So here it is then, my new website, I hope you find something here to interest you. I also hope it’s a little more upfront and personal than your usual tv person’s plugs and promotions page. I’ve tried to take you behind the scenes, to give you a flavour of the weird but wonderful life I enjoy off as well as on camera.
A big thank you to Pip Ellwood and Jon Duncan at Little Pip Digital for pulling it altogether design-wise and occasionally cracking the whip!
Sore bottoms have been featuring prominently in my mind of late, ever since The Wright Stuff got stretched to two and a half hours at the start of May, a situation that’s going to continue until the end of the month.
I worry about the audience’s behinds, I fret about the panellists’ pert derrieres and not least of all I’m concerned about my own arse as sitting on your bum for 2.5 hours at a time doing the show can send your cheeks totally numb.
Luckily the viewers don’t seem to mind as the extra time means more guests – having someone like Stacey Solomon drop in mid-morning after talking politics with the brilliant Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and unflappable Christine Hamilton, can nevertheless really brighten your day – plus we get to see Stefan Gates perform more of his mesmerising food science experiments.
But why, why are we longer than usual? Well, truth be told, it’s to give those hard-working stars from Neighbours a well deserved rest! When the Wright Stuff first started, the UK was about eight months behind events in Erinsborough. But because Neighbours gets a three week Christmas holiday Down Under, we’ve been slowly catching up. By extending the Wright Stuff by half an hour, the schedules become harmonious once again and everyone’s happy.
Apart from my bum….
Seema Pathan, the beautiful and bright young woman who’s filled the much-missed Kirsty Duffy’s beautiful designer shoes so wonderfully since Kirsty went off to start a family, is herself off to pastures new…for a while at least.
Seema’s landed a great gig on TV over India, fronting the country’s fast-expanding domestic football scene. She has no idea how long she’ll be away for but I certainly hope it’s not forever! Don’t forget to drop us a line, Seema
Princess Productions, who indie TV firm behind The Wright Stuff got their top cameraman John Mackenzie to fire off a few frames as she said her goodbyes the other day. It’s fair to say the camera loves her!
Steve Furst, a true comedy GENIUS, has been wowing fans as Lenny Beige, his super smoooooth alter ego, for 30 years now but while the velvet-suited crooner is very much alive and well on the cabaret scene, Steve’s been developing an hilarious new character Graham Loose, Mayor of Kentish Town.
I got to introduce the great man at the politician’s record launch in Camden at the end of April – the Mayor’s single Bring the Ruckus is bloody hilarious and well catchy, too, although the lyrics mean it’s unlikely to ever be played on commercial radio. Ha, fuck that – buy it from i-tunes instead – trust me, you won’t regret it – or search out the Mayor’s misdemeanours on youtube.
Lenny fans will be pleased to hear the great man’s contributed his own number, 30 Years of Beige to this the double A sided release.
