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.

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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.

Barcelona

April 1, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really nice couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy with lots of fun things going on. The main thing in particular was a visit to a European city that I had never been to before. So as the United Kingdom was getting ready to remove itself from the European Union I was finally embracing a new area of it. For my fortieth some friends of mine clubbed together and got me a travel voucher, which I used towards a long weekend away in Barcelona. So that is where I was last weekend.

I flew out very early on the Friday morning from Luton airport. As I was only going for a couple of nights I decided I would only take hand luggage on the plane with me. This was the first time I had ever done this and ended up losing my deodorant and face wash at security control. As they contained over one hundred millilitres of liquid. Which is not allowed seemingly. I never even thought of that issue. To be fair to the good people of Barcelona I did replace those items as soon as I arrived in the city.

I had a pleasant flight there with Easy Jet. They looked after me well and were all happy and friendly. When I landed in Barcelona I decided to take the train to my hotel. I will be honest it did take me a little while to firstly find the train station there and secondly work out roughly where I needed to get off. I took the train in to the centre and then I used their Metro network to get nearer to the hotel. I was impressed by the fact that on the underground trains there is full 3G available. This proved very useful when I got a bit lost and had to re-check my route. As I could do that while still sat on a Metro train.

My hotel was situated in the Gothic Quarter of the City. It was just off La Rambla, which is a very vibrant and busy street with lots of places to eat and drink. The street off it where the hotel was where I was staying, was very easy to find as the start of it was between a Mcdonald’s and a KFC. Two places which I am very familiar with. So it made the place I was staying very easy to find.

When I arrived it was bucketing it down with rain. But even so after I had checked in to the hotel. I thought I should still try and do some exploring and sight-seeing. The architecture and style of some of the buildings is breath taking and I took a look inside a few of them that were open to the public. In fact not long in to my walk I stumbled across a statue showing St George standing over the dragon. I have not done any research on this, so I have no idea why they have a tribute to our patron saint on display, may be he was actually Catalonian.

The rain then got the better of me for a moment, so I went in to a coffee shop to sample the local tea. I am not saying that it was not very good or up to my normal standard but that was the last time I attempted a tea until I got home. After sheltering for a bit I headed back out in to the wet and continued looking at the great Cathedral’s and regal state buildings. As well as the very narrow and populated old streets.

I was trying to stay out of bars and restaurants for as long as possible, as I did not want to start drinking to early. But the rain was not easing and I was getting wetter and wetter. So I gave in and found a lovely little bar to stay dry in. I had my first glass of Spanish red wine. With my motto for the weekend being to try new local things only. I had a stuffed peppers dish followed by a green raspberry cheesecake. All of which was fantastic and which may or may not have been washed down with a second glass of red.

When I left there the rain had become so heavy it was practically biblical, so I decided it was not worth trying to see anymore of my surroundings. So I made the executive plan to just visit a few bars close to my hotel for the evening. They were all very nice and friendly and thankfully for me with my terrible language skills. They all seemed to speak English or in some cases have English staff.

The atmosphere was relaxed and I got chatting to many different people from all over the world during the course of the night. It did seem that there were quite a few Americans visiting, which I do not know why but that surprised me a bit. I then headed back to the hotel at a reasonable time, as the next morning I was going to go and do the thing I wanted to do most while I was there.

I am a big football fan. I have been lucky enough to visit a lot of big stadiums over the years. I spent some time working at Wembley Stadium. So as I was in Barcelona for the weekend. There was one place that I had to visit. The stadium with the biggest capacity in the whole of Europe. I am of course talking about the Nou Camp, the home of the epic Barcelona Football Club.

I was way too excited for a man of my age as I got off the Metro Train, walked down towards the ground and got my first glimpse of it from the outside. It does look pretty old and basic as you approach it. But then when you get a bit closer and see the colours and massive pictures of the star players on it, it looks very impressive.

I arrived and got my ticket for the Tour Experience after a slight scare, as at first the machine was not working so I could not get one. But happily it was swiftly fixed and I was heading towards the entrance with my ticket in my hand and a big smile on my face,

The first thing they do is take a welcome photo against a green screen, which they let you see at the end, against a selection of different back drops. There are several other photo opportunities as you move through the tour, which I will tell you about later.

Then you head through to the Barcelona FC museum. That is just sensational. They have so much memorabilia on display including some ridiculously old and original shirts. They also have a signed Maradona shirt, the boots Ronald Koeman wore when he scored that winning free kick at the old Wembley in the European Cup Final in 1992 and a shirt and pair of boots belonging to Lionel Messi.

And then the trophy cabinets are immense. They seem to hold every trophy the club has ever won. Including the trophy’s they currently hold. And their five Champions League Trophy’s. I have done the Tottenham Hotspur tour and it puts our trophy room to shame, that is for sure.

You then get to head out in to the stands, it was nice to finally be inside this great home of football. From there you can make your way down to the press room and on to a replica of the away dressing room. The whole tour includes lots of great pictures and interactive video displays as you walk round.

Next they give you chance to walk out that famous tunnel. Which does actually have its very own elaborate chapel. You walk up some steps to get pitch side. Where you can take some photos and sit in both the home and away dug outs. The pitch looked amazing, although they did appear to have a bit of a problem with pigeons there bizarrely. Next up it is the corporate areas and then the press box. Which I have to say offered a great view of the pitch.

Heading down from there, they give you chance to have your picture taken with a replica of the Champions League Trophy with the Nou Camp in the background. I have got my picture and it is brilliant. I also have a picture of me celebrating with the team after the 2011 Wembley win, one with the current team and one of me and Lionel Messi with our arms round each other.

The tour was brilliant. I would definitely recommend it if you are a football fan. It is a spectacular and historic stadium that has been graced by many of the world’s greatest players at some point or another.

Now happily the weather on my second day was much better, the rain had stopped and the sun was out. So after I left the Nou Camp I headed back to my hotel to drop off all the pictures from my tour. I then decided to head out for a walk to try and find the Barcelona beach. I mean the city really does have everything.

To get to the beach I had to walk past the port. Which had some of the most amazing Yachts I had even seen moored there. It would appear there is obviously money about. It was a nice stroll and being as in my head I was on holiday I treated myself to an ice-cream.

I eventually found the beach. It is fair to say the sea was a bit lively and was actually full of surfers catching some waves. I found myself a beach side cafe overlooking the sea. Where I treated myself to a glass of Sangria and some Tapas. Both of which I thoroughly enjoyed, while listening to the sound of the waves in the background. I returned to the hotel to get changed before heading out for a traditional Spanish meal.

So I found a nice restaurant in which I tried my first ever Paella. I never take pictures of my food but for this big occasion I made an exception. It was lovely and accompanied by a glass of red wine. I then hit a few more different bars in the area for the rest of the evening. Like in England the clocks also go forward, so technically I lost an hour when I was there.

On my final day I did the typical tourist thing of taking a City Bus Tour, which lasted about an hour and an half and was very interesting and educational. They really do have some stunning looking buildings. Much like London there are old style ones mixed in with brand new ones. They also have a huge aquarium which I visited.

It has a part of it where you walk through a special tunnel with different species including Sharks swimming alongside and above you. It was fascinating and the closest I have been to a shark. All to soon it was time to come home late on the Sunday. Again another lovely flight with Easy Jet led by a funny and amusing cabin manager. All in all it was a great weekend in a city that I would be happy to visit again in the future.

Next weekend I am looking forward to my annual trip up to Liverpool for the Grand National Meeting at Aintree. I always have a great time when I visit the place. But there is always something special about these four days.

We normally just go to the course for Ladies Day on the Friday but there is talk of possibly making it on the day of the big race to. Either way the atmosphere in what is always a party city is electric. It will be a lot of fun. I will tell you all about it next time we speak.

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

Thoroughly Modern Me

March 18, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been fairly busy with some fun stuff going on. Now as I have mentioned before I am a big fan of Strictly Come Dancing. One of my current favourite dancer’s on the show is the brilliant Joanne Clifton. So when I discovered she was going to be starring in the new touring version of Thoroughly Modern Millie. And that it was coming to one of my local theatre’s. I decided that I had to get along to see it.

Therefore a couple of Tuesday’s ago I did just that at The Swan Theatre in High Wycombe. I have to confess that although I am a huge fan of musicals, it was not one that I had seen before. I did not even know what the story was about, which actually made a nice change. Seeing something that was completely new to me. I was genuinely surprised and absorbed by the plot.

Happily and conveniently for the show’s title I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. The whole cast were fantastic. The songs were great. It featured a live Orchestra, which always enhances any performance, I think. It is quite a high energy, fast moving show with a relatively small cast, so some of the actors have to play a couple of different parts. It is fair to say that everyone is working hard while on and also off stage. As ever, like with most musicals it has a story line that looks at perceptions, decisions and morals with an element of good versus evil. But there are a few clever twists in it, which I really liked.

Now we come on to the main reason I went in the first place. The gorgeous Joanne Clifton, who shines in the lead role and carries the whole show so effortlessly. She really has not taken the easy option here for her first big production. As this part requires her to do an American accent. Which she does perfectly. She seems to have an aura around her, which attracts your attention and means you cannot take your eyes off her. Which I believe demonstrates star quality.

It really is a stunning performance. She has a great voice and really belts out those big numbers. Her acting is believable. And there is of course no need to question her dancing, she is a world champion in that arena.

She is definitely going to go on to star in more musicals. And I would be amazed not to see her in the West End sometime soon. Right at the end, as the curtain was falling, after the play had finished. She and one of the other actors gave us a little bit of a classic jive to enjoy, which was ace. She was giving it her all right to the very last second. She seemed to be loving it and I must admit I loved watching it to.

I also spent another night in High Wycombe recently checking out a new shop that has opened there. It is called the Brewery Shop. And it does what it says on the tin. It is a shop serving a huge selection of different beers from lots of various independent and local brewery’s.

It does also have a decent bar area with a huge selection of different guest craft ales on tap. So you can sit in there and try lots of different drinks. It seemed nice and friendly in there. Plus the selection of drinks they had was impressive. I tried a couple of them while I was there. I would imagine that I will be going back there again to sample some more of them at some point.

Saturday Night Take Away is back on television for another series. And once again I am really enjoying it. It is one of the maddest show’s of the year. With the two Geordie geniuses acting as ring masters to the huge Circus. I have said this before but they have cleverly taken all the best bits from every Saturday night entertainment programme that there has ever been. Put them all together and adapted them to their own unique style.

I went and watched a show live in the studio last year and that was brilliant. The atmosphere in that studio is electric. It is just like one big giant party. The ninety minutes go so quickly. It is fun seeing them get things ready and set things up during the advert breaks. It is just plain old fashioned silly fun and very entertaining.

The two of them are in their element and are given a bit of freedom to ad-lib and create magic moments in this inclusive and live environment. Now while they are not comedians, the relationship and comedy timing that exists between them does at least slightly remind me of Morecambe and Wise. They certainly have that connection together and the ability to make the audience feel we are all in on the joke with them.

I like the new weekly serials that they have added over the last two years. They are both ridiculous and hilarious, full of silly and amusing jokes. And feature some great cameos with the lads very happy to send themselves up in them. Plus the end of the show show is of course always a winner. And in many ways the idea behind that, seems like another nod to the two comedy legends I mentioned earlier. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. It is simply fun, which is what the world needs more of in my opinion.

The Nightly Show has now started on ITV1. I went to see the pilot version of it. At that time I felt it still needed a bit of work to get it right. And three weeks in I have to say I still think it does. It is the type of programme that the United Kingdom has been missing. They have been doing this kind of show very well in America for a very long time. Now I do really want it to work and for it to become a regular thing. But having watched a couple of episodes over the first few weeks. I think it is trying a bit too hard, it all seems a little too forced and they are trying to pack too much in, making it quite a difficult and awkward watch for me personally.

Although I appreciate it is not easy writing funny and topical material to order, every single night. But for me the opening monologue’s do need to be better. To set the tone, get the audience on side and give it that sense of the day. To make it unique and up to the minute. If you want to do a nightly topical show, it does need to be just that. Some of the guest choices have been a bit odd to. And I am not totally convinced the quick games with members of the public really add anything to it either.

I saw via social media that Danny Baker has offered his services to mould this show and build it up. Now love him or hate him. He has got form with this sort of thing from his past TV work. Which suggests he could may be give it the kick start that it needs. I do really want it to work and for it to be good. I hope they can tweak it and find the right vibe for it. That said the viewing figures for it are pretty good for a new show at that time, but I genuinely think it can be better.

Last Friday night I went with my dad to the Official Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Association Dinner at Adams Park. The home of the football team it assists. Both he and my mum are season ticket holders at the club. And members of the aforementioned organisation, as am I. It was a very pleasant evening including an enjoyable three course meal. That featured the best chocolate mousse dessert I have had for a while.

Since it was formed over twenty five years ago. It has donated over seventy-five thousand pounds to the club. It was good to see the manager Gareth Ainsworth there supporting the event. They auctioned off Myles Weston’s shirt from the FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur, which was signed by the whole squad. Plus there was a raffle in which I won a bottle of red wine, which topped off a very enjoyable evening, very nicely.

Talking of the mighty Tottenham Hotspur our season has been going through another quite decent spell. Well if you completely ignore crashing out of the Europa League that is. Certainly in the Premier League, things have been looking good with wins and good performances becoming the norm.

Still cannot see us getting past Cheslea though, I think they have the title sewn up already. The most exciting thing for me though is reaching the FA Cup Semi-Final. It has been far too long since we have been in one. Although we do now have to get past Chelsea in that to get to the final.

My only ever trip to Old Trafford was to see us lose to Newcastle in a FA Cup Semi-final, several years ago now. I have always loved the competition and it has been to long since we have had a shot at the final of it. When you consider that we have not won it since 1991 and that was the last time that we were even in the final.

We must be due another appearance, I hope. If for no other reason than Chas N Dave can release a new Spurs song for the occasion. I can’t wait for the Semi-final it is going to be huge. And if we get to the final I will have to try and get a ticket for that somehow. Come on you Spurs.

Yesterday it was the seventeenth of March and therefore of course St Patrick’s Day. I do have a surname of Irish origin. My Granddad was born there. Plus I have been over to Dublin four times. So as far as I am concerned that qualifies me to be able to spend this very special day in a pub, having a few drinks. This year was no different. I went to my favourite pub in London.

Which just so happens to be an Irish Bar called Waxy O’Connor’s. Where I enjoyed a few pints of Guinness. The atmosphere in there is always top quality. To add to the flavour of the occasion they have music playing all day plus a traditional Irish Trio performing live a few times during the day to.

Last year I won a competition on social media for my photos of the event. That prize pack included T-shirts from the place, which I really like. I was tempted to wear one of them this year but then I realised that I would look like the staff and end up having to serve people pints or tell them where the toilets were all day.

It was brilliant fun as ever and made even more entertaining by the fact they showed the Cheltenham Gold Cup live on the big screen. For a second during the race it almost felt like I was there. I always enjoy this day, every year. It was lots of fun celebrating with a great group of people.

I am looking forward to next weekend visiting and exploring somewhere that I have never been before. For my fortieth birthday some friends of mine got together and got me a travel voucher as a present. So I have used that to enjoy a weekend away in Barcelona.

I have never been to main land Spain before, so I am very excited. I have heard great things about the place from friends who have been before. I will tell you all about it and let you know what I got up to next time we speak.

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

Healthy Fun

March 4, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really nice couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy with lots of fun things going on. When London hosted the 2012 Olympics the only event I managed to get tickets for was the Beach Volley Ball. Don’t judge me. Weirdly this took place at Horse Guards Parade in Central London.

So I had never been out to Stratford or the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. I finally put this right recently when I went on a tour of the London Stadium, which is of course the venue that was specially built for the athletics at the games. And the arena that hosted those iconic opening and closing ceremonies. It is now the home of West Ham United.

Before I went to the stadium I had a little look around the park itself first. I found the Aquatics centre. Where all the swimming and diving took place. Then I strolled down to the Leo Valley Velo Park, where all the big cycling moments happened. Away from sporting arena’s there is also a traditional English Garden, which contains a brilliant Sun Dial. If you stand roughly where your birthday is on it, your shadow will point to the right time. How that works I have no idea. I tried it, to prove it was impossible but it was spot on when I did it.

They also have the winning distance jumped by Greg Rutherford marked out on the tarmac. When you are standing next to it, you cannot believe that anyone could leap that far. It looks like an impossible distance. I got tired just walking it.

I then headed in to the stadium. It has had a bit of a West Ham United makeover. And there is now claret and blue everywhere including lots of the seats. The roof has been replaced to cover all of the seats but they have kept the original floodlights in the new design. The seats can be moved closer to the pitch for the football. Then moved back to reveal the running track for when there is Athletics. It is also set up to be able to host concerts.

The seating areas are nice. Fantastic views with no obstructions and the seats are very comfy to. The dressing rooms are well designed and practical. There is still the actual warm up track that the athletes used in 2012 there. I had a sprint down it. And I also had my picture taken on a podium wearing a gold medal.

On the tour you also get to walk out the tunnel and get a managers view of the action from the dug out. I sat in the away side pretending that I was Mauricio Pochettino. Then you see the interview rooms where all the various media outlets speak to the managers after the game. I really enjoyed the tour. You go round by yourself at your own pace.

You are given an audio and video guide to use. Which gives you lots of facts about the stadium, its history and of course everything about the team that now play there West Ham United. It felt really good to be at the stadium where so many amazing achievements took place during the Olympics. May be I will get along to see Spurs play there one day.

I recently spent another Monday Night at the brilliant Old Rope Comedy. It is a new material night run by the fantastic Tiff Stevenson, where great comedians come to test out new jokes. The line-up is always excellent. It takes place every Monday at the Phoenix Pub, which is just off Regent Street in London. It is actually a decent pub in its own right. It is on in their down stairs area and you can buy tickets in advance for it. Which is what I would advise doing, as it is very popular.

As you go in Tiff’s dad is on the door to check your tickets and show you to your seats. Then she always kicks things off and hosts the night herself. On stage there is a noose hanging, and the twist is. If any comic does a joke they have done before they are meant to hold the rope. To symbolise money for old rope, material they know works and will get a laugh.

To give you an idea of the calibre of comedians who regularly appear there. The bill for my last visit included Tom Ward, Sara Pascoe and Joe Wilkinson. All of whom were of course top quality. Even though it is new things that they are trying out for the first time, the standard is high. If a particular gag may be does not work out quite as well as they hoped. They normally have a laugh about that to. So it feels very inclusive.

The audience are there to have a good time and to be nice and supportive. The last act of the night is always allowed to do their normal tried and tested routine to finish the night off. It is always good fun. And I will be going again soon, I hope.

So when I turned forty. My doctors sent me an invitation for a free health check-up. Which I decided made sense to do. So I signed up for it. A few weeks ago I had the first part. During which they weighed me and measured my height, which left me feeling slightly disappointed. As I honestly always thought I was five foot ten inches. And they said that I was five foot nine inches. So either I have been accidentally lying about my height for over twenty years. Or I have shrunk by an inch. They also took some blood to check my cholesterol levels. Just a very small amount not half an arm full thankfully.

The other day I went back to the doctors for part two, the results. Think of it as the Saturday Night then Sunday Night episodes of Strictly Come Dancing. So firstly they look at the height, weight, BMI and general health information. Now bearing in mind there is hardly an ounce of fat on me. According to the way they work out the figures and as the system does not take into account muscle mass. Technically from the information the computer was giving her. She was advised to suggest that to be the correct weight for my height. I should lose a kilogram. My response was simply really from where?

Then next it was the results from the blood test. Well the good news is that my cholesterol is within the recommended and safe acceptable level, putting me in the lowest ten percent of people in the country at risk of heart disease. The bad news is and I did not know this was even a thing but I have too much of the wrong kind of cholesterol. There are good and bad types apparently. Who knew? Basically I need to eat less crisps, chocolates and cheese. Three things that I love! And eat more nuts, avocado and oily fish. So far I will be honest this adjustment has not happened at all. But I kind of figure that as I am in the lowest risk group anyway. I can probably just get away with making just a few subtle changes anyway.

Last Friday I took my parents to see The One Show at Broadcasting House in London. It is live and on just before seven on weekdays. I had been to the studio to see it before but it was new for my parents. And it was the first time that my dad had ever been to a television show. It is always good seeing things at the BBC.

Before the show we met up in the Media Cafe, which overlooks the news room. So you can see the journalists working hard. That is the area that you see being shown at the start of the BBC news. The One Show we saw was presented by the Hairy Bikers. The guests on it were Ricky Gervais and Rag & Bone Man.

About ten minutes before the programme starts. We get shown in to the studio. The Hairy Bikers are already there just doing some last minute rehearsals. Then a couple of minutes before it goes live Ricky Gervais comes and sits down on the sofa. And Rag & Bone Man takes his place in the performance area.

As it is two television cooks who are hosting it. We have already been told we will get some food. So just before the show starts we are all handed some slices of a very nice carrot cake. In fact right at the top of the show you can see me in shot with Rag & Bone Man, eating my cake.

It was great fun, Ricky was on top form and we got a bonus brief appearance from Anita Rani. Then at the end Rag and Bone Man performs his new single with me standing about ten feet away from him. He is brilliant and really deserves his recent success and Brit Awards. He is such a cool, relaxed and normal bloke to.

At the end of the show we all got a group picture with the Geordie Chef’s. Then on our way out we all got given a Patte’ in a bun, like the one Ricky tried on the show. It was a good night watching some live television. It was fun to see my parents witnessing it for the first time. It is always a laugh. And actually very laid back and relaxed for a live show.

My good mate Jeff Nolan has recently launched a brand new Podcast. He is having a very early mid-life crisis, although he is practically four years away from being forty.He is starting to panic about it. His new series is called “Chasing 40”. It features him and his friend Bec, trying to work out how they fit in to this ever changing world with this landmark birthday hanging over both of them. They have both worked in the radio industry for many years. So it also includes a lot of behind the scenes stories from their careers to.

So far they are up to episode two. I make a very brief cameo appearance in the latest podcast. After Jeff heard something in my podcast that he didn’t know about me. I think there is a reasonable chance that I could be making some future guest slots in this programme. I am going up to see him for the Grand National Weekend, which is now a big annual event for me. I am really looking forward to it. So while I am there. I am going to try and gate crash one of their recording sessions.

Here is a link to the current episode of “Chasing 40”. (The one that features me) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E6MOnDGb_w

For the first time in years I did not manage to watch the whole of the Brit Awards. I saw Little Mix open the show and they were great. Dermot O’Learly and Emma Willis did a safe job hosting it. And one of Katy Perry’s dancers dressed as a house fell off the stage.

It is not as rock and roll as it used to be is it? And once again One Direction won the public vote for best video. Their fan base is amazingly loyal. Right, if you missed it, you are basically up to date. Although I only actually saw the first thirty minutes myself.

I am still spending a fair amount of my time working for the BBC in London. The other weekend I found myself working with the legend that is Kate Adie. On her Radio 4 show From Our Own Correspondent. That was a great experience and lovely to meet her. Her career has been exceptional and if you look at where she has reported from and the huge stories that she has broken over the years. It is extremely impressive.

Recently I have once again found myself in a lift with Scott Mills and walked past Andrew Marr in the Canteen.

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

A Right Old Laugh

February 17, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of week’s. Mine have been very busy with lots of fun things going on. My run of recent trips to see TV programme’s being filmed continued. This time an episode for the new series of the DAVE comedy computer games show “Go 8 Bit” at the Elstree Studios.

It is presented by Dara O’Briain. He is joined by team captain’s Steve McNeil and Sam Pamphilon. Who came up with the idea for the Edinburgh Festival, a couple of years ago. Plus comedian and former computer games journalist Ellie Gibson. Who acts as the oracle for all the games. And as co-commentator with Dara for all the high octane action.

Steve was joined by comedian Russell Kane and Sam’s team mate was the comedian Lolly Adefope. The teams go head to head in a wide range of new and classic computer games. One of which was Lemmings. I had completely forgotten about it but I loved the game as a kid. I am not sure if it was just the way they were playing it. But it certainly looked a lot harder than I remembered.

For the final challenge they played a new virtual reality game. Where you work in a burger bar. And have to make and serve burgers. It sounds rubbish but it actually looked like fun. And it also proved to be pretty difficult. Who knew? The new series will be shown later this year, so keep an eye out for it.

The other weekend I went to Cheshire to see one of my oldest friends and his family. The purpose of my visit was to celebrate his wife’s fortieth birthday. I got there on the Friday evening. He has a two year old daughter. Who insisted on showing me all of her toys. Then on us reading some books together. While watching the Shaun The Sheep Movie.

For those of you who may have not seen it. I can recommend it, it is very amusing. She is a big fan. I think I must have seen it at least three times while I was there. After the little one had gone to bed. We had a few beers. And watched one of the grown up’s DVD’s. The latest one from the ace Sarah Millican. Which was hilarious. Very clever and simply laugh out loud funny.

Saturday was the party day. In the morning we went for a walk in a local park. While there, none other than the mother of One Direction’s Harry Style’s walked past us. When we got back to their house. We were all blowing up inflatable guitars and microphones. Plus lots of helium balloons. Which was actually much harder work than it sounds. And we had pumps.

We had about an hour to get the venue ready before the guest’s arrived. Which we did. Strangely they had a few electricity issues and the lights in the toilets were not working. So they had put lots of candles in there. Which actually gave them a very romantic and seductive feel. Which was odd but weirdly relaxing.

The party itself was fantastic. I had a few drinks and some tasty food. Including the birthday cake that my mate had baked and decorated himself. It looked and tasted amazing. I had a dance with the Birthday girl. Then thanks to the aforementioned inflatable instruments. Me and my friend recreated the glory of a live Gun’s N Roses stage show. With Slash and Axl Rose during Sweet Child O’ Mine. He was on the guitar. I had the mic.

Thankfully as far as I am aware there is no video evidence of this incident. The next day along with her parents. We all went out for a slap up Chinese Meal. Which was a fitting end to the weekend.

I recently made my first visit to the Comedy Store in London for about eighteen years. I was not purposely avoiding the place. I had just not got round to going back. But I did put that right a couple of Monday’s ago. I went to a Gala Comedy Night in aid of a children’s charity. It was fronted by Tim Vine. Who was great with his quick fire jokes and silly visual gags. Plus I got to see pen behind the ear live.

Also performing we had Tom Lucy, who has recently been supporting Shappi Khorsandi. Elliot Steel, who is the son of Mark Steel. Charlie Baker who is a top comedian and an excellent singer, who has appeared in a few musicals. Angela Barnes who is of course the current host of Newsjack on Radio 4 Extra. And the headline act Adam Hills. They were all on top form. It was a very funny night. And I will definitely not leave it so long until I return there again.

I do like a trip to the theatre to see a musical. This show had been on my radar since it opened. So I was very happy the other week. When I managed to get a ticket to see the new version of Half A Sixpence at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End.

I was familiar with the film version that starred Tommy Steele in the lead role. A role he also played on stage. And one that he very much made his own. So I knew the songs and the story line already.I did however absolutely love this latest version. The cast were all fantastic.

The three lead females are all quality performers with amazing voices. And for me they nearly stole the show. But the man who had the biggest shoe’s to fill by taking on the part of Arthur Kipps was Charlie Stemp. And he does not disappoint. He totally makes it his own. But at the same time possibly due to the time and geographical area that it is set in (which remains the same.) There is, I felt at least a nod to the original star in his performance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I would recommend you go and see it. As always with classics, the stories and dilemmas the characters face are still relevant today. Plus there are some great show stopping songs in it. Another successful night at the theatre. Which left me dancing and singing on the way home.

Last Wednesday I went to a specially refurbished theatre in the Holborn area of London. To witness a run through of a new entertainment show. That ITV are currently in the process of developing called The Nightly Show. It is due to start at the end of this month. It will be on five days a week at ten o’clock at night. For around a month at first.

It will be presented by a different presenter each week. The plan is for it to feature up to date topical jokes, some great guests and some fun games. So they are doing some practice shows to get used to the theatre. And to work out exactly what they will or will not be able to achieve in thirty minutes of fast paced television.

On the version I watched. They had a very experienced presenter in Eamonn Holmes. It was filmed as an actual show would be. Before it started he came out and explained what would be happening. The first part was the opening monologue. Then the guests were Right Said Fred and Saira Khan.

The interviews were pretty straight forward with slight little twists. For example during the pop stars’ chat. They played a quick game with some audience members. And the last part of the Loose Women’s bit saw her and Eamonn being fed special love food ready for Valentines Day. Which basically involved the Irishman having a few Oysters and Saira having a chocolate banana.

The most interesting thing for me was Eamonn discussing things with the director. Asking them how much time he had for each item. Advising what he thought was working or not. And making some suggestions of things they might like to look at. It was kind of like, say a Formula One racing driver test driving a new car and giving the mechanics feedback. To make it smoother and better.

It gave a nice insight in to things that need to be considered. For it all to work for the programme and the presenter. It was still early days. But they have got quite a bit to iron out before it all starts, I feel. It was interesting to be a part of. I cannot wait to see what the actual show will look like. When it goes out. Another fun evening spent in the world of television.

Sarah Parish started the Neil Quigley Fan Club

Last weekend I visited a town in Somerset. Where I spent five and an half years working and living. I went to Yeovil to catch up with some old friends and to see how much it has changed since I was last there. I moved down there in 2004 to work for the radio station Ivel fm. Which later became Midwest Radio.

I then left there in February 2010. In fact randomly last weekend was the seventh year anniversary of my leaving and returning to Buckinghamshire. Much of the town still looks the same. As I took the taxi from the train station to the hotel. I felt quite at home there.

I visited the road where I used to live. And had a look at my flat from the outside. I actually lived about five minutes walk from the radio station. In a little Cul-De-Sac called Ivel Court. So yes that is correct. I was living there when I was working at Ivel fm. So I was certainly very much on brand when I was there.

On the Friday Night I went to a few pubs I used to drink in first. Then met my former boss Steve Carpenter and ex colleague Chris Criddle for a Curry in the Viceroy Indian Restaurant. Somewhere that was just around the corner from my flat and where I used to go regularly.

The food and service was as ever excellent. And the company to was delightful. I had a great night catching up on the current and talking about the past. It was great to see them both.

On the Saturday morning I met up with another mate for a cup of tea and a nice chat. Then in the afternoon I went and saw Yeovil Town play. In the past I have reported and commentated on a lot of their big games. Including a match that saw them win the league at home and a trip to Wembley Stadium for a play off final.

I also went to loads of press conferences. And regularly spoke to the manager and the players. I went to the game with the former Yeovil Town, Bristol Rovers and Hereford United player Tony Pounder and the former Yeovil Town and Torquay United defender Paul Thorpe.

It was great to catch up with them. They are top blokes. Who have loads of brilliant stories from their playing days. The Glovers were playing Leyton Orient. Both teams were pretty equally matched. So an one all draw was probably a fair result.

I mentioned I used to know the players when I was working down there. So I did find it a little odd seeing two players I knew from that time Darren Way and Terry Skiverton in the dug out as the current management team. Despite Yeovil Town not being able to hold on for the win. It was a very enjoyable afternoon at a lovely club with some brilliant company.

That night I met up with a few people in the establishment. That was actually below the Ivel fm studios. It was the place where we held the station’s first birthday party. And somewhere I used to DJ and spend a lot of my free time.

I also was a judge and host for lots of different talent competitions held there. The place was the Chicago Rock Cafe. Since I moved away it has had a few refits and changed its name several times. But it has reverted back to its original title again. It felt a little strange being back in there. And bought back lots of great memories.

Before returning home on the Sunday I met up with another former work friend of mine and her husband in one of the town’s coffee shops. It was lovely to see them both. We had a good chat about old times and some exciting plans for the future.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. In a place where I have so far spent an eighth of my life. I am glad I ventured down there. To coin an old radio station strap line Good times, Great Music.

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

Neil Quigley Presenter