BBC2 has recently taken to filling its afternoon schedule with classics such as Are You Being Served, Allo Allo and most triumphantly the ground-breaking Cagney & Lacey. I hold Cagney & Lacey in high regard and my youth was studded with hours spent gawping at Mary-Beth and Christine racing after criminals, clutching their cool pistols and swishing their bouffant hair. But what does it really take to emulate these esteemed crime-fighting heroes? This week, I’ve mostly been watching Cagney & Lacey to find out… Continue reading » “How To Be Cagney & Lacey In Ten Easy Steps”
Year: 2013
How To Write A Novel
I wrote my first novel when I was eleven years old. It was called ‘They Came From…?’ and it centred around the Obbobby family who’d just landed from Mars. This, unlike Alanis Morisette’s song of the same name, is ironic because flash-forward to my adult years and I hate science-fiction with a passion. Dr Who, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Star Trek – I ducked the lot. But one thing I have carried through to my adult years is a passion to write and this has come to fruition recently, as I’ve just completed my second novel… Continue reading » “How To Write A Novel”
What Makes Us Boil With Rage?
We all love a survey don’t we? This week saw one emerge about what makes the British public see red – or rather, what makes the 2,000 people surveyed reach boiling point. Top of the list were queue-jumping, rudeness, not listening, spitting and being kept on hold. So far, so predictable but there were others listed that made me clutch my face laughing and shake my fist in unity… Continue reading » “What Makes Us Boil With Rage?”
Top Ten Gym Personalities
I used to be a gym rat: spinning before work, circuiting in my lunch hour, collapsing by dinner. Three years ago I jacked it in, but this week I’ve signed up again at my local gym and you know what? It doesn’t matter where the gym is, the same personalities turn up time and time again. Let’s take a look at the runners & riders… Continue reading » “Top Ten Gym Personalities”
Tottenham Fans: More Polite Than You Think
Tottenham fans get a bad rep. While not viewed as tough as those kicking about at The New Den, they’re seen as stubborn, loyal and not about to change their ways for anybody, especially not the threats of the FA. “We’ll Sing What We Want” said the T-shirts on sale outside White Hart Lane on Sunday but they weren’t doing a roaring trade. The reason? Perhaps because contrary to popular belief, most Spurs fans understand that some chants are offensive and are happy to change their behaviour accordingly… Continue reading » “Tottenham Fans: More Polite Than You Think”
Christmas Adverts 2013: Hit Or Miss?
Here’s a shock: Christmas is happening again this year. How do I know? Well, apart from the fact that my local Co-Op is selling Snow Bites again (yeeees!), my TV screen is also twinkling with Christmas adverts promising me all manner of snow-flecked offerings. But do the Christmas ads make you want to buy their products and leave you tingling with Christmas anticipation? Let’s take a closer look…
Top Ten Real Childhood Memories
Ah, childhood. A wondrous place with rain, soggy cake, windbreakers and your brother shoving sand in your eye. This is a blog about real childhood memories and if we’re all honest, we don’t really remember that much about our childhood now do we? Here are some lowlights from mine… Continue reading » “Top Ten Real Childhood Memories”
Fix. Switch. Boom!
Are there six more boring words on the planet than ‘fix and switch your energy supplier’? Perhaps ‘ice sculpture melting day: free entry!’ or ‘local council appreciation day this friday’ but it’s definitely up there. There isn’t a hotter topic in the UK right now, with David Cameron and money-saving supremo Martin Lewis barking at you to fix your energy prices before the suppliers do an evil cackle while adding a sneaky zero to your bill. So today I decided to give in and do it. Look, I’m not proud but here’s what happened…
Gogglebox Is TV Gold
What’s better than watching people watching telly? If you’ve been tuning into Gogglebox lately, not much as it turns out. Like The Royle Family magicked to life, Gogglebox is compulsive viewing with its assortment of slumped sofa characters brought sharply into focus with their take on what’s on the box. Watching people watching telly is clearly the new Friday…
Five Things I Learnt This Week
This week, as well as learning not to buy too many Curly Wurlys because the trick-or-treaters might never materialise (dumb kids), my 7 days were also flecked with One Direction (yay!), Angela Merkel, bedroom doom, Spurs and Mercury winner James Blake. Read on, I’ll tell you more…