I'm surprised the Beeb's Press Office web site hasn't picked up on this yet, bearing in mind it's been plugged a fair bit today on WM, but Doolan celabrates 18 years of his 'current' format show, starting back to work after his first (infamous) heart bypass on this day in 1988, plus next Friday, the Doolan show celabrates 5000 editions, & the show comes live from South Birmingham College, with Chinnie helping to present apparantly.
(I'll try & listen, if I'm not too busy & bossman is in a good mood !)
I think the week after that show, he's going in hospital again for minor surgery for a couple of days or so, so Bernadette Kearney is supposed to be subbing for him then. (I only heard part of the exchange, so I'm not sure! Robert Beckford definetely doing the Sunday show then.)
Danny Kelly off next week &, according to the Radio Times, Trish Adudu is sitting in.
Anyone seen last night's Birmingham / Black Country Mail, as in their showbiz section, they have a section interviewing local DJ's & radio presenters, & the lovely Cayte Walker (Goldie & Doolan's roving reporter), was featured. (Unless that was an old picture, she's gone back to dark haired from blonde since the WM magazine picture I saw!)
Last night's footy phone in was presented by Daz Hale with local footy legend of recent years, Don Goodman.
This atheletic coverage on telly at the moment, is the race Dan Pallett doing being shown live, as well as pics on monday's MT ?
Today's 'Other Side Of' on WM was the 'First Lady Of Earlies' IMHO, the lovely Cayte Walker.
(For those of you who don't know, Cayte's currently the roving reporter for Goldie & Doolan's shows!)
Let's give you a synopsis of the show, like I did with Mollie last year.
Cayte has been with the station since 1998 & before that, 2 years with AA Roadwatch.
She was born in Kinver, South Staffs, in 1969, with an older brother already.
First memory - Self-cutting own hair, day before starting school!
A very quiet child, to begin with, quite reserved.
Suspects she's numerically dyslexic, even though she got an O level in maths!
Likes setting herself a challenge.
Amateur dramatics gave her confidence.
First track chosen: Simon & Garfunkel - Mrs Robinson, as its 'on replay' in the car when she goes to Cornwall! (Her 'spiritual home’!)
After finishing education, she was diagnosed with IBS. (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)(The recent interview in the Mail mentioned she kept a list of friendly toilet stops!)
First fell in love at 24, with an old school friend.
Second track Leo Sayer - Have You Ever Been In Love, because she's a fan & she & a friend met him after a show in Cheltenham ('We're screaming groupies!')
After being made redundant from her first office job, she spotted a job at AA Roadwatch, after also doing a stint with amateur dramatics groups & signing up to hone her cabaret skills.
She'd never considered broadcasting, but with her speech & drama experience, she gave it a whirl, sent a tape & got the job.
She did her first bulletin on Hereford & Worcester, & Graham Pearson (a well known name from the AA, I'm sure some Midlands posters will confirm!), gave her some advice.
'Write your name at the bottom of the piece of paper, so you don't forget & breathe!'
(She'd done the bulletin without breathing once!)
Started with working with Malcolm Boyden initially on the Saturday shift, when he was after someone to do Itsy & Bitsy from 'Paperplay'
(Remember those from 70's/80's CITV folks, with Sue Stranks?)
Three guesses who piped up & said she could do them? Yep you've guessed it!
After so long, she got noticed & David Robey (The 'beloved' Ropey Dave of BBC London editor fame!) gave her the Early Show, with the instruction, 'Keep us on air!'
Third track - Keith Michell (who's son Ed taught when he was a teacher in London) - Captain Beaky, because she occasionally played it for her late father, when he was feeling ill. (He passed on during her early days on the Early!)
A great carer of animals, along with Mollie! (Both her & Mollie will stop to check on injured animals they spot whilst out & about)
Has had many pets over the years, but most associated with rabbits (recently lost some of hers due to illnesses!) Currently has one house rabbit, 2 **** (bloody swear filter!), 5 guinea pigs & 50p Floss (? whatever that is), that was found at Henley market!
Fourth track - Bread - Baby I'm A Want You, for current partner Andrew.
A good night out is a good night in!
She's close to her family.
Fifth track - her new world music she used to play on the Early show!
Favourite word - Numpty! (You're a right numpty!)
Least favourite word - Nice (What is ‘nice’?)
What turns her on creatively, spiritually etc. - New World Music ('Give me a joss stick & a cd & I'm away!)?
Turns her off - Bigotry.
Favourite swear word - Bugger! (Again bloody swear filter!)
Sound she loves - Her rabbit cosying up to her, gritting her teeth.
Sound she hates - Car horns!
She would've loved to have been a vet.
Would hate a job involving hospital.
Sixth track - Cabaret (She also gave a rendition as well! TVM, You've got to get a snippet of that if poss!)
How come 'Bloody' isn't in the swear filter ?
Dan Pallet won his race too !
(Drat, I missed Doolan's 5000th show, due to being busy at work, plus a couple of leaving do's !)
seven man made wonders of the midlands is on at the moment, the latest in the "seven ... wonders of <insert area>" series.
i wish they would decide on what the region is called! last time the programme was "seven natural wonders of the
west midlands
", this one is "seven man made wonders of the
midlands
" (even though its not shown in the east mids). the man made one was even trailed as "west midlands"
would it not make sense to just stick to "midlands" throughout - seeing as we have "midlands today" and "bbc one midlands" etc
The problem with the expression "West Midlands" is that it has more than one meaning...
There is a Metropolitan County (a.k.a. "conurbation") with that name (capital initial letters), which consists of Birmingham, "the Black Country" and Coventry. But the "West Midlands" COUNTY is just one tiny part of the wider geographic "west midlands" (not capitalised initials) - which stretches as far north as Staffordshire, as far west as the Welsh border, and at least as far south as Worcestershire.
Also, because there is no BBC South Midlands, BBC Birmingham's coverage area stretches further south that it's ITV counterpart (i.e. into Herefordshire and northern parts of Gloucestershire). Those areas are arguably "the western half of the South Midlands"/"the south-west Midlands", rather than the "west midlands".
So, BBC Birmingham's coverage area makes it difficult to know wheter using the word "west" as a prefix is acceptable or not. If/when a BBC South Midlands region is created, and therfore BBC B'ham's area becomes equalised with it's ITV counterpart, there will LESS of a problem, but the "West Midlands" COUNTY issue will still be a complication though.
Not forgetting that the West Midlands is also a Euro-region consisting of: Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands Metropolitan County, Herefordshire and Worcestershire
i notice bbc one midlands have a new voice for the announcements into the national news (well they did at 10 o'clock today), still a local voice rather than a network one.
hands up who is upset to see the back of alexandra road what a load of rubbish that was. i'm all for a bit of nonsensical regional news-esque fluff, but i'm afraid it didn't hit the spot for me, it was nauseating in parts.
i notice bbc one midlands have a new voice for the announcements into the national news (well they did at 10 o'clock today), still a local voice rather than a network one.
Thank god for that, I couldn't stand the old V/O, it sounded so plastic.
i notice bbc one midlands have a new voice for the announcements into the national news (well they did at 10 o'clock today), still a local voice rather than a network one.
Thank god for that, I couldn't stand the old V/O, it sounded so plastic.
Whole thing was a bloody waste of time and effort. Just whas was the point come to think of it? Bloody shte
i notice bbc one midlands have a new voice for the announcements into the national news (well they did at 10 o'clock today), still a local voice rather than a network one.
Thank god for that, I couldn't stand the old V/O, it sounded so plastic.
Whole thing was a bloody waste of time and effort. Just whas was the point come to think of it? Bloody shte
i take it you were talking about alexandra road rather than regional anno's - or were you
full marks to central tonight who had bob and jo making and taste testing pancakes on the streets of brum - meanwhile bbc mids did nothing at all, well nick did do a pancake related pun. its criminal for any regional news not to have the clichéd pancake cooking/tasting/races on shrove tuesday, as pancake day was a gift to regional news editors everywhere from jesus
i notice bbc one midlands have a new voice for the announcements into the national news (well they did at 10 o'clock today), still a local voice rather than a network one.
hands up who is upset to see the back of alexandra road what a load of rubbish that was. i'm all for a bit of nonsensical regional news-esque fluff, but i'm afraid it didn't hit the spot for me, it was nauseating in parts.
I think they spent too much time on Alexandra Road personally.
A couple of nights would've been enough, with extra stuff on Local TV.
(By the way, congrats to Mr Vanzeis on the BBC 4 Moon stuff the other night!)
caught a snippet of butler the other day on wm. his daft competition was "something that jumps" and a listener phoned in to say "the bbc one logos" only for butler to go on about how he dislikes the dancers and bring back the balloon (or "bal-u-wan" in butler speak ). good old tony, must say i agree with him.
Ok, who paid for the bag of sugar on last night's MT ? (Someone's nipped round to the Tesco Express next door!)
Was it petty cash or out of the licence fee ?
(Remember the clip on '40 years of ITV' when Bob Warman told the story of him buying nails, wood & a hammer to iilustrate a story on ATV Today about small houses being bulit in 1973, & because a props man should have brought said items instead, it blacked out the programme the following night!)
Is there any truth in the 'rumour' that said bag of sugar will appear as a prize on the Mollie Green Early Show next week ?
(Joke if Mollie's reading this, because she said she's now got a computer at home !)
Les Ross interviewed Bob Carolgees this morning as well.
Oh & a Doolan turkey award for Walsall Council for their 'bright idea' not to grit the roads Wednesday night/Thursday morning, causing chaos.
I'm sure us commuters just loved sitting in traffic jams at M6 Junction 10!
(Personally I spent nearly 2 hours travelling from Bloxwich to Willenhall via Walsall by bus & I was busting for a pee by then! Normally takes me 45 mins & I was late by roughly half an hour!)
what a load of rubbish that was. i'm all for a bit of nonsensical regional news-esque fluff, but i'm afraid it didn't hit the spot for me, it was nauseating in parts.
). good old tony, must say i agree with him.