Tag Archives: Wembley

Last Days of Summer

September 5, 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 hope you enjoyed the final Bank Holiday Weekend of the Summer. After what was quite a busy period of work. I had a nice relaxing one, catching up with some friends and family. On the Saturday I met up with a couple of my good mates in a pub over in Beaconsfield. The plan was to have lunch, then find somewhere to watch the football later. The game was Tottenham against Everton. I support Spurs and my mate supports the Toffee’s. So we figured it made sense to see it together, just so that the winner could make fun of the loser in person.

The food part went well. I really enjoyed mine. Which was the duck’s leg with roasted sweet potato, honey glazed pineapple and orange sauce. Yes you are perfectly correct, it was quite a fancy establishment we were in. After the meal. We then set about finding somewhere to see the game. We quickly discovered that football watching is not a very popular past time in this town at all though. And that none of the pubs there actually have Sky TV.

We were told by at least two different people that they knew of one pub that would be showing it. In a village just outside Beaconsfield. So we phoned a taxi to take us there. It dropped us outside and left. We then walked in to the empty venue to find that they were not showing the football after all. So we then had a very quick drink there. While we called the taxi company back to come and get us. Predictably they sent exactly the same car and driver. Which was a little bit embarrassing. But we styled it out.

We then ended up going to High Wycombe. As we were sure a pub we knew there would have it on. We got there in time to see the whole of the second half. Then after all that drama, just getting in front of a television screen to see it. It ended in a goalless draw. It was a top afternoon larking about with friends though. While also enjoying a couple of nice car journeys around the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside.Winning!

Then on the Bank Holiday Sunday I went along to a party to celebrate the Fortieth Wedding Anniversary of my Auntie Shelia and Uncle Mick. At their house. It was not the greatest afternoon weather wise but they are seasoned party holders, so had put a couple of marquees up in the garden to keep us all dry. It was really nice to catch up with the family and enjoy some finger food and cakes. Always a highlight of any gathering for me. When I arrived my Uncle just happened to be setting up the sound system. So I ended up helping him out with that. Well it is kind of my department that, I guess.

It was all very well organised. And nicely topped off with a lovely speech from my cousins’ congratulating their parents on their fantastic achievement. With some music and even a bit of comedy thrown in. This was swiftly followed by a champagne toast for the happy couple. We know how to do things properly in my family. By that I mean we are aware of the importance of having alcohol at key moments during these sort of occasions.

Family do’s are like buses it would seem. I do not have any for ages then a few come along at once. This weekend it’s been my cousin’s Wedding Celebrations. I will tell you about them, next time we speak. I do love a good excuse to dig out a nice suit and dress up a bit.

I have had another couple of busy and very enjoyable weeks at Wembley Stadium. Showing lots of different groups of people around. Including a boys football team on behalf of the England Team’s main sponsors Vauxhall. I got to give them an hour tour around the home of football with a very special surprise for them half way round. Waiting for them in the changing room was the Arsenal and England defender Kieran Gibbs.

It was great to see their faces and the excitement. When they walked in and saw him there. He was brilliant with them all, chatting to them, signing autographs and posing for photos. The media is always quick to point out the negative things sports stars do and rarely report the good and positive stuff. Good to see him in the latest squad for the next two European Qualifying games against San Marino and Switzerland. I am going along to the Swiss game. And I am really looking forward to it. I am of course hoping that I get to see Harry Kane in action once again in that one to.

Also at Wembley I bumped in to the former professional footballer and TV presenter Jeff Brazier. Who was there with his children. He is such a lovely man, very friendly polite and generous. Plus I like his positivity and outlook on life. He looked like he was enjoying looking around as much as his kids were. I also randomly run in to Ben Moorhouse. He is the man behind the brilliant Tringe Festival. Which is a massive annual comedy event in Tring. It just keeps getting bigger and better every single year. Some of the people that he has given a platform to are now starting to make small waves in the world of comedy themselves.

He puts on a great line up of top quality comedians not only just during the month the festival itself is on. But at various points throughout the year at the wonderful Pendley Court Theatre in the town. He also was the person who organised the Roving Comedy Night where I made my stand up comedy debut. So it was great to see him and have a nice catch up. His latest acquisition is a vintage mobile cinema. Which is a fantastic vehicle. Which can be hired to arrive pretty much anywhere in the UK. Then set up ready to show whatever film you have managed to get your hands on. A cool addition to any small gathering. Or a reason for a get together all on its own.

I will not be making an appearance on 1000 Heartbeats with Vernon Kay this series. I met up with the producers a few weeks ago to talk about being a contestant but this will now not be happening this year. I was also in discussions with the BBC about some possible production work on a few of their radio stations. It now looks like this will not be happening, well certainly not within the next six months at least. But this situation may alter then. So we will just have to wait and see what develops there.

However the brilliant Radio 4 Extra topical comedy show Newsjack returns this week. And I can once again confirm that I will be writing some jokes for this series. It will again be presented by the excellent Nish Kumar. Whose Edinburgh show was nominated for the top award at this year’s festival. I have had my material used on the programme before, so I am hoping to hear some more of my stuff on there this time round. It will be broadcast on Radio 4 Extra Thursday night’s at 10.30pm for the next six weeks. It is a good place to catch, up and coming comedians and comedy performers. With many people having used it as a good stepping stone to move up the comedy ladder.

About a month a go I was involved in a run through of a brand new game show idea with a production company who are trying to get it commissioned by one of the major television channels. They have now presented it to some television executives. Who have come back to them with a few requests of changes they would like made to it.

So I have now been called back in to help them with the further development of the project. Yesterday I went along to the production companies office to rehearse the show and the amendments to it. I have been paired with a partner called Rob and we get to play the game. As if we are a couple of contestants, trying to win the money.

Rob is also an actor. And one of the things he does is appear in a “Dinner with The Trotters” style live experience. He plays Rodney in that show. He is very tall and does look a bit like him. So when we play the game together, as I am quite a bit shorter than him. I feel like I should throw on a cap and a camel hair jacket and pretend to be Del Boy. At the very least I find it a struggle not to say lovely jubbly when I am standing next to him.

We are going back to the ITV London Studios in a couple of weeks to once again show case the quiz to some television executives. I hope they run with it. As I think it is a great idea and will make a really fun and entertaining show. That people will really enjoy playing along with at home. Plus if it does make it on to ours screens. I will be very proud to have been involved in it. And I will at that point finally be able to reveal the format to you.

The brand new series of Strictly Comes Dancing launches tonight. I am not the best dancer in the world but I am always keen to have a go on a night out. However there is something about this show that I do love. I just get totally drawn in to the whole drama and excitement of it all. All we discover tonight is which celebrity is paired with which dancer. I have seen the full line up of Celebrity’s for this year and I think it will be a good competition this time round.

There is a nice selection of different abilities. At least this is what I am guessing from the names on the list. I have always been a fan of Jamelia. So I am really looking forward to seeing her on the show. I also think Peter Andre, Ainsley Harriott and Kirsty Gallagher will be good value for money. I also like all of the professional dancers to. As they are very much the stars of the show now. As we know them all so well. So I will wait to see who is paired up with who before I decide on who to support this year.

It is a bit of a shame they have announced that Joanne Clifton will not be dancing with a celebrity this year. But it is great news that she will play a big part in the spin off show It Takes Two. They do always get fabulous musical acts on to perform as well. It is just great all round entertainment for the whole family. I went and saw the launch show a couple of years ago now. And this year I am hoping to get some tickets to see one of the live Saturday night shows. Which if it comes off, that would be brilliant.

Strictly comes from the Elstree Studios. And I am off there on Wednesday to see an episode of Celebrity Juice being filmed. While Fearne Cotton is off this series Gino D’Acampo is stepping in and will be the other captain alongside Holly Willoughby. I am really looking forward to the recording. It will once again I am sure be total madness but at the same time a lot of fun to witness in person. I still have not managed to find out who the other guests are on the show as yet. But let us just hope that they are familiar with the show and are happy to get involved and just go with the flow as that always makes for a funnier show. I will report back when we speak again. By which point you will have probably seen the evidence for yourself on television.

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

More TV Times

August 22, 2015 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. Mine have been busy with lots going on. I have been spending a lot of my time recently at Wembley Stadium, showing lots of wonderful people around the place. Which has been fantastic fun. A lot of them have taken on the zip wire challenge and flown across the famous Wembley pitch. I still haven’t and have no intention of doing so. Even though I have been up to the top of it, where it all starts from a few times now to escort people up there.

While at the home of English football there is always a good chance that you might bump in to a few familiar faces. The other day the England Under 21 Manager Gareth Southgate strolled past me on his way to a meeting. For the record he is still an ex-player, who it would seem still keeps himself in shape. Unlike some of them you see. I have previously be lucky enough to come in to contact with the England Manager Roy Hodgson a few times to. He is a top man, polite, happy and friendly. Plus he is always happy to say hello. He is doing a brilliant job with the team securing us qualification to the 2016 European Championships currently.

At Wembley the other week I ended up escorting a film crew from ITV around. They were there to do some filming for a new secret project. Which I believe will be revealed and then shown on television sometime in September. The presenter they were working with was the lovely Andrea Mclean from the TV show Loose Women. She and the whole crew were very nice, friendly and professional in what they were doing. I can’t tell you any more about what took place and what they were up to at the Stadium but keep an eye on ITV during September and you will be able to see for yourself then.

I was lucky enough to catch the final moments, when the England Cricket Team won the Ashes live on television. It has been an amazing series for the home side. Who few thought had a chance of being successful this time round. It is a fantastic achievement. The fact that it was wrapped up with one test still to play makes it even better. The way they played throughout it and the spirit within the side should be totally admired. It was great to watch the players and the fans celebrating together at Trent Bridge. After the victory had been secured. And as someone who is proud of where he was born. It was great to see a man ,who has links with my county Buckinghamshire lifting the Urn for the second time as England Captain. Congratulations to Alistair Cook and the rest of the squad. Nice one gentlemen!

The English Premier League football season is under way. I have joined three separate Fantasy Football League’s. I imagine I will do the same as I do every year. For the next four weeks I will be working hard on them all and concentrating on picking the right team for each match. Trying to score as many points as I can. Then by the end of September. I will forget all about them only to remember again around the end of March. When it will be too late to make any changes and improve things.

My actual team Tottenham have not started brilliantly so far with a defeat and a draw at home. But it is a long season and things will get better. I hope so at least. I am certainly planning on getting to White Hart Lane a few times to see them in action this year. Hopefully in one of the many cup competitions we are in. I fancy a good run in at least one of them. Hopefully with it ending in a Wembley final.

I spent an interesting morning at BBC Broadcasting House in London the other week. I was there to discuss a future work opportunity across a few of the network’s radio stations. This included me getting the chance to demonstrate my skills in one of their space age like and fully digital studios. This was brilliant fun working with some truly talented people. Then followed a meeting to talk about the stations requirements and how I could fulfil these needs operationally across some of the BBC’s most well- known brands. If I can manage to become involved in these ongoing productions. That will be so satisfying to be involved with creating such memorable and sometimes such poignant radio.

On the way to BBC New Broadcasting House

I went to my second cousin’s twenty-first birthday party over in Milton Keynes last Saturday. It was a fun night out. As most of my family live on the other side of Buckinghamshire. One of my Aunties organised a coach for us all. Which I think did slightly catch out the bar staff there, when thirty of us arrived at the place at exactly the same time.

It reminded me of my twenty-first party, which was at our local village hall. I had my mates from my hospital radio station at Stoke Mandeville do the disco for me. Although somehow I remember that I ended up setting up the equipment for my own do, in the afternoon My Uncle also very kindly organised for a singer friend of his to come along and perform for an hour or so. Which was brilliant and really added to the occasion.

It also set the standard that now means at each of my party’s I try to have some sort of act there to entertain everyone. So for example for my thirtieth birthday party I booked a stand up comedian. Who was excellent and went down a storm. I have a big birthday coming up in a couple of years, so I am already thinking about who I could hire to play at that. Going back to last Saturday, it was great to see the whole family enjoying themselves. And we had a fun coach journey home at the end of the evening, with everyone in very good spirits, shall we say.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is currently taking place up in Scotland. It is still an event that I really want to go to one year. Because as a big fan of comedy. The chance to watch so many different comedians in such a short space of time definitely appeals to me. Already so far during my brief stand up career. I have got to meet and work with many different acts. Many of whom take their show’s to the festival every year. And every year it will be a brand new performance with all new material. So they work very hard on them to get them right totally ready for Edinburgh.

One such performer is the hilarious Silky. Who I have seen in action a few times over the last few years at the Tringe Festival. In fact after my first ever gig I gave him a lift back to his hotel. He is a great comic and knows everyone in the business pretty much. He also runs his own comedy clubs to. Keep an eye out for any Kill For A Seat comedy nights in your area. He is storming it up there this year, with his show’s selling out and getting great reviews. Which is brilliant and so deserved. He is a really nice bloke and most importantly very funny. Oh and he can play the guitar to as well you know.

Someone else who is having a great Festival is Maddy Anholt with her show Diary Of A Dating Addict. She worked so hard getting the funding just to be able to put it on there in the first place. So it is great to see her doing so well. She has now had over ten sell out shows in a row and the reviews have been fantastic for it. Four stars from Chortle, no less. Well done to all the performers and audiences at the Festival his year. One year I will definitely get up there probably as just an audience member but may be, just may be as one of the acts. Stranger things have happened.

I am once again looking forward to going to see the annual It’ll Be Alright on the Night programme being recorded at the ITV London Studios in a few weeks. I have always enjoyed the out takes show, since as long as I can remember. I can’t explain why but things are just very very funny when they go wrong on the television. What I like about it, is how many big name stars are perfectly happy to share their bloopers with the world. Showing that they are human and also that they have a sense of humour.

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

The thing I like about actually being there in the studio is that I get to see these mistakes before they are broadcast across the nation. It is now hosted by the brilliant Griff Rhys Jones. Who links it all together in his own unique and entertaining style. It will be as ever a fun few hours just sitting down and having a good old laugh at other peoples expense. I expect it will be shown on the TV either sometime in the late autumn or possibly around the Christmas period. Sorry for mentioning the C word, so early in the year. In fact please forget I mentioned it.

I am also heading off to the Elstree Studios next month to see another episode of Celebrity Juice being filmed. I suspect Fearne Cotton will be missing from this series. As she is currently pregnant with her second child. Last time she was not on the show she was replaced by Kelly Brook. I would not be against this happening again. And her being there while I am. Just saying. Considering what a wild and crazy show it is, the guest list for panellist’s is usually very impressive and often contains some big names from the world of television. So I am hoping for a top line up for it, when I am there.

Still one of my biggest disappointments from working in radio I think. Is the time when I had an interview with Leigh Francis lined up. And then at the last minute due to circumstances beyond both of our control it did not happen. I am a big fan and would have loved to have a chat with him. I do think the way he totally becomes his character creation’s is both brilliant and terrifying in equal measure. Specially bearing in mind what a quiet and totally normal family guy he is in every day life. Or so I have been told anyway.

I am still waiting to hear if I will be involved in the new series of 1000 Heartbeats. I should know by the end of this month if I will get the chance to go toe to toe with Vernon Kay. While trying to keep my cool and my heart rate down. As I am playing the games and answering the questions. To try and win myself some big money. Fingers crossed that I do get the chance to do it. I have actually been stood next to Vernon Kay a couple of times before in the past.

Once backstage many years ago now at T4 on the Beach at Weston-Super-Mare. When he was still the skinniest man in the world. Then the last time was at Wembley Stadium a couple of years ago at one of the NFL American Football games there. This time he had really bulked up as he was playing the game himself for the London Warriors. And taking it very seriously.

I am not sure I have ever seen such a big transformation in body shape. So fair play to him for that. If I do get on the show I think I am going to have to mention that to him. Might also see if he remembers speaking to June Brown in Somerset back on that Summer’s day. As I had a very interesting chat to her that day. One that still haunts me now on the very rare occasions that I watch EastEnders.

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

The 100th Edition

August 8, 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. Firstly a very warm welcome to the 100th edition of this fortnightly update. Thanks for reading and in some cases being involved with them. I hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. The very first one was published back on the 24th September 2011. So as you can imagine a lot has happened during this time.

I feel that we have shared some exciting and fun moments together. Including my stand up comedy debut, some brilliant nights out at the theatre plus I think I have been lucky enough to meet some interesting people along the way. And I have been able to do some pretty cool things to. It was back in September 2011 when I got to meet and interview the lovely Victoria Pendleton.

So here’s to the next one hundred updates with hopefully plenty more fun times on the way. As ever I am working on a few different and interesting projects at the moment. So I am hoping that the rest of this year will be just as entertaining.

I had a wonderful time at the Irish Race Night with my parents at Windsor Races the other Monday. They have a meeting there every Monday during the summer. And they tend to have lots of different themed nights. Which normally end with a live performance of some kind. Firstly let us start with the nights racing. Which went very well for me.

I had two decent winners including the aptly named Shakerattleandroll, who I had a couple of pounds on at odds of 14-1. So it is fair to say that put a big smile on my face and led to me treating myself to a nice pint of Guinness to celebrate my victory and of course get into the spirit of the evening.

Once the racing was fully over and after all the horses had been safely put away the entertainment then started. It was the Irish Race Night, so live on the stage, on the green area near the parade ring were the Dublin Legends. They feature two of the original members of The Dubliners. The band kind of formed, when the iconic group decided to stop touring after two of its members sadly passed away. So they got a couple of new members and called themselves The Dublin Legends. They were just fantastic, effortlessly playing classic Irish song after classic Irish song. Every one sounded perfect. The band were totally brilliant. And created a great party atmosphere.

Each one of them a master musician with an exceptional voice and clearly a love of the music they were performing. It was impossible not to join in and sing along and have a good time. They were taking audience requests and pretty much just deciding what to play next, only after they had finished the previous number. While still making it a very slick and professional all round performance. If you are a fan of your Irish music I would definitely recommend that you catch The Dublin Legends live. So basically, it was a great night. With horse racing and music the big winners.

I enjoyed an overnight stay in London recently due to a couple of long days, that I was doing in the capital. In the evening I went out for a nice meal at a well known restaurant chain. That has an Italian/American theme. And that is named after two men. There are two things that I like most about that place. Firstly the menu is quite varied, so you do have a nice selection of dishes on offer. And secondly it is the music they play. Anywhere that you can hear Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, while you eat, definitely gets it my vote as a great place to dine.

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

The food was lovely but most importantly the waitress and the service was top quality. She was happy, funny, helpful and efficient. So we had a laugh, and were fed and watered in a timely manor. Leaving the place full and content. And of course then in turn leaving the member of staff in question a sign of our appreciation. It is great to see good customer service, I think it makes a huge difference to your night out.

I am pretty sure most employers and some customers do not always reward this. But without your front of house staff, you have no business. To be fair though my opinion may have been slightly skewed, as I was drinking bottles of Coors Light. That was my drink when I was in Las Vegas and whenever I have it, it brings back great memories of my week there.

The following morning I needed to grab a quick breakfast on the way to my meeting. And as I try to have a reasonably healthy breakfast I declined the hotel’s full English offering and popped in to a shop that’s French to English translation is “ready to eat”. Which as I was in a hurry seemed the perfect place to grab something from. I thought I would try their porridge in a pot with some added honey. I have to say there was deceptively more than I thought in the container, it had very much a Dr Who’s Tardis feel to it. It was actually very tasty, which surprised me a little. It was also quite nice to have creamy and soft porridge. Normally when I make it myself at home in the microwave. It comes out basically just like a big bowl of flapjack.

Last Saturday I was at Wembley Stadium for the Women’s FA Cup Final. It was the very first time that the final of that competition had been played at the home of English Football. I took a group of guests around the venue first. Before settling down to watch the match myself. It was great fun as ever to be pitch side before the game. Just as the players were having a walk around prior to the match. Being that close you can really feel the excitement and atmosphere building from that area.

I was cheering on Notts County for two reasons. Because as a Spurs fan I hate to see Chelsea win anything and also because I have met and sort of know the England striker Ellen White. Who plays for the Nottingham based club. We were actually both born in the same town. Although one of us was born quite a few years before the other.

It was an entertaining game with some nice football played by both sides. But despite a very good and positive start from the Midland’s team you did always feel like Chelsea had slightly the upper hand. They got their winner towards the end of the first half through their lively number ten Ji So-Yun.

Player of the match was the Chelsea and England star Eni Aluko, who did look dangerous and a real threat every time she received the ball. It was not the result I was hoping for but it was a fun afternoon. Which saw a new record attendance of over thirty thousand for the big show piece cup final of the Women’s game. Well done to all involved.

Wembley Stadium are actually giving people the chance presently to take a Zip Wire ride above and across the pitch. So you can have a tour around the venue. Which then ends with you whizzing across it for a once in a life time view of the home of English football. It is only on offer for a few weeks. I have been offered the chance to do it, but I have declined the opportunity.

I am not really a fan of thrill seeking experiences or any roller coasters. So there is no way you would get me up there to do it. Although all the people I have seen do it looked like they were enjoying themselves and having fun. Good for them but I am still not doing it. Even though part of me thinks it would be a fairly cool thing to say you have done. But not a big enough part to make me want to do it.

Last week I had an audition to be a contestant on the second series of a game show hosted by Vernon Kay called 1000 Heartbeats. Now I rate myself as quite a relaxed and laid back person, so I thought I would be good at it. So I applied to be on it and then got invited in to meet the producers. This involved a fun afternoon at an arts studio in central London. I had to pose for some photos, take part in a general knowledge quiz and then I actually got the chance to pretend to play the game itself with one of the producers.

I was pretty impressed with how well I did. I also thought that I remained fairly cool, calm and collective. So therefore kept the heart rate down to give myself more time to answer the teasers. And hopefully ultimately if I do get on the show, win the jackpot. Lastly I just had to answer a few questions about myself on their camera. They are filming the new series next month. I will know by the end of August if I am going to be on it and going face to face with Vernon Kay or not. Either way, it was a fun afternoon just doing the audition itself.

This weekend see’s the start of the new football season. I am hoping as ever that my team Tottenham Hotspur can have a decent year. We have quite a young team. So it is going to be exciting to see them develop and hopefully improve together. A few weeks ago now the club announced the plans for its new stadium. Which look amazing. I am really looking forward to getting the chance to see a game in there, when it opens. As hopefully it will give me more chance of actually getting a ticket, as it will hold more fans than White Hart Lane does.

I am not convinced we can win the league but I would like to think that we might have a chance of winning a cup competition or two. As ever I am sure there will be plenty of twists and turns and ups and downs as ever. Which is one of the beautiful things about being a Spurs fan. Good luck to Mauricio Pochettino and the rest of the squad. Just give your all in every game. And we will support you all the way. That is all you can do. It would be great to get the chance to watch Spurs at Wembley again this season. And this time may be see them win.

I am a huge fan of the social networking site Twitter. There are a couple of things that I have enjoyed getting some behind the scenes information from via this medium recently. I follow Ant & Dec and also a lot of the Geordie’s Duo’s friends. So therefore I got to see some great photos and comments about Declan Donnelly’s Wedding. Which by the way looked amazing. Plus I thought it was a really nice touch that his brother, who is a fully qualified priest was the vicar that conducted the ceremony.

I also follow a few of the professional dancers from Strictly Come Dancing. And last week they met up to start rehearsing their show dances for the up coming series of the BBC One Show. They were posting some behind the scenes pictures of their training room. Which were already getting me excited about this year’s offering. It will start filming at the end of September. When we will find out the full list of the celebrities that will be on it this term. I went and saw the opening show recorded a couple of years ago now. It was a fantastic evening out. It was great seeing the dancers all doing their thing and also seeing both Jessie J and Rod Steward perform live at such close quarters.

At the moment there are a few interesting and exciting possible radio based opportunities that I am currently looking in to. It would be brilliant if may be one or more of them came off. Fingers crossed, something will happen in this area. So watch this space is all I can say. One of these is with the BBC. I have a meeting with them next week, which I am really looking forward to. It would be nice if I can share some news on this with you in the not too distant future.

One thing I can confirm though is that I have not made the short list for this years BBC New Comedy Award. The standard as ever was very high again this year. Best of luck to all those who have made it through to the live heats. Go out there and make them laugh. At some point soon, when I do get the chance to I do plan on putting myself back out there and doing some more stand up gigs, as I do really enjoy doing them. Best of luck to all comics up in Edinburgh for the festival at the minute.

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

Radio Ga Ga

July 25, 2015 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. Mine have been brilliant with lots of fun things going on. In fact they have flown by so quickly. Although the seasons and timings of things in England do not help with time I find, they just cause confusion. For example July is considered to be the start of the Summer. Even though we have already had the longest day and so the day’s are now getting slowly shorter again.

The children are just breaking up for their long school summer holidays (which I used to love as a kid). At the same time that we are getting ready for the start of the football season, which kicks off in August. All this while the England cricket team are battling the Australian’s for the Ashes in cricket. All the seasons just seem to blend in to one another. I think we could do with may be re-classifying them. To set out new months where the seasons start and finish throughout the year.

I headed off to the Wycombe Swan Theatre the other week to see a new touring music show called Ladies Rock. It is the brainchild of and fronted by Australian singer Nicki Gillis. Who backed by a four piece band and a backing singer takes us through a musical journey of women in music from the sixties right through to the early noughties. Or to put it another way from Connie Francis through to Pink. As she performs these amazing songs from these iconic women pictures of them are projected on to the back of the stage behind her. To add to the sense of occasion.

It is not a tribute show. So it is their interpretation of these ace numbers rather than an impression of these great singers. Nicki has a fantastic voice. Which is required to be able to perform the classic songs that the show contains. The selection of singers and songs covered is like a whose who in the world of female musical super stars. You will know and love all of the hits you will hear.

The band are also top quality and they do compliment the lead singer perfectly. The overall performance has a very relaxed and all inclusive feel to it. If you fancy a great night out reliving many great tunes. I would recommend you keep an eye out for Ladies Rock. When it comes to a venue near you.

I was back at one of my favourite places a few Thursday’s ago. When I went to the BBC Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House to see a recording of the excellent Radio 4 Topical Comedy The Now Show. I arrived a little bit early, so I went and had a cup of tea in the Coffee Shop right opposite the One Show studio. I was pretty pleased when the person serving me asked if I worked for the BBC. I believe they may get a slight discount there. I told the truth and said no. But a little part of me was quite pleased that the bloke behind the counter thought that I could have worked there.

Before I went in to theatre a managed to grab a quick cup of tea with my mate Danny Cox. Who had managed to pop downstairs briefly for a quick catch up before he had to head back to his studio for his next show. It was great to see him and have a good old natter about the world of radio and television.

The Now Show itself was as ever brilliant. Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are such good comedy writers and performers. Especially when it comes to satire and clever topical gags. Which is why this radio show is such a brilliant vehicle for them. They were of course ably assisted by the regulars Mitch Benn and Jon Holmes. Whose introduction’s diminishing his height are becoming more and more obscure. Coming to see things like this made at the radio theatre is the closest I will ever get. To being able to get a flavour of what it must have been like to see things like The Goon Show being made, I guess.

The Now Show was created by the legendary Bill Dare. Who has had a hand in so many great radio comedy formats over the years. Pick your favourite Radio 4 show and there is a good chance that he was involved in it. I do like the atmosphere during the recordings. A few of the cast have a beer on the go and seem to be enjoying just sharing all the material that they have spent the last couple of days writing and rehearsing.

Some of the funniest parts of this process are during the re-takes at the end. This is mainly due to the cast making fun of the ones who have to re-do stuff. While still it is fair to say remaining professional and getting the job done. As quickly as possible. It is always a good fun night out.

I was once again delighted to be asked to take part in another Quiz Show run through last week. They are always great fun and it is quite exciting when you get to try out new games and formats. That have not yet made it on to our television screens. It meant another visit to the ITV London Studios on the South Bank. I was watching This Morning doing a segment of their show from outside by the Thames the other week. When live on air they saw the Prime Minister go past them on a training fitness run. This annoyed me quite a bit, as I can’t stand people who try to run round that area. Surely they must know that it will be jammed full of people and that they will spend more time walking than running. Can’t they just find a nice field or park somewhere to run around. Anyway sorry, back to the quiz run through.

It took place in a room on the 14th floor, that I am guessing may also be used as the Saturday Night Takeaway production office. As it had lots of great pictures on the walls from the show. Including a brilliant one of Ant & Dec with Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. The run through was in front of some executives from ITV. Who will hopefully be interested in making the programme and putting it on the television.

Obviously I can’t give anything away due to the confidentiality agreement that I had to sign. But I think I can say that it was a fun and exciting game to play. And that it is a very clever and completely new concept for a game show. A French television company have already filmed a pilot episode of it. Which we got to see a few little clips of. It looked great. If it does ever make it on to the television. I will then be able to tell you more about my input and the game itself. It is a really good laugh doing these test runs. So hopefully I can squeeze in another one soon.

The great thing about Radio 4 is that it is always on the look out for new comedy programmes by new or established writers. Last week I went along to The Shaw Theatre in London to see two episodes of a brand new radio sitcom called “Shush” being recorded. Set in a library. It is written by and stars two actors that I am sure you will recognise. They are Morwenna Banks and Rebecca Front. They play two librarian’s from very different backgrounds and with very different outlooks on life.

It is very cleverly written with lots of great quick fire jokes. It does get slightly surreal in parts but it is radio and therefore theatre of the mind, so just go along with it and you will enjoy it. The cast is completed by Horrible Histories’ Ben Willmond and velvet voiced actor Michael Fenton Stevens. The writing is brilliant and it is a fun and feel good comedy in a fairly traditional way with a nice modern edge to it. The cast are so talented and performed it brilliantly. Do listen out for it when it airs sometime later this year.

It was great to be back in the Mix 96 Studios for a couple of days the other week. I was there helping to produce a small part of the very successful Mix 96 Summer Tour. It was good to see some old friends and familiar faces, while I was at the Friars Square Studios. I actually felt very at home being sat back in the hot seat there. It was nice to work with Wes Venn and Chris Gilvear for the first time to. The good news is that everything came back to me pretty quickly and it was fantastic to be involved with some live radio again.

I am always looking for new opportunities in this area. I still remember doing my work experience when I was at Aylesbury College for a week at Mix 96. And I also was at the Mix 96 First Birthday Party at Stoke Mandeville Stadium with the now Managing Director of the radio station Max Hailey. I really do enjoy it, when I do get to do a bit from time to time. Great fun.

I have yet again been spending quite a bit of time working at Wembley Stadium recently. I have to say congratulations to Ed Sheeran for playing three sold out shows at the venue the other weekend. The reviews for them were off the scale. As it is pretty much just him and his guitar up there. The fact he keeps the crowd so engaged is a huge tribute to the man’s talents. Two hundred and forty thousand people saw him play those three London gigs. Well done sir!

I have to admit I do not envy the groundsman at the minute. The pitch being covered for concerts does not exactly do it much good. So now it has to be ready and in perfect Wembley condition for Saturday 1st August for the Women’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Notts County. And for the day after for the official curtain raiser to the new Premier League Season the Community Shield between Chelsea and Arsenal. I am looking forward to monitoring its progress over the next couple of weeks. It is mazing how quickly they can get in back to top class condition. I am enjoying showing lots of people around our national stadium. It does look great in the sunshine.

Had a really fun night at a friend’s fortieth Birthday Party last weekend. It was held at a lovely little venue in Thame. A back room to a pub that I have not been to for about five years. Nice to catch up with a few old school friends and have a good giggle and a bit of a dance. Then the day after I was at a leaving do for a couple I know who are moving to France. So again that was a decent laugh seeing friends that I had not seen for a while. I do like to be busy but it is also good to find time to chill out and relax with people you like.

So just for a laugh I have entered the BBC New Comedy Award for 2015. Which if nothing else seems to me like a good reason to get involved with it. If you look at its title. I had some jokes lying around and the means to record them in my home studio. So in my head it made sense to give it a go. I remember listening to the final of last year’s competition live on the Steve Wright Show on Radio 2.

It came live from The Comedy Store in London and was hosted by the great Patrick Kielty. The comedians in the final were all great and the standard was clearly very high. But at the end of the day you have got to be in it to win it. And you never know funnier things have happened. Last week Mr Kielty favourited a joke of mine on Twitter, which I am hoping might be an omen. Fingers crossed.

This is actually the 99th edition of my blog. So therefore the next one will be the landmark 100th edition. So make sure you do not miss out on that one! 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.

Neil Quigley Presenter