Play Away

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy with lots of fun things going on. Although I did not make it up to Manchester as planned a few weekend’s ago, sadly. I was meant to be heading north to see an old school friend and his family for a few days. As part of the visit we were going to a party to celebrate his in-laws fortieth Wedding Anniversary.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

About an hour before I was due to catch the train I got a phone call from my mate saying his wife and children had been struck down by a sickness bug which appeared to be working its way through the family. So we had a chat and we decided I would not go and see them. Which was a shame but made sense as you do not want a house guest when you feel rough and I will be totally honest I did not fancy getting it.

So instead I stayed at home and had a quiet night in breaking my self imposed month long ban from alcohol with a few glasses of a very nice red wine, while listening to some ace music. The plan now is to go and see my friend and family in a few weeks time instead when they are all back to full fitness. Unfortunately none of them were even well enough to attend the party themselves but the good news is they are all better now.

Neil Quigley Presenter
Neil Quigley Presenter

A couple of weeks ago now I went to an audition to be on another brand new fun general knowledge television quiz show. Which will be on one of the major networks. It will be hosted by an excellent presenter, who has presented big classic television contests in the past and is also known as a sports broadcaster to.

As ever this experience involved going to the production companies office, playing a few light hearted games and talking to them about my favourite subject, me. Then we actually got to play a quick trial version of the show’s end game. Which was brilliant fun. All of this is filmed, so the casting team can watch it back and then decide from the footage who they want to appear on the show.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

There were some interesting people there including the actor who used to play the postman in Rainbow. He also appeared regularly in Super Gran for a bit as well. I also met the women who was surprised live on national TV last year by This Morning when Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby took over her house and presented the whole of the show from there. Everyone was great fun, all fascinating people with some great stories to tell.

I am still currently in contention to appear on the show. Which if that comes off will be brilliant. It is due to be filmed around the middle of March. So fingers crossed I get selected to do it. I cannot say any more about it at the moment but when I can I will. I will let you know if anything develops with it and ultimately and also hopefully when I will be on your television screens playing it. It is a simple, fun and new concept for a game. Which I really do like.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

Last Friday I went along to the Press Night for the latest West End production of Nell Gywnn at the lovely Apollo Theatre in London. It is written by Jessica Swale and stars Gemma Arterton in the title role. It has most recently enjoyed a highly successful run in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Before getting a new cast and then moving to its new home until the end of April. Which is the Apollo.

Nell Gwynn
Nell Gwynn

I had no real idea what to expect if I am totally honest but I really enjoyed it. And I had a fantastic evening. I thought Gemma Arterton was absolutely sensational in the lead role. She played it brilliantly even to the point where as her status in life improved by association, so did her accent. As it got a little bit posher. Nell Gywnn is a quite amazing historical character. With her confidence, humour and straightforwardness you could argue that she was well ahead of her time in many ways.

The whole cast were brilliant and it really was a slick performance. There is lots of clever and in parts slightly risque comedy with plenty of innuendo thrown in for good measure. Plus some singing and dancing to. So it is the total all round entertainment package. I would recommend seeing it, if you at all can. It is an intriguing story told perfectly by a talented bunch of performers and will leave you feeling upbeat and possibly humming to yourself as you leave the theatre. And finally watch out for the cutest little dog almost stealing the whole show.

Nell Gwynn
Nell Gwynn

I actually enjoyed a theatre double bill last weekend. On the Saturday night I went to see the new Matthew Perry play. That he stars in and has written called “The End of Longing” I was a massive fan of the American sitcom Friends, to be fair I mean who wasn’t? And I will confess that although I did really fancy Jennifer Aniston. Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing was always my favourite Friend.

I think I liked the fact he was constantly trying to make a joke out of every single comment he heard and every situation he was in. I think he may have reminded me of somebody! When I found out this production was on in London. I decided I had to see it. The play in itself is a very modern piece and supposedly slightly autobiographical about some of the demons and problems he faced during his own alcohol addiction issues.

The End Of Longing
The End Of Longing

It is quite a dark play dealing with some very tough and serious subject matter. But it is funny with lots of laughs. The dialogue is quite fast paced. The plot and the story unfold very nicely and cleverly in front of your eyes. It has a lot of pathos to it and personally I liked the way it showed a lot of us are all fighting our own addictions and issues whatever they may be. But that with the support and love of the right person it can make these manageable.

If you are expecting to see a version of Chandler from Friends on stage you will be disappointed. But if you want to see a gritty hard hitting current yet humorous play then make sure you go and see it. The whole cast led of course by the writer and star Matthew Perry are all excellent. Especially in my opinion Jennifer Mudge, who plays her role of the stars love interest brilliantly. It was another lovely night out at the theatre. Which I really did enjoy. You cannot beat any live entertainment in my opinion.

The End Of Longing
The End Of Longing

So I am currently reading Chris Evans’ latest book. I have read his previous two, which were both autobiography’s about different stages of his life and career. This third one though appears to be a more overall look at life in general. And from his own individual perspective what considerations should he be making as he approaches his fiftieth birthday this year.

It is interesting and he has looked at health and marriage speaking to experts in each of those fields. But I just want to know a bit more about his life and what happens at Radio Two. I will be sticking with it as there is a good chance I may well learn something from it. Plus I think the later chapters describe how one of my favourite television shows TFI Friday ended up making a big comeback.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

I am still in a little bit of shock at the moment. I have been a Tottenham Hotspur fan all my life. They are very much my team. I support them in every game they play in. I remember crying in the garden after Coventry beat them in the FA Cup Final in 1987 and I remember the huge celebrations at the old Wembley Stadium when we beat Leicester in the Worthington Cup Final in 1999.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

But never in all my years of supporting Spurs can I remember them in mid February being second in the Premier League. Just two points behind the leaders. This has never before happened in my lifetime. And I can’t believe I am saying this but there is actually a chance my team Tottenham could win the league. Whatever happens between now and the end of the season I am going to be proud of my team and support them in every game. As the club motto says To Dare is to do. Come on you Spurs!

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

The excellent Radio 4 Extra topical comedy show Newsjack is back for a new series currently. It is on every Thursday night at 10.30pm for the next five weeks. I will once again be writing some short one liner jokes for this series. I really enjoy trying to write up to the minute topical comedy, that is of course perfectly suitable for the type of listeners that the show attracts.

It is being hosted for the third series running by Nish Kumar. And I have to say he is sounding brilliant on it. He has made it very much his own. I will keep you updated about the programme as the series continues and do rest assured I will let you know which of my jokes make it in.

BBC Radio Theatre
BBC Radio Theatre

I did pop along to the wonderful Hospital Club in London the other week to see a recording of Alan Davies As Yet Untitled. The show he makes for the digital television station Dave. It is such a great and iconic renowned showbiz gathering place. The studios there are cosy but well laid out. If you have not seen it the programme involves the comedian talking and drinking around a little table with a selection of guests. The one I saw had a nice mix of personalities and people, all with some great if not occasionally slightly harrowing stories to tell.

You know what its like when you and your mates are sitting around having a few drinks and just chatting, random things come up in the conversation. Which in turn reminds different people of different stories from the past. Well that is exactly what the show was like. I think as it is quite an intimate setting some of the guests might even forget they are being filmed momentarily judging by some of the things they admitted to. The new series comes out later this year, so do keep a look out for it.

Neil Quigley and Scott Temple
Neil Quigley and Scott Temple

Tonight sees the return of another one of my favourite shows Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Take Away is back. The total entertainment show. Where a member of the audience can win a huge prize, celebrities get tricked, members of the public get surprised and then there is always the great end of the show, show as a finale. It is a cross between Noel’s House Party, Game for a Laugh and The Generation Game on acid and then all rolled in to one. But I do absolutely love it, it is top weekend fun.

BGT London
BGT London

The two Geordie’s are for me the masters of live television, so natural and funny. I am really hoping that I can manage to get along to watch one of the episodes from in the studio this series. I am working on trying to make that happen, so fingers crossed hopefully it will soon. This series will feature a weekly whodunit comedy drama written by the creator of Broad Church no less and featuring an all star cast.

If you remember from a few years ago when Michael Buble ended up doing Karaoke from a pub at the end of one of the shows. I have been in there for food and drink a couple of times. I have to say it is a lovely place and also it is so handily close to the studios. I am really looking forward to watching the chaos unfold on our screens later.

Neil Quigley in London
Neil Quigley in London

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

The Science of Television

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been pretty busy with some interesting things going on. I have still not heard back from the new game show audition I did a fortnight ago as yet. But as it is being recorded at the end of this month I expect to find out one way or another very soon.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

While I was waiting to go in for my turn with the producers at their production office I got talking to one of the other potential contestants. Around a year ago I helped to do some development work on a brand new quiz called Smart Ask.

This included me playing the game in front of some Channel 4 executives. To try and convince them to buy it.Well from speaking to the guy I met at my latest audition I found out that he was used as a contestant when they recorded the pilot episode of it in the studio.

It was nice to find out that something I had been involved in had made it to the next stage in its development. They have not commissioned a series as yet and I can’t say much more about it at this stage. But all I will say is this, the presenter who hosted the pilot episode was not the one that Channel 4 used when we ran through the quiz for them privately.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

Recently I went to the BBC Elstree Studios to see an episode of a brand new ITV1 show called “It’s Not Rocket Science” being recorded. I was very well looked after and had a great seat, right in the middle on the very front row.

It is presented by Ben Miller, Rachel Riley and Romesh Ranganathan. As its title suggests it is a science and technology gadget show that features a mixture of weird and wild experiments. As well as a look at new innovations that are being introduced to try to make our lives easier.

They do some of the tests live in the studio during the filming and others have already been pre-recorded in advance but we still got to see them while we were there. The main guest on the show I saw was Eamonn Holmes. Who although he was on very briefly was very good, friendly and professional, as you would expect from a man of his calibre.

Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios

It was an extremely fun and different kind of show to watch. I can’t say why but during it I did get to hi five Romesh. If I am honest I would have much rather it had been Rachel but you can’t have it all can you? The series starts on Tuesday 16th February at 8pm. I not sure when the one I was at will be broadcast but keep an eye out for when Eamonn Holmes is the guest on it and then see if you can spot me.

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

For the second year running I attended the final London audition for Britain’s Got Talent. They hold them at the fabulous Dominion Theatre on the Tottenham Court Road. It really is a fantastic venue. Once again I was very well looked after. They sat me a few rows behind the judges. I had a good view of the stage and also more importantly a very good view of the judges, so I could see their reactions to what was happening in front of them.

BGT Dominion Theatre
BGT Dominion Theatre

Now if you have seen the show of course, you will know that at the auditions Ant & Dec only really interview the acts off the stage before and after they have performed. Happily before the recording starts they do come out on to the stage to say hello, explain what will be happening and they introduce the judges. During the filming you do sometimes see them popping up at the side of the stage watching the acts or more likely messing around. While the filming was taking place we did also get treated to a cameo appearance from ITV2’s “Britain’s Got More Talent” host Stephen Mulhern.

BGT London
BGT London

The judges all looked great and were in fine form. Joking with each other and messing about in between the acts appearing. While the stage was being reset. At one point Simon Cowell appeared to steal Amanda Holden’s phone and post something on her twitter page. They were also happy to chat to the audience during any down time.

Alesha Dixon and David Walliams were on fine form to. In fact David seemed to take control and keep things in order moving them forward more so than even Simon, which seemed slightly odd as he is technically the boss of the whole thing.

I think since the birth of his son Simon has very much mellowed a bit. Although I have to confess I do normally agree with everything he says when he is critiquing the acts. At the audition I witnessed there were the usual mixture of excellent and terrible acts. And the judges did rightly have to buzz a few of them off. There was one point when I actually wished that I had my own buzzer.

BGT London
BGT London

I obviously do not want to give anything away but I think I saw two acts that could well both make it to the grand final. One of them was a singer and the other a pretty unique impressionist. I look forward to seeing the show when it is shown in April. The game you can play when it is on is to try and spot me sitting behind Simon Cowell. It was a lovely evening watching one of my favourite shows being made in a great city.

BGT London
BGT London

Before I went to the Britain’s Got Talent auditions I stopped off for some food in a well known comedy venue pub in London called The Phoenix. It is a place where a lot of comics drink and it is also home to the Old Rope Comedy Club, which is on in their basement bar every Monday Night. It normally attracts some very well known comedians, who use it to try out new material.

The pub is holding its own comedy festival next month and I am looking forward to seeing Russell Howard perform there as part of it. Just while I was standing at the bar ordering my soft drink the other day. The Welsh comic and former flat mate of Rhod Gilbert, Lloyd Langford appeared next me. It is a cracking pub and just for the record the food in there is fantastic to.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

I am currently in the middle of reading my second book of the year so far and as ever it is an autobiography. This time it is the life story of the twenty times champion jump racing jockey AP McCoy. As you would imagine it is brilliant and fascinating in equal measure giving a real insight in to his own life and the racing world in general. He is one tough and totally driven guy, the desire and will power to achieve what he did in his chosen sport is right there to see from the first chapter. The thing that really comes across is just how modest and low key he is. When you consider the levels he reached as a sportsman.

Many years ago my great friend Dez Kay and I did the Wedding Disco for the former jump jockey Gee Armytage when she married fellow jockey Mark Bradburne. At the time Gee was actually working as AP McCoy’s personal assistant. So he was there at the reception along with the great and good of the horse racing family, including John Francome and Clare Balding. It was a brilliant night and let me tell you those folks know how to party. I seem to remember we finished the disco in the end at around 4am.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

But one man who doesn’t drink alcohol had left long before that and was I guess at home resting, as true greats often are. To be the best at anything you must be totally dedicated to your goal. I am of course talking about AP McCoy. For the record the biggest party animal there seemed to be Carl Llewellyn, who was also a hugely successful jockey and now is an assistant trainer with Nigel Twiston-Davis.

I would have liked to go out on a night out with him. I would imagine there would never be a dull moment. He is very close friends with AP McCoy, although it would appear from the outside their style of a social night out differs slightly. Anyway I am totally loving the book and now have even more respect and admiration for him than I did before. He seems like a ace man to be around and a great friend to have around you and in your corner.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

The Jump has returned to our television screens for another series. It is a show for celebrities who do not think Dancing on Ice was dangerous enough to go on. With the events they make them compete in I am surprised that they can actually get insurance to be able to make the show. May be they go and have a private meeting with the head Meerkat or that annoying opera singer to thrash out a deal.

As ever with reality shows nowadays there are a couple of people on it who I have never heard of. But there is something quite fun about it that makes me enjoy watching it. Davina McCall is great on it linking it all together. And when they are not competing in those terrifying events, the contestants look like they are all having a good time. Enjoying all the excellent hospitality at the resort.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

I am supporting Girls Aloud’s Sarah Harding for the very simple reason that she lives in the same town as me. Therefore I do want her to win it. She turned on the lights at Christmas last year and I have seen her in the local supermarket and filling up with petrol in the town. I think the place would look good with a golden cow horn bought back in to it. May be she could donate it to us. Good luck to Sarah Harding. I am behind you all the way.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

My self enforced alcohol ban is now officially over. I took the whole of January off the booze, so I could try to have a slightly healthier start to the year and I also upped my exercise routine a bit. But that all that could come to an end this weekend. Not decided what I am doing yet but if I fancy a drink I can now have one. Looking forward to it and I am hoping that I might try to ease myself back into things gently but I guess we will just see how it goes.

Neil Quigley
Neil Quigley

I have got a couple of busy weeks coming up. Next Wednesday I am going to see a recording of Alan Davies As Yet Untitled at the famous Hospital Club in London. It is a comedy discussion show made by the TV station Dave featuring the comedian and his guests basically just sitting around a table having a chat. Which will be a lot of fun, I’m sure. And as it is quite an intimate venue people tend to may be reveal more through their stories than they possibly should.

Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal

I am also going to two new West End shows two nights running. I am off to see Gemma Arterton star in Nell Gwynn and former Friends star Matthew Perry in a play he has written himself called The End of Longing. Both of which I am very much looking forward to. I will tell you all about them next time we speak.

Neil Quigley Presenter
Neil Quigley Presenter

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