The Route To Funny

Hello again, I hope all is well with you. And that you have had a very good couple of weeks.I have had yet again another busy fortnight. The last time we spoke I was off to Liverpool for the weekend to catch up with a very good friend of mine. It is a City I love and I do always have a great time there. I took the train up and have to say it is not a bad run up there. My mate happens to live near Aintree Racecourse, which is the train station he met me at. Just being there reminded me of when we all went along to Ladies Day of the Grand National Meeting a few years ago. That is a wonderful day out and I would definitely recommend it to anybody. As we had a bit of catching up to do we headed straight down the pub for an hour. Which ended up being about three hours in the end. Before going back to his for pizza and to spend the rest of the night watching great music and comedy on television.

Neil Quigley in Liverpool
Neil Quigley in Liverpool

As he has a two year old daughter, we were up bright and early the next morning watching children’s cartoons including Fireman Sam. Now it has been quite a while since I have seen it but I will say I think Sam may have had some cosmetic work done and has started really hitting the gym. He seems to have had some kind of make over and looks a bit more like a male model than I remember. We started the day the perfect way with a nice fry up before heading out to meet up with some more people we knew. Then visited lots of very familiar haunts that I have enjoyed on previous trips. Which just happened to all be pubs. I do like drinking in Liverpool, the place and people are just great. It is always a right good laugh with a nice soundtrack everywhere you go. They know their music up there. Needless to say I had a totally brilliant time. And we even found some time before I headed home to have a good look around the Albert Docks area. Which is where This Morning came from until it moved to London. Sadly the floating weather map that used to be there has long since gone. I am already looking forward to my next trip to Liverpool, which will probably be next year now.

Neil Quigley and Jeff Nolan in Liverpool
Neil Quigley and Jeff Nolan in Liverpool

I am very lucky in that my teeth are generally in pretty good shape. I actually have only a couple of fillings. Which I am rightly quite proud of. Obviously or I wouldn’t have mentioned it here. But recently I noticed one of my teeth was becoming really sensitive, specially to the heat. Which is not something I had ever really experienced before. So I thought I probably needed a filling and went to the dentist to get it looked at. Where I discovered that it was actually already a tooth that had been filled years ago with an old metal filling. And there was now more decay around it. Then after some more investigation my dentist discovered I would actually need to have root canal treatment on it. This is something I had not had before but had heard people saying how horrible and painful it was. I had part one of the treatment last week. It lasted no more than forty-five minutes. And although I could not say it was a pleasant experience. It did not hurt that much during or even after. So thanks very much to my dentist for her great work there. It did not really feel any worse than just having a filling. Although I have still got part two of the procedure to go in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed that also feels the same and does not hurt too much.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

I was lucky enough to go along and see some of Channel 4’s recent charity fundraising night “Stand Up To Cancer”. It was broadcast from a big Methodist Church Hall in the shadow of Westminster Abbey. The atmosphere in the audience was excellent. They were all given tablet’s to hold up to flash during certain performances and also to show the running total on. As the presenters revealed it at certain points during the evening. It was good to see the brilliant Andy Collins in his showbiz jacket working his magic warming up the venue and keeping us entertained between all the breaks in the action. Davina McCall looked stunning in a lovely red dress but she did have some killer black heels on which she kept removing between appearances and to walk around the set. Tom Daley came on and did his little piece really nicely bearing in mind it was a subject so close to his heart. With his dad losing his battle with Cancer just a few years ago.

Westminster London
Westminster London

Everyone who appeared on the night I thought was brilliant. I am a fan of the Last Leg, so it was great to see Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker there doing their thing. Although fortunately I had left well before they got naked. Joking aside fair play to them for doing that for the cause. Above and beyond the call of duty. Seeing some of the heartbreaking stories on video was very emotional but knowing that we are working towards finding a cure and once again seeing the generosity of the great British public in raising over fourteen million pounds. Made it such a brilliant and worthwhile night. My highlights were the Andy Murray “the film” casting clips. They were very funny with some great cameos. And the celebrity special episode of Googlebox was pretty amusing. I mean who would not want to sit in a room and watch television with Noel Gallagher, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. I know I would. Well done to Channel 4 and everyone involved. It really was a great achievement all round.

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

Last Monday I took part in a New Comedian of 2014 competition at the Leicester Square Theatre in London’s West End. To give you a rough idea of just how many people had entered it. All the heats contained twelve acts and I was taking part in heat twenty three out of twenty four. We each had five minutes to perform our own material. And then the top three as selected by two comedy industry judges and an audience vote would progress through to the quarter finals. I arrived as ever a little bit early so had a nice walk around Leicester Square before heading to the venue. The event was taking place downstairs in the Lounge. Which was a lovely little room for comedy where a lot of top name comics often come to try out new material.On entering the room, after introducing myself to the organiser and deciding where I would be appearing on the bill. I started talking to the other comedians taking part.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

I know I have said this before but everybody thinks comedy is a cut throat business where everybody is just out for themselves, while hoping everybody else fails. This could not be further from the truth. All the comedians I have met are lovely, great to talk to and very supportive of each other. We want the whole line up to go down great and get lots of laughs. As it creates a better atmosphere and we all enjoy ourselves more. This was very much the case for this competition. I was on second, so got up and did my five minute set. It went pretty well, I got a few laughs and nobody threw anything. Which I always count as being a successful gig. It was a strong line up with some good acts on and most importantly, great fun. I really enjoyed it. Well done to the three acts that progressed through to the next stage. Very well deserved and I wish them all the best. This competition was actually won in 2009 by a certain Rob Beckett. Who I believe will once again be involved with one of my favourite television shows I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, which is back next month. It was great to get up and do some stand up again and it has motivated me to get out and do some more of it. So watch this space for more details of appearances.

Neil Quigley doing Stand Up
Neil Quigley doing Stand Up

I am really looking forward to catching up with my mate Mike Sterling tonight. We met when I was working at a radio station in Yeovil. He came in for an interview on my radio show one morning. And from there we ended up doing a few gigs together and also were on a couple of talent show judging panels with each other. Mike first came to prominence in 1987 when he reached the New Faces final that year, finishing just behind Joe Pasquale. He then went on to play the lead roles in both The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. He is a sensational performer and a top bloke to. Therefore I am really looking forward to seeing his latest show Stars of the West End at the Cadogan Hall in London. And meeting up with him after. He is joined by other talented West End Stars and they will be performing songs from big smash hit musicals. For more details about the show click here –  https://www.facebook.com/events/267373066796664/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming 

Mike Sterling
Mike Sterling

It is a busy weekend for me as once again tomorrow I am working at Wembley Stadium behind the scenes at the latest NFL American Football International Series match between Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons. I am really looking forward to it, being involved with helping out when and where I am required throughout the day.The atmosphere will be amazing. They always put on a spectacular show when they visit London do the NFL. The pre game show for this game will include a performance from the 2011 X Factor winners Little Mix.  One of the girls in the band like me is from Buckinghamshire. And when they got to the final to show support at the radio station I was working at we changed our name to Little Mix 96 for the day. So I will be expecting a thank you from them for that on Sunday afternoon. I will of course tell you how the day went and which celebrities I spotted there the next time we speak.

NFL takes over Wembley
NFL takes over Wembley

On the plus side despite the action packed weekend I do still gain an extra hour in bed as the clocks go back and British Winter Time officially begins. Remember to adjust your time pieces correctly. Do not be the person from your group of friends who turns up an hour early for a meeting with them and accuses them of being late. When they are actually on time and the error is all yours. The modern pitfall is this nowadays remember that most mobile phones auto adjust the time themselves. So if you forget this and put the time back on your phone an hour before you go to bed. When you wake up the time will be wrong and you will be out of kilter. Some free advice for you there. I will not give any names out but I do know someone who did that and no it was not me.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

Still in life sometimes there is nothing funnier than when things go wrong on television. This is of course best captured in the programme “It’ll Be Alright on The Night” This is a show I have watched since I was a kid and always find it to be very funny. Which is good news as I will be going along to the ITV studios in London on a week Monday to watch the latest instalment of this iconic creation being recorded. I am looking forward to enjoying Griff Rhys Jones witty remarks and seeing our favourite stars getting it wrong in a room full of people, all hopefully laughing. It should be a good night out.

Neil Quigley Presenter
Neil Quigley Presenter

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

That’s Entertainment

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.

Family Meal
Family Meal

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.

NFL Wembley
NFL Wembley

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.

NFL Fan Park Wembley
NFL Fan Park Wembley

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.

NFL Dolphins v Raiders
NFL Dolphins v Raiders The Team

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.

Arriving at Elstree Studios
Arriving at Elstree Studios

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!

Neil Quigley Presenter
Neil Quigley Presenter

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!

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

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.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

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.

Guinness at Waxy's
Guinness at Waxy’s

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/ 

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

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.

England V San Marino
England V San Marino

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

Neil Quigley with The Beatles
Neil Quigley with The Beatles

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.