As temperatures soared last week our air conditioning was working overtime. All our sound equipment generates a lot of extra heat so we have to crank up that dial to make sure everything works at an optimum rate and enables our guest artists and clients to chunter away comfortably.
One such cool customer was Dave Lamb of ‘Come Dine with me’ fame.
A true gem in Channel 4's daytime schedule, cookery show Come Dine with Me sees amateur chefs compete against each other to prove that they are the perfect dinner party host and claim a £1,000 cash prize. Resident voiceover man Dave Lamb, oversees proceedings with his witty observations and sarcastic commentary and is heralded as one of the main reasons for the programme’s enduring popularity.
Dave doesn’t write the script himself though they do leave gaps which means he gets to ad-lib around it. "There's a lot of extremely unusable filth. When I do the voiceover I try to feel as if I'm sitting around with people watching it, so sometimes I let myself go! It's being funny without being too cruel. I like the gentler, poking fun angle." Having watched it myself it isn’t just what he says, it’s the way he says it. Simply classic!
Amid all the fuss and furore over breakfast show presenters – the toings and froings of Wogan, Evans, Moyles and Webb – there are those who are happy to get on with the job, sans plaudit or plaint. Shaun Keaveney, of 6Music, is such a man. Shaun came into our studio last week and it was a case of BBC Radio Two meets BBC 6Music as he and Charles met for the first time, despite being neighbours over at Broadcasting House.
Keaveny took over from Phill Jupitus two years ago, and is now as comfy with his programme as a Labrador with a pair of old slippers. With the standard-issue 6Music northern accent (he's from Leigh, near Wigan) and the requisite strong musical connection (in an indie band in his youth), he fits in nicely.
“It’s a ridiculous job in many ways,” Shaun says “and you become quite blasé about stuff that is so exciting to the outsider.” Keaveny has interviewed some of his idols from the comic rock genius of Spinal Tap to his ultimate hero, Jimmy Page. Nice.
Things got a bit racy last week as our Chris had to record a session for ‘Playboy’. After much deliberation over what the voice artist would be like – all boob and no brain? – it turned out to be a lovely, very down to earth voice artist called Caroline from the good ole U.S of A. Never mind Chris, a buxom beauty may still walk through those doors of A1 for ya yet.
Last week also saw the return of Jessica Bowles to A1. Jess used to engineer in the bygone days at VOX Towers. Covering Chris, who was making haste to deepest darkest Kent to record a senior corporate executive making a motivational address to his staff, Jess took on the arduous task of an all day session in Mandarin. Nice to have you back Jess and thanks for successfully pulling it out of the bag.
As the final series of Big Brother is aired to the nation we will be getting our own dose of BB fever as Craig Phillips winner of the first ever Big Brother visits our studio this week. We will let you know in next week’s bulletin how we find the self made ‘brickie’, entrepreneur and TV presenter. Do not swear - you are live on the web.
Soho News…and Mysteries:
Yes, we have added a wee section on Soho mystery this week. See if you have any ideas on the below conundrum?
The landlord of the building in which A1 VOX resides spent an inordinate amount of dosh last year on netting to keep the rodents of the sky (that’s them there pesky pigeons) off the building. We even had abseiling engineers scaling the brickwork and roof to attach said bird prevention. So how the devil did these two unlikely rascals manage to break our impregnable defences?
Any insight would be most appreciated!
Ok, so some of you will be thinking that I am obsessed with all things food but there are so many good places to eat in and around Soho that it is hard not to tell you about them. Last week saw the opening of ‘Gelupo’ in Archer Street, opposite its ‘head office’ – Bocca di lupo. This new venture is styled as a gelateria, delicatessen and espresso bar and we are told that the Gelati, which are made fresh every day, are the best this side of the Alps. One of its other unique selling points are the hand-made sausages and the serving of ‘Bicerin’, a self-indulgent cuppa that teams espresso coffee with thick drinking chocolate and cream. Mamma Mia!!!!!!!!!
Till next week folks keep it articulate, don’t mince your words and enjoy the sunshine.
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