Play Away

February 20, 2016 Neil

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Science of Television

February 5, 2016 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 interesting things going on. I have still not heard back from the new game show audition I did a fortnight ago as yet. But as it is being recorded at the end of this month I expect to find out one way or another very soon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My January So Far

January 23, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been good but if I am honest, it has been a fairly low key start to the year so far. I do travel on the train in to London pretty much on a daily basis. The line heads through some pretty nice locations to live in, in the fine county of Buckinghamshire. So there is always the chance of spotting a familiar face or two.

Just the other week while heading in to the capital I found myself standing next to the former Wimbledon and Sheffield United football manager Dave Bassett. Now I had actually met him once before. Although I would really not expect him to remember, as it was around twenty-one years ago. When I was eight years old I attended an official Football Association Fun Week during the School Summer Holidays.

It was five days of coaching with fully qualified coaches and then on the final day there would be a special surprise guest to hand out the certificates. So at the end of the Friday afternoon session Dave Bassett appears to give us a talk on his football career. Which as I recall seemed to involve a lot of red cards, when he was a player.

He then did a question and answer session and handed us our certificates. It was very exciting to see him and he was the first proper professional football person I had ever met. I didn’t talk to him on the train. If I am honest it would of been a bit awkward and odd me explaining how he met me as a child. But it did bring back a nice childhood memory seeing him. He was holding a FA Coaching clip board to.

Staying with Football, as a child I was for a couple of season’s a season ticket holder for Wycombe Wanderers. I played one season for their Under 16’s and did have a trial for their youth team. Plus both my parents are big fans of the club and go home and away to watch them. So I was delighted to see them do so well in the FA Cup holding Aston Villa to a draw and getting a replay back at Villa Park. Which they narrowly lost. The previous time that Wycombe had played there was against Liverpool in the FA Cup Semi-Final in 2001.

So I guess you could say they do have a little bit of a Cup pedigree. And you know that clip you often see of John Motson standing on a snow covered pitch. That is at Adam’s Park Wycombe’s ground on the day they should have played Peterborough United in the FA Cup but the game was called off.

I remember it well because me and my parents were virtually at the ground when we found out it was off. And had to turn around and go home. So well done to Wycombe Wanderers for their cup efforts this year.

I am currently reading Steve Coogan’s autobiography “Easily Distracted” which I got for my birthday. The slightly weird thing is he actually released a fictional autobiography for his character Alan Partridge a few years before he bought out his own book. I am about two thirds of the way through it so far and it is very interesting. I do love reading about how people “made it”

He is very honest and open about his life in it. Which I feel you should be when you are writing this kind of book or you are just cheating yourself and the reader. I do like when these books are written how the person talks, if that makes sense. So as you are reading it you can hear them saying these things and describing them. How you would expect them to. It is interesting how he views his body of work and his career. And what are his biggest achievements in his opinion. It is a good read and I am really enjoying it.

Last weekend I found myself dog sitting for my sister. She went away to Centre Parks for the weekend, so I agreed to look after her pride and joy for her. She has had her dog for I think around seven years now. I did obviously come round to see it when she first had it as a little puppy. So the animal in question knows me very well. I am quite a good brother, really.

Every time I see the dog it is pleased to see me and always wants a cuddle and to sit on my lap. So I knew we had a little bit of a rapport. But this was the first time I was solely in charge of its well being. And just make things slightly more challenging the poor thing had been a bit ill recently, so was still on some medication. Which I had to administer.

I am pleased to report it was a success. I managed to feed and walk the dog as required, she didn’t seem to put out to be stuck with me for the weekend and we did not fall out during it. Plus I did manage to give her the medicine. Which required me trying to get her to sit perfectly still.

While I had to put a huge syringe type contraption in her mouth while using both hands to push the trigger down so the stuff came out. Trust me that is a lot harder than it sounds and I had to do that twice a day. Both me and the dog survived but I have to confess now having had hands on experience of what is required to look after a dog. I have absolutely no plans to get one of my own.

While I was in dog sitting I took the opportunity to watch Chris Ramsey’s first stand up DVD “All Growed Up”. I do really like him as a comedian. He has a really friendly style and with his Geordie accent his gigs really do just feel like a mate telling you stories and jokes over a pint down the pub or a cup of tea at his place. I have seen him live and that is really how it feels. It is like you are all in it together. And the way he constructs his shows is very clever. It is like you are all going on a journey together.

It was really funny and I would recommend seeing it if you get the chance. He was originally due to record the show in London for the DVD but then there was a problem with the venue and he ended up moving it to Newcastle. Which as he is from the North East having that home area crowd really added to the atmosphere and helped the show, I think. So although not the initial plan I think it worked out brilliantly doing it that way in the end. He is still touring this show, so keep an eye out and may be even catch it live.

I am looking forward to going to see the recording of a brand new television show next week. It is called “It’s Not Rocket Science” and is hosted by Ben Miller, Rachel Riley and Romesh Ranganathan. It is a new entertainment show which looks at new technology and gadgets that are meant to make all of our everyday lives easier.

It should be a lot of fun. It is being recorded at the BBC Studios at Elstree, which is the same complex where Eastenders is filmed. I have no idea when it is due on TV yet. But rest assured when I do I will let you now and I will tell you what the episode I saw was like the next time we speak.

I am also very pleased to have been invited along to watch another London audition for this year’s Britain’s Got Talent. I went last year and it was ace to see Ant & Dec in action. As well as the many good and bad acts which go in front of the judges. The game in the audience is trying to guess which of them will make it on screen. Sometimes it is easier to predict the bad ones rather than the good ones.

It is quite a long evening as they do pack in as many performers as they can. I will let you know if I do spot any potential winners. A lot of the banter and fun between the judges does not always make the shows final edit. So when you are there it is usually a lot more fun in between the acts.

I wonder what Simon Cowell will be wearing? I’m guessing it will be a white shirt, jeans and black Cuban heels but you never know I could be wrong. One thing is for sure, it will be an interesting night at the theatre.

I think Ricky Gervais may have seen something that I sent to him as a reply on Twitter and then passed it off as his own. I mean he might not of and it could just have been a total coincidence and just weird timing. Here is what happened.

He posted a tweet about people complaining more now as it is easier with social media to moan straight away rather than in the days before the internet having to sit down and write a letter, then post it to make a point. Most people didn’t because it was too much hassle.

I replied to it saying that also thanks to Twitter there is less writing on toilet walls now. He then two minutes after I had made that remark posts a new update on his twitter page saying pretty much exactly that with no acknowledgement to me anywhere to be seen.

I will never know the truth about this situation. Unless I ever meet him and actually get round to asking about it. If he did use it, I mean it would have been nice to get a little bit of credit for it. That is all I am saying.

Yesterday I went for an audition to be a contestant on a brand new game show. It is a completely fresh idea and format, so I can’t really say any more about the actual game play. However I had a really fun afternoon meeting the production team, showing off a bit and answering some general knowledge questions.

I should find out in the next few weeks if I have been selected and therefore when I will be invited along to the studios to play it. I do not know currently who will be presenting it or indeed what time in the television schedule it will be on. But I will of course keep you posted.

I am on the whole having a pretty quiet January. I am still not having any alcohol and will not have any until I go to a party on the first full weekend in February. I am doing plenty of running and weight training to get my fitness levels up ready to take on the year. I would like to say I am doing a bit of a detox but that is not true. While I am trying to eat lots of fruit and vegetables I am still having plenty of chocolate and crisps. Well if you are doing a lot of exercise I feel you need some rewards. I am feeling good for the slight sacrifice though, which is the main thing.

I am already starting to put some plans in place for the party to end all parties this December. I am already thinking about venues and exactly what kind of entertainment I intend to put on for the guests. I have got some pretty good ideas which if they do come off, they will be amazing. It is still a little way off but already I think I may have to take next January of the booze to compensate for the celebrations taking place at the end of this year.

Neil Quigley and Jeff Nolan in Liverpool

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

New Year Same Old Me

January 9, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you had a really good festive period. Mine was great with plenty of fun things happening. I had a lovely family Christmas Day with my parents and my sister. We had a fabulous Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings including Christmas Pudding and cream. Followed by a fun afternoon. Which was spent firstly playing table tennis on the Wii.

I have to admit that all games in the Quigley household become very competitive and we do all really want to beat each other very badly. Which can often lead to a fair bit of banter, a few insults and big in your face celebratory actions, when any victory is achieved. That said it was a good laugh and we all really enjoyed it.

My parents have a Karaoke machine set up at home, so next we took it in turns to serenade the rest of the house and possibly accidentally the rest of the street with our favourite songs. Now when it comes to singing my strength definitely lies in the very low in the mix backing vocals or ideally just introducing the acts and shutting up.

It was a good giggle and I would like to apologise for any crimes I committed against music during this period. My final act on Christmas Day was to pretty much single handedly finish off a whole box of Mint Chocolate Match Makers. I only have them once a year and the speed in which I eat them is the main reason for that.

I was once again very lucky on the present front and got some fantastic gifts for Christmas. I got a new Tottenham Hotspur Mug which has a picture of me signing for the club with the manager holding up my shirt. Which I think is almost too good to drink out of, although I have relented and I am now using it as my main tea vessel.

I have said before that I am a massive fan of autobiographies, so I was delighted to get the latest one from Chris Evans and the life story of the greatest jump jockey of all time AP McCoy. Both of which I cannot wait to read. This is how I will be spending my evenings in January.

I also received an I-phone Docking Alarm Clock, so I can charge it up over night and then use it to wake me up in the morning. I got the first live DVD from Chris Ramsey. Which I am looking forward to getting round to watching. I saw him perform in Aylesbury a few years ago and he was brilliant.

I was also given something I used to get religiously every year but have not had it for a few years now a Kylie Minogue calendar. I can confirm that they are as good as I remember still, if not even better. Something that very much does seem to improve with age. Finally owing to my age I did get a pack of socks. Once you reach a certain age it is a tradition to receive this every year for the rest of your life, if you are a man.

I had a very nice last minute surprise on Boxing Day. When totally out of the blue a mate contacted me to tell me he had a spare ticket to go and see Tottenham Hotspur play Norwich at White Hart Lane, that was mine if I wanted it. All I had to do was get over to his place within half an hour and he was even going to us drive there.

So obviously I went along. I am great believer of living for the moment. I have to confess it had been a while since I had been to a game there. So it was great to have a look round the club shop and have a pint in the pub next door before the match.

Fair play to my friend he had some cracking seats, so we had a great view of the action. It was nice to be back around the Tottenham family and we played really well and managed a very convincing three nil win. Which certainly aided my enjoyment of the day. I thought we looked really good and strong and I thought all of them played their part.

Which looks a good sign for the rest of the season, I hope. It was a brilliant off the cuff day, seeing my football team playing and also catching up with some good mates. I do plan on trying to see at least a couple of more games there before the end of the season, with a bit of luck. Come on you Spurs!

As I had been hearing quite a few good things about it from various sources, on a free day off between Christmas and New Year I decided to check out the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park. I understand it is busy at weekends but I went during the week and managed to get straight in without queuing and have a good walk around the place.

It is free to get in but if you want to take part in any of the activities there like ice-skating, some of the rides or their ice-bar, you have to pay and book in advance. I was perfectly happy just having a wonder round to see what it was all about. As well as the rides, there were lots of stalls and places to eat or drink, most of which were themed.

I am a fan of German culture and entertainment and I have been to the Oktoberfest in Munich twice. So I found myself drawn towards the Bavarian Village. So after I had finished looking round I thought I would pop in there for a beer or two. Now basically it cost £5.50 for a pint of Bavarian Gold out of a plastic pint glass but if you paid £9.50 you could get a pint in a glass pint stein.

The extra £4 was a deposit on the glass, so as long as you when you had finished returned the glass and the token that they gave you. You would receive your £4 back. This was a complete no-brainer for me, I mean who wants to drink from a plastic glass. And it is basically still the same price.

There were several different bars and areas to the village including a massive beer hall that must have held at least a thousand and that had a live band playing. There was also a central bar area that had a revolving stage over it. Where a live singer was performing classic songs and playing disco music in between. Fair play he was a really brilliant singer but it did make for some surreal moments.

As one minute he was singing a Frank Sinatra classic and then a few minutes later people were dancing round the bar to Whigfield’s Saturday Night. If I am honest I did like the randomness of it all. I had a brilliant time there, it was great fun. And I would recommend going to have a look at it when it returns towards the end of the year in December.

Being a DJ I have worked a lot of New Year’s Eve’s over the last twenty years but this year I decided not to and to have it all to myself. What I had not considered much is what I should actually do. When I am working there is always a party that I turn up to and get paid to attend. This time I had to find my own entertainment.

On the plus side it was nice not to have the pressure of making sure everybody else there had a memorable night. In the end me and my mate Andy went to an Irish themed pub in High Wycombe, which thanks to its name I felt very at home in. It was the first time I had been out in a town on this particular night for quite a while.

The place did not really start getting busy till about ten o’clock. Normally this pub has a band on at the weekends and I would say it is a bit of a party style venue. But for New Years Eve it had a DJ on playing dance music all night. And very much unlike every gig I have ever done he did not even have a microphone. Which meant the countdown to the new year was courtesy of a pre-recorded special mix that had a countdown on it from 60 seconds, which is a long countdown.

When it ended it left me thinking right so is that actually mid-night? Is it the start of the new year? It just felt a bit odd to me or certainly different to what I am used to. That said I did have a brilliant evening having a few drinks to see out the old and see in the new. Plus I did not get to bed until gone three in the morning. Proving that I am still very rock and roll.

There was another Christmas present that I received that I did not mention earlier. My parent’s got me a tour of White Hart Lane, the home of course of the mighty Tottenham Hotspur. It was brilliant to look behind the scenes of the club I support. Our first stop was the Press Conference Room. The one place that I had actually been to before. When I was an extra in a scene with the main character Jason Bent in the pilot for “The Lee Nelson Well Good Show” for BBC Three. I played a club press officer and sat up on the stage, last time I didn’t get a picture but this time I made sure that I did.

From there we went in to the Directors box and I tried out the Chairman Daniel Levy’s seat for size. I have to admit he has a pretty decent view of the action from where he is. We also looked in a few of the business lounges and some of the executive boxes. For the record I would love to have a box at the Lane for a season, they were pretty cool. Lastly we headed down to the players tunnel to see both dressing rooms and then the dug out area where the players walk out and the manager sits or to be honest in Mr Ponchettino’s case mostly stands.

I think I had a massive smile on my face all through this part of the experience. John our guide who showed us around was brilliant. It was a fun afternoon, which made me feel like a child again. I hope to catch a few more games there over the next eighteen months and I also look forward to seeing the new stadium.

During the festive period I did take a two week break from my usual exercise routine. Just to give my body a little bit of time to recover from a year in which I worked out pretty much every week. Now the celebrations are well and truly over and I have returned to my programme with the intention of actually working a little bit harder and getting a little bit fitter during 2016. Well I have a big party at the end of the year which I really do want to look my best for.

Neil Quigley with Olympic Gold Medal Cyclist Victoria Pendleton

I have also decided to have a month off the alcohol in January. Not for any real or particular reason. I just think it is a good opportunity to focus on what I want to achieve, get my fitness back and feel re-energised. I have not done it for a few years and always feel better for doing it. You do tend to sleep better, have more energy and not risk wasting weekends. But come February normal service will be resumed, as basically from time to time I do simply like a drink.

I wish you a happy and healthy 2016 and hope you achieve everything you want to and most importantly have a lot of fun and memorable moments along the way. Have fun and we will catch up again in a couple of weeks. Cheers Neil.

Happy Christmas 2015

December 26, 2015 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good couple of weeks. Mine have been busy and very entertaining. A couple of weeks ago I went to my cousin’s 40th Birthday Party at a local pub. It was a fantastic night catching up with family and friends. The main man really seemed to enjoy it. I think he was on the dance floor for the whole of the last hour. Throwing out a lot of shapes that actually looked quite dangerous for a man of his age.

I do know lots of DJ’s having worked in the industry for many years. So predictably I of course knew the one that my cousin had hired for the evening. In fact I used to also play in the same football team as him about eighteen years ago. It really is a small world and as you get older it really does seem like everyone really does know everyone.

I appreciate I do not look it but it is actually my fortieth next year. So having been to this one I am now already starting to think about what to do for mine. Due to next year being a leap year it means my actual birthday will be on a Saturday. Which means I can throw a big bash on the actual day. I already have quite a few ideas about what I want to do and will be planning it all early next year. I am already getting a bit excited about it. It will be a celebration suitable to mark such a special occasion, I hope.

I was completely organised for Christmas this year before the 20th December. Which I think must be a record for me. I once again used my tried and tested Christmas Shopping routine. This involves making a list of exactly what I want to buy for all the people I am buying a present for. After this is complete I then set aside a whole afternoon to go to a big shopping centre and proceed to buy all my presents, wrapping paper and even cards in one session. Not leaving until everything on my list is ticked off and in my bag.

For the first time ever this year I managed to come straight home and wrap all the presents and write all the cards. So I got everything sorted for my Christmas in just one afternoon and evening. Which I have to admit made me feel very smug. A few days before Christmas I spent the day on a mini festive tour dropping in to catch up with some friends and to drop off some cards and presents.

I felt very “chrismassy” as I headed off in the car with a bag full of gifts on the back seat. It meant I ended up spending the time doing three of my favourite things. Which are catching up with mates, drinking tea and chatting. It was great to see everyone and as all of them have children it was nice to see them all starting to get a little bit excited about the big day. Thanks to all my friends who fed and watered me as I popped in to see them all on a quiet Sunday before Christmas.

I have always been a massive Star Wars fan. I grew up with the first three films in the trilogy which I absolutely loved. In fact I had all of the character figures and many of the vehicles including a toy Millennium Falcon. I also did go and see all the prequels that came out to. But once the details were announced about this new one The Force Awakens. I got really excited for several reasons. Firstly the original cast were going to be involved, secondly it continued the story from after Return of The Jedi and lastly I had heard great things about how JJ Abrams had respected the roots and traditions of the original Star Trek films in the new ones that he had produced.

On average I only go to the cinema about once every three years. There are not many movies that make me want to go. So The Force Awakens had its European Premiere in London on Wednesday 16th December, despite trying to play it cool and pretend that I was not bothered about it. I was then sat in the cinema by myself on the Friday afternoon watching it. I have to say I was not disappointed. I thought it was brilliant. It had the feel of watching those original Star Wars films that I grew up with. I actually felt like a child again watching it with a big smile on my face.

Neil Quigley

Those first three films had a great humour to them, which I think this new one perfectly captures. It just feels like a proper Star Wars film. If you have even a slight interest in the franchise I would strongly advise that you do go and see it, it is brilliant. I already can’t wait for the next one to be released. Lastly on this subject I would like to say thank you to JJ Abrams for giving us our Star Wars back, great work.

I was one of the twelve million people who watched the Strictly Come Dancing Final last weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I have the whole series. I thought the dancing was of an exceptionally high standard and any one of the final three could have easily have won it. Congratulation to the winning couple of Jay McGuinness and Aliona Vilani. He is an amazing dancer as is she. They were never in the dance off this series, which means the public were voting for them all the way through and this seemed to be the case in the final.

It was wonderful to see them lift the Glitter Ball Trophy. It was a historic win, as Aliona has now become the only professional to win the show more than once, breaking the curse that seemed to be there. Personally I thought on performances alone on the night Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton were the best. Their show dance was breath-taking. I think that the randomly selected order that they performed in could have cost them.

As the dance they had chosen to do again was their Star Wars inspired Charleston. Which was exactly the same style of dance that the previous couple of Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice had danced just before them. So I think this may have taken a little of the wow factor away from it. Overall though it was simply a great variety entertainment show and shows the BBC at its best. I am already looking forward to the competition next year. Well done to all who were involved this year, you all did a great job.

I did not have too many festive nights out this year but a few days ago I had a small Christmas do with some of the people I work with at Wembley. We met for drinks in the Hilton Hotel and took over a section of their Icons Bar. Which was good fun and very sociable in pretty cool surroundings. Then we went on to a pub we know that also has an Indian Restaurant attached to it.

So we sat down and enjoyed a nice curry complete with poppadom’s, starters and plenty of rice and naan bread to share. It was all very amicable and relaxed, so everybody tried a little bit of everyone’s main course. So I enjoyed a wide and varied meal which did include a little bit of everything. It was a fun night out partying with people I normally only see when I am working. I really enjoyed it even if it did seem a bit strange to me going out for a Christmas curry. More of a traditional Roast Turkey Dinner and disco man myself.

It was a very standard Christmas Day in the Quigley household. As always I started the day with a full fry up with my parents. This was then followed by the present giving. Which I must admit although we are all fully grown adults, we still really manage to string this out and make the most of it.

I did really well and got some great stuff including plenty of January reading of some ace autobiographies. I then met a few of the family at the local pub for a few festive lunch time drinks. Before heading back to the house to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner. The afternoon was then spent playing fun games and eating chocolates.

I did watch Mrs Brown’s Boy and The Michael McIntyre Christmas show that I saw being filmed at the Theatre Royal in London. I did managed to spot myself in the audience a couple of times but I did have the added advantage of knowing exactly where I was sat. It was a great hour of television but the recording itself lasted over three hours so obviously they had to cut quite a lot out.

I felt a bit sorry for comedian Russell Kane as he performed a very funny set on the night but did not feature in the show at all when it was shown. As a Strictly fan it was lovely to see Aljaz and Janette appear as part of a surprise on an unsuspecting couple. I have to say that close up his is an annoyingly attractive guy.Then the day ended as it often does with me falling asleep in front of the television. I hope you to had a fantastic Christmas. Mine was brilliant as ever.

I have had a truly wonderful year in which I have got to see a lot of my favourite comedians perform live. I have seen Sir Paul McCartney play live and enjoyed the Grand National Meeting in Liverpool. I have seen lots of great West End Shows, seen Spurs play in a Cup final at Wembley and played a game of football at the stadium myself. I have attended some great party’s and met some interesting and fun people along the way. Here’s to lots of fun, new and exciting things happening in 2016. I am really looking forward to the next twelve months. To misquote Han Solo “I have a good feeling about this” Bring it on!

Hope you are having a brilliant festive period and best wishes for next year. Have fun and we will catch up again in a couple of weeks. Cheers Neil.

Neil Quigley Presenter