Tag Archives: theatre

Happy New Year 2018

January 5, 2018 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you had a really nice festive period. Mine was pretty busy but great fun. I was actually working all through Christmas this year, so my celebrations were a little bit disjointed. The company I am working for currently, the BBC, are very much a twenty four hour, seven days a week operation.

I was working nights from Christmas Eve right through to the day after Boxing Day. Therefore I had to work within that fairly big parameter to fit in my Christmas. On the Friday before Christmas Eve. I managed to pop round to see one of my mates and his family at their house for a cup of tea and to hand out a few presents, which was great. Then later that night I went for some festive drinks in London. My Christmas party in effect.

Christmas Eve morning itself I went and met another good friend at a Coffee Shop in Marlow. To give out some more presents. As well as enjoy a cup of tea and a nice catch up with him. Then I went to work. I finished Christmas Day morning arriving home at about nine o’clock. I went and saw my parents and my sister and we exchanged gifts. I did very nicely once again, getting pretty much everything that I asked for. Including the new book by David Jason, a classy new hat to wear out, nose/ear hair trimmers plus some much needed new slippers. Once the presents were opened. I then went to bed for about an hour or so.

Before getting up, having a shower and then heading up to a local pub at lunchtime to meet a couple of my Uncle’s and Cousin’s. As is the tradition in our family. I had one pint with them. Bearing in mind by this point I had only had barely two hours sleep. I was just about there with them. But it was fun and good to see everyone. I then went back to my parents for the full Turkey Christmas Dinner. Which I enjoyed with a single glass of Red Wine. As always it was up to the normal high standards with all of the trimmings.

When we had finished eating we then retired to the living room to chill and talk for a bit. Before my Dad got the Karaoke out. We then spent the next ninety minutes taking it in turns to do songs either individually or in pairs. I would like to apologise to the neighbours or anybody who just happened to be walking too close to the house. When I was singing, and I use that term loosely. I then left them to it before grabbing a couple more hours of sleep. When I woke up there was just time to see a little bit of the big Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special before it was time for me to head back in to work. Christmas Day was a bit of a blur for me but I am glad I got to see everyone and do everything that I did.

Boxing Day was a lot more low key. I split my sleep up during the day, so that I could get up to see Tottenham beat Southampton on the television. Which was nice. Then I just got on with working through the remaining nights. I did then get a few days off between Christmas and New Year. On my first full day off. I did treat myself to a glass or two of festive fizz. That somebody very kindly gave me. It was good fun working over Christmas. We had a lot of fun and spirits were high. We did a Secret Santa to ease the pain.

I got given the book “Get Started in Stand Up Comedy Make ’em Laugh” by a certain Logan Murray. Which did amuse me. As I know Logan. I did one of his comedy courses and have done a couple of gigs with him. Which obviously the person very generously and thoughtfully buying me it probably did not know. Anyway it will not be to hard for me to get my copy signed. It is actually a book I had been thinking of getting for ages. Since I did the course. Therefore I am really looking forward to reading it. Secret Santa had clearly done his or her research on my interests and what I like. May be he or she really is omnipresent.

I am a massive fan of the theatre and in fact any live performance. I am also a big kid and I do love to see a Pantomime every year, if I can. Last week I got the chance to go and see Dick Whittington at the London Palladium. Which itself is such an iconic venue. As you can imagine a performance at a theatre like that in the capital can attract a very impressive cast. Therefore appearing in the show were Julian Clary, Elaine Paige, Ashley Banjo & Diversity, Paul Zerden, Nigel Havers, Gary Wilmot, Charlie Stemp, Emma Williams and Lukus Alexander.

It was absolutely brilliant. With that much talent in one play, you really cannot go wrong. It is a very funny show, which moves along at quite a pace. It also gives everyone the chance to shine and show off their skills. I will be honest I have seen more in-depth versions of it with more details of the story in the script. But that is not a moan, as it does not matter, we get the gist of what is going on. Just with lots of laughs along the way.

Julian Clary is fantastic as the Fairly. I am not being derogatory. That is the part that he plays. He is wickedly funny and risque. With the devil to try to put off and wind up the rest of the cast. Elaine Paige is the evil Queen Rat who plays it perfectly. She does play evil very well. But there is also lots of scope for her to show off her amazing voice. Singing versions of her biggest songs. And with a voice as spectacular as her’s. It is very hard to boo her. The show is produced by The Really Useful Theatre Group, which is owned by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. So this gives them very easy access to a lot of big tunes.

Then there is Ashley Banjo and Diversity. Their dance routines that are thrown in are just unbelievable. I was also pretty impressed with Ashley’s acting to. As he does have a few lines to deliver. A friend of mine Ben Langley was on tour with Paul Zerden a few years ago now. And I remember meeting him before a gig that they were doing in Chesham. That was before Paul went to the States and won America’s Got Talent. Since then I have seen him perform at one of the “At The Palladium Shows”. For me he is easily the best ventriloquist around at the moment. This show gives him chance to show off his considerable talents. His individual bits were very funny.

Nigel Havers is simply Nigel Havers. A British institution, who is just along for the ride and to have a lot of fun. Happy to send himself up, join in and just have a right old laugh. A brilliant performer having some fun on stage. Simply playing and messing around. Gary Wilmot is the dame. And brilliant he is to. I do remember watching him regularly on the television show Copy Cats as a child. I have always been a fan of his work. He played his part perfectly. And he deserves special praise for singing a song containing every single London Underground Station in its lyrics. What a memory that man must have.

I saw Charlie Stemp play the leading role in the most recent production of Half A Sixpence and thought he was brilliant in that. Needless to say he is fantastic as Dick in this. He is clearly going to be a leading man for years to come. He makes everything, acting, singing and dancing look so effortless. Which more than explains why he will soon be heading off to star in Hello Dolly on Broadway. I have seen Emma Williams before in Mrs Henderson Presents. She was fantastic in that, as she was in this. Finally Lukus Alexander who played the cat Eileen. He really does bring it to life and make it a noticeable part of the story. He can really bust some moves.

As with all Pantomimes there were plenty of parts for the kids to enjoy. But in this one there seemed to be lots more aimed at the adults. In fact I do not think I have been to one where there are so many adults and so few children in the audience. But the production, the outfits, the slapstick set pieces, the effects are all there to keep the children entertained. Yet with Julian Clary around it delivers plenty of cheeky fun for the over eighteens to. Simply such a fun, silly and joyous show. Which as far as I am concerned is exactly what a pantomime should be.

Happy New Year! I really hope you have a fun, positive and happy 2018. I also trust you enjoyed your New Year’s Eve celebrations. I went to a little family gathering at my Auntie’s house. My Mum, Dad and Sister were all there. We reckon that is the first time we have all spent this evening together for well over twenty years. Normally down to me, as I was often Dj’ing in the past on this night. Also attending were a few more Aunties and Uncles and some of my Cousin’s.

It was a lovely evening with people that I had not seen for ages. My Cousin’s Fiancé had set up his Dart board. So we had a few games of that. He is really good and plays regularly. I had not played for about three years. In our first match I beat him with the flukiest double fifteen out shot you will ever see. I then went on to beat my Dad in the next game. Which never stops being fun, by the way. Before then being thrashed for the rest of the evening by pretty much everyone.

We then went on to play a couple of games using the Twelve Days of Christmas song. We paired up and each had a couple of day’s to sing each. Every time it was your turn you had to jump up and sing your bit. The further you get into the song, the faster and more fun it gets. Then we played a second version inspired by a Pilates class one of my cousin’s had been to. Where they did different moves for each of the days. This time we had to sing our piece while doing the relevant move. I got landed with ten Lords A Leaping. Which was and I was not sure how and argued against this but it was lunges. I had to do ten of those every time my bit came round. Therefore I am now starting the New Year with thighs of steel. It was all a good laugh, though.

Then we saw in the New Year by watching the Fireworks from London’s South Bank on the television. It was another impressive display. Then I headed home to bed. As I was working the next day. Start 2018 as you mean to go on. I hope you have a wonderful twelve months and achieve everything you want to and a lot of things that at this time you probably did not know that you wanted to. As well as being focused on goals and plans. Do remember to laugh, have fun and enjoy the company and support of all your family and friends.

I will be continuing my quest to see as many Tottehnam games as possible this year. While they are at Wembley. I was at the West Ham game the other night. And I will be at the FA Cup game against AFC Wimbledon tomorrow.

I am hoping for a quiet January transfer window and a great end to the season. Plus I am also looking forward to catching up with some good friends at the Everton game next weekend to.

Happy New Year. Have fun, We will catch up in a couple of weeks, Cheers Neil

Drinking In A Winter Wonderland

December 8, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy with loads of fun stuff going on. I finally got round to seeing the musical version of Aladdin the other week. Ever since I went to a recording for last year’s Children In Need and saw the cast perform a couple of the songs from the show. I had been meaning to go. It has only taken me just over a year to make that happen. It was however well worth the wait and it did not disappoint at all. It is a fantastic show.

It is produced by Disney. As it is their version of the story, adapted from the cartoon film they made in 1992. With it being by Disney that means it is all done to the highest possible standards, the sets, the props and the staging is all spectacular. The whole cast were fantastic. They did an amazing job. But there is one man who really does steal the show. He is Trevor Dion Nicholas and plays The Genie. He really provides the fun, lots of comedy and the brightest most flamboyant costumes on display. You cannot help but smile when he is on stage. It is worth seeing for him alone, I would say.

It also features the former UK Eurovision Song Contest entrant and one time Sugababes member Jade Ewen as the Princess Jasmine. It gives her chance to showcase her stunning voice. Singing some of the brilliant songs in the show like for example “A Whole New World”. And just in case there was any doubt I can confirm the version that she and “Aladdin” Matthew Croke perform is way better than the Katie Price and Peter Andre version. It is a real feel good family show. It is definitely worth seeing if you get the chance.

I once again visited The One Show studio last Wednesday. To see another episode of the programme go out live. I actually walk past the studio pretty much every day and I do sometimes have a peer in the window to see who is on. But you really cannot beat being inside and watching all the action as it happens. As with most television sets they are actually a lot smaller than they look on television, when you are sat on the sofa at home. The One Show studio is very small and cosy. It is all very chilled and low key. In that you get in there only about five minutes before the show goes live to air. And it is standing room only.

Then Matt Baker and Alex Jones wander in, say hello and sit on the famous green sofa ready to start the programme. Then the evening’s guests are shown in. On this latest visit they were Alexander Armstrong and Alexandra Burke with a cameo appearance from her current Strictly Come Dancing partner Gorka Marquez. The show also had a Pantomime theme running through it. So there were lots of people dressed up in costume as various characters. In fact during the night I was at different points stood next to a Dame, a villain and a pantomime cow. Right before the show started we had a quick rehearsal for some Panto style interaction with Matt. Which if you saw it, you may have heard right near the start.

It is always a fun experience being there. There are the chats with the guests which are great but of course there are lots of films to. You do get to watch them on the screens in the studio. While the presenters and the guests are setting up for the next item. I am always fascinated about how television is made from camera angles to auto cue and everything that happens in and around the studio to make it all work seamlessly. The end part of the show saw us head out to the Piazza to see more Panto animals in a bit hosted by the man I once saw on a train between London and Slough Matt Allwright. It was a good laugh. The whole team including the presenters are always so nice and friendly when you are there.

Talking of returning to places that I have been to before and after not making it along there last year. I did pay my second ever visit to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park on Monday. It is a massive event with lots going on, if you like your fairground rides, Christmas stalls and winter activities like ice skating.

Personally I have no real interest in those things. But having been twice to Oktoberfest in Munich. I do like Bavarian style Beer Keller’s. Which is something else that they have on offer to enjoy there. Entry is free to the actual site, so it costs nothing to visit these bars.

Therefore as you have probably already guessed as soon as I arrived I just headed straight for said Bavarian Village. You can buy pints in plastic glasses or you can pay a five pound deposit and get a handled pint sized stein made out of a tougher plastic. As you get your money back on the return of your glass when you leave. To enjoy the beer a little better this option was a no brainer for me. So I got myself a stein of Bavarian Gold. Which I have to say tasted great. It is a nice drop.

When I went a couple of years ago there was a singer performing all sorts of classic and Christmas style songs. Well he was back there again doing exactly the same thing. I mean pretty much exactly the same set to be honest.

He does a great job, though. I really enjoyed hearing him do his thing again. It all makes for a really good atmosphere. There are also other bands and singers dotted around the place. But as I was enjoying his work and as I had managed to find a table. I stuck with him for the whole evening.

It does make you feel Christmassy being there. Everybody is there to have fun and have a good time. Pretty much everyone seems to be drinking to. It was busy enough on a Monday, so I imagine it is absolutely rammed during the weekend. It was a nice evening of music and beer. Which let us face it is always a winning combination.

I certainly think the place is worth an annual visit. If you have never been it is worth experiencing. Be prepared to queue for a bit on the way in and I would try to avoid the really busy periods or it could become a bit frustrating with waiting for drinks and food.

I recently spent an evening in the BBC Club. Which is just that, a bar for members of staff to relax in after work. I was there for a leaving do for someone who is heading back to his native New Zealand to host a new Breakfast Radio Show there. It was a top night, it was lovely to relax and chat with people that I normally only get to see in a work environment.

It is a venue I do not visit that often as I rarely seem to get the time. You never of course know who you might see in there. As it is open to anyone who is at the BBC. They do tend to have some decent beers on offer, whenever I have been in there. Which is definitely a plus point. It is very basic and simple. Like any social club you would see attached to a workplace.

It is the final of this years I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here tomorrow night. My choice to win did not even come close to happening as Shappi Khorsandi was voted out of the camp first. In her defence I thought she came across very well, was very amusing and did not do anything wrong. But that is show business. It has been another fun series and as ever on the whole they have all thrown themselves in to the experience. The surprise for me has been “Toff”. I will be honest I had no idea who she was before the show started. But she seems really nice and positive. Which is something I really like. She always sounds so upbeat and excited whenever she talks about anything.She coped well with everything that they have thrown at her.

Ant & Dec were once again on top form. I think they are getting cheekier and more brutal when taking the rise out of the camp mates. While of course not taking themselves or the whole thing to0 seriously. They know what it is all about, simply entertainment. This series did bring up an interesting moral dilemma. When Amir and Ian won the Dingo Dollar challenge and ate the reward of Strawberries and Cream. Before they got back to the camp. Then initially lied to everyone by telling them they had not won it. What would you have done? Would you have eaten them? I would not have eaten them myself, as I am a team player. But if I had one thing is for sure I certainly would not have told them about it while I was still in the Jungle. That would have been a confession in the hotel bar of the luxury hotel afterwards, just after getting a round in.

I have been quite lucky in meeting a few of the winners and contestants from it over the years. My first ever live radio interview was with Tony Hadley. I interviewed Katie Price at one of her book signings. I worked with Kerry Katona at Truckfest. I once appeared on stage with Joe Pasquale. I have hosted an East 17 gig featuring Brian Harvey. I was in the same bar as Sid Owen in Tenerife once. I have worked with Blue a few times, so I have met Anthony Costa and Simon Webbe. I have interviewed Jenny Frost. I have chatted to Tommy Cannon in a hotel bar. I have spoken to Myleene Klass. I have met and interviewed the legend that is Christopher Biggins. I have met on a couple of different occasions the lovely Timmy Mallet. Many years ago now I met Britt Ekland at a pantomime press do. Finally I have met and briefly worked with Pat Sharp.

I was at Wembley this week for the final Champions League group match for Tottenham Hotspur. Before which we had already qualified in first place from the so called big group of death. Therefore it was a kind of odd game.

It gave us chance to play a few players who needed some match time and to introduce a few younger players in to the first team set up for a bit of experience. It was a very comfortable three nil win. It was nice to see a couple of players get their first goals for the club. So we now look forward to the knock out stages. Bring them on!

I had a brilliant celebrity spot in London recently. I was walking with a friend near Baker Street. Ahead of us I noticed a man step in to the road to try to hale a taxi as it was going past. It stopped he spoke to driver but then it drove off. By this point we were getting nearer to him. He stepped back on to the path pretty much right in front of me. Then as he turned round, we were pretty much face to face. I realised it was Noel Gallagher. I did not speak to him but gave him a knowing nod and a smile as I walked by. I have to admit he was looking well. He does just look so cool, though. Every inch the rock star.

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

Rock and Roll Lessons

November 24, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been fairly busy with lots of fun stuff going on. I have once again spent quite a bit of time at Wembley Stadium. But this time I was not watching Tottenham Hotspur. A friend of mine invited me along to the two recent England friendly internationals. I got to see England face Germany.

Which is always a decent fixture. And one which I have good and bad memories of from over the years. The big disappointment of losing that game in Italy in 1990 on penalties. Then there was the delight and amazement of the five-one win in Munich. When Michael Owen got a great hat-trick and even Emile Heskey got one. That was a great night. Not least because a week or so after it I was at Oktoberfest in Munich for the first time and it gave us the football bragging rights at the time.

The most recent game between these two world giants was exciting but goalless. It was end to end stuff but with few clear cut chances. We got to see a lot of young England players making their debuts. Plus we had brilliant seats. As we were sat in the Bobby Moore seats. They are the comfiest seats in the stadium and the view from them is ace. I like to watch games from a position around the half way line, personally.

It was nice to see a Spurs player, Eric Dier captain the team. It was an enjoyable evening catching up with a few people I had not seen for a while. It is always good to get behind the national team, I think. There was a decent sized crowd there. It was good fun and nice to clock up another cap as an England supporter.

I was back at Wembley a few days later sat in exactly the same seat to see England take on the might of Brazil. It is always a colourful occasion when they are in town. Those iconic yellow shirts and blue shorts are unmistakable. It is amazing that generation after generation they just seem to produce exceptionally talented footballers. Who are just so skillful and always great on the ball.

It was good to see Neymar in action and close up. Although this game also finished goalless, you could see in glimpses why he is the most expensive player on the planet. The England back four did very well against him. I will be honest it was not as exciting as the German game but it was still a good night at the home of football. If you cannot enjoy yourself when the Brazilian Samba band are playing. There is something wrong with you.

The England manager Gareth Southgate is being quite positive about the fact that we were not beaten by two of the best teams in the world. How much you can really base future performances on these kind of friendlies, I am not sure. World Cup Final games come with much more pressure and there is a long way to go till the summer. But I am happy to follow his lead. There is no point even turning up if you do not believe you can win it, so why not.

With a bit of luck who knows. And if not remember the final of the 2020 European Finals is being played at Wembley Stadium, so that is a great incentive for that tournament. I will hopefully get to at least one of the World Cup warm up games in the new year. Before we send the squad off to do battle on our behalf in Russia.

I went to a great music gig a couple of Monday’s ago at Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush. A lovely little venue that has hosted quite a few big acts on their way up the ladder. In the toilets they have old gig posters plastered all over the walls. While I was in there I spotted Lily Allen, Adele, Amy Winehouse and Florence and the Machine to mention just a few. It is a very cool, classic and old fashioned building with a bit of a school hall feel to it. Which I actually think adds to its charm.

I was there to see a new American group called Cactus Blossoms. When we arrived at the venue me and my friend spotted a gentleman at the side of the room who looked scarily like the leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn. I do not think it was him but my mate thought it might be the lookalike they use on the Last Leg. Whoever it was they were just casually dressed and blending in to the background.

The support act was an Irish guitar playing singer/songwriter called Louis Brennan. He was very good, played well and had a good voice. His songs are quite mellow and a bit bluesy. But one thing I will say the songs and the lyrics are very specific to him and his life. Which for me will not give them universal appeal, as I would suspect it would be difficult to relate to them. But I am happy to be proved wrong on this, if he does suddenly become a huge success.

Before doing one of the songs he did actually reference Jeremy Corbyn. I will confess at this point I did glance at our suspected look-a-like to see if there was any reaction from him. If only just to acknowledge that he himself was aware of his resemblance to the man in question. But alas nothing.

The main reason we were there the Cactus Blossoms were brilliant. They are a guitar led band with two lead singers who also play guitar. If that reminds you of any famous American groups from yesteryear. Then it should, as they are called the modern day Everly Brothers. A title that is well deserved when you hear them sing the harmonies to their songs. It really does sound amazing.

This is not meant to sound patronising or derogatory but they could easily be the greatest Everly Brothers tribute band ever. That is meant as a compliment. I would love to hear them do their classic songs. Their own songs are good but possibly not good enough for what their musical talents and their voices really deserve. They are really likeable people. It was a nice gig, very enjoyable. They are a band you should check out if you get the chance.

I went to see the brilliant School of Rock at the New London Theatre last Monday. It has been a show that I had been meaning to see for a while. As I had heard nothing but good things about it. Unusually for me I had actually seen the film starring Jack Black when it came out. Which bearing in mind I watch an average of two films a year that is quite a coincidence.

This version is based on the film. It is produced by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Who wrote the music for it. Proving that he can write some decent rock style songs. But on reflection I guess there was evidence of that from his first ever show Joseph. There is an announcement from the good Lord himself just before the show starts basically confirming that all the children are playing their own instruments during the performance.

From my memory it is fairly true to the film and the story line and situations are similar. As you would of course expect. It is a clever and uplifting experience highlighting the importance of emotional development and family life versus the need to be educated and learn as much as you can.

It is a classic when two worlds collide and both help each other out kind of scenario. Firstly the adult cast are great, they all do a top quality job and as you would expect from a West End musical the singing and dancing is as ever sensational. They really drive the show forward.

The stars of the show of course are the children. They were all amazing and so talented. The acting, singing and dancing was spot on. Then you come to the members of the cast who actually make up the band.

Those kids are super talented. The girl on the drums is just amazing, the bass playing girl is perfect, the lad on the keyboards was so good he could give Vince Clarke a run for his money. Then there is the boy who plays lead guitar. He is ridiculously good. I would guess they are all somewhere between the ages of eleven and thirteen.

Like all West End Musicals there is a band. Who you can see above the stage to the right. As sometimes there are songs when the kids do not have instruments. But I really cannot stress how good these kids are. They are so good that despite the announcement at the start you do wonder are they really playing. Then when they perform at the end the Orchestra are all standing up watching the kids play and clapping along.

They are all amazing. It is such a good fun show and well worth seeing. It could actually be launching the careers of several up and coming rock stars in real life for all we know. Another nice touch is that during the encore they say you can at this point take some photos as long as you tag the show in on social media. Which sounds like a fair deal to me. Brilliant fun and another triumph for the king of musicals Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.

I was lucky enough to be able to go and see Harry Hill do a work in progress gig at the Soho Theatre in London. It is a great comedy venue with a really nice bar there to use before and after you watch the show you are there to see. It is the sort of place where a lot of comics catch up with each other in the bar or watch their peers new shows. So it is a good place to potentially bump in to your favourites.

Harry Hill was brilliant. He is well known of course for hosting television shows but he is a great live performer and joke teller. He does a lot of clever one liners and as you would expect there is plenty of silliness throughout it all. It was a top night seeing a great comedian in a small room trying out some great new material. I expect him to do a full tour on the back on these gigs probably in the second half of next year.

I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here is back on television for this year. I always say it, Ant and Dec for me are the best TV presenters we currently have. So great to see them back together where they belong. They dealt nicely with Ant’s enforced summer break. That is why we like them because as an audience we are always in on the joke.

I am looking forward to seeing how Shappi Khorsandi gets on in the show. I interviewed her a few years ago and she was lovely. I know we are only in the very early stages of this series but I would like her to win it. Here is a bit of the conversation I had with her around five years ago.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/shappi-khorsandi-interview/id1236437663?i=1000394847020&mt=2

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

Real Good Night

November 11, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy with loads of fun stuff going on. I have mentioned before that I did an eight week comedy course led by the brilliant Logan Murray, prior to making my stand up comedy debut at the Tringe Festival five years ago now.

It was an excellent course and so much fun. He still runs them regularly all over the world, but mostly in London. I would recommend it to anyone whether you are interested in doing comedy or just want to try to improve your public speaking skills. While having a right old laugh at the same time. His course’s are quite a breeding ground for comics Rhod Gilbert, Greg Davies and Andi Osho have been on them in the past.

I know lots of people who did the course like I did as part of the Tringe Festival and have gone on to do very well for themselves. One such person is Olaf Falafel. He did the course in Tring the year before me. Then the year that I did it, he was the host in one of the pubs that I performed in. After that I ended up gigging with him a few times at various events over the years. Fast forward a few more years and he is regularly headlining comedy nights up and down the country. He also has now got two solo one hour shows at the Edinburgh Festival under his belt.

A couple of Friday’s ago I went along to the fantastic Museum of Comedy to see him perform his current full length show. It is a brilliant venue with lots of classic comedy memorabilia on display, including a Milton Jones shirt, a stuffed bear from Steptoe and Son and a Freddie Star jacket to mention but a few items. I have previously seen Michael McIntyre, Josh Widdicombe, Trevor Noah, James Acaster and Stewart Lee there. Olaf Falafel was performing his Marmosets of My Mind show. Which he did for a whole month in August at the Fringe in Edinburgh.

It was very funny, with some clever and very different bits in there. Mostly just silly fun, but very well done. It included one of the ten best jokes from this year’s festival, as selected by the TV channel Dave. Which he did reference himself, mainly to share his disbelief but it is a good joke and deserves to be there. The show does involve quite a lot of audience participation. But I sat at the back and managed to stay well away from all of that. I really enjoyed seeing him do a full show for the first time.

I did manage to have a quick chat with him afterwards. He is already booked in with the same venue in Edinburgh for next year’s festival, so will be taking a brand new show up there for that. He has two children’s books out, as he is a very talented artist and writer to. Plus he is well worth a follow on Twitter as he posts lots of very funny jokes and produces a lot of comedy videos. Great to see him and have a nice catch up. Keep an eye out for him and go and see his comedy show if you can.

I do like the Camden part of London and have been out in that area quite a few times over the years. But up until last Monday I had never been to the Roundhouse there. It does host a lot of great gigs with big artists. It is a place I was always keen to check out. Finally the opportunity arose when a friend of mine invited me to go there to see an American artist called Jason Isbell play with his current band The 400 Unit. He is from Alabama, he has won a Grammy and he plays a mixture of Country, Blues and Rock music.

I will be honest I knew very little about him before I went to the gig. I was aware of a few of his songs, though. I am a big fan of any guitar based music. Which is what he plays. I was impressed with the Roundhouse in general. It is a pretty cool and friendly venue. We did have some great seats with a decent view of the stage.

The concert itself was brilliant. Jason and the group were fantastic. The atmosphere inside was excellent. I would certainly go and see him again and happily go back to see some other gigs at the Roundhouse based on this experience. An ace night listening to a quality performer play some great tunes.

As you know I have been taking full advantage of the fact that Tottenham Hotspur are playing at Wembley Stadium this season. I am trying to get to as many of the games as I possibly can. I was delighted to be able to make the Champions League game against Real Madrid. That is the sort of big high profile match you really want to see your team involved in. The whole night was brilliant.

I met some friends in The Arch pub before for game for a couple of drinks. Then I headed in to the Stadium to grab a bite to eat and get myself in position for the game. I had my heart set on some Pizza but there were no Pizza places near me in the ground, so I had to settle for a Chicken Balti pie. Which I have to confess rather surprisingly was really tasty and enjoyable.

I took my seat ready for the game feeling excited and optimistic that we could get a result. It was a boost to see Harry Kane fit to play. Then it was disappointing to see Toby Alderweireld limp off injured early on. When Dele Alli touched in Kieran Trippier’s cross for the first goal the noise nearly took the roof off. At that point I felt we could win it. We got through to half time one up. Then early in the second half Dele Alli’s shot was deflected in for our second. At this point me and the rest of the Spurs fans were in dreamland. Then just when we thought it could not get any better Christian Eriksen added a third and Madrid looked beaten.

I really could not believe when in the sixty-second minute we started knocking the ball around them to shouts of “Ole” from the crowd for every pass. That was a brilliant moment. Predictably Ronaldo scored to pull one back for them. But we held on for what was a memorable victory. One which means we have already qualified for the knock out stages of the competition. We could top our group to and go through as champions, well sort of.

It was a great night to be part of and so good to always be able to say I was there the night we beat and outclassed Real Madrid. There were so many great performances. The whole team played brilliantly. I think my favourite thing to have come out of these two encounters with the Spanish side is this new song we now have “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, Who needs Bale? When We’ve Got Sissoko”. I mean that is genius and amusing at the same time. It really is an interesting time to be a Tottenham fan at the moment and long may it continue.

I was back at Wembley a few days later to see Spurs play Crystal Palace in the Premier League. After the euphoria of the previous game and due to this being a midday kick off. The atmosphere was a bit more subdued and the team themselves failed to reach the same heights as in the previous game. Mind you it is fair to say Palace did not try to really get at us as much as Madrid had. Their manager Roy Hodgson of course has lots of experience of managing at the Stadium. It must of felt a bit odd for him to be in the away dressing room.

We gave a league debut to our third choice Goal Keeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Who terrified us all. When in the first minute he completely missed a simple cross and then in the process crashed in to one of their players. Thankfully he recovered from that well, kept a clean sheet and was our man of the match pulling off a couple of great saves. It was a very tight and close game. Which we managed to win one nil in the end.

But with the other top teams playing each other later on in the day, the win and three points was all that mattered. It was job done as I headed off to the pub to watch the next two games on television. When I got home I treated myself to my favourite Indian takeaway meal from my local Indian Restaurant The Radhuni. It was a fitting end to the day and very tasty.

I went to the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End recently to see the new stage version of Mel Brooks Young Frankenstein. I always enjoy a night at the theatre. This is another one of those shows that I had been wanting to see pretty much since it was announced. The brilliant cast included Ross Noble, who plays Igor, Lesley Joseph, who plays the house keeper Frau Blucher and Summer Strallen as Inga.

It is a slight reworking of the classic Brooks film. As ever he is very hands on with all of his work, so he also directed and produced this version. It is very funny, off the wall and very clever. Basically everything you would expect it to be.

I have to say I thought Ross Noble was really good in it and if I am honest I was surprised how good his singing voice was. All these comedians nowadays who seem to be great all round performers. I am not sure if I should be very impressed or jealous. Anyway he was great. As were the whole cast. It is a very slick production from start to finish. They got a well deserved standing ovation at the end. There is talk of Mel Brooks producing a stage version of Blazing Saddles.Which if he does, that will be a must see. I really wish that I had got around to seeing The Producers when that was on tour now.

As ever with working for the BBC at Broadcasting House you never know who you might bump in to. I passed Sanjeev Bhaskar the other day as he was leaving a studio and I was entering it. I still see Ian Wright around when he is doing 606. I am looking for the right opportunity to discuss Arsenal and Tottenham’s season’s with him. I have a feeling that could be a lively conversation.

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

Much Ado About Nothing

October 13, 2017 Neil

Hi there, how are you doing? I hope you have had a really good couple of weeks. Mine have been very busy with loads of fun stuff going on. During my school days I never studied any Shakespeare. I did not get to read or see any of his plays. I did however visit Stratford-Upon-Avon for a weekend as a teenager with my Cousins and my Uncle and Auntie. While we were there we did go and see a few Shakespeare related tourist attractions. Then I will be honest I had kind of forgotten about him until Ben Elton did a sitcom based on him starring David Mitchell called Upstart Crow. I guess this kind of got him back in to my mind again. And started me thinking that as a lover of theatre and performance in general. That I should at the very least go and see one of his plays.

A few years ago I went on a tour of the Globe theatre in London. Which is a replica of the very theatre that he used to put his plays on in the capital during the early sixteen hundreds. I remembered from the tour that it was an inspirational and spectacular place. Since that visit it had been in my plans to see a show there. I put these two things together and I decided the only place to see a Shakespeare play for the first time should be the Globe Theatre. I went to see the current version of Much Ado About Nothing. Now the Globe does have basic wooden seating on three levels and also private balcony’s. Traditionally these were for the rich and even for Royalty. While peasants would stand up to watch the action in the yard area on the floor level. I decided that I wanted to do it traditionally this way. Plus I had never stood at the theatre before.

The tickets to stand and watch the play in the yard were just five pounds each. It is an open air theatre by the way, so if it rains you will definitely get wet seeing the show from there. I wanted to have as authentic experience as possible. There was a Mexican theme to this particular production so the staging, costumes and music were adapted for this. But everything else was pretty much directly from the script as written by the great man himself. It did take me a few minutes to adjust to the South American feel of things and to get in to the rhythm of the Shakespeare style speech patterns. But I have to say I absolutely loved it.

The whole cast were fantastic and it was all so cleverly and smoothly done. They pretty much used the whole theatre as their stage and walked amongst us poor people in the yard area, as they would have back when it was originally performed. The story line, plot twists and development of the saga were so good and very easy to follow. Plus it does contains so many laughs. Fair play to the “man” he did pack quite a bit of comedy in to this piece of work. As well as some nice drama and tension. I would without hesitation certainly go and see another performance there. Five pounds for nearly three hours of top class entertainment is exceptional value for money. I am now keen to see more of his work.

I took a trip out to the Brixton area of London with a friend the other week. It is not often I venture that far south of the river but I always think it is good to experience new places. We had a bit of a look round and found a very nice pub to have a pint in. By what looks like a really fancy new flat development. Then we decided to go and get some food. We stumbled across The Blues Kitchen. Which was a place I had heard of before but never been to. As there are actually not that many of them around.

They play Blues Soul and Funk music. And specialise in New Orleans style food. So we are talking lots of barbecue meats and fried chicken dishes. Which we of course took full advantage of. We had a starter that consisted of ribs, wings and sweet potato fries. Then for my main I had fried buttered chicken, which was lovely. Their portions are very generous. I was so full when I left there, I could hardly walk. Plus if you are into you Bourbon. They have the biggest selection there I have ever seen. I would certainly eat there again but they do only have places in Brixton, Camden and Shoreditch.

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

As I have mentioned before Tony Law was the professional comedian who headlined my first ever stand up comedy gig. I had seen him perform a few times but only doing ten or fifteen minute slots. I had never seen one of his full length shows. I put this right last Monday. When I went to the Soho Theatre in London. To see him do his show from this year’s Edinburgh Festival called “Absurdity For The Common People”. It was my first time at this venue. It is a great place to watch comedy and also it seems to attract a lot of decent comics. When I was waiting in the bar before the show I spotted Alex Horne who had also been doing his show there earlier in the evening.

Tony Law kind of goes against almost every lesson I was taught in comedy school. He is so unique and has his own very well crafted style. You would have to go quite a long way to see such a surreal show covering so many random and historical facts. It is so out there, sometimes it is impossible to tell what he is completely making up and what if anything is actually true. But the important thing is that it is very funny. You are never quite sure where he is going to go and what he is going to do next. He always has on such strange outfits. Sometimes he will reference them and other times completely ignore them. He is a top man to and was very supportive and helpful during my first ever gig. It was great to get to finally see a full show of his.

I went to see the musical Kinky Boots recently. It was another one that had been on my radar for a while. Ever since I saw the cast perform two numbers from it during one of the Sunday Night At The Palladium recordings, I was at. I think I do vaguely remember seeing the film when it came out. Would you believe it was actually released back in 2005. And another fun fact Nick Frost was in it.

The music and lyrics for the musical version were written by Cindy Lauper. It originally opened on Broadway. Where it won a Tony Award. I have to say I thought it was brilliant. It has a great story behind it with a bit of pathos to it as all good plays do. It is very colourful and spectacular. The songs are brilliant. Plus the cast were fantastic. It received a well deserved standing ovation at the end of the performance.

I had a quality day out with friends at the annual Ascot Beer Festival Race Meeting. A full programme of races with an onsite selection of beverages from local brewers. I mean what is not to like? I had not seen all my mates together for a while, so that was brilliant for starters. It was so good to have a catch up and chat. While enjoying the racing and sampling a few of the ales on offer. Luckily for me they had two of my favourite local brewery’s there. So I did enjoy a couple of pints from Rebellion in Marlow and XT, who are from Long Crendon. I did also try an ale from another beer producer, who I had not heard of but who are based in Prestwood.

Mind you I had a terrible day for picking the winners. However I was not alone as we all struggled apart from one of us who managed to get a couple of wins. Two more had some placed horses, so got some money back. Although one of my friends who is not really a gambler managed to put on a five pounds each way bet, which he then got six pounds fifty back from, so despite coming second in the race and sort of winning. He was still three pounds fifty down there. Once the racing was over we just went to one of the pubs in Ascot and had a few more drinks. It was a fun day out with good friends. Which is always time well spent.

The day after the races I had been invited by another mate on his birthday outing. Which was a day trip on the Waverley, the last sea going paddle steamer in the World to Southend-On- Sea and back. I had to catch the boat from Tower Pier in London at nine thirty in the morning.

Which after a day out at the races the previous day was not as easy as it may sound. Anyway I got on board just after nine in the end. It really was an impressive sight as I walked up to the vessel and it looked great against the back drop of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

It has a restaurant, tea room and a couple of bars. On arrival the first thing I did was grab a bacon roll and a cup of tea. I then managed to find the rest of the group with the birthday boy. There were about fifteen of us in the end, I think. We set off down the Thames passing all of those great iconic sights. The boat is so big that they had to raise Tower Bridge for us so we could get under it. Which is possibly a once in a life time thing to pass under it in those circumstances.

There was commentary provided on the things to see as we headed down the river. It was very impressive I thought going through the Thames Barrier. I had never seen it that close up. Inside the ship there was a viewing area where you could go and watch the steam powered engine in action. That was hugely impressive. Its top speed is apparently around twenty-five miles per hour.

They do of course have toilets on board the ship. Now bearing in mind it was about a three and an half hour journey to Southend. I did have to use them a couple of times. I did not mind however as they had port holes in. So you could be at the urinal while looking out and enjoying the views along the river. It was almost therapeutic. When we docked on the pier at Southend and got off the boat.

We had about four hours there. So we tried to do as many sea side style things as possible. We took the train down the pier. Then had fish and chips on the beach overlooking the sea. Played a round of crazy golf. Had a couple of pints in a pub on the sea front. Got an ice-cream. And finally enjoyed a stroll down the pier on our way back to catching the boat.

During the journey back to London I enjoyed the hospitality of the bars on board. Got another fix of the toilets and admired the working steam engine. Making sure I was back on the top deck to enjoy coming up the Thames in the dark and seeing everything lit up. It was a great experience and a thoroughly enjoyable day.

I will be honest it is probably something I would have never of done had I not been invited to. Which would have been a shame, as I really enjoyed myself. After being on a cool boat all day, it made the train journey back from London to Buckinghamshire seem a bit dull.

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

Neil Quigley Presenter