Tag Archives: BBC

Lunch with Barry Cryer (Rousse)

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Dreamaticus

I took pity on Barry Cryer, dining alone at a table for two. He recognised me when I joined him, and seemed to welcome my company. We discussed my ‘secret talent’, and the pleasure of revealing to others that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1996, Barry Cryer, BBC, comedian, dead, death, dine, friend, I'm sorry I haven't a clue, lunch, Radio 4, secret, talent, Willie Rushton, write | Leave a comment

Is Dr Who to blame for a shrinking world? (Rousse)

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Dreamaticus

When the elevator doors opened I was disappointed to see that the lift was minuscule. How would we all fit in there? ‘Just go in one at a time’ my colleague suggested. It was clear that she could not see … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BBC, carriage, colleague, Dr Who, elevator, foot, lift, minuscule, shaft, shoe, shrink, small, tiny, world | Leave a comment

George Clooney and a Sisters of Mercy lookalike above the snow line (Rousse)

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Dreamaticus

We were going camping with our French friends above the snow line in the north west of Scotland. Access to the site was via Forestry Commission trails, first on the dirt track along the shoreline of the loch, then up … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1980s, BBC, camp, camper, camping, case, corner, crew, crowd, delivery, dining, engineer, Forestry Commission, French, friend, George Clooney, glamorous, glasses, groceries, house, jeep, loch, marital, Mati, merry, mountainside, mud, party, shop, shoreline, sister, Sisters of Mercy, snow, status, summit, TPR, track, treat, wander, warm, widow | Leave a comment

Back to the old house for BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions? (Rousse)

Posted on February 15, 2018 by Dreamaticus

The venue for this week’s BBC Radio 4 Any questions was Stockton-on-Tees or – more precisely – the childhood bedroom that I shared with my sisters at the White House, Hartburn. The room had been cleared of bedroom furniture to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Any Questions, armchair, audience, BBC, bed, bedroom, bird, broadcast, childhood, cream, dolly, fireplace, furniture, Hartburn, house, lady, marble, mother, old, Radio 4, red, seating, sister, Stockton, Stockton-on-Tees, velvet, vinyl, wallpaper, White House | Leave a comment

Seaside town wins BBC Food and Farming Award (Rousse)

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Dreamaticus

The winner of the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards was the a seaside town on the south coast of England. The prize recognised the elaborate ‘sandcastle’ complex that included a working roller-coaster and mechanical dinosaur.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged award, BBC, coast, complex, dinosaur, England, farm, farming, food, roller coaster, sandcastle, sea, seaside, south | Leave a comment

Belle the drag queen

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Dreamaticus

I was the first UK contestant on Ru Paul’s Drag Race – and the first woman. My character – Bobby Saint-George – was going to bring a slice of Carry-On style saucy humour to proceedings. I was being coached by … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged BBC, cello, Dan Walker, drag queen, Football Focus, Patti Stanger, Ru Paul | Leave a comment

A rival called Norman (Rousse)

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Dreamaticus

I left with AJ. She seemed rather agitated. In the lift I declared my love for her. This didn’t seem to solve her dilemma: to support me or to support Norman. We were temporarily distracted by the sound of TPR’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged agitate, BBC, choice, dilemma, interview, lift, loud, love, Norman, problem, radio, rival, Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, support, TPR, voice | Leave a comment

News of sex scandal ‘of BBC proportions’ breaks at British university (Rousse)

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Dreamaticus

BD and I were dealing with a wee dilemma. Our colleague X was doing the rounds asking for sponsorship. Meanwhile we needed to approach the same people to gather contributions to X’s retirement present. We feared that few people would … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accusation, amle, BBC, British, colleague, dilemma, give, jimmy savile, malpractice, news, present, retirement, scandal, senior, sex, sponsorship, student, university | Leave a comment

Lucinda Legerwood awarded PhD (Rousse)

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Dreamaticus

BB hosted the viva in his office, HR chaired it, and the candidate – Lucinda Legerwood of BBC Apprentice fame – engaged in conversation with the female external examiner in Wolverhampton by Skype. I was on the beach when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Apprentice, bar, BBC, beach, call, candidate, chat, examination, examiner, external, Lucinda Legerwood, office, pass, result, Skype, viva, Wolverhampton | Leave a comment

The real reason why Jeremy Clarkson was forced to leave the BBC (Rousse)

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Dreamaticus

Jeremy Clarkson had been sacked so my long-awaited appearance on Top Gear was cancelled. However, the disgraced TV star still honoured our date. First he cooked for me and DB. Breakfast was a huge plate of black bacon. Then he … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged assault, bacon, BBC, black, breakfast, cancel, departure, fire, interview, Jeremy Clarkson, leave, mysterious, mystery, producer, sack, text, Top Gear | Leave a comment