Buzz Hawkins at the Tempest Arms

What can I say? Another brilliant night from Buzz, well attended, and enjoyed immensely by all who were there - all but one that is! (More about him later).

As expected the Tempest proved to be a great venue, with just enough room to seat the audience comfortably, and despite the fact the place was already heaving with people wanting to dine we were made very welcome. They also provided a great little "Lucky Bag" for everyone who bought a ticket, crammed with lots of those sweets that everyone remembered from their childhood - sherbet dips, flying saucers, penny chews. In fact I'm eating the paper off a black-jack as I write! Buzz as always was on excellent form, but I've come to expect that anyway. Despite the fact that I'm writing this early on Sunday morning, I've already had some great feedback from members of the audience too. BUT - there was just one person who did nothing but whinge. He'd travelled up from the Midlands and was staying in a pub in Eastby. He got into conversation with my wife - and just moaned, and moaned and moaned. He started having a go at me first;

Miserable git: "Is that your husband, the bloke from the radio? Huh, his voice sounds a lot younger than he looks!"

Wife (ignoring comment): "Where do you come from?" Miserable git: "Burton on Trent"

Wife "Oh, I've got relatives down there, they live in Meir" Miserable git; "Meir? what a sh**hole that is!"

Wife (ignoring second rude comment): "Where are you staying tonight?" Miserable git:  "A village called Eastby - that's a right sh**hole too!"

EASTBY??? He must have discovered another Eastby that we don't know about - it's a lovely place, nestled just below the fell on the fabulous run across from Barden to Embsay, with a marvelous pub too.

Anyway, back to the conversation, by which time the wife was losing the will to live. By this stage I'm playing a Michael Buble track as background music
Miserable Git: "Does that radio station play Michael Buble then?" Wife: "Yes" Miserable Git: "Bye then!"
But that sadly wasn't the end of the conversation; his final remark was to start "slagging off" the Tempest. He reckoned he couldn't tell whether it was a pub, a restaurant or a leisure complex. Now I know I'm likely to be fairly defensive of the place, but the most recent accolades - and the two packed car parks - must surely speak volumes by themselves. It's literally just been voted the UK Food Pub of the Year too, and justifiably so. It's warm, friendly, extremely comfortable and very, very popular. But this guy was having none of it.

Miserable git: "This place is also a "sh**hole" and the food is far too expensive".

Now MG, if you're looking for the sort of food you obviously enjoy, might I suggest a little "Greasy Spoon" on the A1 near Newark - as you head back to where you belong! I'm SO pleased you enjoyed your trip "oop north" but I'm sure you'll forgive me MG, when I say we're very, very glad to see the back of you! Oh, and by the way, can I suggest you take back a couple of Yorkshire beers with you, to show them in Burton how it should be done!

By the way, our "Up close and personal" tour with Buzz Hawkins moves up to Gayle Mill near Hawes next month. It's on the 14th of November, possibly with a matinee on the 15th, depending on how ticket sales go. We're also hoping to put on a show in Sedbergh or Kirkby Stephen, and either Richmond or Catterick Garrison - but PLEASE  - only enquire about tickets if you have a sense of humour - and if you're from anywhere in the Midlands you WILL need an entry visa! Keep listening to Fresh Radio for more details.
Pictures:
Top; Buzz chats to Alf Bradshaw has he takes a bath.
Bottom; The Tempest Arms on one of those extremely rare occasions when there was space in the car park

POSTSCRIPT: It would seem (from a phone call I received this morning) that the gent in question DID enjoy the show - it's just the rest of the world as we know it above Doncaster that he despises (and Meir)!

Buzz Hawkins, Phil Cool and Masterbrain - oh, and Harry Gration!

A quick word about Harry Gration - he popped into the studio to talk about his new book, all about his sporting heroes. For those of you out of the BBC Leeds broadcast area, Harry is a journalist of 40 years standing, and currently fronts Look North on BBC1 from Leeds, with Christa Ackroyd. Harry's a really nice guy, and quite an expert on sport, emphasising on cricket (which I know precisely nothing about!) His new book (left) is published by Dalesman.

It's Up Close and Personal with Buzz Hawkins at the Tempest in Elslack tonight. Buzz will appear from 8pm, and I gather some tickets are still available at the door.

All ticket sales for Phil Cool at Rolls Royce Leisure are now being handled by the club management. Phil's appearing on Saturday the 24th of October, with all profits from the evening going to the Air Ambulance. I had a word with Phil the other day, and he's very much looking forward to coming across to Barnoldswick.

Masterbrain? Not sure what's going to happen yet - I sent a bulk e-mail out a couple of weeks ago inviting people to come along to the event, which again will raise money for the Air Ambulance. Sadly only five people have bothered to respond! Watch this space for latest developments. Masterbrain and the Inter-pub Quiz Challenge is planned for the 31st of October (Halloween) and is the very last event organised by the (former) club committee at Rolls.

MacMillan World's Biggest Coffee Morning

Another week's flown by and we find ourself approaching October - already! The World's Biggest Coffee Morning was a great success - we went out to visit several in the dales, doing live inserts into Steve Joy's show from a couple, starting on the Grove in Ilkley. From there we moved on to the Lawn Tennis Club (also in Ilkley) which was very busy indeed. We also visited Embsay Village Hall, where we learnt the rudiments  of Carpet Bowls, Bolton Abbey Village Hall (which was packed!) and on to Barnoldswick. There we caught up with Tricia and Beryl of the Calendar Girls at Rolls Royce Leisure, and from there we went into the town centre.

Sadly we missed the event at Victoria's Needles, and in fact that had to be the end of our tour, time having caught up with us. We had planned to go much further - up to Ingleton in fact, but our three hours alloted time sped by far too quickly. We also missed out on a planned trip to Craven College, assuming that the event would be at the Aireville campus. When we arrived there we were told it was at their High Street site, so we reluctantly made the decision to give it a miss, it being Market Day. We hear It was a great event though, and congratulations must go to all who put in such a fantastic effort.

In the morning we'd kicked off an on-air auction of a football, signed by all the players at Burnley FC. I'd hoped we could raise around £50, but in the event Steve Joy managed to double that, with some frantic last minute bids coming in to his show just before mid-day. That will go into the Rolls Royce total, the ball having been donated to Martin Holden, who organised the event there with Catherine Oldfield. Martin had been into Fresh and came onto the Breakfast Show last Wednesday to tell us all about his experience of MacMillan when his late wife sadly and very recently succumbed to cancer. I'm not sure what Roohi Lupton from MacMillan is going to spring on us next, but I think I can speak for the whole fresh team when I say were proud to have been able to be a part of the World's Biggest Coffee Morning!

Pictures.

Top: We gather at the Tennis Club in Ilkley. Ian Wighton (who used to do the Motown and Soul Show in the Yorkshire Dales Radio days) was drafted in to help out on the day.

Middle: I catch up with Tricia Stewart of the Calendar Girls at Rolls Royce Leisure.

Bottom: Steve Joy and I discuss how much we reckon the Burnley Football will fetch.

Richmondshire Citizenship awards, and the Hairy Bikers ride into town

Blimey! It's been almost a week since I wrote anything in here, but in my own defence it has been just about the busiest week ever! Wednesday night I was in Hipswell, near Catterick Garrison, hosting the annual State of the District debate and presenting the Citizenship Awards. I'd been on the judging panel a few weeks earlier, and I must say it was a tough job with a lot of the categories. I was pleased to be able to hand out awards to joint winners in the Arts category though, with both North Country Theatre and the Georgian Theatre Royal equally deserving. Many others received well-deserved awards on the night, including the tea-rooms at Scotton, and a company called thecitysecret. It was a well-organised event, and probably the best-attended since I became involved a few years ago. But, it was yet another late night and I was looking forward to relaxing after work on Thursday - no such luck!

The Hairy Bikers - alias Dave and Si - had rolled into town and were filming at Bolton Abbey. I went along after work to watch them film an episode of their new series, due to be broadcast on BBC2 next spring. How on earth they get anything into the can is beyond me - they're just hysterically funny to watch, and hugely entertaining! They also seemed to be genuinely nice lads to talk to when I chatted to the pair after filming was over for the day. We ran the whole fascinating interview on Breakfast on Friday morning.

Saturday again I thought I'd get a chance to relax after doing the news in the morning, but then I realised I had an appointment to go to meet William Lambert, chairman of the Gayle Mill Trust. We're planning another up Close and Personal with the creator of The Bradshaws, Buzz Hawkins as part of his mini-tour of the Dales, and William had told me some time ago how much he'd enjoy a show in the mill. Ticket sales are doing well for the Tempest at Elslack on the 10th of October, so it made sense to get something else organised in the wake. I took Buzz's publicist Jennifer Shaw up to Gayle Mill to show her around, and give her a feel of the place, and after a useful meeting with William we went on a tour of the area to find more locations for the Breakfast Show's Billy Bradshaw's Brain-buster. I eventually got back just after 7pm, just in time to visit the Mrs in hospital, then back home for an early night! Er, no - I remembered I had a complete quiz to write and record, so I made a start on that when I got in, and promptly fell asleep at my laptop!

Pictures: Top: Hairy Biker Si King, myself and Dave Myers. Bottom: Gayle Mill, Gayle near Hawes, where Buzz Hawkins is set to appear "Up close and personal"

Gretna Green - a DREAM wedding!

You could be forgiven for thinking that a wedding held over the anvil at Gretna Green's celebrated blacksmiths might be a little twee, or even tacky - but it couldn't be further from the truth!

We went up to Carlisle on Thursday night to prepare for the wedding of our friends John and Carolyn the following day. We all stayed at the Pinegrove Hotel on London Road on Thursday and Friday night, the ceremony taking place on Friday afternoon. There were so many guests travelling up to the occasion that a mini-coach was laid on which was probably just as well, given the popularity of the place. I took the brides parents to Gretna, following the fabulous white open-topped Bentley carrying Carolyn up the M6 to the ceremony. We were all ushered in, and shortly afterwards the bride-to-be was piped in to the tune Flower of Scotland. The registrar instantly put everyone at ease - and the ceremony itself was very moving indeed.

Following a photo-shoot outside the Blacksmiths Shop (which was shared by dozens of Japanese tourists!) we all went back to the Pinegrove hotel. On arrival we were ushered into the function room, which had been decorated to a standard usually only found in a glossy wedding magazine. There were gifts for all of the guests plus a glass of fizz to toast the happy couple. The food was simply delicious and was a credit to the chef - thoroughly enjoyed by all. After the speeches we were entertained  to a Casino Night by a team who'd travelled all the way up from Otley. I can honestly say I've never enjoyed a wedding quite as much, and it will be an incredibly hard act to follow. Just one small point - the entire event was planned and brought together by the happy couple themselves! (*Mood lighting by Ben Middleton)

The Bradshaws - a Night with Buzz Hawkins

Boy have we got a great night organised?! Buzz Hawkins, the man behind the Bradshaws, is coming to the Tempest Arms in Elslack next month. He's set to appear on Saturday night, the 10th of October - and it promises to be an excellent, hilarious night's entertainment. Buzz has allocated 30 tickets for me to sell, there will be some available at the Tempest, and of course you'll be able to get them from the Bradshaws own site - http://www.thebradshaws.biz/

Buzz is a very, very funny man with a wealth of humour based on nostalgia, the sort that gave rise to the Bradshaws in the first place. And no doubrt he'll be able to tell us the latest on his new project, bringing Alf, Audrey and Little Billy onto the telly. Drop me a line to james@jameswilsonmedia.co.uk for more details, or to book your tickets. Here's a link to my own website with more details:-
http://www.jameswilsonmedia.net/TheBradshaws.htm

From The Bradshaws Website: . . . . .

Presenting ... Buzz Hawkins Does The Bradshaws ..

An' All That!

Once upon a time, on a dark and stormy night, a small thought festered in the broad forehead of a man named Buzz Hawkins. This thought skipped along terraced streets gathering up the memories that you left behind and so grew into The Bradshaws.


Now The Bradshaws are real people and anyone who thinks otherwise is ficticious. Now Buzz Hawkins is merely a figment of their imagination.

And don't forget, you can hear The Bradshaws every morning on Fresh Radio - go to http://www.freshradio.co.uk/ and check out the daily schedule

Kilnsey Show

Phew! Julian, Tiiu, Judith and I are just beginning to recover from our visit to Kilnsey show in Upper Wharfedale on Tuesday. It's just one of a long list of shows we decided to visit this year - we've not been able to visit them all due to other work commitments, but we've thoroughly enjoyed those we have been to so far. Kilnsey lived up to the dales reputation and was wet - very wet! But there was plenty of sun between the showers, and it didn't seem to put too many people off. We were surprised though to see people being towed ONTO the car parks at the beginning of the show!

The main attraction for me was the Farmers Market - we came across Richard Morphett, the Foodie Farmer from Hebden Bridge, (01422 845952) a guy we first met several years ago at a food festival at the Westmoreland showground. He makes soup to die for, our favourite being Lentil and Bacon. We also met up with the guys at Raydale Preserves, who gave me some great ideas for the forthcoming Chutney competition at the Tempest Arms in Elslack. We tried (and bought) fantastic sausages from Bowland, and soft goats milk cheese from Paganum Produce, which was absolutely delicious. The generous folk from Coniston Hall treated me to a glass of delicious red house wine, and superb canapes - my favourite being some fantastic smoked salmon.

My day ended co-hosting a cookery demonstration with Chinese chef Tim Lee and Chris Wildman of Paganum, based at Kirkby Malham. It was tough going for a while, as Tim (the chef from E-Pan in Skipton) spoke very little English. That meant the pair of us, joined on stage by Julian, had to second guess what he was up to while providing a running commentary.

Kilnsey Show wouldn't be complete without the Fell Race, and once again Bruce Elsworth of the Angel at Hetton competed. That was AFTER he'd served breakfast and done a demonstration for Real Food and Farming's Dales Kitchen, and before he went back for evening service. And he managed a very respectable fifth place in what must have been one of the most gruelling races of the season!

This was my first Kilnsey show in quite a number of years - but I'll be back again next year for sure! Coming up this weekend we hope to visit the Moorcock Show on Saturday, then on Sunday I'll be at the Great Milk Stout Ride at Bewerley Park, Pateley Bridge.

Photo (top): Chris Wildman of Paganum Produce, James Wilson, Julian Hotchkiss and Tim Lee of E-Pan in Skipton. For more pictures of the show, go to the Fresh Radio gallery