Archives for November 2010

John Lennon would have been 70 this year, and next week it will be 30 years since Mark Chapman ended his life outside the Dakota building in New York. Richard Bacon marked these two anniversaries with a two hour show in Liverpool.

We decided to broadcast from the Beatles Story in the Albert Dock because it is the official home of Beatles memorabilia in the city, and full of rare and unseen pictures and stories that so influenced the life of arguably the most iconic Beatle.

The museum is a testament to the huge impact that Lennon and the Beatles had on pop music; it charts their career from the Quarrymen to Beatlemania; the split to Lennon's solo work, ending in the white room with the chords of "Imagine" in the air.

Once we got in the museum, we chose the replica Cavern as our venue, because it is the location that is closely associated with the band and where - dressed in black leather - John Lennon discovered the strut which would turn the Beatles into the biggest band the world had ever seen.

I'm from Liverpool, and I know that many people there want to talk about him and explain his origins. We managed to put together a great cast list of those who either knew him, studied him, or - in the case of Marcus Cahill, the official "John Lennon" at the Cavern Club - embodied him.

Philip Norman, who wrote the definitive John Lennon biography in 2008, joined Richard for the whole two hours. He used his great knowledge of Lennon to paint a picture of a man who was a genius on the outside, but inwardly someone who struggled to satisfy his own exacting standards. He was apparently always unhappy with the sound of his own singing voice, and was even critical of "Strawberry Fields Forever", which many people consider his masterpiece.

The Quarrymen was John's first band, formed as a skiffle group in 1957, and that band would eventually go through several names before settling on The Beatles. Rod Davis and Len Garry played in that first incarnation and they came to our makeshift studio in the Cavern to describe a young Lennon who - even in those early days - just "had something".

They also performed two songs from the Quarrymen days and told Richard what made them leave what would become the biggest-selling band of all time:

The young Lennon was also the subject of Sam_Taylor-Wood's film "Nowhere Boy". She explored the relationship between Lennon and the two female figures in his childhood - his mother Julia and his Aunt Mimi. But John Lennon also had a significant impact on her own artistic life and she told Richard how nervous she was about portraying his life after visiting Liverpool and understanding his importance to scousers.

"Whispering" Bob Harris interviewed John in 1975 and told Richard that it was the most memorable three days of his career. Lennon had just found out that Yoko Ono was pregnant with Sean and seemed very relaxed and at peace with the world. John offered to record two songs for the Old Grey Whistle Test, and one of them - "Stand By Me" - was Bob's favourite.

"If you want to know anything about the Beatles then ask Tony Bramwell - he remembers more than I do." So said Sir Paul McCartney of the long-serving Apple Corps executive. Tony joined us in the second half of the show to describe life on the road with the Beatles, what it was really like at the height of Beatlemania, and how Yoko Ono was, in his opinion, definitely the one who split up the band....

Miles Kane - of Last Shadow Puppets fame - is recording a solo album at the moment and he took time out from the studio to explain the great influence that John Lennon has had on his song-writing and performance. It was great to get the perspective of a modern musician who owes so much to Lennon's legacy. Miles's praise summed up the show perfectly: that 30 years after his death he is still remembered as the great artist and innovator, whose influence spans generations.

Cosmo Shield is a producer on the Richard Bacon show.

Related links

Richard Bacon on 5 live

Daily Bacon podcast

The Beatles Story museum

BBC Comedy: a rapper's tribute to John Lennon

I suppose I grew up on a diet of sports biographies and books. Like a lot of sportsmen, my dad Terry Yorath didn't read much else. He usually chose other footballers' books, but as a keen horse man he did like racing biographies too.

I remember reading Lester Piggott's book when I was a teenager - I was probably the only kid in my class reading that.

Tony Cascarino's book, which came out about twelve years ago, seemed to change the way sporting stars wrote about themselves.

Most publishers had tended to focus on the career of an athlete and what he or she did on the field of play, but Cascarino's very candid look at himself and his personal life gave a much fuller picture. He also revealed a brilliant secret: he wasn't really Irish, and that helped to make the book a bestseller.

I love finding out what makes the brilliant sports people we adore tick, how they got to the top of their game, what makes them special, and finding out they have insecurities and failings, just like us.

Andre Agassi's book, Open, is one of the six shortlisted entries for this year's William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

It's a great example of a sportsman we all feel we know revealing a tortured and uncomfortable side to himself, which in his case makes me admire him even more.

Brian Moore's book is also a fascinating glimpse inside the mind of a complicated man.

Of course, not all of the books are biographies, and I really enjoyed Matthew Syed's book Bounce, which is about how different athletes have made it in their chosen sports. My only regret was that I hadn't read it as a 15 year old gymnast.

My husband Kenny Logan wrote his book Just For Kicks last year and I know he found it a cathartic experience. Perhaps that's why so many sportsmen do it. Maybe it can finally lay the ghost of a career to rest.

Gabby will speak to nominees and reveal the winner of the 2010 William Hill Book Of The Year Award during the show on Tuesday 30 November. It will be live from the award ceremony from 12pm-2pm.

This year's nominees:

• Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
• Trautmann's Journey: From Hitler Youth to FA Cup Legend by Catrine Clay
• A Last English Summer by Duncan Hamilton
• Blood Knots by Luke Jennings
• Beware of the Dog: Rugby's Hard Man Reveals All by Brian Moore
• Bounce: How Champions Are Made by Matthew Syed

Thursday morning at 6am sees the start of your first Ashes Breakfast on 5 live, as England begin the job of defending the Ashes in Australia.

5 live's Mark Pougatch is there - with scheduled reports from Brisbane every 15 minutes during play, as well as live, up-to-the-minute updates on wickets and other defining moments.

It's all part of your regular mix of news, sport and entertaining conversation on 5 live Breakfast. If what you need first thing is a good morning dose of what's going on - both cricket and otherwise - Ashes Breakfast on 5 live is the place to be.

Scott Solder is the editor of 5 live Breakfast. Tune in every morning from 6am.

Related Posts

BBC Ashes Coverage - TMS producer Adam Mountford writes about our coverage

Related Links

Ashes Breakfast - full details

Test Match Special on 5 live sports extra - listen again to overnight commentary

Ashes Highlights on 5 live sports extra - catch up with highlights and Aggers & Boycott each morning

Test Match Special podcast - download Aggers and Boycott's close of play summary

Test Match Special online - audio, text commentary and stats

We've made a few changes to the 5 live website today that I believe bring greater focus to the site and make it a lot easier to find the best bits of 5 live's output.

The most significant alteration is the launch of our Best Bits page. There are dozens of examples of radio gold on 5 live each week, be it an unforgettable listener contribution or something unexpected from an interviewee, and this is where you'll be able to find them all in one place. The page features the most recent 25 clips that have been published on the 5 live website as well as the seven current most popular clips.

Now that we have this page we've got rid of the News, Sport and Life pages which we tended to use to aggregate links to clips. These sections of the site were used relatively little compared to other pages and most visitors to the most popular of these indexes, Sport, came mainly to see our commentary schedule. To that end, we've now 'promoted' the Commentaries page to the main menu as well.

Another small tweak that I hope will please regular visitors to this blog is that there is now a link to the 5 live blog in the main navigation menu.

Related links

5 live Best Bits

How many women has Coronation Street's Ken Barlow had in his life? Just one of the many pressing questions mulled over on the train up to Weatherfield by Richard Bacon's production team.

The answer came from the man who plays Ken, William Roache, when he chatted to Richard in the Rovers Return last Wednesday. Tony Warren, the man who created the show, was also there. To find out how many women it was, you can listen back to the show here.

William and Tony have worked on the show since it started, and to have them talking together was just one of the highlights of a very special show. For the entire two hours Richard was live from Britain's best loved street, speaking to cast members, producers and writers in the only radio show of its kind to mark Corrie's 50th anniversary. Perhaps it's because Richard himself is on the list of famous fans - along with Snoop Dogg, Noel Gallagher and Peter Schmeichel - that we were given such exclusive access.

I'd been working on setting up the show since the summer, but until about an hour before we went on air, I didn't even know exactly who we'd have, and where we could broadcast from. In fact, even as the show was on air, we still didn't know whether we'd speak to William Roache, or whether others would still be stuck in traffic. The people at ITV told me to have faith, to be prepared to change things at the last minute, and that we'd have a great show. Well, have faith we did, and Richard's really good at adapting at short notice.

The people at Corrie were true to their word. We had Sally Dynevor (who plays Sally Webster and is a huge 5 live fan) with Richard for the whole show, along with one of the producers. We opened the show live from the cobbles, again something we didn't know we'd be allowed to do until just before we went on air. Even then, a minute before the show started, Ryan Thomas, who plays Jason Grimshaw, strolled up in full costume after just shooting a scene.

It was all pretty surreal, and on more than one occasion I had to stop myself calling people by their character names. After all, when I set this up, all my wish list entries were by character name, and the cast are very much used to this. In fact, William Roache told us that mothers would tell their children to 'come away from him' when they saw him in the street, because he was up to no good in a soap storyline. The lines were very much blurred between reality and fiction on this Wednesday afternoon in Manchester.

We spent the rest of the show in the Rovers, and Sally was joined by the rest of her family - Brooke Vincent (Sophie Webster), Sasha Parkinson (Sian Powers) and Michael Le Vell (Kevin Webster) all sat round the table in the pub. There was a great moment when Sally and Kevin had a dispute in full character and we had some great pre-recorded material of Richard going round the set, having a glimpse at the post tram-crash future and hearing fascinating insights from Anthony Cotton (Sean Tully) and Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre).

But while producing the show was seat-of-the-pants stuff, the two biggest challenges we actually faced were containing our excitement and not giving things away about future episodes. As we walked round the set in the morning and met members of the cast in the green room, we found out some stuff that'll happen after the tram crash. One thing I can reveal is that a major character is still there. I only say this because he walked off set declaring he needed some deodorant as he was 'humming a bit'.

Wednesday was a fascinating, exciting and revealing day which, above all, made two hours of fantastic radio. What came across is that everyone working on Corrie absolutely loves the show. It's been a huge part of British telly for half a century, and we were really pleased to have seen how it's all put together.

Mick Tucker is a producer on the Richard Bacon show

Related Links

Coronation Street

Each week, a specialist in a business subject joins us in the studio for 5 live's On The Money to answer your business questions. Sarah Blow, founder of Girl Geek Dinners writes about the advances in technology for small businesses.

There are some great software packages out there for startups right now and some that I would count as really useful core applications to any start up looking for great tools without having to pay a fortune for them! After all every small business is looking for ways to keep costs down whilst they grow.

Yammer - Social Network software. Yammer is like Twitter but for private organisations. You can share messages, links and content privately amongst your team or network. Content is distributed through the Yammer application on your desktop machine, mobile phone or text message.

Google Apps for Business - Gmail, Calendar, Docs & Site for your business needs. These allow the simple sharing within your organisation for your calendars, documents and your website too. You also have the advantage of having Google Chat to communicate with your team from anywhere. Gone are the days where you have to work in the office! The collaboration on documents is particularly handy!

Zoho CRM - Customer Relationship Management system. This system looks after your e-mail lists, customer communications and inventory management. When you get larger it also integrates with sales and accounting ERP systems.

Freshbooks - This invoicing system is simple and helps put together your accounts and also enables simple billing to your customers.

Objective Marketer - Social Media marketing and monitoring software which integrates with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. It detects who retweets and shares your content and who your "influencers" are along with tracking the number of clicks and scheduling updates. It also allows for automated content distribution.

The types of technology that you should be using in a small business are those that are free or low cost - but that meet the needs of your company. There's no point over-engineering your processes to fit the software that is available. Be sensible and try to use software that saves you time and money. When considering technology, also consider how it will work when your organisation grows, ways to export your system or integrate them with larger services.

It's also well worth looking at some of the large corporates when you are exploring how your business can benefit from software. For example Microsoft runs a service called BizSpark which enables small businesses to use some of their core technologies for their start ups. You need to sign up to get it but you get the software and the benefit of events and support tailored for startups.

If you want to find out more about the latest softwares, tools and technologies being released keep an eye on websites like Mashable.com, TechCruch.com and The Next Web which all regularly feature and focus on both startups and applications that are useful to startups. These sites also let you know about up and coming events along with Eventbrite which is an events service and Enterprise UK which is a govornment backed initiative for startups.

On The Money goes out on 5 live between 8 and 9pm every Sunday night

What goes on behind the scenes when one of our main programmes leaves the comfort of its studios? I've worked on thirty or more outside broadcasts - or OBs, as we call them - during my time with 5 live, so I am pretty battle-hardened by now.

My all-time favourite was helping the Simon Mayo show during the Fourth Ashes Test at Trent Bridge in 2005. I particularly enjoyed taking Mark Kermode into the ranks of the Barmy Army and trying to persuade him that cricket could be fun.

The most moving was when Shelagh Fogarty and I spent the morning at the Acorns Childrens Hospice in Worcester. And I had a lot of fun presenting from a Herefordshire pub one Saturday evening last summer.

Tomorrow morning, Shelagh's back on my patch. We'll be spending the morning at the Steelhouse Lane police station in Birmingham city centre. It's an imposing Victorian Gothic building and I'm afraid that if you're ever arrested during a night out in Birmingham, these are the cells where you'll languish.

One 5 live presenter, who shall remain nameless, says he knows a couple of mates who have suffered that very ignominy.

Organising an OB is a mammoth task. First you have to come up with an idea for a programme, and then a location. Lots of issues about policing have been in the news in the past week or so, but when we made the decision to go ahead, we wouldn't have known any of this.

The initial meetings happened last year, and the decision to have the OB was made six months ago. We wanted to wait until after a packed 5 live summer schedule, and West Midlands Police asked us to wait until after the Pope's visit and the Conservative Party Conference, when they were less busy. That why it is only happening now in November.

The Police promised us access all areas and have been as good as their word. As well as ordinary police officers, we will be hearing from the Chief Constable, Chris Sims, who has some tough decisions to make as a result of the Spending Review, with a predicted 2250 job losses, including more than a thousand uniformed officers.

The force has recently been involved in a humiliating climbdown over surveillance cameras in Muslim areas of the city, and after several apologies, I expect them to again say sorry today.

I also asked whether 'access all areas' meant we could see the workings of the Regional Counter Terrorism Unit, and after some more delicate negotiations, I was allowed into its HQ last week.

This is quite a coup for 5 Live, as no journalist has ever been allowed inside one of the country's CTU buildings, nor has anyone been given the kind of access and interviews that I have. I'm still not allowed to reveal its whereabouts, for security reasons. You can hear more about it on Breakfast.

The mechanics of the programme are also interesting. A man called Gary Wisbey gets us on air, by setting up a complex mobile studio. He ensures that the presenter, guests and producers can communicate with each another, and also with Nicky and the team back in London, as well as being on top of what is happening in the news. It's still beyond me how he does it, and I am quite good with the technical kit (I'm especially good at breaking it).

We'll be getting up between 4 and 5am, and we'll be in place shortly after 5.30. Shelagh and Nicky have to run through various scripts and briefs before the start of the programme, and it takes a little bit longer to sort these things out when you are in different cities.

Coffee, tea and pastries are usually brought in by someone, along with the morning newspapers. My job is to bring my expertise and local knowledge about the West Midlands and policing, to try to add some context to some of the stories, and introduce some of the guests to Shelagh and our producers.

It's proper live radio, on location, and it's always worth it once we get on air.

Phil Mackie is 5 live's West Midlands reporter

In the last hour, news has broken of Prince William's upcoming wedding to Kate Middleton. 5 live is at its best when we have a big, developing story on our hands, and the newsroom really springs to life. Last week's student demonstration in London was another example of how 5 live brings the latest news throughout the day.

Victoria Derbyshire interrupted a conversation with our chief political correspondent John Pienaar to announce the news that had just dropped on the wires. The team at the production desk immediately hit the phones to try and get good guests on air, and there were immediate responses from listeners via text, email and social networks.

Frazer in Edinburgh said he's already bored of the coverage. He may have to listen selectively today. Because this is 5 live, we are constantly getting listeners' reactions, positive and negative, so we can gauge what the country thinks of it.

The BBC News Twitter stream is also active, as are colleagues' personal accounts. I'm not sure of the merits of announcing news to 30-odd followers, but I'll allow them their excitement.

5 live's Core News team are busy making sure we have reporters in all the appropriate locations, and it's situations like this where our network of regional journalists comes into its own. We can get to wherever we need to be as quickly as possible. For example, Chris Mason's usually our political reporter, but he's been sent to Buckingham Palace.

George Riley said he once saw the Prince paying for his own petrol, and Gabby Logan pointed out that all the major international news networks are heavily featuring the Royal announcement. Krishnan Guru-Murthy from Channel 4 News said today's a good day to bury bad news.

We'll also shortly be hearing from the PM, and we just got reaction from some British soldiers in Afghanistan. They seemed pretty pleased.

UPDATE 1500: Richard Bacon's been asking listeners for their connections to Royal weddings, the more tenous the better. Yesterday, Richard recorded an interview with the legendary rapper Chuck D. It's not often we get someone like that, so the editor made sure it was broadcast. As it turned out, there weren't any significant Royal developments while we ran the tape.

We've heard from the Prime Minister, who said he heard the news during a Cabinet meeting, and that everyone cheered. Prince Charles has said he's 'thrilled' (although we have yet to actually hear him.) But as I mentioned, not much else has happened since the initial flurry. It'll be Drive's lead story, and presumably Livesey's too. Maybe even Breakfast's (although it's far too early to know for certain). Once this is all done, we have several months of wedding news to look forward to...

UPDATE 0815: It was indeed the lead on Drive yesterday, and the programme was extended beyond 7pm to accommodate Tom Bradby's interview with the couple. That came to us at around 7. It's also Breakfast's main story, and will be discussed further on Your Call. (Call 0500 909 693 if you want to speak to Nicky after 9.) It's on the front page of every national newspaper (except the Independent), and major news organisations around the world are giving it plenty of coverage.

Each week, a specialist in a business subject joins us in the studio for 5 live's On The Money to answer your business questions. Danvers Baillieu, founder of Bootlaw writes about the legal considerations to keep in mind when setting up your business.

Please note that the following is generic legal advice only - and should not be relied on for specific legal queries

Saving money on legal bills

When you're starting out in business, the last thing you need is to spend a fortune on legal fees. The good news is that if you're sensible, you can save money. First of all, it is important to dodge any unnecessary disputes. Litigation is expensive and messy but often avoidable.

Before leaving your old job, act sensibly and don't try to use your employer's equipment, intellectual property or confidential information (such as client lists) as this is a sure fire way to get sued even before your business has started.



Secondly, KEEP IT SIMPLE! By all means have the most complicated business model or technology on the planet but keep the legal structure simple. Ex-lawyers are often the worst offenders, ironically, as they want to do something "clever". It is rarely worth it and can add extra cost when cash is tight.

Thirdly, don't use solicitors - do it yourself or use some of the great free and low cost resources out there. There are some good law-related websites which are free to use, and others where standard documents (such as employment agreements) can be downloaded cheaply. As an entrepreneur, you'll have to learn lots of new and exciting skills - learn to read a legal document.

And if you do need to use a solicitor, pick one you can get on with on a personal level as well and try to get to know him or her. We like to understand our clients and what makes them tick and like all professionals we are more likely to go the extra mile as well as prioritise the work of those clients who are friendly and polite.

Raising money for a business

On the radio last week, one listener asked for advice on raising money to take over his employer's business, as the employer is retiring and is planning to shut it down. The listener had the added handicap of having some County Court Judgments (CCJs) against his name.

There are a couple of options. First, he could ask friends and family for a loan or see if they might take a stake in the business, but also ask the retiring boss if he would invest in his team to carry on the business. This could work for both parties - the boss doesn't have to shut down the business but can keep an income from it, and he would have an investor who will give you useful advice and support.

There might be small business grants available. I have one very successful client, who runs Kashflow, and he started out with a grant from the Prince's Business Trust.

Protecting the Intellectual Property in a Business

Another listener asked about protecting the "intellectual copyright" in the unique training business he is about to launch in Australia. A quick lesson on legal terminology - "intellectual property" is the catch all phrase which includes copyright, design rights, trademarks, patents and know-how.

Copyright protection is automatic when you create words, sounds or pictures and it is not necessary to register it in the UK or Australia. The concern is probably a bit misplaced in this case, because a training business is about the marketing and delivery of the training and not simply the contents. It is always a mistake to assume that everyone will want to compete with you if you have a brilliant business idea - because you are probably the only person who (a) thinks it is brilliant and (b) has the time, energy and so on to make it happen.

Once you've proven it is brilliant, the copycats will emerge, but by then, with any luck, you'll have established yourself and have the so-called "first mover advantage".

On The Money goes out on 5 live between 8 and 9pm every Sunday night

One of the things that sets 5 live apart from many other radio stations is that we're engaged in a constant conversation with our listeners. That usually means via text message, email or over the phone but recently another form of communication has gained popularity among the 5 live audience and our presenters... Twitter.

In this video 5 live controller Adrian Van Klaveren and Drive presenter Peter Allen discuss the ways our audience get in touch.

We know that not everyone is a fan of 140-character updates - just a few weeks ago Janet Street-Porter berated Richard Bacon and his "club" of followers. But on the whole Twitter is a boon for 5 live for the following reasons.

Engaging with our audience

As Adrian says in the video above, alongside text messages and emails Twitter is another way that listeners can tell us what they think of what's on air. What's different of course is that when using Twitter they do so publicly. Sometimes this can be positive:

Other times less so:

Often our listeners do our marketing for us via Twitter too. On Tuesday afternoon there was a raft of tweets from Misfits fans telling each other that the cast of the Channel 4 series were Richard Bacon's guest in the studio.

Perhaps an even more important function that Twitter allows is instant and direct engagement with listeners. As well as looking at people replying to @bbc5live we also keep an eye on the various search permutations of "5 live" "radio 5" etc to see what people are saying about us. It's always satisfying to reply to someone like @Locko8668 with an immediate answer to their question.

What's brilliant about Twitter and the way we can instantly connect with people is that listeners evidently really appreciate it when we reply to their comments:

Promoting our content

Outside of the main search engines we now get more referrals to the 5 live website from Twitter and Facebook than any other non-BBC site. The main 5 live Twitter feed @bbc5live has nearly 30,000 followers and we do our best to share the best audio and video clips, tweets from our presenters and correspondents and details about upcoming programmes.

Thirty thousand is obviously a small proportion of our 6 million plus total listeners but there are a range of other 5 live related Twitter accounts that engage with the audience in different ways. Because Twitter is by its nature a social network we also benefit from our followers re-tweeting our links to their followers so Twitter can be a way of bringing brand new audiences to 5 live.

Greater access to presenters

You'll have noticed that many of our presenters are on Twitter and a lot of them use it to get contributions to their programmes. Today Twitter was used to find eye-witnesses at the student protests at Millbank. Even if you don't have a Twitter account you can still see any public Twitter feed in a web browser and all @bbc5live tweets are visible on our homepage. Each morning on the 5 live Connect page we publish the best tweets we see during Your Call. You also only have to look at Nicky Campbell or Victoria Derbyshire's feeds to see how listeners welcome the personal interaction they enjoy with presenters.

It's still early days for Twitter and how 5 live makes best use of it. There are obvious drawbacks: it's not as democratic as email or text and contributions we receive via Twitter are obviously restricted to those who use it. But an important part of my job is keeping aware of new technology and working out what scales and what works. I see Twitter as something else that's now part of our toolbox alongside other established forms of communication - this blog included of course.

On a recent Radio Academy podcast Simon Mayo said that Twitter is a "fantastic resource for making programmes" and that's something we should certainly keep in the forefront of our minds.

Whether you're a Twitter addict or can't see what all the fuss is about I'd be interested to hear your views on what's certainly a phenomenon.

Related links

@bbc5live - follow us on Twitter!

@bbc5live/lists - links to all 5 live related Twitter accounts

BBC Editorial Guidelines - notes on personal use of microblogging and social networks

Why Twitter matters for media organisations - Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger enthuses

Each week, a specialist in a business subject joins us in the studio for 5 live's On The Money to answer your business questions. Allyson Stewart-Allen, founder of International Marketing Partners answers your questions on taking yout business overseas.

Isn't the American way of doing business pretty similar to the UK? How is it different?

No, it's not like the UK in many ways. Here are some top tips to avoid getting it wrong:

The Clock is King

Be on time for meetings. Respect the Americans need to maintain a schedule. Deadlines are serious. Be prepared to meet them or lose business.



Hi There, Glad to Meet You, What's the Bottom Line?

Be prepared to provide specific information about your products including pricing. Arrange your material, your story, and facts in simple formats. Can you distill your presentation into a one page Executive Summary?

Business Before Pleasure

Be willing to do business first, build the relationship second. Remember no insult is intended!

Hip, Hip, Hooray for Our Team! (We Are Family, Equal and Ethical)

Treat everyone as if they will be the person to sign your contract. Everyone, no matter of assigned rank is to be treated as equals. Be prepared to be addressed by your given name after the first, brief introduction.

My Way or the Highway

Americans want choices, to have their opinions recognized. Be sure to involve people in a decision. Provide choices in your product so consumers believe you recognize their needs.

Follow the Guides

If consultants or lawyers are included in meetings, don't be offended or anxious. They are routinely included in the capacity of advisors. When hiring ask people you respect for recommendations. Expect references to be supplied and establish a budget for fees before a project begins.

We Are the World

Don't be surprised if your US-based colleague doesn't know about the key issues in your city much less that the best football team can mean Manchester United not the Dallas Cowboys.

New IS Improved

Be cautious before you dismiss a new idea or insist that things be done 'the way we always have.

Plan, Plan, Plan

Don't be surprised when you're asked to describe your market entry plan, your training plan, or your plan to increase revenue or where you plan to go on vacation. The assumption is always that you will have a plan!

Do it Now!

Even with the emphasis on planning described above, Americans still may make decisions seemingly on impulse. In their rush to 'get things done" they try to decide quickly and worry about the consequences later.

What localisation will we need to think about before we sell overseas?

The most urgent things to think about are 1) your packaging as some colours are unwelcome in other places (a well-known fertilizer brand kept its green-white-black colours on the box in Malaysia where green conveys fungal rot!); 2) your pricing must be quoted in the local currencies and not GBP; 3) the sizes are important. Only recently Starbucks learned this the hard way by offering their 20-ounce "Venti" coffee in the UK and quickly retreated when consumers where left aghast by the super-size coffee - a bit TOO American.

How good are trade shows for getting us in front of potential international customers?

Trade shows can be fantastically productive and cost-effective ways for meeting your customers, researching your competition, and learning about the trends in your sector. Get hold of the exhibitors catalog in advance to plan your route as some venues are super-size and potentially will have you spending your entire time walking several miles/kilometers.

Should we second one of our team to the overseas country so they can get to be expert on it, or should we just hire a local(s)?

The best strategy is to do both. That way, the local hire can train your secondee who then can pass on their knowledge when they return to your office. Make sure when you hire the local person they understand how to do business the British way as otherwise this can be a source of friction for a very key relationship.

What's the best way for us to research an international market?

It depends on how much time, money and management talent you have. The first step in any case is to do your homework. Spend time in the target country(ies), soak up the local habits/customs, talk to other UK businesses there and find out what some of the lessons are they've learned. Talk to your potential customers in those markets and make sure you know what they value and how that's the same or different to what your UK customers value. If you do this, then all the other steps will fall into place and you've raised your chances of being very successful and profitable. Having the right mindset - assuming you'll succeed in that overseas market - is a definite requirement!

On The Money goes out on 5 live between 8 and 9pm every Sunday night

Sage, Gateshead

OK, so there was Nessun Dorma at the World Cup in 1990. French existentialist author Albert Camus was a noted goalkeeper. Visit the British Museum and you'll realise that the sculptors of Ancient Greece quite liked a ripped torso.

But while some footballers allegedly boast a cultured left foot, there aren't many places where you see the artistic and the sporting life of the nation come together.

There may be people out there who own season tickets for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, AND Stamford Bridge, but they're probably among a tiny - and super-rich - minority.

So what's better - sport or the arts?

It's a question we'll be asking this Saturday night in the first ever simultaneous broadcast between Radio 5 live and Radio 3. A panel of sports pundits and arts lovers will go toe-to-toe in front of a live audience at the Sage in Gateshead.

With a British Wimbledon winner or a repeat of England's World Cup victory in 1966 seemingly a distant dream, should we just admit that what we really do best in this country is staging plays at the Royal Shakespeare Company, or exhibitions at the Tate?

Joining me in sport's corner will be two men whose sporting talents are matched by their brain capacity. Matthew Syed was three-times Commonwealth table tennis champion, but he also took a First from Oxford University. Pat Nevin is as passionate about music and literature as he is about the Scotland football team, for whom he won 28 caps.

They'll be out to argue that watching Lionel Messi in the Nou Camp is as aesthetically pleasing as watching the finest dancers at the Royal Ballet.

That an England victory over Australia in a Test match at Lord's is as emotionally satisfying as Puccini's Madam Butterfly at La Scala in Milan.

But maybe the killer argument belongs to Albert Camus. When asked which he preferred, football or the theatre, what was his response?

"Football, without hesitation."

'So do you agree with Albert or are the arts superior to sport?'

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What Does Britain Do Best: Sport or the Arts? - full details of the programme

If you listen to Danny Baker on Saturday mornings, you'll know he's said on air that he has a health issue at the moment and will be presenting some weeks but not others.

Well today Danny wanted to give some more information to you via his Facebook page. We've pasted the full message from him below.

I know this will come as quite a shock. But as you can see from his message, he's in good spirits. So some Saturdays over the next few months he will be raring to go and will be on his 5 live show as normal and other weeks we'll be giving Danny a rest.

I am sure you will all join me in wishing him all the best for the months ahead.

Danny's message on Facebook reads:

Hello cats and kittens,

Apologies for the cloak and d. over recent weeks. However as it appears this is going to continue for the forseeable I really ought to offer up some sort of breadcrumbs trail as to what's going on. (As you know I am queasy about introducing vulgar real life onto the vaudeville stage so let's keep this crisp.)

After a pretty mouldy diagnosis about a month back I finally begin chemotherapy on Monday with further radiotherapy from January. Yes radiotherapy; can you beat it? This being so, the old treehouse baggy pants will be donned but sparingly. Once the quacks have soundly thrashed this thing I shall return like a rare gas and as if out of a trap. In the meantime I am watching Tommy Steele box sets (and has there ever been a more lying title to a film than TS's "It's All Happening"?) and urge you all to keep yakking up a storm and laugh extra loud at the incumbents.

Thank you for all the best wishes and concern from those who suspected as much about my "condition" and by all means keep ringing up Baylen and Amy to demand more and more Atomic Rooster and Spooky Tooth records.

So. Manly handshake. Walk right on. In the words of King George, "What what and there it is..."

DB

• The Danny Baker Show is on 5 live on Saturday mornings from 9am, and you can watch it under the red button
• The full programme is also available as a podcast