Simon, I would love to hear SIZE OF A COW by The Wonder Stuff - haven't heard that for years



Enjoy your break!

Good Morning Simon, Good Morning Everyone,



Hope you are all well and happy. Hope you have a fabulous gap week Simon - you will be missed.



This ARF might be appropriate for some today - it would cetainly be a great way to start the show: School's Out by Alice Cooper.



Good menshes this week. Well done everyone.



Have great days all.



Softy

xx

Simon, the honest truth is that I will miss you playing records for 'us lot', too! :) Listening to Drivetime really is the best way to spend a couple of hours.

Have a wonderful holiday, you haven't had one in a while, recharge the batteries, and see you a week on Tuesday.

Thank you for playing two of my suggestions yesterday, so I won't be suggesting anything today. Also because the McFadden and Whitehead song you played as the opener would have been my choice today, can't have that now can we?



the mad chicken woman x

Have a great break Simon, you will be missed.



ARF request - J. Geils Band, Freeze Frame.



X



Gail.

Well Simon, I'm going into the Easter holidays equally prepared, and Monopoly is on the list. Although in my house, we have to have an adjudicator as cheating is rife, just like that scene from Porridge when Fletch is playing with Blanco.



How about a bit of 80's poptastic 'get you up and get you grooving' kind-a tune to start tonight?



Rarely played on radio either: Let's have........



Londonbeat - I've Been Thinking About You



Good moaning to fellow blog headbangers!!

Being a London Marathon weekend, surely there can only be one song worthy of opening the show!



Keep on Running!

Morning Simon, Team & Blogpoppets!



Hope you have a relaxing and happy week with your family, Simon - you'll be missed bu 'us lot'!



ARF suggestion: FISHERMAN'S BLUES - The Waterboys.



Back later



Tortie x

Morning all



Have a wonderful week Simon .. we'll look after Liza for you ..



RESPECT by Aretha Franklin please ..



and good wishes to any other blog-poppets who are off next week too ..



some of us will be holding the fort while you're away ..

Just for a change Simon, how about....



OUT OF TIME ~ Chris Farlowe



He's 70yrs old, on tour just now, and still belting out this song!!!!

Thanks Simon x

PS: Have a nice week off with your family Simon.. I shall miss who is now my favourite DJ on my favourite programme on the radio but I'm sure Liza will do a good job of holding the fort in your absence!

Morning Simon, team, NYM and caffeine-fuelled bloggers



Have a pleasant week away, Simon, and take a good supply of mini-eggs. Just as some people start their Easter holidays, some of the Good children are ending theirs. Back to school for the summer term on Monday. And four days later it's Easter!



Anyway, inspired by the Mike & the Mechanics interview earlier this week, my ARFO suggestion is:



CUDDLY TOY - Roachford



Wheelbangingairguitarstrummingsingalongdancingroundthekitchentastic.



Nice day all, be good.

Morning folks - sorry not to have been around all week. Been away with no interweb. Have a good week next week Simon - as we will all say, you will be missed. I'll try and catch up on the blog if poss - sounds like (and looks like) it's still a "hot dog/jumping blog/Albuquerque"...actually that would make a great ARF opener, so let's have Simon please...



KING OF ROCK AND ROLL - Prefab Sprout



or my initial choice, which is the totally unreconstructed glam fest of my youth that is (with attempts at the correct spelling)...



MAMA WEER ALL CRAZEE NOW - Slade



Have a nice day y'all...

'You never know it might be you!'



Are the exact words of encouragement that I need, to ask once more............



Simon, NYM and the Drivetime team, would you please play TWILIGHT by ELO.



It would really kickstart, what I hope is going to be a great weekend.



Sunday is looking promising, weather wise. Then next week its supposed to pick up again, so Lets hope that it is a great Easter week for everyone.



MTF.xx

#13 MTF - Robert the Bruce's Spider springs to mind!



It's quiet here then, even for a Friday. Where is everyone?

Have a good holiday Simon - you will be missed, but appreciated all the more when you get back!



Thanks for the splendid mensh yesterday, loved hearing Todd Snider.



My ARF is WOULDN'T IT BE NICE - Beach Boys

Good morning everyone.



A cool, misty start to the day here in Cumbria but at least it's dry. As the great mand sang, "a good day ain't got no rain. A bad day's when I lie in bed and think of things that might've been". So onwards and upwards towards my first million from bookselling.



Have a great day!

Good morning Simon, Team, NNYM and fellow blogpoppets!



Thanks again to you all for the birthday wishes yesterday. Made me feel very special. Was very spoiled - 3 CD's (new Elbow, Black Eyed Peas and Adele "19"), Dream Girls on DVD and the recent Book Club choice, "The Gallows Curse". Plus a subscription to a foodie magazine. I then fell asleep on the sofa in a true middle-aged style. Snored and everything apparently!



Simon, we will miss you but you deserve a wee break. Enjoy yourself (its later than you think).



Our loal pub is doing a mini music festival over Easter. Bound to rain.



Anyhoo, on to the Mighty ARF. Could you please play:



TWIST & SHOUT - Chaka Demus & Pliers



It's GRREEAAAT!



Thanking you kindly



Alex-Girl

Ey up Arfers! Sorry, I mean Good Morning, Each! Still muddling along here, through the Flu(Capitalised by me)/heavy cold / slight sniffle, depending on who you are talking to. Seeing as this is me, it's Flu. Still not SUFFERRING from Flu, though, only suffering from a lack of sympathy. Hey ho. An Arf might be the thing that really cheers, and the song that would really hit the spot is...



'Roxette' by Dr Feelgood.



A-Choo!

Aha, B&B, would that be for my determination, persistence and perseverance?



Thats what Fridays are all about :)



Tis quiet isn't it?



I'll try and round up a few more when the Drivetime fb page appears.



MTF.xx

Ah, there you all are :)



MTF.xx



(I'm sure this 3 minutes is getting longer!)

Good Morning All :)



Nice to know the jumping blog gets on Simon's wick too! You will be missed Mr M but I hope you have a lovely time with your family, on your 'gap' week. I suspect I will still be tuning in for Ms Tarbuck too.



I was going to suggest School's Out - Alice Cooper But I see Southern Softy has beaten me to it, so instead I'll go for...



LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - THE BELLAMY BROTHERS



The great Bob Harris played it as the opener to his show last night, and it is a cracking song, just the ticket to get things going :)



Hope everyone has a great Friday xx

A late "Good Morning" from me - apologies -



Simon - as everyone else has said - we will miss you - enjoy your gap week.



Please may I request -



THE BEAT by The Look - as ARFO.



It will not disappoint.

#12 Hey, B&B, welcome back! How was the Book Fair? Any more depressing news on the interminable rise of the kindle?



We had 'happiness' as a theme earlier in the week. I suggested Blue Nile on your behalf but no luck.

#22 - Perhaps that request was a selfish one.



Perhaps I should have requested, for Blogger John,



GYPSIES TRAMPS & THIEVES by Cher -



suitable for every occasion so why not for ARFO?

Good Morning All,



ARF suggestion 'Fields of Fire' Big Country,



Should get the steering wheel thumping going as folks head off for their hols, bemused youngsters up and down the motorways can look out of the car windows at each other trying to deny all knowledge of their respective drivers



Hope it is a good day for everybody, have a good holiday Simon

#21 Nice choice Zoe! Mr P and I enjoyed hearing that again and agreed that it was a "classic".



On that topic, Mr P and I were discussing what made a song a classic and he had an interesting take on it. He teaches music & performance at a local college and his view is that if a song has an appeal for a new generation, then it is a classic. His students have recently been working on "House of the Rising Sun" (a reggae version apparently) and they love it.



Just one way of looking at it.



A-G

I know I've already gone for an ARFO but... If Mr M would like to dust off another Bruce Springsteen track, how about...



GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Bless you Paul!



MTF.xx

Ah - you turn your back for five minutes and the whole family comes in!



MTF - re. the spider.... yes indeed, for all of them.



Hi Harry - re. the kindle: I can't help imagining, some time back in the fourteenth century, a bunch of illustrated manuscript scribes sat around in the cloister worrying about some bloke in Germany that had invented some machine that would do all of their jobs ten times over in ten minutes, producing a hundred copies of what it took them a year to prepare... and hoping that this "printing press" business would be an overnight fad. But no news is good news - I didn't get a chance to look at anything other than the desk and the customers in front of me for three days, as it was very busy indeed. And look on the bright side - there'll be no market for secondhand downloads, so you should be safe from the onslaught!

#26 Thanks Alex :) it is a great song and I think Mr P is right, a classic song must have an enduring appeal. I think the best songs still manage to somehow stay as fresh and relevent now, as the time they were written.



I have stuff to be getting on with now, but hopefully I'll be back later, have a good one folks! :)

MTF & Ethics - from last night -



"La Vache Qui Rit" ?

...and Harry - thanks for thinking of the Blue Nile's Happiness.



#18 PoS... toppermost of the poppermost track!

Feeling in need of a bit of tidying up...



Welcome back, B&B. You were missed - punnage seriously lacking, apart from a brief dabble yesterday.



Belated HPBD Alex!



Deebee - Glad you had a fab time in NYC. I lived there for a while, and loved it. (But bad for your wallet and your waistline, well, mine anyway)



Ethics-man - just heard your mensh by the sainted Bob (am listening again in a parallel universe) He also gently let us all know we missed a blinder "The Record Store" by the Brunettes.



Billie/Zoe - I'll eat my hat (or one of Katy's) if GT&T gets played AGAIN today.



Paul - it sounds like Flu with a capital F to me. Possibly even "suffering from". If it continues into the weekend, it could be "a severe bout of".



Everyone else, "hello".



Oh, and did you see the announcement from Spotify yesterday about ending their free listening (or putting a rigid cap on it)? I understand the financial dynamics, but will put the mockers on my musical forays into unknown worlds.

Indeed Billie!



MTF.xx

Morning all :-)



'EVERLASTING LOVE' LOVE AFFAIR



thank you PSL

#29 B&B - I'm not against progress and the e-reader (I refuse to call it a 'book' because a book it ain't!) has it's place. I've often wished I could have my whole reference library of bibliographies, dealer's catalogues and book auction records with me on a little 'palm pilot' so I'm being a little hypocritical. But the thought that at some point in the future new books won't be produced fills me with dread. I love books almost as much as I love music and my love of music survived the demise of the LP record, but I can't help feeling a little bit of me died along with it.

#33 - John- you punned? Without me....?



Paul - I have to agree - you have a very bad case of full blown flu! I am in the same situation: head full of sawdust, nose running like Zola Budd, can't hear my own voice, sore throat. I think you should consider yourself VERY POORLY INDEED and seek as much solace from as many sources as possible.

#33 John



Have you seen my #22/24 ?

How thoughtful you are, Simon.

Thanks for taking a break at the same time as me - I won't miss any of your Drivetime broadcasts.



Now. About this blog. We all know it's made of stern stuff - despite nefarious attempts to halt its runaway success. Is there any reason why Liza can't 'do the blog' whilst you are away?





As for an ARFO - how's about 2.25 mins of the





IMMIGRANT SONG - LED ZEPPELIN







♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸❤

#33 JBG - I gave in and took out a subscription to Spotify and it's worth every penny :-)

#40 .......... a thought, I guess this is just another example of my hypocrisy!

Good Morning,



My ARFO suggestion is:



99 RED BALLOONS by Nena



Have a good day.x

#39 KatyMac... what an excellent idea!



Simon, please ask Liza to do the blog to keep up the continuity!



xx

#38 Billie - saw your #24 and also comments from you and Zoe last night. Made me giggle. And guess what's playing right NOW on the iThingy??? Sometimes I wonder if Mr Mayo is sending subliminal messages.



#40 Harry, yes, sigh, I might have to dig deep. #41 Hypocrisy? Well it doesn't seem like you're sticking to the moral high ground in the fight against digital.... Whetever next? You'll be telling us you've stopped using your Brownie to capture perfect moments in the Snapper household.

Morning Simon and bloggers



Can we have BLACK DOG by LED ZEP please - it's been a while ;-)

Morning all. Don't blog a lot any more but just wanted to wish Simon bon vacances and yay, I like Liza. Whose idea is it to put Richard M on EVER?? He's just awful.



My ARF suggestion :



Rock Lobster, B52's - cos it's lovely and bouncy!



xx

I've just been reading a few more posts on the R2 fb page about guest presenters. Richard Madeley doesn't seem to be a popular choice and Steve Wright is getting more and more negative comments.



I was listening to RM again this morning and I'm beginning to suspect that "Richard and Judy" is in fact a single organism.

I agree with #46 and Richard Allinson would be so much better than Richard Madeley! At least Richard A has an extensive musical knowledge and is a DJ, not a TV presenter. Richard M is always interrupting others who are talking, reviewing papers etc and he can't get through a programme without mentioning Judy or Chloe! Perhaps Richard A is too good to stand in for Chris Evans and the BBC don't want a stand-in who is too professional!

I've given up on R2 in the mornings now - I stick with R4 or have an occasional foray into Classic FM. I think Richard Allison would be a great stand-in for either Chris's or Simon's shows. I like Liza, just don't think that she is lively enough on her own, for Drivetime.

#47 Caught a few minutes of SW the other afternoon. He repeated a phone number to contact the show five times inside 60 seconds in a very deliberate and staged way. That's supposed to be programme content? Yuk. Although a nice gig if you can get it I suppose.

Hi Simon

Could you please play "Wide Eyed and Legless" by Andy Fairweather-Low to start the weekend? I'll be on my own this weekend (and trying to remain calm) because my son Jeremy recently passed his driving test and will be heading out into the wide blue yonder with his little green car to visit and stay with friends.

Don't know why this song would be appropriate, but I really like it and hardly ever hear it. (Takes me back to the good old seventies)

Thanks and best wishes

Diane

The discussion about stand ins (I just read through yesterday's blog - good puns guys!) is a tricky one, and someone pointed out that who we like and who we dislike is such a personal taste that it is difficult to legislate on what should be done. And I don't like making personal attacks on people who have the guts (and salary!!) to put themselves up for the kind of abuse that all high profile slebs get by being on the radio. BUT - in my opinion Rad2 is being wholeheartedly dumbed down with celebrity presenters who come on the radio to do "their act", or to talk about themselves and their celebrity lifestyles etc. Radios One, Two and Three are primarily music-based radio stations with different demographics, but their raison d'etre is to play music throughout the day. Good presenters - Noisy Ammo, Radcliffe and Maconie, Richard Allinson, Alex Lester, Johnny Walker, Hob Barris et al all understand this and balance the non-music elements of their show perfectly with an informative, informed, experienced and intelligent collection of items. It would make an interesting (okay - dull) survey to listen to Steve Wright and count the number of times in his show he makes no reference whatsoever to the songs he is playing - no intro, no explanation afterwards... the impression given is that the music is simply an interruption to the inanity of his co-presenters twaddle. Drives me mad when I do listen occasionally. As to who sits in for who though, I don't mind Lisa T at all - I didn't think I'd enjoy her on the radio when she first appeared on Radio 2, but she was very good with Mark Radcliffe as others have noted, and she is clearly a very intelligent woman and she doesn't bark on about her famous dad all the time, if ever. BUT - that bloke on the Chris Evans show for the last week or so....don't get me started! I'm amazed they haven't lined his wife up to do Ken Bruce's show so that they can hand over to one another and take an hour over it...

The Sun is shine , the roads are empty and i'm young and on my Harley so it has to be :-



Running on Empty - Jackson Brown

Life in the Fast Lane - The Eagles

Or

Thunder Road - Bruce and the E Street Band



By the way none of the above initial facts are correct just a day dream while sat at my office PC , but as Paddy McAloon said in CARS and GIRLS " Brucie's thoughts- pretty streamers. Guess this world needs it's dreamers may they never wake up"



So you could go for - CARS AND GIRLS - PREFAB SPROUT



Wharfedalegas - in a dream

Morning all, Mr M, team and fellow-bloggers.

Off on my hols too next week, darkest Devon, with a car full of fleeces, scrabble, crabbing equipment, windbreaks and walking maps...not too hot would be ok, but none of this rain business if you please.

So for my ARF it has to be

HIT THE ROAD JACK' Ray Charles for all us getting up early to try and thwart the caravanners attempts to bring the M4/M5 junction to a standstill....but in Mr M's case, the line 'dontcha come back' does not apply!

Richard Allinson is FAB in my opinion - witty, drole, good music choices; he is an unsung hero of R2 (this week there has been so much 70's and 80's disco musak I had to stop listening to R2 in the AM)

See y'all week after next, no WiFi in Devon house AND no blog to blog-on if you see what I mean.

Oh, the problems boilers cause when they break down! Had a boiler man in from 7.30 this morning. He worked on it for 3 hours and declared himself stumped. Said he's go away and think about it! That's nice, I thought, I'll have another cold shower then shall I?



Hence my lateness for arriving on the scene this morning - oops, it's afternoon already! Better get on with some work!



#31 Billie - "La Vache Qui Rit" ? You lost me there!

Also on the R2 fb page, Peta says that the BBC do not consider Facebook to be representative of its listeners. The only way to get your opinion heard and counted is via the complaints procedure.



I think I might have a word about Eve Pollard's sexism this morning. Can someone in the 21st century really get away with saying soemthing along the lines of "all men like war"?

#56 I think she realised what a mistake that was when she said it...what she I suppose meant was that it's in boy's DNA to be assertive and fight for their land, castle, etc - as seen in little boys playing games.

A friend banned guns in any shape or form from her kids - her son picked up a stick and pointed it at someone and said 'bang bang' seems it was instinctive, in him anyway! War is another matter. Playing cowboys and indians it 'aint.

#56



Not expecting you to answer this Harry, but then why ask for listeners opinions on Facebook if that medium is not representative of Radio 2's listeners?



They can't have it both ways.

#58 This is what Peta said:



......... first it's important to remember that the number of Facebook members only represent a very tiny proportion of our audience, Chris has 9.5 million listeners last count and we have only a *very* tiny percentage of those people on ...our Facebook groups. We have to take into account the views of all of our listeners, not just those on Facebook.



So, on that note, it's worth me pointing out this ===>



If you feel strongly about anything to do with the BBC, or Radio 2, you can submit feedback to us via this page https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/



Best wishes Peta Radio 2 Producer

#58 and it continues:



Darn Facebook, I was just going to add - the managers do get a number count up the number of complaints and bits of feedback about shows sent in via the complaints site - which is why I'm directing you there - it isn't possible to do statistical analysis of views based on Facebook comments, for the reason I gave above. Hope this info is helpful! - Peta Radio 2 Producer..

Afternoon all .. welcome back to our absentees (who do all have notes from their mums) and hello to new posters ..



Just because Simon's away, doesn't mean we have to stop playing ..



During his lost couple of holidays we've played what has become known locally as the Alison from Eastleigh Sweepstake .. guessing the number of posts that will be added before Simon returns and a new blog arrives .. I think the Chris Evans bloggers have been playing a similar game too ..



KatyMaty has been our statistician, but she may have other plans for next week ..



The new improved blog (!) has definitely slowed up traffic, and there's Easter weekend to take into account, so I'll kick things off with a modest 999 .. oh my word, that's 10 pages where it used to be just 2 ..



So feel free to join in, post your guess, and if the lovely Katy is otherwise engaged I'll post occasional updates ..

#56 & 58 etc. I think you can rant and rave about something, but all you'll really achieve is a higher blood pressure. Life really is too short to worry about such things. Just chill and change the ol' frequency and listen to something else for a change...

I am happy at least to have made my comments on FB - if they are going to take note, fine. If not, that's their problem!

#61 - please put me down for 714 posts

#59



So effectively the opinions of those on FB do not count because those opinions (or complaints if you want) don't add up to a total that would be sufficient to be considered representative of the numbers given in relation to, say, the example above, that being Chris' breakfast show?



I find that very convenient especially when the BBC are pushing social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and pushing DAB and digital listening, so that when enough people do use those services they can shut down the FM broadcast and go fully 'new age'. They have also shut down the general discussion forums which, again, seems convenient as those forums were getting more and more of the dissenting viewpoint that Radio 2 was dumbing down and employing more celebs which clearly R2 officials didn't like.



If you are going to claim transparency then be completely transparent and don't deploy cowboy transparency when you don't get the answer you want or the answers you get seem to place your decisions (as a broadcaster and corporation) in a bad light.



If Facebook opinions and complaints are not representative of the listernership, then don't offer up questions that allow for dissenting opinions, only to then discard those opinions. You can't have it go your way all the time. That is not transparency, it's conveniently brushing it under the carpet with number crunching.



Basically it means unless we get 9.5 million complaints then we are not interested. That was born out by the Ross/Brand affair where 40,000 people needed to jump on the bandwagon before it was actioned as a PR disaster. That suggests the dice are heavily loaded in the BBC's favour. They encourage people to use these services, and attempt to swell the figures by allowing conversations that allow people to have their say, and then turn around and say, well actually those opinions are not representative.



You can't have your cake and eat it too.

#61 Are you here Alison? I've messaged you on fb about the sweepie if you've got time to read.

#62



I'm not wound up by it, and my blood pressure is fine, I just don't like cowboy diplomacy. Anyways, life moves on. We all have free choice and are not expected to listen to something we don't like.

#64 - I quite agree tmfu, succinctly written.

So, pointless to get too wound-up about it.... ;-)

As an added incentive to the Sweepstake, lovely Harry the Snapper has offered a 'nearly new' copy of Brewer's Dicitonary of Phrase & Fable to the poppet with the nearest guess ..



It's bound to come in handy for a future theme, so get guessing ..

#68



Alison, I'll go for 487.

#61 Hiya Alison! Hmmm - Simon is away for 11 days. Over the past 10 days (including today) we have averaged 153 posts per day. This will doubtless drop over the Easter period as people are away and there won't be the flurry of mensh chasing. So, I will assume a 50% drop in traffic and plump for :



841



Alex-Girl

OOh a prize :)



1,962 posts!



Anything is possible ;)



MTF.xx

#68 Harry, how kind!

#71 MTF (1,962!) - might we look forward to you being on here fairly frequently then ;-)

#71 You're going to be doing lots of talking to get that number, but it'll be fun trying

:-)



Themanfromuncle - so hard to type your name without gaps in it!



So far:



487 Themanfromuncle

714 Ethics Man

841 Alex-Girl

999 Alison from Eastleigh

1962 MTF

I have been known for my frequency in the past!



I suppose, its all dependent on the weather.



Its a very nice gesture Harry.



Suzie, give me a wave as you go through Somerset. I am dreading the roads today.



MTF.xx

hello all



arf song



something about you-level 42

my guess is 379 posts

ARFternoon all



#74 Alison - I'll go for 950 posts.



Harry, what a lovely gesture.



Tortie x

Afternooning!



Can I just pop in and ask, no beg for the rocking like a baddun:



She Said by the Longpigs



What a cracking start to the show that would be!



Also - Happy Birthday to young Alex for yesterday (I think) x



All the best and have a terrific weekend all



Rips



x

Ooo - a sweepstake...



I'll go for 1111 posts, and if Harry wins I will send him a prize (as yet undetermined!).



re BBC complaints etc - trust the BBC as you would trust a government department. It will do whatever it wants with your money, however it likes, according to the whim of the man or woman at the top, and that will change only as often as he/she does. I see they are introducing non-sporting celebrities as guests on A Question of Sport now.... presumably to make it as much like Mock The Week as possible. I rest my case.

Hi Simon and Team,



Would love to hear Holiday by Madonna!



Happy holidays :))

Yikes, I take back the word 'prize' this being the BBC and all that.



As Alison said... 'an incentive.'



Well, off to join the jolly holiday makers, although my trip is purely work, on the M5 and surrounding areas.



Have a great ARFternoon and lets hope for a 'belter' after 5.05.



Cheerio.



MTF.xx

Aha....



Welcome Suzie Q :)



MTF.xx

#79 Thank you Rips! I like the "young" epithet!!!

#68 - Sorry Harry, where's my manners! A very nice gesture. Hats off to you.

Top offer, Harry.



I'll go with 789, please.

Good ARFternoon all!



So Simon - I get back from my hols just as you go away on yours! Bad timing that (on my part) Anyway, I hope you have a really relaxing break and a great time with your family, and I'm sure Ms Tarbuck will keep things ticking along nicely for you.



New York was fantastic - but as the old song goes, there's no place like home. Missed Mr B, the GB and the dogpoppet - New Yorkers love their dogs, but there was not a single fox terrier to be seen. And I missed all of you, of course! I am looking forward to catching up.



My guess for the sweepstake is 1001.



And can I second Happy Hornet's ARFO choice :o)



Deebee ~X~

Hi Simon



I would love to hear Queen - Let me Live as it never gets played on radio.



Thanks

Margi

No need to thank me; the 'gesture' has made me feel really good :-)

#80 A Question of Sport hasn't just jumped the shark (as Americans might say), it's jumped the whole Atlantic Ocean ;-).



The site of the captains with headbands and a metal ring having to negotiate it round a bendy, alarmed wire was a new low. Dumbing down continues at pace everywhere.

#87 Hi Deebee



Welcome back - glad you had a good time. What show(s) did you get to see?



Tortie x

#90 - You are right Ken. I fear that QoS is being Top of the Popped - the format mucked about with so that it bears no relation to what it actually is, then shunted around the schedules so that it loses half its audience or more, then casually dropped after 30+ years because its audience "has moved on". Turning into Mr Angry! - on a lighter note, I met Orlando Bloom's mum on Wednesday!

#91 Hi Tortie! We went to see 'How to succeed in business without really trying', which starred Daniel Radcliffe. It was very good. Didn't realise how short he is though - most of the rest of the cast were taller than him! There was also an actor called Nick Mayo in it - I never knew Simon had an American cousin... We spotted Liza Minnelli in the audience, and apparently Jonathan Ross was there as well - didn't see him but I later realised I'd been looking at someone with very red hair sitting near the front, who could have been Mrs R.



~X~

#92 Has Ma Bloom written a book?

#93 I've read some good reviews of that show.



Talking of spotting stars in the audience, last year we went to see Legally Blonde and wondered why the people in the rows in front of us kept looking (we thought) at us! It wasn't until the show finished that we realised that Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders and their daughters were sitting in the row behind us!

#87 Helloooooooo Deebee!



Welcome back!



Ax

#94 Ma Bloom (who should be called Molly) has done some little books for kids on creepy crawlies, published by the Royal Entymological Society (I think).

#97 Does this mean 'Molly' is Sonia Copeland Bloom?

Simon.



I've just spent a boring day at the office reminiscing about my youth so I'd love to hear "Cars and Girls" - Prefab Sprout, even though for me it was "Bikes and Girls the middle aged outcome was the same.



C.

cheeky #100 maybe?