary rights to broadcast the whole game live on the radio. To do that we needed two excellent commentators to help us. I already knew Daniel and Nathan and luckily they were up for getting involved. So the three of us produced a full show from the National Stadium with Daniel and Nathan as the two commentators and me operating as the co-commentator for both of them. While presenting the show before and after the game. It was a busy but fun day out and I thought we did a brilliant job covering the occasion. It was great to see them both at Wycombe and good to see them still doing at excellent job reporting on football matches and bringing them to life on the radio and television.

Last Saturday it was the final show in the current series of the brilliant Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Once again there was nothing missing from the programme or the series. In my opinion it has taken all the best bits from about twenty different big Saturday night television shows from the past and put them all into one show. In handy bite size sections. But it all works so well and is great family entertainment. This weekend we will still be able to see the Geordie boys on our screens. As the new series of Britain’s Got Talent starts on Saturday. And if the first instalment is anything like the London audition show I went to see. We will be in for a crazy time.

There will be acts that will take your breath away and leave you feeling like that is the best thing you have ever seen. And then on the other side of the scale there will performances that will make you cringe and even cause you to cover your eyes and ears, so you do not have to witness it. I don’t know if it was just the session I was at but Simon Cowell seemed a lot nicer and more compassionate in his critique. So I am not totally sure if he was just in a really good mood that day or if becoming a father has seen him mellow a bit. I reckon we will know for sure if this the case or not by the final at least. The audition shows are always bonkers and give Ant & Dec plenty of comical moments to enjoy. Good luck to all involved with it and let us hope for a worthy winner this year.

I had a really nice Easter weekend which did involve eating quite a bit of chocolate. But life is all about balance and give and take, so I did actually go for a morning run on Good Friday and Easter Monday. To be fair that was not only to work off the sweets I had consumed. I did manage to have a few drinks with mates to, so these calories had to be dealt with and burned off. I met one of my friends in Marlow. Which is always a place I enjoy going to, specially in the summer. Normally for a nice walk along the river there. It really is a nice and relaxed place to meet people and have a good chat and a catch up. And it does boast The Hand and Flowers Pub, which has two Michelin Stars and is run by top chef Tom Kerridge.

I am up in Liverpool this weekend enjoying being there for the Grand National Race meeting weekend. I love the city and always really enjoy spending time there. I came up for this festival about five years ago and had a brilliant day out at Aintree for Ladies Day. It is an amazing experience everybody really dresses up and has a top time. This time I am just up there and enjoying the partying after racing rather than being at the track itself. The place is packed out in the evenings, with either people celebrating wins or drowning their sorrows, if they have lost. For sheer atmosphere alone watching the Grand National in a packed pub in the centre of Liverpool is only second to actually being stood there on the course at Aintree itself. I will tell you more about my time in Liverpool next time we speak.

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

Showbiz, Fun, Life

February 28, 2015 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. Mine have been nice and busy, with quite a few fun things going on. A few weekend’s ago I had a great catch up with one of my oldest friends from school. We met when we were just four on our first day at Primary School and it is fair to say, we are both a little bit older than that now. So have therefore known each other for many years. I had a really lovely evening having a drink with him, his wife and his son. And also meeting for the first time his eight week old daughter.

It was great to see them all. They live up north so obviously we do not see each other that often. It was nice reminiscing and telling his son about how we were perfect pupils when we were at school. No really we were. Neither of us were ever given a detention or sent to the see the headmaster. So needless to say I wasn’t exactly the edgiest or coolest person at my school.

Talking of which. I have mentioned this before but believe it or not there is another Neil Quigley. Who is a very well respected dance music DJ and Producer. He has recently produced a stripped down remix of the big Madonna hit Vogue. Which appears to be getting quite a bit of attention on the internet. How do I know this you might ask? Well on Twitter I am simply @NeilQuigley and the other Neil Quigley is @djneilquigley.

During the last week or so people on the social networking site have been getting us a little confused. And I have been receiving quite a few compliments on my new take on the Material Girl’s classic song. While I am delighted to take the credit because I have listened to it and it is very good. I think it is probably the right thing to do to point out on here that it is definitely nothing to do with me and not something I have worked on or produced.

I had to go and buy a new suit for something the other day. I always get a bit swept away when I go into a proper suit only shop because the staff are so good in those places. You will be hovering around just looking at a couple of different styles. Then they will spot you and hone in on you from nowhere for the kill. They will instantly pick out two suits that they think will look good on you. Then just by looking at you, they will tell you what size you are and pick the relevant garments off the peg. Before you know it you are trying one of them on. It fits perfectly and looks great. So a few minutes later you are paying for it. While the same member of staff is still trying to sell you a matching shirt and tie set to go with it.

Those guys are amazing. Many years ago on my lunch break. I went into a designer tailors just to look at some nice suits with a view to buying one possibly at a later date. But some thirty minutes later I was sitting back at my desk having just spent around five hundred pounds on an Armani Suit with a shirt and a tie combination included. Wondering how on earth that just had happened. It looked great. But it was a very brief and expensive outing that I was really not expecting.

I have been speaking to an amazing man called Ray Coates recently. He is a singer, who seven years ago was diagnosed with throat cancer. Which left him virtually unable to speak for a year. Happily he is now free of the disease and has been for five years now. He wants to give something back to the people who helped him and in turn hopefully help others in the future.

So he is trying to record an album of original songs. Which he is planning on both writing and recording himself with the help of other singers and musicians. Once completed he hopes the album will raise awareness and much needed funds for 20/20 Voice. Which is a head and neck Cancer Charity. Ray has already released the first single from the proposed album it’s called “The Voice Within”. Which is available from I-Tunes and Amazon now. If you want to find out more about Ray Coates or download the song just click on this link http://www.raycoates.co.uk/

I told you last time we spoke that I was reading John Cleese’s Autobiography “So Anyway”. Well I am nearly three quarters of the way through reading it and it is totally fascinating. Now I thought I knew quite a bit about his past and how his career developed but I was very wrong. I have learned lots of things that I did not know so far. For example he had tickets for every single England game for the 1966 World Cup Finals but after watching the first group match against Uruguay, a goalless draw gave away his final ticket to Bill Oddie. As he could not see the home country making the final. He was wrong and suitably gutted for missing the greatest moment in English football history.

I have said this before but I love Twitter and here is another reason why I do. I follow John Cleese, so I sent him a tweet just telling him how much I was enjoying his book. And he replied with these words. “So anyway…thank you Neil Quigley for your kind remarks”. And if you do not believe me check out the screen shot picture below. It’s not every week you get a mention from a comedy legend.

I was back working at Wembley Stadium the other week. While I was there I actually got to very briefly hold the actual FA Cup that was used between 1911 and 1991. So it was the very trophy that my team Tottenham Hostpur had lifted in 1961, 1981, 1982 and finally in 1991. It was retired and a new one was used between 1992 and 2013. Then Arsenal last year got their hands on a brand new one. The base the cup sits on holds so much history as it has inscribed on it all the teams that have won the competition since it started in 1872 up to Spurs. Who were the last team to receive that version in 1991.

Talking of lifting trophies at Wembley. Tomorrow it is of course the Capital One Cup Final between my team Tottenham and Chelsea. I am very excited and really looking forward to seeing the game. I hope we can win it. I had a great day out in the national stadium for the 1999 League Cup final when I witnessed Spurs beat Leicester City by one goal to nil. The whole day was brilliant fun, before, during and after the game itself. I am very much hoping for more of the same this time round. Also while I was there this week. I caught sight of the great Luis Figo. The former Portuguese footballer was there for the press launch for his bid to become the next FIFA President.

I do like varying my meals and eating lots of different styles of food when I can. There is an Indian Restaurant and Takeaway in the town where I live. Which I have been meaning to try for about the last five years but had never got round to it. Until last Saturday that is. I was working in London and returning home quite late in the evening. So basically I could not be bothered to cook. And I had not had an Indian Meal for ages. So while I was on the train home I found their website, decided what I wanted to eat.

Then when I was about twenty minutes away I called them with my order. Happily timing it perfectly meaning I walked straight from the train station to the takeaway. Where my food was ready to collect instantly. I just ordered a mild chicken curry, some rice and a garlic naan. When I got my meal home I found I had also been given a complimentary bottle of lager and a couple of poppadom’s with a mint dip. Which I thought was a very nice touch. Which was very much appreciated by me. The food was great. I will be taking advantage of this facility more often in the future I think. In fact I am off to experience my first meal in the restaurant next month. As a mate of mine is performing his Elvis Presley Tribute Show there on the 18th March.

Neil Quigley and Elvis Presley hanging out in the 70's #crazydays — Neil Quigley and Elvis Presley hanging out in the 70’s #crazydays

I watched as I do every year the Brit Awards. I have been lucky enough to attend it in the past and it is a great night out. I thought this year’s show was brilliant. It was expertly hosted by Ant & Dec, who have to be the best presenters in the business. I always feel so relaxed watching them in action as I know everything is in safe hands and they are in total control. The Brits is a tough gig. As host you are mainly playing to the people watching on TV but needing also to include and get some reaction from the guests. Who are usually to too busy talking or drinking to really get involved. But the lads pitched it all brilliantly, linked it together faultlessly and kept it moving along nicely. While still putting their stamp on it and making it entertaining. Pure Class. Not as easy as it sounds. In the past many have tried and many have failed. Pleased they are already booked to host again next year.

There were some great performances on the night. The British music scene is in a very good state at the moment I think. Not only are they all hugely talented but they are nice, polite, humble and supportive of their contemporaries. Which I felt made for a very good atmosphere at the event. Well done in particular to Paloma Faith, who I think is amazing. Ed Sheeran, who simply gets up and belts out great songs, just him and his guitar. He has sold out Wembley Stadium for three nights this summer. I thought both of their live performances were sensational. In fact all the acts who played on the night were excellent and put on great shows.

There is one performance I of course have to mention and that is Madonna. She closed the show performing her latest single. I did genuinely gasp when her cape didn’t release and she got pulled back down some stairs. But fair play after falling in a heap. She dusted herself down and continued with the song, including some quite vigorous dance moves. I like her and she has done so much for the music industry. So I felt bad for her when her big appearance did not go quite to plan. Or did it? As that clip of her stumbling has been watched by millions of people all over the world. She is still a great live performer and knows how to put on a show. But the important thing is she was OK.

Finally on the Brits it was nice to see Jimmy Page there presenting one of the awards. He was looking really well, just so cool and relaxed on stage. As I guess you would expect from one of the greatest guitarists of all time. This is a true story. I once went to a fancy dress party at his house. Where I got to meet the great man himself. While I was dressed as Elvis Presley in full Las Vegas white jumpsuit mode. And while Mr Page was dressed as an eighteenth century Lord of the Manor. It was a truly surreal but brilliant night. He was so friendly and nice to talk to. A brilliant bloke who does a lot of unsung charity work.

Elvis Presley's American Eagle White Jumpsuit — Elvis Presley’s American Eagle White Jumpsuit

This week saw the start of the latest series of the brilliant Radio 4 Extra Topical News Comedy Show Newsjack. A programme which I have written jokes for in the past. I will be again be doing a bit of writing for it this time around. There is a new host as Romesh Ranganathan has moved on to be replaced by Nish Kumar. It is on the radio every Thursday night at 10.30pm for the next five weeks.

I am looking forward to going to the BBC Radio Theatre next week to see the latest edition being recorded. It is always a decent night out there. I am really hoping I will be there to witness some of my material being used on the night to. As far as I am concerned there is still something pretty cool about hanging out in the BBC Cafe before you head in to the theatre. You never know who you might bump in to there, so I will be keeping my eyes open to see who I can spot.

On Thursday I went to the Duchess Theatre in Covent Garden to see the fantastic “The Play That Goes Wrong”. A friend of mine told me about it last year, sometime. She said she had heard it was very good and definitely worth seeing. So I had been meaning to see it for ages. Then last week just after I had booked tickets to see it and was looking forward to it. Ant McPartlin no less went to see and he said it was brilliant and he wasn’t wrong. I had some cracking seats right in the middle and five rows front the front. I am so glad I went to see it because it is hilarious. I was laughing from start to finish.

The fun starts as soon as you enter the auditorium. It is so well performed the whole cast are amazing. And it is fair to say it is quite a physical piece to perform in. The title does give you an indication of what to expect but sitting there and seeing it. You can’t believe just how wrong it goes. There are so many laugh out loud moments. It is madness and mayhem half of the time. There is never a dull moment. It is not Shakespeare or the Phantom of The Opera but if you fancy a good old fashioned laugh for a couple of hours. I would go and see this show. The timing required by the actors to make it all work is phenomenal.

I am looking forward to going to see the first episode in the new series of Celebrity Squares being recorded at the London Studios. I wonder which big stars will be in the squares on the night. I have seen Warwick Davis before at Panto Press Nights at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury. He is a really nice bloke. And does a brilliant job hosting the show. I think he is really funny and does have good comedy timing in my opinion. I will tell you what it was like next time we speak.

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

Cats and Dogs

November 22, 2014 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. Mine have as ever been very busy, with lots going on. Let’s start with some good news I have had the third and final part of my Root Canal treatment done. The tooth is now all good. Plus there was not too much pain caused by the last part of this procedure. I have to confess that when I found out I required this dental work. I was not exactly looking forward to it but actually it wasn’t as bad as I feared. So if you discover you need it in the future don’t panic or worry, it is fine. And it is a lot more common than I realised. That said I have no plans to have to go through it again any time soon if I can possibly help it. My dentist was telling me that she is thinking of having a gold crown fitted to her teeth. But as I have no plans to become a rapper in the near future I am planning on sticking with a more conventional material and colour personally.

The other Friday I went for a night at the Dog Racing in Wimbledon. I have enjoyed quite a few evenings out over the year’s watching the Greyhounds at various tracks all over the country but this was the first time I had been to Wimbledon. I got there early so went and had a couple of drinks in the town centre first. With it being the home of English Tennis. I guess I should not have been too surprised that the main shopping centre there is called Centre Court. I mean it would have been a travesty not to call it that surely. The stadium itself is quite a way out of town, so I got a taxi there to meet the rest of my mates.

As there was quite a large group of us. We decided to have the meal in the restaurant option that they offered. It was a fixed price three course meal with your entry and a race card included. All for a very reasonable price to be fair. Plus they came round to the tables to take your bets, so you did not even have to get up to do that. Which was a bit of a bonus. I had a few winners, which always makes things a bit more enjoyable. It ended with a few us of deciding to get a taxi back from Wimbledon to Marylebone Train station. Now this meant that we got a lovely late night drive right through the centre of London. Bearing in mind a lot of the Streets already had their Christmas Lights switched on and a lot of the big stores had their festive window displays up. It was a pretty colourful journey. One of the people in the taxi with us actually used to be a tour guide on an open top bus around the Capital. So he was giving us lots of historical information and facts on the areas we were passing through. Making the journey even more interesting.

I was once again working behind the scenes at the final NFL International Series American Football Match this year at Wembley Stadium between the Dallas Cowboys and the Jacksonville Jaguars, a couple of Sunday’s ago. It was a really good day. I was helping the Jaguars coaching staff and Video team get around the place and escorting them everywhere they needed to go. This did mean that a lot of the time I was stood around the tunnel area in the lead up to the game. I have to say when all the players came out in their groups and did their huddles and various chants right in front of me. That by the time it came to start the game I was feeling pumped up and ready to join in. I could have just grabbed a helmet and gone out there and got involved. Those guys really know how to gee themselves up and get motivated for a match.

There were quite a few familiar faces around the place to. I saw Carla Bruni, Jonathan Trott, Vernon Kay and the London Mayor Boris Johnson walking around. And I was standing right in the tunnel area just as Michelle Williams and Laura Wright walked out to sing the two national anthem’s. Both of which were sang so beautifully.Two really rousing performances from two very attractive ladies. Who both looked stunning for the record, when they went past me. It was a real goose bump moment watching them in action.

Last Wednesday I went and saw my mate Ben Langley perform his excellent current play Ha Ha Hood at my local theatre, The Waterside in Aylesbury. Now I first met Ben around Ten years ago when he was in pantomime in Yeovil. And I was working for the radio station in the town. So I have known him for quite a while. I saw this show near the start of the tour. When it played in High Wycombe. And I enjoyed it so much that I jumped at the chance to see it once again. In its final week of travelling up and down the country. Now since I saw it the first time around sadly one of the stars has had to leave the production due to illness, I wish Bobby Ball a very speedy recovery. But the rest of the cast remained the same with Ben, Tommy Cannon, Su Pollard, Andy Pickering. Then Pete who was standing in for Bobby and who was totally brilliant as were the whole cast yet again. It’s just a good old fashioned proper funny show, with jokes, innuendo, songs and general silliness. It is simply laugh out loud funny with plenty of audience interaction. So you have to be ready to get involved and let yourself go, when seeing it. I did and I had a great night.

Neil Quigley interviewing Ben Langley in Yeovil

I got to catch up with Ben Langley backstage in his dressing room before the show, which was an experience. Great to have a nice catch up and a chat. Then about five minutes later I was then sat in the audience watching him doing his thing on stage. After the performance I went and joined Ben and the rest of the cast for a quick drink in their hotel. You could really tell they were all enjoying the show and having a good laugh doing it. Plus it was nice to very briefly be a part of the camaraderie of a group of touring actors. I did manage to have a chat to the comedy legend that is Tommy Cannon. Which featured the Ronnie Barker statue that is outside the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury. And that the last time he had been to Wembley Stadium, was when he scored a cracking goal in the celebrity match before the 1988 FA Cup Final between Liverpool and Wimbledon there.

My favourite television show of the year started its three week run last weekend. I have been looking forward to it for about the last month and was very happy to see the return of “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” to our TV screens. For me it is just a perfect evenings entertainment. Ant and Dec are the best presenters in the country no question and they are brilliant on it. They just spend to whole series laughing around and making jokes at the camp mates expense and I absolutely love it. Now in the past I have been lucky enough to talk to many people who have been on the show, including a couple of Kings and Queens of the Jungle along the way. They all seem to have very fond memories of their experience of doing it and would not change anything about it. I have met in no particular order Kerry Katona, Christopher Biggins, Katie Price, Joe Pasquale, Brian Harvey, Bobby Ball, Tommy Cannon, Antony Costa, Simon Webbe. Timmy Mallet, Britt Ekland and Pat Sharp. So having spoken to that many former camp mates, I do consider myself quite an expert on it.

I have previously interviewed one of the current contestants. When he was promoting his autobiography and doing a book tour several years ago now. I had a great chat with former World Super Bike Champion Carl Fogarty. He was so laid back and fun to talk to. And despite his amazing achievements he was so modest and down to earth. As soon as I saw him in this year’s line up. I knew he would be good. Nothing phases him and he just laughs at everything. I think he could actually be in with an outside chance of winning it. Already this current series has been great. And so far they are all being so entertaining in their own way. That I do not want anyone of them to leave. The two Geordie’s are at the top of their game and this one is shaping up to be a classic. I am a Twitter fan and user and it makes watching the show very interactive and even more entertaining. When you view it, while using the social networking site at the same time. If you do follow me on Twitter I will apologise now for the amount of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here tweets you will see from me. But hopefully you will find at least some of them amusing. As my main goal is just to have a good laugh along at what is happening. So my top three to win are Carl Fogarty, Jimmy Bullard, or Mel Sykes who is tough, determined and let’s face it pretty easy on the eye, shall we say.

This Sunday sees the England Women’s Team play Germany at Wembley Stadium. Which is the first time that the ladies have played a match at the new place. A bumper crowd of around 55,000 is expected. There was obviously women’s football at the stadium during the 2012 Olympics but that was Team GB who were playing in that not England. So all the best to Mark Sampson and his squad in what is a very difficult game against the current European Champions. I have been lucky enough to meet an England Women’s International. Sadly she is not available for this game because she is recovering from a long term serious injury. That she picked up playing for her club side Notts County.

Her name is Ellen White and she is from Buckinghamshire. She is a centre forward who has scored seventeen goals for the national side in forty-seven appearances. And she represented Team GB at the Olympics in 2012. So has already played at Wembley Stadium. I met up with her just before those games and she was rightly very much looking forward to them. You may well have heard her on Five Live or seen her on BBC 3 giving her expert views during coverage of the women’s games. In fact she will be at Wembley covering the game for the BBC. It will be a great spectacle this weekend. Ellen is currently very busy working hard in rehab, so she is ready for the start of next season. Plus she is also getting married very soon to. So I would like wish her all the best for that. And say that I can’t wait to see her back playing again.

I am actually pretty loyal when it comes to the things I use in my everyday life. For example I have only ever been with one bank all my life. And whenever I have changed cars it has been down to them giving out rather than me trading them in. I am not a fan of change for changes sake. My first proper mobile phone was a Nokia and I stuck with them year after year until their technology kind of slowed down a bit compared with the rest of the market.Then I reluctantly got a Blackberry, which I happily had used for around the last five years. But recently it was starting to play up a little and I was having problems with the battery.

As I was due an upgrade I went into my local phone shop. Just to discuss my options. And then less than an hour later I found myself walking out with a I-Phone 5 having traded my Blackberry in then and there. It seemed that everyone I knew had one and the new Blackberry option did not do it for me. So I have gone to the dark side and invested in my first ever Apple technology item. So far if I am completely honest I am undecided if I like it or not . Or if it is any better than what I had previously. I think it may grow on me but either way I am stuck with it for the next two years. So I will have to learn to love it. Mind you it is much easier to take “selfies” with than my old phone.

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

That’s Entertainment

October 10, 2014 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. Mine have as ever been very busy and involved lots of fun things. The first event was a nice meal out with my immediate family at a favourite eatery of ours to mark my Mum’s recent and deserved retirement. She has just finished working at a place where she had been for the last eighteen years. Within a company that she had been with for over twenty odd years. I think my record for staying at one place of employment currently stands at five years. Which I was quite impressed with personally. We had a really nice time having a chat and reminiscing about her working life over our food. I obviously hope she enjoys having a bit more free time in her life. But as I am a little concerned that she may not keep herself busy enough during the days. I will be preparing a list of jobs and tasks for her to do. So she fills her time constructively. Well done Mum enjoy your retirement.

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be working behind the scenes at the first NFL International Series American Football match of this year at Wembley Stadium. It was a game between the Miami Dolphins and the Oakland Raiders. I do enjoy it when the NFL comes to town. The American’s really do know how to party. The pre-game activities started outside the ground around seven hours before kick off. Before the match I was assisting with meeting and greeting any VIP guests and helping them get to the side of the pitch. From where they were allowed to watch the players warm up. I was then on stand by to look after the owners of the Miami Dolphins. So in football terms that would be like escorting Roman Abramovich around the place to wherever he wanted to go and making sure he was happy. As I am sure you can imagine I did meet some interesting people in the lead up to the start of the game.

At pretty much all their big sporting events the American’s do like to put on some sort of a pre-game show. The one before this particular game featured a very special performance from Def Leppard. Who came out and played some of their biggest hits on a makeshift stage for around half an hour. As this was all taking place I was lucky enough to be hanging around by the tunnel area and then by the side of the pitch. So I got a great view of what was happening and I have to say they sounded brilliant. It was two weeks ago but I’ve still got “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Animal” going round in my head. Then just before the action finally got under way. The lead singer of the Fray Isaac Hayes strolled past me to head out to the centre of the stadium to sing the American anthem. I have to admit that sounded great from pitch side where I was standing.

Then during the match itself I was working with the Oakland Raiders coaching team. They had their own cameraman who filmed every quarter of the match from basically the highest vantage point in the stadium. Which was sensibly named the High 50 Area. Because it was right on the fifty yard line at the very top of the stand directly opposite the players tunnel. My job at the end of every period of play was to collect a memory card containing that last quarters play from the cameraman . And get it as quickly as I could to another coach waiting outside the locker room. So he could then load it straight on to his laptop and start analysing the plays. This was a fun task as I had to master getting past the fans, down lifts and stairs as well as getting round the side of the pitch past the cheerleaders to deliver the goods as quickly as possible. Which to be perfectly honest was quite challenging on occasions but most importantly lots of fun. Then my final task of the day was to escort all the football players back to their coaches. Just in case you were unsure I can confirm that some of those American Footballers are big units. It did amuse me seeing them walk past with their individual giant pizzas, noodles and crisps. I am guessing the calorie intake for these guys must be epic. There is a chance I could be working at the next NFL game at Wembley at the end of this month to between the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions.

The other Tuesday I was lucky enough to be at the Elstree Studios watching the first episode in a new series of Room 101 being recorded. I am a big fan of the show’s host Frank Skinner. And have been for many years. However this was the first time I had ever got to see him in action, in person. He did not disappoint he was absolutely brilliant. He really does drive the show himself and has total control of it. So he can lead the conversations and question the guests how he wants to. As well as having a free reign to link in to any of the additional items that they have lined up, as he sees fit. Which he does effortlessly in his own unique and very funny style. The three guests who were there arguing the case to have their choices banished from society for ever were Jack Dee, Gary Lineker and Faye Ripley. They were all really good fun and argued their selections well. At one point Mr Lineker told us a very funny story that will definitely not make the final edit owing to some of the language it contained. But it was certainly worth telling I thought. Well it made me laugh anyway.

I went along to this with my mate Dan Makepiece. If you have seen the show before. You will know they give an audience member the chance to suggest something they think should be put into Room 101. Which then Frank and the whole panel discuss before Mr Skinner makes the final decision. Before the recording started I noticed that they were pointing the camera at the audience, near to where I was sitting. I was trying to pretend not to notice while basically staring right down the centre of the lens. The studio floor manager then comes over to talk to me. At first I thought she might have recognised me or was about to offer me a last minute more prominent role in the proceedings. But it was very much the opposite. I was wearing a very white shirt, which was causing problems and proving very distracting for the audience shot they needed for the person in the crowd suggesting an item. Who just happened to be behind me and also wearing a white shirt. So I was asked to swap places with my mate Dan. Which I of course did straight away. Then when they filmed the audience bit, the gentleman now behind my friend stood up to do his thing. While this was going on I was watching the monitor like a hawk. And as the guy was talking perfectly positioned in the bottom of the shot was my mate’s face. So when the programme goes out on the TV watch out for Dan making a starring on screen appearance. While you are watching him just picture me out of shot shaking my head, looking frustrated and screaming inside my head. That should have been me. If only I had worn black!

Has this ever happened to you? I did some clothes shopping recently to get a new outfit for an event I was going to. So I had about six different items of clothing. And if I am honest I was not paying that much attention while the assistant was ringing them into the till and putting them in bags for me. The shop in question had a sale on so the overall price was favourable, which was my main concern. I then took the goods home and got them out of the bags ready to try them on and see how good I looked. Everything fitted perfectly and I was very happy. Until I saw the back of the suit jacket I had bought. Somehow the assistant had managed to leave the security tag on it. I was due to wear it the following day and quickly figured that it would not be a good look to have the tag on during a night out. Even if I had the receipt with me to prove that I had actually paid for it. Have you ever tried to get one of those things off? They are impossible. I had a quick go myself as to go back to the shop would mean going an hour out of my way. But it quickly became apparent getting them to remove it was the only option. So I went back the next day. And the moment I walked in to the shop the security machine went off and a member of staff was standing next to me in seconds. I explained the situation, she removed the tag for me and I wore the jacket out with no problems. It would however have been a lot more useful if the tag had set the alarm off when I left the shop the day before!

I was really pleased that I managed to get a last minute ticket to go along to the Court Theatre in Tring a few Fridays’ ago to see the brilliant Dara O’Briain in action. The Irish comedian was there performing a work in progress warm up show for his upcoming UK tour called “Crowd Tickler”. Needless to say he was very funny and he creates such a warm and relaxed atmosphere amongst the audience when he performs. That makes the whole experience very enjoyable. I ended up sitting in the front row. If you have ever seen him do any stand up. You will know he likes to chat to the people in the front row and kind of make them a very small part of the show. I have never been good at staying in the background or out of the spotlight. So yes I did end up getting selected by Dara to talk to him. Which I really enjoyed, even though it did of course mean him having a bit of fun at my expense. But to misquote Kenny Everett it was all done in the best possible taste. I also liked the way he was giving notes about what he planned to do with parts of it in the final finished version, Which as someone who does a bit of stand up comedy I found fascinating and I have to say very useful. If you get the chance go and see him in action on this tour. You will not be disappointed and will have a great night out. Thanks to Adam Hollier for the picture see more of his excellent work at http://www.adamhollier.co.uk/

Dara O'Briain — Dara O’Briain at Tring picture courtesy of Adam Hollier Photography

I was up in London last Saturday night attending a couple of my friends joint fortieth birthday drinks. I booked a hotel room for the occasion, so I could really let my hair down and enjoy myself. That started things off very nicely because as I was waiting for my room to be available at check in. I was treated to a complimentary pot of tea before they informed me they were going to give me a free upgrade to a bigger room. Then the porter kindly carried my bag up to it for me. I could get very use to this kind of lifestyle. Then after popping to Nandos for some pre party fuel. I headed to meet everyone else at the venue. We went to a brilliant place called Floridita. Which on a Saturday night is basically a Cuban themed cocktail bar with a live band playing. If you are a fan of Strictly Come Dancing they have held some of their after show parties there and it has been the venue for the MOBO Awards nominations in the past to. It was great fun, the music was brilliant with a really relaxed, cool atmosphere and vibe to the place. Plus I got to try out the one Salsa dance step that I learnt at my one and only Salsa lesson. That I went to about eight years ago now. I tried it once and to be honest I wasn’t very good, so I never went back ever again. I can assure you that decision was no great loss to the world of Latin dance.

On the way home from London the following day. After stopping off for a pint of Guinness at my favourite bar in London Waxy O’Connor’s (well it would have been rude not to) I bumped into Russell Brand in the toilets at Marylebone Station. We were both washing our hands at the sink when we met. Not next to each other at the urinals thankfully or that could have been embarrassing. Our paths only crossed for a few moments but there was a smile and a polite hello exchanged. Weirdly though it did take me a few brief moments to recognise him. Even though I am pretty sure no-one else in the world has hair exactly like him, that beard and such a distinctive dress sense. Although I reckon he was off to watch West Ham. And that is certainly not an outfit that I would want to be wearing at Upton Park. This meeting did remind me that I have accidentally bought a pair of skinny jeans. I was in a shop and saw some blue jeans in my size at a greatly reduced and very reasonable price. So without really looking to closely at them I thought I will have them. It was not until I got them home and tried them on did I realise that they were skinny jeans. It was not a pretty sight so as a result I think it is very unlikely that I will ever wear them out in public.

I am very excited to be taking part in a stand up comedy competition at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on Monday 20th October. It is going to be lots of fun and there are loads of very good comedians taking part. I have my five minutes fully prepared and ready to go, so bring it on. If you fancy something a bit different you can buy tickets to come along to this and see me in action. Click on this link for more details https://www.facebook.com/events/1496576503962063/

I went to see England play San Marino in the Euro 2016 Qualifier at Wembley Stadium. It was another good night at the home of football. I went with my parents. We went for a lovely meal first. And we had really good seats with a absolutely fantastic view. The game itself was pretty functional. We were all over them and they got everybody behind the ball yet we managed to still get five goals against them. So I for one was happy and satisfied with that. And being a Tottenham Hotspur fan is was great to see Andros Townsend come on and get his goal.

I am really looking forward to seeing a very talented friend of mine Mike Sterling perform in Stars of the West End at the Cadogan Hall in London on Saturday 25th October. Mike has previously played the lead roles in musicals including Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera. I have worked with him on live stage events and on judging panels for talent competitions in the past. The rest of the cast in this show are also exceptional performers and it features many classic songs from some of the biggest shows to grace the stages of London and New York. Click here for more details https://www.facebook.com/events/267373066796664/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=1

This weekend I am up in one of my favourite cities in the UK, Liverpool. I will tell you all about that next time we speak but until then. Have fun and we will catch up again in a couple of weeks. Cheers Neil.

Neil Quigley Presenter