Food for Thought

June 9, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been pretty busy with some fun stuff happening. A couple of Friday’s ago, a good friend of mine invited me around to his house for some food and a few drinks.

Everybody has such busy lives nowadays, it is really hard to organise the time to meet up and see people. Which I think makes this time spent with mates and family even more special and precious. Even more so in light of the recent events in Manchester and London. So it was brilliant to catch up with one of my oldest friends and his family.

It was a lovely hot and sunny day. He has a very nice garden. So we had a few beers outside before he fired up the barbecue. Both him and his wife are excellent cooks, so the standard of food when I go round to there place is always high. He cooked up a selection of steak, chicken, salmon and sausages. Which was supplemented by a potato salad and finished off by a wonderful home made fruit salad.

This was all washed down with a few glasses of a twelve year old Rioja, which I supplied. I know my Red Wine. It was a fun night spent in great company with lovely food and drink. It is so important to enjoy and appreciate the simple things in life.

I also went out in Oxford recently for some food and drink. One of the things I really enjoyed from my recent trip to Barcelona was the Catalan style Tapas. Somebody told me about a great restaurant in the Jericho area of Oxford, which did this type of cuisine. So it would have been rude not to try it out. Firstly I sampled the wine. The Rioja there was very nice. Then I ordered a selection of four different dishes to try. Which is kind of how a Tapas style meal works. You have a little selection of what is on offer from the vast menu.

The first dish that arrived was baked goats cheese and honey. Which although I admit sounds a bit of an odd combination was fantastic. So that was a very strong start. Then the waiter brought out the spicy potatoes, the chicken and chorizo in tomato sauce and the roasted peppers dish.

The first two were nice and I enjoyed them but the peppers were a little disappointing. The first meal I had in Barcelona was a pepper dish and that was sensational. I was hoping for more of the same here, but sadly this offering was no where near as good. Mind you, I was too full for pudding, which I must confess is very rare for me.

After the food I continued the evening at a really nice wine bar down the same road as the restaurant with a few more glasses of what else but Rioja. It was a civilised evening. Some decent food and and few glasses of a nice Red Wine. Which is the kind of night I am starting to enjoy more as I get a little bit older.

Oxford is such a beautiful City. And now a really easy journey from my local train station. So I think I might end up doing some more exploring there before the end of the summer. I did work there for a bit at a radio station called Passion 107.9. But I did not really go out there that much at the time, so there is plenty for me still to discover.

I have to be totally honest for the first time ever in my entire life I had no interest in the FA Cup Final and for the first time ever I did not watch it. Normally I will want one of the teams to win, so support them for the day. Or I will really not mind who wins and just watch it hoping for a good and entertaining match. Sadly this year it was kind of like the perfect storm for me.

Being a Tottenham Hotspur fan, my two least favourite teams in the world are Arsenal and Chelsea. I wanted both of them to lose and did not want either of them to win the cup. Which I knew was impossible, so I avoided the game. That said well done to Arsenal on winning. Hopefully next year I will be able to return to the joy and excitement of FA Cup Final day once again.

My dad celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday last weekend. He also retired from work to. So he held a retirement party for all the people he has worked with for the last twelve years at his final place of employment. Fair play to him. He organised it all by himself at a local pub near by where he lives. There was food, music and some nice speeches, so I was very impressed. It was also nice to see how popular he was at work, judging by the number of people who turned up to be there with him. And the nice messages that he got in his many leaving cards.

During his speech I found myself in the rather unusual position of cameraman, so he could have a nice memory of the occasion. Although me, my mum and sister slightly spoiled the effect by laughing a little bit too loud at his former boss making fun of some of his quirks. Which he only discovered when he watched the video the next day.

I to played my part. He had a buffet there. When it was announced it was open. Nobody at all was going up to get any of the food. As they were all politely waiting for someone to go first. Luckily I stepped in here, went up and filled my plate up. Then suddenly everyone started following me and started eating. In life there are shepherds and sheep and that night I was the shepherd.

I am not saying he was really milking the occasion but we also went out for a nice Sunday lunch to celebrate. There is nothing better than heading out to a pub for a nice roast dinner, it saves cooking and washing up for starters. We returned to the same place where my dad had held his party the night before.

While there I continued my support of locally produced beer by having a pint of the award winning Chiltern Brewery “Beechwood” beer. The other bonus about having food out is that generally most places have a much better selection of puddings than you do at home. Which for someone who always likes to finish off any meal with something sweet is a big plus point.

Then the final part of his Birthday celebrations was a trip to Windsor Races. He booked us a table in one of the restaurants in the Club Enclosure. Which overlooked the the home straight. It was the first time that we had, had this experience at a course that we have visited many times. I have to say it was brilliant.

There was a glass of Champagne on arrival. A fish platter to share. Which was amazing and unbelievably the first time I had ever tried Crab and Mussel. It will not be the last. Then we had a top quality three course meal. I had the Pork dish for my main. Not only did it taste fantastic but the presentation was sensational. It was made to look like a rural country field with even the crackling made in to a gate. It almost looked to good to eat.

After the food was over we enjoyed a great evening of racing. I was wearing what has now become my lucky racing suit. I bought it for Aintree and had a winner there. I then wore it at Newbury and had a winner there. And once again at Windsor it gave me a decent winner. Which pretty much paid for my night. So next time I go racing, I make no apology for the fact that I will be wearing it again. It was a lovely way of rounding of my dad’s celebrations and a great way to enjoy an evening’s horse racing.

It was also the Britain’s Got Talent final last weekend. This year was a bit different as the judges did not actually have any say in the acts going through to the final. They were allowed to have their say on the performances but for the first time ever it was solely decided by the public vote. Credit where it is due. Doing it this way did mean there was generally a nice variety of acts. Although three magicians with two of them doing similar things was probably a little bit over the top.

As ever with this show there were quite a few people in the final who you could not see progressing any further. The whole act was what you saw and you could not really see it developing or evolving. But then if the competition is to just to win a quarter of a million pounds and perform at The Royal Variety Performance, I guess that does not really matter.

The show was brilliantly held together by Ant & Dec who for me are still the best presenting duo on television. Even when they make mistakes they help each other out, make a joke out of it and sort of just gloss over it. Which is a skill in itself. Love or hate the judges they do complement each other nicely. They all bring something different to the party across the entertainment genre. They do all have different areas of expertise.

I have said this before Simon Cowell has definitely mellowed a bit since becoming a dad. I mean he still can be honest and brutal when he needs to but he is better at talking to the kids. And certainly seems a lot more emotional about some of the performances that he witnesses. And much as it pains me to admit it, he is still the judge I agree with most often.

It was won this year by the very talented multi-instrumentalist Tokio Myers. Clearly a very clever and accomplished performer. Although it is difficult to see what he can do with it to develop and grow it. He may find it tricky finding a big audience to see an individual concert because he is not really a standard classical artist. And you wonder if the people he appeals to would go to that sort of gig. I think collaborations could be the future for him. That said congratulations to him. He deserved to win it.

In third place it was the comedian Daliso Chaponda. He was very good but I do think it is very hard to shine as a comedian on this show. They are clearly very restricted with what they can do and it also feels a bit forced. And it is not a typical comedy style audience. If you are a singer with a great voice you can sing someone else’s song and impress. Comics have to do all their own stuff. I just think it is tough, so personally I can never see a comedian winning it. May be there should be a spin off show just for comedian’s only. If that now happens I want royalties, as it was clearly my idea.

It is now less than a month until my next big stand up comedy gig at the Tringe Festival Roving Comedy Night. It takes place across four pubs in Tring on Sunday 2nd July. I am really looking forward to it. I will be on with some other former Roving Comedy performers from over the last eight years.

I made my first appearance there five years ago now. If you fancy coming along for what is always a fun evening. There are still some tickets available. You will get to see about sixteen comedians in one evening, in one venue. Including at least four professional comics. Follow this link for more details. http://www.get-stuffed.biz/tringe/2017/07/roving-comedy-night/

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

Up For A Laugh

May 26, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really nice couple of weeks. Mine have been fairly busy with lots of fun things going on. A couple of Saturday’s ago I went to my mate’s brother’s thirtieth birthday drinks at a cool bar just near to London Bridge Station. I had not been there before and he had hired out a private bar area just for all his guests. It had a decent selection of different craft beers for me to try to work my way through.

I have known my friend and his sibling for years. In fact his brother very kindly designed and built the first version of my website. Which he did as part of his University studies and for the very reasonable fee of a crate of beer. Which is how I like to pay for most services I use. He has now gone on to work for an agency, which promotes much bigger brands than me and which means he is often jetting all over Europe for work. So it is fair to say he has done very well for himself. It was great to catch up with him.

There were also lots of other very friendly and interesting people there to talk to. I met their cousin for the first time, who is an actor. I have actually seen him perform once before although I did not realise that at the time. He was in a touring version of Spamalot, which I went and watched at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.

He was also in the television show Peaky Blinders for a bit to. He has just signed with a new agent who already has some very big and well respected actor’s on their books. So hopefully we will be seeing a lot more of him on screen and on the stage over the next few years. For the record he is a great bloke. We had a really nice chat.

I also met an amazing lady who has set up from scratch her own Indian Restaurant in a pretty trendy area of London. It has been running for a couple of years and is doing so well that she is about to open another one in Brixton. So this could be the start of a big chain of this particular brand. She seemed so enthusiastic, happy and energetic, which I guess you need to be if you want to become a successful entrepreneur.

I have since seen pictures of some of the dishes served there and they look fantastic. I do plan to go there and check it out for myself at some point. As the original place is not that far away from where I work. It was cool to meet her. It was a very chilled, fun and interesting evening.

So since we spoke last my team Tottenham Hotspur have played their last game at White Hart Lane. We beat Manchester United by two goals to one, meaning that we went the whole of our final season at the old place undefeated. There was a fitting send off after the game with lots of former players there.

They are not messing around with the new stadium project though. They literally started pulling it down within a couple of hours of the closing ceremony. So next year we play our games at Wembley Stadium. I must admit that is easier for me to get to and with hopefully more tickets available for each match. I do hope to get to a lot more games next season.

We finished the season strongly winning our last two game’s away at Leicester City and Hull City by six one and seven one, respectively. If we can somehow take that form in to the start of next season that will be amazing. We finished second, so we will again play Champions League Football next season. Our Striker Harry Kane was the Premier League’s leading goal scorer for the second year in the row.

It has been a brilliant season. As a lifelong fan of the club I can honestly say that there has never been a more exciting time to be a Spurs fan. I already can’t wait for next season. I hope the players enjoy their break and then return even hungrier for success. And that we will keep all our best ones and add a few new ones.

Last Saturday as a Fortieth Birthday present a good friend of mine Adam Fisher took me to Newbury Races. It was the first time that I had been to that particular course. We went via train. It actually has its own dedicated station, which is about two minutes walk from the entrance. So as a way of getting there and back it is excellent.

On arrival we decided to sensibly get some food, so found a burger bar which fulfilled our needs and set us up for an afternoon’s racing. Now for me personally part of the fun is having a bet on the races. I like going to the bookies by the course and once I have decided on my horse I quite enjoy going round them to find the one which will give me the best odds on the animal I believe or rather hope will win the race.

You do get a great view of the track and the racing from the Grandstand. You can see the whole course. Although I do enjoy the social side of things. I do also like to watch all of the races. I only had one winner all afternoon. Which I picked purely because the horse shared its name with a former Spurs forward. So Defoe was the only horse to win me any money.

Although annoyingly I did have a few of my selections finish second but when you have only backed them to win, that is sadly not good enough. It was a nice afternoon, having a laugh and enjoying some exciting racing. After the races had finished we hopped back on the train and headed to Reading for a few drinks.

We went to a couple of pubs. In the first one they had an ale called tea. Now as possibly the world’s biggest tea drinker I had to give it a try to see if it compared to the normal standard of my hot drink of choice. Happily it was still served by the pint and not the cup. It was very drinkable but I think I will stick to the other version during the day and at work. For productivity reasons if nothing else.

We then went in to this other bar. There were just the two of us, me and Adam still. We sat down on this fairly big table as there were not many options, so we had lots of spare seats around us. Then a bloke comes over and asks if they can have a couple of the seats, to which we said yes. Then six more of his friends appear to ask to borrow seats to sit at a table for two that had just become available. So me being the nice man I am suggested we switch tables. Although part of me did want to try to see all eight of them with chairs get round this tiny table. But my good manners got the better of me. It was another top day out with a very good mate.

I once again visited the Old Rope Comedy Club at The Phoenix Pub in London. It is the new material night run by Tiff Stevenson. Every Monday night in the Capital. If you are free on a Monday and like new and quality comedy, you need to go and check it out.

If you buy tickets in advance it is not expensive either about six pounds in fact. The place has a good vibe to it. The acts just mill around in the bar area themselves in between performing. Everybody is very friendly and approachable. Plus it always attracts some top quality comedians.

The brilliant Tiff Stevenson was hosting as always. And on the bill trying out new jokes on the night were Sarah Kendall, Phil Wang, Adam Hills, Rhys James, Felicity Ward, Ed Byrne and Tony Law. They were all ace.

I have always liked Ed Byrne, so it was good to see him again. The only time that I had seen him do his stand up before was at the Glastonbury Festival. Another top night of comedy, enjoyed in a great London venue.

While we are talking about stand up comedy. I am delighted and very excited to announce that I will be performing at this year’s Roving Comedy Night as part of the brilliant Tringe Festival. Now I first did this five years ago. After completing an eight week comedy course led by the guru that is Logan Murray.

My fellow trainees and I headed out to perform our five minute sets in four different pubs in Tring on the same night. We were split in to groups and each one was led by a professional comedian. Who we went round with. I was with Tony Law who was exceptional, as well as being very supportive and encouraging. It was a truly memorable night and an amazing experience.

So this year there is no training course but they are inviting back former trainees from the last eight year’s that this has been running. So I am very proud to be representing the class of 2012 at this year’s event. When I was offered the opportunity to do it again I jumped at the chance. It is such good fun.

We will again be supported by some top professional comedians including Arthur Smith and the legend that is Silky. Who I gave a lift back to his hotel after my original appearance at this event. It you fancy coming along to support this great and very entertaining night. Tickets are available now. Here is the link with all the information you need. See you there. http://www.get-stuffed.biz/tringe/2017/07/roving-comedy-night/

I went to see the comedy play “The Miser” at the Garrick Theatre in London the other night. It is a reworking of a classic French farce with a brilliant cast which includes Griff Rhys Jones, Lee Mack, Matt Horne and Andi Osho. It was brilliant fun.

It is fair to say it does offer both Griff and Lee the chance to drift off script a bit and have a little bit of additional fun with the audience. The fourth wall is knocked down pretty early in the proceedings. There are some brilliant set pieces, as you would expect in a farce. A word of warning you do get to see a little bit more of Lee Mack than you may be expecting. But all done for laughs and in the best possible taste.

The set and costumes are great. I have to admit it was the first time I had been to The Garrick and it is a lovely traditional West End theatre, which I love. The play keeps you amused and chuckling from start to finish. The whole cast were great but I thought Andi Osho was brilliant. I have seen her do stand up before but this was the first time that I had seen her act and on that performance I can definitely see her doing more theatre work in the future. Overall just good old fashioned theatre fun.

It has been a good fortnight for celebrity spotting. The other week Serge from Kasabian walked past me on the way to a radio interview. I bumped in to Nick Grimshaw as he was arriving to do his Radio 1 Breakfast Show.

Then one day Huw Edwards was in the canteen queue in front of me and then the next day Sophie Raworth was behind me. I also saw the former Rugby player Matt Dawson wondering around to.

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

On The Right Tracks

May 13, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been pretty busy with some fun stuff happening. Did you watch the big fight from Wembley Stadium the other week? There were ninety thousand people there to see Anthony Joshua fight Wladimir Klitschko. Having worked there previously I know how much work and effort goes in to the logistics of turning a football pitch in to a Boxing Ring and back again within forty-eight hours. It is very impressive.

In fact online there’s a time lapse video that shows you how it is all done. I did not get to see the fight in person, sadly. But I was actually travelling past the Stadium on the train about an hour or so before the main event. And even from the outside with the Arch lit and the spotlights shooting up into the air, it felt exciting

I got home just in time to listen to the fight on Five Live. I could not quite justify buying the fight in for me to watch alone, I felt. Plus I do like hearing the boxing on the radio, it sounds brilliant. You do really get a feel of what is happening and you can absorb the atmosphere more I think. It was an amazing bout, obviously I was rooting for our man Anthony Joshua. Who at one point looked like he was struggling but then came back stronger to win.

The sign of a true champion, that. It is not over till it is over. And it does prove the old metaphor when you get knocked down just get back up again and keep going. Well done to both fighters for the way it was all conducted. They showed a lot of respect for each other. It was all done in a very gentlemanly way.

Anyone managed to watch that memory stick yet? Which Klitschko had sewn in to his dressing gown with a video recording of how he predicted the fight was going to go. If he got that one completely right. I think that he could well be Ukraine’s answer to Derren Brown. As well as great boxer’s they are two brilliant role models for people to try to aspire to be and look up to. Which is something that is getting harder and harder to find nowadays.

At the fight they had the legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer. I was working at Wembley during the Carl Froch versus George Groves fight. At the press conference a few days before I got into a lift with the aforementioned Mr Buffer and he asked my what floor he needed for a certain room in his unmistakable voice. Just for a second I did think about asking him to do a quick “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble” for me. But I thought better of it and remained cool.

During the day the train service between where I live in Princes Risborough and Aylesbury is provided by a small single carriage old style diesel. I have used this service a few times in the past and thought nothing of it. However a friend of mine called George Thomas is really in to his trains. He volunteers on a steam railway in Somerset and will go out and see train’s when they make unusual or special journey’s, if he can.

He informed me that this train on my local service was about to be retired soon. And as it was one of the last one’s in the country still running. He wanted to come and take a trip on it. So as he mentioned combining it with having a couple of pints of beer. I said I would go with him.

When I met him at the station I very quickly got the impression that he was not the only one keen to witness this relic in action before it is put out to graze. Previously when I have made this journey there were only about five people on the train. This time it was nearly full and two thirds of the passengers had cameras and notebooks. And before boarding the train they were all taking plenty of pictures. It was actually quiet nice taking this trip. I enjoyed the enthusiasm and excitement of the new commuters, even if I have to admit that some of the conversations they were having about our mode of transport went right over my head.

When we got to Aylesbury we went and had a few drinks in the Kings Head. Which is a lovely old and very traditional pub right in the centre of town. In fact I believe it to be the oldest drinking venue there. It is claimed that Oliver Cromwell stayed there around the time of the Civil War. Which if you know your history means it must have been there for a while. I am a big supporter of local brewery’s. So while we were there I enjoyed a couple of award winning pints of ale from The Chiltern Brewery. Which tasted great and were very refreshing, for the record.

We then got the same train back. George took some more pictures and tried to explain to me how it worked. As at one point we got held up at a station as the brakes stuck on, so the driver was revving the engine in neutral to try to charge them up to release them, apparently. This did work eventually and we did get back to Risborough in the end.

Having one more pint of local produce this time a pint from the Rebellion Brewery in Marlow in The Bird In Hand. That is the nearest pub to the station as George had to get back there and hop on a much newer train to get home. It was a fun couple of hours seeing a trip I have made quite a lot over the years through someone else’s eyes and from a different perspective.

It has been a really good season for my football team Tottenham Hotspur. Slightly disappointingly the other Friday we had the chance to cut Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Premier League to one point but we got beaten away by West Ham United. Even if we had won that game it would have been an impossible task overtaking them. And they have now won the league.

The amount of rubbish talked about Spurs during and after that game was unbelievable. That was the first game we had lost in ten, we had won all of our previous nine games in a row our best run since 1965. We have the best goal difference in the league and we have conceded the fewest goals. We have been without all our major players for spells during this season. We are going to qualify for the Champions League for the second year in a row. We will finish above Arsenal for the first time in over twenty years.

We were out fought by West Ham, they got a bit of luck with their goal and deserved to win. We lost a game. No team can win every game. So to clear a couple of things up for all those people criticising us. We are a top team already with great players. The way we have played and the points we have earned proves this. A good winning run coming to an end does not make us bottlers, by any stretch of anyone’s imagination.

Not only that but tomorrow we say an emotional farewell to White Hart Lane. As we head to Wembley Stadium for a year. Before we return home to our amazing new stadium. Which is right next door to the old one. It is an exciting time to be a fan of this club.This is just the start of things, I think, not the end. Which is a ridiculous conclusion to draw from seeing a decent team just lose a London Derby away.

Last night I finally got round to seeing the current David Baddiel Stand Up Show “My Family not the Sitcom”. I had been hearing great things about it for ages. It is on at the Playhouse Theatre in London for the next three weeks. I have followed his career from The Mary Whitehouse Experience through to Fantasy Football League with Frank Skinner and beyond. But this was the first time that I had seen him live.

The show and him were both brilliant. It is very personal and most importantly very funny. He is an excellent performer and creates a great atmosphere within the room. I had a great seat in the fourth row, so got to watch him work from very close quarters.

As you would expect from a clever and intelligent man it is brilliantly thought out. It very subtly and nicely links the modern day with the past and shows how generations of the same family can be very different and yet very alike. It starts and ends with good use of Twitter. I have recently started following him on there and needless to say, he is hilarious.

He tackles some sensitive issues in it but always with dignity and humour. I sometimes think that laughter is an under rated tool, which can actually help us deal with so many difficult and unpleasant situations in life. I spent the entire ninety minute show laughing out loud. Another worthwhile night in a theatre being entertained by a great comic.

I am still really enjoying working and spending a lot of time in Central London. You never know who you are going to see. I missed seeing Theresa May at the BBC a couple of weeks ago. I walked past her waiting car and police escort that was parked just outside the entrance as I was heading in to work. I did see Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel walk past, she must have left just before the current Leader of the Conservative Party.

I also bumped in to Clive Anderson in reception a few days later. Then on a train home from London I found myself sitting a couple of seats along from the Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole. Although I do see him around quite often, as he lives near me. I have been working with the fantastic Kathy Clugston recently. As well as being a brilliant news reader. She was also the Posh Radio 4 Lady on the Scott Mills show on Radio One.

So I said after my Birthday party last December that I enjoyed doing a little bit of comedy at it and wanted to return to stand up comedy again. Well I am going to make this happen over the summer. I have signed up to appear at a fantastic event, which will feature a lot of top quality comedians.

It is going to be so much fun and I really can’t wait for it to happen. I will be returning to where my comedy career started and working with a lot of very funny and familiar faces. I will let you know all the details and tell you where you can buy tickets soon. It is going to be brilliant!

Tonight I am heading up to London to help celebrate my mate’s brother’s thirtieth birthday. I am not saying me and my friend have known each other for a long time but I think I first met his brother when he was around eight. He was a lot shorter then than he is now. He towers above me.

It is going to be a cool night, we are going to a classy bar near London Bridge. I am just hoping that I am not the oldest there. I will let you know how I got on next time we speak.

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

It’s Worth A Punt

April 29, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really nice couple of weeks. Mine have been fairly busy with lots of fun things going on. I trust you had a decent Easter. I enjoyed a nice traditional family Roast Dinner on Easter Sunday. Where my Mum also continued the tradition of giving me an egg.

You could argue I am far to old for this to still be happening. But I think historical heritage is very important and I love chocolate. This year it was a mint Matchmaker’s one, which was amazing. I demolished it in just under two days.

My local train operator is Chiltern Railways. In the last year they have opened up a new route, which means I can now get directly from my local station to Oxford by train. It is something that I had been meaning to try out for ages.

And I finally got round to doing it on Easter Monday. It is about a forty-five minute journey. The station in Oxford is only about a ten minute walk from the centre of the city. Which is ideal.

I was meeting a mate there for the afternoon. So after walking around admiring the architecture for a bit. As it was a dry and relatively nice day and because it was something that neither of us had done before. We decided to take a Punt ride around one of the picturesque waterways. There were a few different options available.

You could hire a Pedalo, Rowing boat or a Punt yourself. Or for a little bit more money. You could have a Punt ride for thirty minutes with a chauffeur provided. So as neither of us had ever punted before and because it was a Bank Holiday therefore a day of rest, we went with that last option.

They do seem really unsteady and unstable when you get in to sit down in the Punts. But once you are in the seat, which was actually cushioned. It actually felt very comfy. Our driver was a guy called Noah. Perfect name for his job and I presume he only takes passengers in two’s.

Anyway he was brilliant, giving us lots of information about all the places we were passing, tips on Punting and working on the river in general. In fact when we got to a quiet bit. He let me have a go at the Punting. I have to say it was a lot harder than he was making it look. And the poles were a bit heavier than I was expecting.

After a few successful pushes I quit while I was ahead and gave control back to the man who knew what he was doing. It was good fun having a go at powering and steering the vessel. But it was a lot more relaxing just sitting back and watching the world go by with Noah at the helm. It was all good fun and I really enjoyed the experience, so if you have never tried it, I would recommend doing so.

I think I will definitely take advantage of that train journey again in the future. There are some nice restaurants and bars in Oxford. Which I could visit, enjoy their full hospitality and then let the train take the strain on the way home.

A while ago now I took my Mum to the Pinewood Studios to see a couple of episodes of the quiz show Debatable being filmed. It was a nice afternoon watching Patrick Kielty in action. One of the shows we saw was shown on television last week. So if you saw the one that featured Jonathan Edwards, Rick Edwards and Ann Widdecombe, the more sharp eyed of you may have spotted the back of my head a few times. I must admit that they do not have the most flattering views of the audience on this programme.

While we are taking about quiz shows. Now it has actually been commissioned and is being shown on television. I can reveal that I was involved in one of the pilot shows for Don’t Ask Me, Ask Britain. Which was great fun to do. It is nice to see it got picked up by ITV. And being a massive Frank Skinner fan, it is brilliant to see him on it.

Last Monday I made a welcome return visit to the Old Rope Comedy night at the Phoenix Pub in London. I have mentioned it before and I think this was about the fifth or six time I have been there now but it never disappoints. It is a new material night for top comedians, to try out their latest jokes.

It is run and hosted by Tiff Stevenson with help from her dad who checks the tickets on the way in. The line up is always great and has recognisable comics on the bill every single week. I have seen some truly brilliant acts there. Some night’s it is like a whose who in the world of comedy in there.

It is just such a top night out. The comedians doing their thing on stage during this latest trip included the brilliant Sean Walsh, who was hilarious. Rich Hall popped along to try out some bits ready for an upcoming QI recording and did a comedy song on his guitar.

Plus I actually managed to see someone who I had heard great things about but never seen before in Paul McCaffrey. He was totally brilliant. I would really like to see his full show on the back of what I saw, he was very funny. I enjoyed his set even more as I could hear Sean Walsh laughing his head off behind me to. When I next get a free Monday night. I will be heading back there once again to get my comedy fix.

It was the London Marathon last weekend. I think every year most people will probably know at least one person who is taking part. So well done to my mate Lee Bryant who went through the pain barrier to complete his second and he now claims last appearance in the famous run. Anyone who takes part has my full admiration and if you finish it that is an amazing achievement.

It is one of those things that I have seriously thought about trying over the years but never followed it through. I do go running regularly and I do generally try to keep fit. But running twenty-six miles in one go, I fear could be too much for me. Of course I guess the older I get the harder it will actually be if I do ever find the motivation to apply and then the luck to actually secure a place. No immediate plans on that front but as ever with life I will not rule anything in nor will I rule it out.

Neil Quigley at Mix 96 Tour De Vale Bike Ride

I recently went to meet a friend of mine for a drink in the Wembley area. We went to a new bar which is just across from Wembley Stadium. In fact you get a fantastic view of the iconic venue through their window. It is a new craft beer pub with to be fair a huge selection of different locally brewed drinks. The music in there was pretty cool with The Rolling Stones, The Jam, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen playing while we were there.

However it was not very busy. We were oddly the only two people in the place. So if you want a quiet drink in that area. That place would appear to be a safe option. If it is still there and open, which unless it gets a few more customers may not be the case.

Last weekend the two FA Cup Semi-Finals took place at Wembley Stadium. I am not going to lie I was gutted about the Tottenham result after they were beaten by Chelsea in the first game. I really felt we had a good chance of winning the cup this year. Worryingly we have now lost seven FA Cup Semi-Finals in a row, since we won the competition in 1991.Which is an unwanted new record. Plus with the strong possibility that it could be our home next season, our current record playing there is terrible. Which is not ideal to say the least.

In the match we did not quite seem our normal recent selves. We made a few mistakes and gave away a few bad goals but still battled back to two all at one point. Then even when Chelsea took the lead again I thought we could get a goal and take it in to extra time still. But once that rocket from Matic nestled right in the top corner of our net. It was game over sadly. It has been a great season but it still looks like we will once again miss out on any silverware. Which is a little bit disappointing. But hey upwards and on wards.

Britain’s Got Talent is back for another year. This is the first time in three years that I have not managed to get along and watch one of the audition shows. When I have done that in the past it tends to give me an idea of the level of talent on show for that series. This year I have no preconceptions, so it has been very interesting to see so far. Ant and Dec are brilliant as ever. They do really make the show, specially their interaction with some of the nutters and odd acts that the show still does seem attract.

I was also surprised that Simon Cowell has already pressed his Golden Buzzer. Being a dad has definitely caused him to mellow. He is just a big softy nowadays. Personally I think that a singer or a dance act will win it this year. But I have no idea which one at this stage.

Another television show that I have sat in the audience of a few times now has returned to our screens. Celebrity Juice is back on. It has to still be one of the maddest shows ever. They get brilliant guests on there and get them to do unbelievable things. That I am sure they would never have imagined they would do in a studio but once they are there and the cameras and rolling. They tend to just go along with it. It is just very silly fun most of the time.

The recording generally lasts around two hours. They do the opening first as you would expect. But then they just talk to each of the guests and have general conversations amongst themselves. Often these chats are then put in to different parts of the show in the edit. Once they are happy they have got enough fill in banter, they then play the games in the correct sequence. The last bit to be filmed is the buzzer round at the end and then the scores.

So just like you see on television the recording finishes with them all dancing around on stage. Last time I was there I had a seat right on the front row, so I had a great view of the action. In fact on his way on to the stage Keith Lemon left me hanging, as I went in for a high five with him. It is a fun night out at Elstree to watch the craziness. I am enjoying this latest series as ever, it is still bonkers fun.

I am still doing some work for the BBC. Which I am really enjoying. Sadly I was not in the building the other Friday when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made their surprise and brilliant appearance on Radio 1. I have watched the whole thing and they and all the presenters did a great job.

I have most recently been working on some more Radio 4 programmes including the flagship Six O’clock evening news.

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

At The Races

April 14, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been pretty busy with some fun stuff happening. I am of an age where quite a few people I know are celebrating land mark birthday’s.

So a couple of Saturday’s ago I attended a party to mark such an occasion at a golf club just outside Maidenhead. It was actually on April 1st but it was after midday, so it was not just a big elaborate joke, it was a genuine do.

I had a lovely night catching up with friends, who I had not seen for a while. The birthday girl seemed to have a great night and really enjoy herself. Which is the main thing of course. I decided to drive but to be honest did not fancy drinking water or lemonade all night. So I compromised by having a few bottle’s of Becks Blue. Which believe it or not is a non-alcoholic lager. Which I would argue tastes better than actual Becks.

I have to confess as a younger man I could not see the point of beer with no alcohol, as that defied the whole object of drinking it. But when you are driving it gives the illusion of drinking beer. And possibly due to some sort of placebo type effect it makes you feel a little bit drunk, even though you are definitely not.

There was also some live music provided by a great bloke called Steve Carroll. I had seen him perform many years ago at a pub in Eaton and remember him being brilliant. I can confirm that my memory was correct. This time he was joined by a female singer. It was just them and their guitars playing some belting songs. And fair play they played for two and an half hours non-stop.

The range of songs was so wide and varied. At one point they went seamlessly from Cotton Eyed Joe by Rednex straight in to 500 Miles by The Proclaimers. They were fantastic and had everyone up dancing and singing along. It was an entertaining evening and nice to be able to drive home from a party and not worry about having a hangover the next day.

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

Since we spoke last The Boat Race has taken place. It is always a great spectacle and occasion. I do keep an eye out for it and try to watch it every year. After working for a few year’s at the Henley Regatta. I have learnt a little bit more about rowing. So I understand it a little bit better than I did previously.

The training and dedication required from the crew’s is amazing. Bearing in mind they are fitting this punishing regime around studying for some very impressive and tough qualifications. I think makes it even more of a wholesome event. One year I really must go to London, find a nice pub overlooking the Thames and see it. I think that would be good fun.

One big sporting event that I do always try to attend now is the Grand National Meeting at Aintree. Happily this year was no exception, so for the third year in a row I headed up to see my good mate Jeff Nolan on the Thursday before the big race on the Saturday.

To start to soak up some of the atmosphere already building up in the area. He lives right by the famous race course. So when I got there we headed out for a few drinks at a near by pub to catch up, see and meet up with some of the people who had been at the race course to enjoy day one of the festival.

Everyone dresses up and makes a big effort when they go. So there were some very smart people in the particular pub chain we were in that evening. Which you could argue was different to the norm. We only stayed for a few to make sure we kept our powder dry for the next day.

So it was back home for some nice food and to work on the latest episode of his Chasing 40 Podcast. And then as always tends to happen when we get together to listen to some classic and great music. The selection this time included a live performance by Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.

We were up early the next morning to get ready for the big day ahead. It is now a tradition that we go to Aintree on the Friday for Ladies Day. So after a hearty breakfast to set us up nicely for the day. We head out to pick up the rest of his mates who are joining us.

Then it is time to get the suits on. This was a debut performance for a brand new suit, which due to a lack of time I ended up having to order online. Which much to my surprise actually fitted fine. I actually must know my own clothes measurements better than I thought I did.

The first stop was the local pub which was already full of men in suits and ladies in their best outfits. Shall we say starting to fuel themselves up for the day. Both with food and drink. Then we made our way to a pub which is right by the entrance to the famous sporting venue. This again is full of people drinking and having a good time. There is a fun and party atmosphere everywhere you go over the weekend.

Next it is time to head in to watch the racing. The place is huge with lots of different sections and bars for you to get refreshments and put bets on. For example there is a giant tent with big screens to see the races and a live band who come on and do a few songs in between the races. It is like a giant all day party.

There was also a special area dedicated to Red Rum to mark the fortieth anniversary since the legendary horse’s third Grand National victory. There is a statue of him at the race course permanently and there was also an exhibition with photos and memorabilia from his glittering career. Which was amazing and fascinating.

Also for a bit of fun they had a photo opportunity where you could have your picture riding Red Rum over a fence at Aintree. Only an idiot would turn down this great and free opportunity. I jumped at the chance (pun intended) and you can see my picture below.

Sadly I only had one winner while I was there and that was a horse called Fox Norton, which came from behind to win an exciting race in the run in. Happily I was outside in the glorious sunshine to cheer it home.

There is something almost magical seeing those amazing creatures thunder past right in front of you, specially when one of them is about to win you some money. It adds to the whole occasion and gives you a nice warm feeling inside. Or that could of course just have been the beer.

With thousands of people there, it is to say the least a bit busy and the trains after can get a little bit crazy. So as the party continues on in Liverpool City Centre anyway. We left before the last race to get ahead of the crowds and save any queuing at the station. I have been going there for many years now so there are possibly not that many places that I have not been to at least once.

Our first stop was The Crack. Which was John Lennon’s local when he was home. Which gives it quite a cool vibe and you can see how he would have felt at ease there chilling with a pint. It is off the beaten track, so not a busy place. They have a jukebox. Which I was straight on, to choose some songs on as soon as we arrived there.

Then we headed off to The Jacaranda. Which is a cool bar where The Beatles used to do some early gigs around the same time they were also doing The Cavern. So like a lot of the bars around it has a musical history feel to it.

While we were there the whole pub was involved in an impromptu sing-a-long to The Smiths “This Charming Man”. This included a lot of Morrissey impressions from people up on the dance floor. I am pretty sure there were people filming it, so I would not be to surprised if a video of it made an appearance on You Tube at some point.

Our final destination was The Cavern Club. Which is not the original Cavern sadly that was just down the same road but knocked down years ago. There has been a new thing added to Mathew Street since my last visit and that is a statue of Cilla Black, which I saw as we walked to the Cavern. Now despite it not being the original venue they do still have great live bands there. And quite a few big names have played there over the year’s.

It has a really friendly feel to it and it is always a fun place to just hang out. We had a good old sing along to the band as the party continued. Earlier in the day a famous book maker firm was giving out some freebies including some sun glasses. Which I am modelling in the picture below. It was our last venue of the night. We then headed back to Jeff’s to get a pizza and reflect on another brilliant Ladies Day.

We decided to go and watch the Grand National on Saturday in Liverpool. But before that there was one other sporting event I wanted to watch Totttenham were playing at home against Watford in the early kick off at twelve thirty. So we assembled the same squad as the day before in the pub to watch that.

It was a pretty straight forward win in the end. Keeping up Spurs great current run, which for the record I am very much enjoying. I have said before that I do not think Chelsea will slip up but if we can chase them all the way, finish second and win the FA cup. It will have been a brilliant and fitting season for what could be our last one at White Hart Lane.

So then after a trip to the Bookies to get our bets on for the big race. We went to a big sports bar to watch the action. It was a brilliant Grand National this year I thought, for starters no horses were injured, which is always the main hope. It was an entertaining and interesting race seeing those equine athletes majestically float over those iconic fences. It had everything.

Congratulations to the winner One For Arthur and to you if you picked it and put some of your hard earned cash on it. I selected five horses this year and none of mine were ever really in it. So if you selected the winner you have my up most respect, well done. It is and always will be for me the greatest of all the horse races. I am already looking forward to next year’s.

We found ourselves in the Cavern Pub after the race. Which is just across the street from The Cavern. It had a live three piece band performing. There are lots of signed pictures and guitars up on the walls from some of the famous people who have either visited of actually performed at The Cavern. From here me and Jeff went back to Aintree to meet his cousin James who had been at the Grand National itself. And who had backed the winner.

We stayed out with him to help him celebrate his triumph. Before it was time to call an end to what is always a brilliant weekend. The next day there was time for some breakfast, then it was time for me to catch the train back to Buckinghamshire. Great fun as always, in fact I have already booked up to go back and do it all again next year.

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

Neil Quigley Presenter