When I played the Comedy Store I used to regularly give money to homeless people – probably because I was happy to have done a gig, was on my way home to my family in my warm house and felt a pang of guilt at my good fortune. But then I stopped giving directly and…
The famous playwright, Neil Simon in his brilliant autobiography explains the review that has been most helpful to him in his career has been – “Neil Simon did not have a good idea for a play this year, but he wrote one anyway.” I think this happens too often with novelists as well. A frequent…
Confusing news today about Clarke Carlisle and let’s not forget the very sad demise of Gary Speed not too long ago. I say confusing, because Clarke Carlisle is a man who on the face of it, appears to have it all. But of course, depression is not a factor of how things appear. Depression is…
I always enjoy the ‘experts’ who are interviewed on news bulletins and state facts that everyone knows already. Terrorism experts explaining that terrorists are notoriously volatile and difficult to defeat. Retail experts explaining that shops need to be progressive, adopt new technologies and provide their customers with what they want. Air crash experts explaining that…
Ted Robbins is a rare comedian indeed -insofar as he supports other comics. I can remember years ago sitting on the sofa of The Des O’Connor Show at Teddington Studios with Des roaring away as was his way – but I could also hear Ted laughing like a drain also from the audience. Ted was…
Increasing taxes and death are the only constants in our lives and it follows that none of us very much care for either. No one likes paying tax – and especially not a wealth tax like the mansion tax. We already have a direct tax system which is very broad. Our income is taxed. Then…
The greatest legacy of New Labours 13 year reign is that they kept us out of the Euro – albeit by fluke because Tony Blair was elected on adopting the Euro and it was central to his ambitions – but he was scuppered by Gordon Brown out of spite and not for any economic or…
The preponderance of ‘posh’ actors is a subject of an ongoing debate. Rather appropriately, ‘posh’ actors are in the spotlight? Indeed, such ‘posh’ success could easily be extended to all areas of public life, (half of our Olympic medal winners hailed from private schools) – politicians and the media are mostly ‘posh’ and don’t get…
I was recently asked by one of my boys – ‘Dad, what is politics?’ I sighed because what a huge question and thought, where to start? But this morning, the answer hit me with the news that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has died – a death which I imagine few people listening to BBCR5…
A period drama to me means two things. It is either a dowdy film where actors usually take things far too seriously and almost always speak too poshly – or it is a time of the month (not each month) that I will ‘never understand’ and where I can do nothing right for the lady…
