End of Season Gala Dinner
I thought presenting at the end of season gala dinner, the day after we were relegated would be a tough gig. Actually it was a great night out and I met lots of lovely people. I’ve been feeling so down since West Ham lost at Wigan, that the last thing I wanted was a night […]
Victory eclipsed by Mr Moon
I’m never one to moan about a fellow West Ham fan, but there’s one chap who is getting on my nerves. This Mr Moon fellow has been arriving and leaving the stadium during games for as long as I can remember. There’s nothing more annoying than people arriving midway through games is there? You’re in […]
The Rocking Piano
I filmed a very interesting feature today with the designer of the world’s first rocking piano. Sarah Davenport created it from a 1900s piano once owned by the Hong Kong ambassador. It rocks back and forwards as you play it. I should point out that there is some camera trickery at the start of the […]
The Chippendoubles sign up a Jeremy Nicholas lookey-likey
The Chippendoubles, stars of Britain’s Got Talent have unveiled their latest lookey-likey. It’s a very convincing Jeremy Nicholas, not quite as realistic as Mr T or Simon Cowell, but certainly a passable imitation of the real thing.
Badges, badges, badges
Frank Setchfield from Loughborough has over 150 thousand badges. He collects all types except military and he specialises in button badges. He has sporty badges, funny badges, ones with saucy slogans and political badges that have changed the world. I interviewed him for my BBC series on Collectors. Here’s the report.
Matchday Column
How I became the West Ham announcer. I moved to East London from Cambridge when I was six. I think my parents may have done the driving, but I imagine I did most of the packing and dealing with estate agents. Growing up in Clayhall it was a no-brainer that I should be a Hammer. […]
Edinburgh Talk
I’m off to Edinburgh next week for the festival. On Wednesday night I’ll be giving a talk on how to keep an audience’s attention using comedy. Forget jokes, I’m a big believer in telling true stories that have happened to you. It’s called ‘Putting the U in Humour’ . It’s a talk I’ve done many […]
The Bakewell Show
The Bakewell Show Here’s some pictures of Thursday’s BBC East Midlands Today roadshow at the Bakewell Show in Derbyshire. I smiled a lot at people and if they looked short sighted, I signed photos that weren’t of me. Viewers had a chance to read the news. The vicar of Bakewell was a star at doing […]
Meeting the viewers
I’ve spent the day meeting the public in the centre of Leicester. I pulled on a large red BBC East Midlands Today tee shirt and an even larger smile and joined up with my colleagues to meet real people. That may not sound scary to you, but trust me it is. In general I really […]
Putting the ‘U’ in Humour
One of my most popular talks is on how to use humour effectively when you are speaking in public. As a professional speaker I use humour a lot. It helps keep the audience engaged. If they are being entertained, they are less likely to switch off and stop listening. It’s so much easier to put […]