Tag Archives: christmas

Happy Christmas 2016

December 24, 2016 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of week’s. Mine have been busy with lots of fun things going on. Two weeks ago today on Saturday 10th December. I turned forty. To celebrate I organised a big party for my family and friends.

As I figured such an important event was well worth marking in a memorable way. And I do like a party. I had previously thrown one for my twenty-first and my thirtieth birthday’s. So this was the next logical big birthday. That I felt definitely required one.

At each of my previous do’s there has always been some form of entertainment. At the first one I had a singer and at the next one it was a comedian. I have been trying to step it up each time. For this latest one I really went for it. I decided to put on a full variety type show featuring a collection of acts. Who I had worked with in the past. And me as the main host.

I loosely based it on the Live At The Palladium show’s. But I would like to point out that legally my show was completely different of course. And any similarities were purely coincidental.

I had tried to keep the show a complete secret. So only a handful of people knew it was happening at all. And even less knew the performers that were taking part. Now most of my family and friends had never actually seen me do any of my Stand Up comedy. So I thought that it would be a good time to put that right.

I opened the show with about five minutes of my best material. Thankfully, as they all knew me. They were a very supportive and a nice audience. Who laughed in all the right places. Know your audience, literally.

My first guest was a brilliant singer called Nickita. I first worked with her about seven year’s ago. When I booked her to play at the very first Christmas Light’s Switch on. That I organised for Mix 96. She came on and did three disco classics. Which were so good. She sounded and I must say also looked amazing. I am just thankful that our outfits did not clash or that could have been embarrassing.

It was lovely to see her and work with her again. She was telling me she has been signed up as a writer for a major record label. And it looks like one of her compositions may be given to a huge girl band. Which would be pretty cool, to say the least.

I then came back on and did a few more quick jokes. As basically it was my party and I just wanted to build my part up. I then introduced the next act. Who was a fantastic comedian I know from the Brighton area. He was on the bill of the first proper comedy gig I did. For Laughing Badger Comedy in Hemel Hempstead. I thought he was hilarious. So when the chance came for me to book him. I jumped at it. His name is Flange Krammer. And he is a German Skiing sensation. Who is very funny.

It is such a clever and polished act. I was so pleased that he agreed to come and perform for me. He even had me up on stage with him for part of the act. Which was great fun. He is a hugely talented and lovely man. And a fellow Spurs fan to.Which is never a bad thing. He was great. I really loved seeing him in action again.

Then it was time for a little more of me. Just a few thank you’s and a bit of general messing around. I really do enjoy being on stage and hosting stuff. It is something I really want to return to and do more of next year. The last act on the bill was a friend of mine. Who I met while I was working down in Yeovil at Ivel fm.

He was putting on a show at the brilliant Octagon Theatre in the town. And came in to have a chat and promote it. We got on well and I went and saw him in the show. Which was fantastic. And we have kept in touch ever since. When I planned to do this special birthday show. He was always my first choice to close it.

Neil Quigley and Elvis Presley hanging out in the 70's #crazydays — Neil Quigley and Elvis Presley hanging out in the 70’s #crazydays

He heralds from Wales. He finished second on the ITV Show New Faces beaten by Joe Pasquale on the night. Since then he has gone on to have such a successful career in the world of musical theatre, theatre and music. To give you an idea of just how good he is. He has starred as The Phantom of The Opera in London’s West End. Where he also played the lead role in Les Miserables. So it is very fair to say. He can sing and act a bit. In fact he has one of the best voices I have ever personally heard sing live. And my favourite fact about him. Is that he played one of the Italian soldiers in the TV comedy Allo Allo.

The singer in question is Mike Sterling. And I was so happy and honoured when he agreed to come along and sing at my special party. He very kindly did a sensational thirty minute set. Showing his versatility with some rhythm and blues, some swing and ballads. Plus of course he did the main songs from the two big musicals that he was in. Which were just breath taking. It was such a pleasure to stand there and watch him sing these amazing tunes so perfectly. I really enjoyed having him perform there. He blew the whole audience away. It was stunning.

Then I returned to the stage for one final time. To thank all of my guests and close the show the way that every variety show should end. I am a big fan of comedy, music and generally just having fun. For me Morecambe and Wise were the masters of just that. So therefore I ended Live at Neil Quigley’s 40th Birthday Party with a sing-a-long version of “Bring Me Sunshine” led by me and Mike Sterling.

Which I thought was a fitting way to end things. It was great to have everyone joining in to. Mike very generously said later that he was impressed that I was trying to sing harmonies with him. But I pointed out, that it was more likely just me singing out of time.

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

I enjoyed the whole show immensely and really hope my friends and family that were there did to. I also had a disco. Which provided the music for the rest of the night. Thanks so much to James. Who was brilliant.

Not only for the disco but for also sound engineering the whole of the gig for us, so expertly. In the process definitely going above and beyond his duty. It all came together nicely. I spent the rest of the night chatting and dancing. And having an ace time. Seeing in my fortieth year on this planet in style.

The next day I was feeling a little jaded. Possibly mainly due to the fact that there was an after show party back at my mate Jeff Nolan’s hotel room. So the night did not end for me until around two-thirty in the morning. Proving that I might be getting on but I am still rock and roll.

I did happily get to catch up with my oldest school friend and his wife over a lovely fry up. Which was really nice. Thanks to all my family and friends for coming to the do. And thanks for all the birthday wishes, cards and presents. I really do appreciate it. It was great to see everyone there.

Last Saturday I did manage to get a couple of pints of Pre-Christmas Guinness at my favourite bar in London “Waxy O’Connors.” I really do feel so at home in there. It is almost frightening. That was the first time this year, what with all the birthday celebrations. That I actually started to feel at least a little bit Christmassy.

They had a guitar based trio playing live. Who were really good. They started off with a cover of Shakin Stevens big Christmas song. Which they followed with a great version of George Ezra’s Budapest. It was a fun evening. In a place I can almost guarantee you, that I will be in on the seventeenth of March next year.

I am pleased to say that I have completed all my Christmas Shopping. So there will be no last minute mad dashing around today from me this year. I followed the same tried and tested formula, as I do every year. I made a list of exactly what I was going to buy everybody. Decided on a day and a place to go. Then went there and did all my present shopping in a couple of hours. It is the only way to do it, I think.

Strangely it turns out that the singer Jamelia also does it like this. Which led to a brief Twitter exchange discussing this last weekend. Although she seems to suggest doing it this way is a man thing. While I made the point that it is an efficient and organised way of doing things. Either way it means I am sorted for my gifts this year. Keep Christmas simple. That is what I say.

Last Saturday night it was the final of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. This series has almost been perfect with the celebrities and professionals all on top of their game. I have no idea how they are going to improve on this for next year. Especially as head judge Len Goodman will not be in his seat. Having left the show now. Surely Anton Du Beke must replace him. He really does seem to be the obvious choice, right? The entertainment value of this latest season was off the scale. And personally I do think the three best couples made it through to the final. They all fully deserved to be there on merit.

It was just going to come down to who could give the best performances on the night. As there was so little to choose between them. It was for me the tightest ever contest and a very tough one to call. But congratulations to Ore Oduba and Joanne Clifton on winning the Glitter Ball this year. I do think that their dances were the best on the night. So they are deserved winners.

You have to feel a little bit sorry for Kevin Clifton. That is the fourth year in a row that he has got to the final and not won. In fact since he joined he has always made every final. And to make this latest defeat a little bit more of a bitter pill to swallow. His younger sister Joanne has won the competition in only her second attempt. Having a younger sister myself. I appreciate how annoying that will be.

Now the dancers and the production team can have a well deserved rest. Before they start getting ready for next year’s offering. They have got their job cut out. As for a total Saturday Night entertainment show. This year it has been perfect. The right celebrities, amazing professional dance’s, fantastic guests, great band and live singers and much more besides.

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching it all. As it happens Joanne Clifton is the only one of the Strictly professionals that I follow on Twitter. So may be I had a feeling that she would triumph in the end.

I have got a fairly busy week coming up work-wise. The media world does not stop for Christmas. It very much keeps going. Although I have got most of Christmas Day off. So I will be able to have the traditional meal with the family.

Recently while at the BBC. I have been in a lift with Annie Mac. And a few days later with Huw Edwards. Plus Doctor Who himself Peter Capaldi walked past me the other day. Never a dull moment. And lots of fun to.

Have fun and we will catch up again in a couple of weeks. Happy Christmas! 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.

Celebrate Good Times

December 12, 2015 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been busy with some fun things going on. For starters last Saturday we had an early pre-Christmas family get together at my Uncle’s. He has hosted this event in the run up to the festive season for at least the previous five years. So we now employ a tried and tested formula. That we all know works perfectly well. We arrive, have a few drinks while chatting to and catching up with everyone.

Then the food is served. This year it was a tasty chilli with rice or pizza. Just for quality control reasons I sampled both. And I can confirm they were both excellent. Then after the food the Christmas Songs come on. And it turns in to one big family sing-a-long with everyone joining in and getting involved.

It is always filmed but thankfully so far none of this footage has ever leaked outside of the family circle. And on to You Tube. It was another fun afternoon/evening. Which kick started this year’s Christmas Celebrations very nicely. It is always great seeing the family at this time of year. And finding out what everyone has been up to.

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the recording of Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show. Which will be shown on BBC One before the main evening news on Christmas Day. It was filmed at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, right in the heart of London’s Theatre land.

I obviously made a day out of it. So after stopping by the venue to pick up my ticket for the evening. I treated myself to a leisurely three course meal at an Italian restaurant in Covent Garden. The food was great and the staff were lovely and helpful, so it made for a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon.

After dinner I still had a bit of time before I had to be at the theatre. So I went and enjoyed a drink in one of my favourite bars in that area. I went and spent an hour or so in the ace Radio Rooftop Bar at the ME Hotel on The Strand. It is such a cool and trendy bar with a great chilled vibe to it. The two things I like best about it are the views over London and if I am honest also the fact that it has radio in its name.

I then left there and headed to the Theatre Royal in time for the TV recording to start. They looked after me very well and actually gave me a cracking seat right in the second row. So keep your eyes open on Christmas Day, when you are watching it go out. As you never know, you might just spot my smiling face staring back at you. The show itself as you would expect was brilliant.

Michael McIntyre was on top form from start to finish. He was very funny in the actual show and also between takes. When there were any breaks in proceedings. The whole affair felt very “Christmassy” and the start of the programme sets the tone for that very nicely, as you will see when you watch it.

The guests included comedian’s Dara O’Briain and Russell Kane. The latest winner of America’s Got Talent. Who is English and is the truly amazing
ventriloquist Paul Zerdin. He was excellent. The musical guests were the wonderful Ellie Goulding and the legend that is Sir Tom Jones. There were a few other surprise appearances on the night to but I will let you discover them for yourself when you watch it. Needless to say it was a extremely funny and enjoyable night out at the theatre.

It was also good to see Holly Willoughby there on a night out with some of her mates having some fun. The recording did go on quite late and led to me having to dash across London to make my last train home. Which I did with about a minute to spare. It was like how “the King” Elvis Presley used to disappear at the end of his gigs. As by the time the curtain was down I was already half way to the station. If you are in when it is on, it is definitely worth a watch. It will really add to the Christmas Day celebrations.

Recently one of the Car Parks at Wembley played host to a fairly unusual event. It was an Anti-Drink Drive Campaign Race Car Demonstration Day. It was organised by Johnnie Walker as part of their “Join The Pact” promotion. Here is what happened. They turned the Car Park in to a mini race track. They got some high powered McLaren Sports Cars and had amongst others Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso and Jensen Button there to take people on laps of the circuit.

It was hosted by Chris Moyles, who interviewed all the drivers on stage before they took it in turns to jump in the cars and show off. I was lucky enough to be able to watch a little bit of the action from the VIP paddock. I saw Fernando Alsonso take several members of the public for a spin in a McLaren S650. Now I have to be honest I am not a massive fan of Formula One Motor Racing but seeing the control, speed and skill of the Spaniard in that vehicle put a big smile on my face. He was really going for it and was leaving a lot of rubber from the tyres on the tarmac.

At one point he was doing doughnuts with one hand on the steering wheel and the other out of the window waving at the crowd. Truly brilliant. While I was there both Mika Hakkinen and Jenson Button walked past me both looking very cool and relaxed. It was certainly a fun event to see and also one that does of course promote a very safety conscious and important message.

I have once again really enjoyed the latest series of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Ant & Dec were on fire and so funny. The gags, the links and the set pieces they do, all so good. Plus it is such an interactive show now with Twitter. As not only can fans of the show swap views and jokes in real time, while watching. But the two Geordie’s get involved and tweet along during the show, when they can to. Which really adds to it all for me.

If I am totally honest the one camp mate I did not really enjoy all the time was Lady C. Although I will admit some of the things she did and said did make for great TV. She constantly annoyed me and I thought killed a lot of the fun and spirit in there too often. Which is a shame because at the start and in her first Bush Tucker Trial I quite liked her and thought she would be amusing and quirky.

Despite the shall we say issues he had with her I thought Tony Hadley was great in there. I have met him a couple of times. He is such a nice, generous and friendly person. Who is happy to talk to anyone and who just loves singing. As I said previously I would have liked him to win it but I thought he did very well in there. I also got the impression he was ready to go when he did and hang out in the hotel with his family.

I have no complaints about this year’s winner though. I thought Vicky Pattison deserved to win. From the second she entered she attacked everything full on, with good grace and a wicked sense of humour. She was probably the camp mate who made me laugh out loud the most this year.

I had never heard of her or Ferne McCann before but I thought both of them came across well and seem like really nice genuine people. Which I think deep down is what the public like and are looking for in their jungle King and Queen’s. Another great series and I am already looking forward to next year’s. Well done again to Vicky. I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot more of her over the next twelve months.

I did watch this year’s Royal Variety Performance when it was shown on television recently. I thought it was actually the best one I had seen for a long time. Jack Whitehall did a great job hosting it. The comedians were all good with Romesh Ranganathan just shading it for me as the best on the night. The music guests were very strong to. Any show in which Kylie Minogue appears only improves it in my opinion.

There was a nice contrast of variety acts and the whole show flowed really well. They also had some great exerts from some West End shows including a snippet of the fantastic “The Play That Goes Wrong” I saw it earlier in the year and it is arguably one of the funniest things you will ever see. I would certainly recommend it. Well done everybody who was part of it I thought you all did an excellent job.

So we are heading to the business end of the series for Strictly Come Dancing. The standard of the celebrity’s on this year have been amazing. Their performances have been so entertaining. It is hard to try and predict a winner. Tonight it is the semi-finals with the glitter ball trophy being presented next week. So far in the programme’s history none of the professional dancers have ever won the show more than once.

The only dancer this currently applies to is Aliona Vilani. So if this fact stands that would mean Jay McGuinness would miss out. It is really nice to see that Anton Du BeKe actually has a partner who can dance this year. And although possibly technically not the best dancer I think it would be great to see Katie get there for him. I do like Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton as a pairing. They have been in the bottom two a few times along the way but I think they have been unlucky to end up there based on their dances.

I think if it goes to the best dancer Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice will win but if it goes to the most improved it should go to Anita Rani and Gleb Savchenko. Whatever happens I am sure they will all put on a good display. And it will be a fitting end to the series. If I could be on one television show I think Strictly is the one I would like to do most.

It was my birthday last Thursday. I had the day off. So I just spent it relaxing at home drinking cups of tea. Someone gave me the new Steve Coogan autobiography “Easily Pleased” which I am really looking forward to reading. I did treat myself to a nice rib eye steak for dinner. Which I have to say I cooked perfectly. I then watched my Peter Kay “The Show That Doesn’t Tour, tour” DVD before heading out to my local pub for a few birthday drinks with some mates. All in all a very enjoyable birthday.

I am off to my cousin’s 40th Birthday party tonight. Me and his twin sister all share the same birthday but they are exactly one year older than me. So I have my next big landmark birthday next year. I can tell you now there will definitely be a party. The do later is slightly awkward because although they are twins. His sister did not want to have a joint party.

So it has been solely organised by him as his do, but his sister is coming along as well. So do we still sing them both happy birthday or not. I guess that I will find this out later. Whatever happens it will be a fun night and I am looking forward to it. I am not going to tell him I am just using it as a warm up for mine next year though.

Neil Quigley having a go at conducting the Orchestra

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

Happy New Year 2015

January 3, 2015 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a good festive couple of weeks. I had a fantastic Christmas basically just seeing my family and friends. While eating and drinking lots. It all started a few days before the big day. When I attended a Christmas Party at a hotel in London with a group of people I work with. We had just booked a table at a big pre-organised event. So there were loads of different people there from lots of different companies and organisations. When we arrived for drinks in the bar we noticed a few Nuns standing on the other side of the room.We must have had at least a ten minute conversation trying to work out if they were actually real Nun’s or not, the costumes were that good. We were still undecided, when one of our group realised she knew one of them. And that they were actually teachers.

We later had a chat to them and they told us they just thought it would be a good laugh and cause a bit of a stir. They were certainly right about that. I spent quite a bit of the evening on the dance floor trying my best to look cool and failing miserably. I did enjoy throwing out a few shapes though, it was the first decent dance I have had for a while. But it is fair to say that I am a long way off the Strictly Come Dancing standard. Unfortunately it did not feel like being in The Sound Of Music on the dance floor as the Nuns had changed into their civilian clothes straight after the meal.

The day after that party I had the annual Quigley Pre-Christmas Family Drinks at my Aunties house. This is where we all get together to get festive, have a good catch up on the last twelve months and try to plan or at least work out any big family events that are due to take place during the next year. This is always a fun occasion. Some of the highlights this year included an organised family carol singing session complete with very our own specially printed hymn sheet’s and guest conductors for each song.

My cousin’s husband’s special home made beer. Which he has been lovingly nurturing and perfecting over the years. And which comes complete with its own gas supply to help with the pouring and the overall appearance. Fair play to him it tasted really good and I found it actually managed to provide its own gas supply the following day to. The evening ended with a fun conversation, where we addressed a lot of difficult and sensitive issues and possibly solved a lot of the worlds problems. Unfortunately none of us can remember what we decided. Which is the mark of a good time I think.

I spent Christmas Day at my parents, where it followed the normal set of traditions, that have been the mainstay of our celebrations for many years. It always starts with a nice big greasy fry up. Just to get you up and running, get the energy levels up and to prepare your body for the big day of food consumption ahead. After we have let the first meal of the day go down, it is present time. I did very well once again this year, I got John Cleese’s Autobiography, Lee Mack’s latest Stand Up Comedy DVD, a new Tottenham mug, some going out trainers and a lovely huge proper comfy scarf. The scarf is brilliant, it is so warm, I have never really owned a proper one before and now when it is cold I really can’t contemplate leaving the house without it.

Then at midday it was off to the pub with my dad to meet my Uncle and some other members of the family. For a few cheeky lunchtime pints and a good old fashioned chat and laugh. It’s a very social part of the proceedings. Next it was back home to enjoy a traditional and excellent full Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings and a nice red wine. During the afternoon it was all about playing board games and getting the Karaoke machine out to perform a few of our own special versions of a lot of well known classics. Just be thankful that you don’t live next door. I finished the day watching the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas Special and Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Show before bed. I did watch a couple of others things on television to, which I will tell you about next.

If you remember a few week’s ago I went and watched part of the Christmas Day Top Of The Pops being filmed at Elstree Studios. So as you can imagine when it came on Christmas Day afternoon. I was sat in front of the television watching. As ever with these shows the set looked much more amazing on the screen than it did in real life. Don’t get me wrong it felt cool to be there, but it looked more magical watching it back from the comfort of home. I was enjoying watching the acts who I did not see play at the recording that I was at. But I have to confess when the singers I saw live performed I was watching the audience rather than them.Well for starters I had already seen them and secondly I was trying to spot myself.

I thought I just caught a glimpse of myself on one or two occasions but I definitely saw the mate I went with on screen quite a few times. Dancing along to the music and having a good time.There was a brother and sister, who we got talking to while we were there. They were good fun and they seemed to be in lots of the shots. I think we should all probably be grateful that the producers had the foresight to keep my terrible dancing hidden away, so as not to spoil anyone’s Christmas. It was great fun to be there in person. It was very nicely put together and easy to watch on screen with brilliant work from Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates in linking the whole thing together. Two total professionals showing us how it should be done there.

I also watched another programme on Christmas Day that I was as interested in seeing the audience as much as I was the actual performers. And that was Strictly Come Dancing. The reason being a friend of mine and his wife were at the recording of the Christmas Special. His wife’s brother is the celebrity producer on the show, so he looks after all the people taking part. Making sure they are happy, know what they are doing and when they are doing it. And have everything they need. As he works on the show, he managed to get my mate some decent seats. So they were actually sat right behind Bruno Tonioli. With him of course being one of the judges and someone who it is fair to say is pretty expressive in the way he speaks and is liable to move around a bit. I thought there was a very good chance of seeing them on the television.

I am pleased to say I was right. I spotted them both on several occasions as Bruno bobbed and weaved around in his usual manner. While giving his unique feedback on the dance’s that he had just witnessed. My mate when he told me he had been to see it said he was a bit worried as he thought he would be sat in the corner out the way so had not had a shave before going. He did dress up in a suit though. And to be honest even in HD I could not tell that he had not shaved but that probably says more about his ability to grow facial hair than anything else. Going back to the dances I really enjoyed the show. It was nice to see Sir Bruce Forsyth back on as a one off and I thought Louis Smith and Aliona Vilani were the deserved winners of it.

I did end up going to see a lot of television shows being recorded towards the end of the last year. They were all great fun to see. Another one of these was shown during the festive period. The latest offering from It’ll Be Alright On The Night. The out takes show where you get to see the great and good in television basically getting things wrong. It does seem to be human nature that when something does not quite go to plan whatever it is, we laugh. There were some great moments including some very recent and up to date clips for example Susanna Reid interviewing the actor Dan Stevens and possibly wishing she had phrased her question in a slightly different way. It is still funny that, no matter how many times you see it.

As ever we saw a giggling Philip Schofield, who is brilliant. It is just when you do as much live television as he does occasionally things are going to go a bit pear shaped. After narrowly missing out on appearing on Top of the Pops I did get featured on this show a couple of times. I was just sitting and laughing in the audience, not on screen making any mistakes I would very much like to point out. Having been there to see it recorded and then watched it on television. I do still find it fascinating the way they cut and edit it all together, into a seamless show. That was obviously a bit more stop and start on the night, The magic of Television.

I hope you had a fun and enjoyable New Years Eve, whatever you were doing. I was out working on New Year’s Eve, as I have done for most of them over the last fifteen years. I was performing at The Ellesborough Golf Club Dinner and Dance. It was a black tie event, so I was in my Tuxedo looking like a budget James Bond. I must admit I do quite like dressing up smart for events. It was a good night, the audience were great and really up for it, so we had a lot of fun and saw in the New Year in style. Always good to start the New Year on a high and it was nice seeing a room of happy people wandering off in to the night. And not only that but the gig was only ten minutes away from where I live, so I still managed to catch the end of a family party before I went to bed.

It has been a little while since I have had a decent celebrity spot. I think the last one could have been Brendan Cole on a train, or may be Johnny Vegas in the street in London. But last week I nearly literally bumped in to Charlie Brooker as he was getting off a train and I was getting on it. Because I was more concerned with getting out of his way. I only realised it was him just as he went past me. Trains and train stations do seem to be a good place to spot famous people. I was on a tube train with Stephen Merchant once, have seen Ken Bruce waiting for a train and was once on another train trip with Matt Allright. So do keep your eyes open when using public transport, you never know who you might see.

I do not really make New Year’s Resolutions I kind of think that if there is something that I need to improve or change in my life. I should do it then and there and not just wait for the start of a New Year for it. The most important thing for any year is to be healthy and happy. And to try to spend as much time as possible with the people you want to. I think you have to attack the twelve months ahead, work hard, be motivated and always be looking to move forward. While at the same time enjoying and appreciating, where you are at that moment. So what ever you wish to try and achieve in 2015. Remember it is pretty much in your hands with how you apply yourself to the situation. I wish you a very Happy New Year. I hope you laugh loads, have lots of fun and can look back on it with very fond memories. Don’t just sing it, bring it!

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

Neil Quigley Presenter