Dashing through the snow, with a reindeer microphone, A1 VOX is back again to voice and laugh and....moan!

Well...just a little moan really, and it is a personal issue. I had a tussle with the serrated edge of a tuna can last week, and guess who came off best?

Whilst the boyf, Dom, desperately worked his way through our medical cabinet to help ebb the ever flowing stream of red stuff, I looked away from the deep, uneven, wound and held on to the sink, bracing myself.

To add dilemma to the proceedings, Dom then dragged me to the bathroom, whilst holding finger aloft, only to find that his bath had made a great escape all over the floor. We now had blood covering the kitchen and enough water on the floor to give a home to a school of koi, blooming, carp! All this and in two days time we would be having our flat inspection. Holy C***!

Luckily for me we have an excellent walk in centre in Soho just down the road from A1, and I must say a big thanks to all the nurses that have stitched, dressed and cleansed my digit. Special thanks must go to the supervisor who on seeing my hashed up thumb didn't mince her words by saying ‘blimey......that is horrendous!’. Nurse Willoughby, I salute you.

At A1 we all decided that the below dressing was the bees knees – especially Charles, who very - ahem – kindly, took this picture. AWOOGA AWOOGA – All Hail the Comedy Thumb!

On a brighter note, we would like give a massive shout out to Miss Eleanor Howell, who in the not too distant future is to become a Mrs!!!!!

Yes, the South London lass, (with a penchant for curry and a Geordie accent, that would make even Cheryl think she was alreet, right up her street, from her toon - you get the point... Whey-Aye pet!), hopped on over to New York last week to visit her boyfriend. Steve is currently in a show over there......oh it’s all totally show biz lovey...and what a better place to pop the question for two successful, young thespians in love!? Of course Ellie said an Empire State Building sized YES!

So this Friday, whilst we all don ridiculous 80’s outfits for Ellie’s 30th birthday, it will now be a double whammy celebration – We are all very happy for you Ellie and in the words of 80’s iconic band, Yazz and the Plastic Population, it seems the only way, really is, up for this gorgeous piece of strumpet and her Welsh lad from the valley. HURRAH!

Jay Benedict is probably best known today for his role as John Kieffer – the US Army officer and friend of Christopher Foyle - in Foyle’s War, but in his varied career he has danced with the legendary Zizi Jeanmaire at Le Casino de Paris, played almost every male role in The Rocky Horror Show in the early 1970s (given half a chance, he’d probably have had a crack at the female ones too …) and has appeared frequently on stage in both straight drama and musical theatre.

He’s also been seen and heard regularly on film and TV including the voice for Shiro Hagen in the cult Saturday morning science fiction show Star Fleet X-Bomber; Frank Crowe, Superintending Engineer on the Hoover Dam, in the BBC’s award-winning documentary series Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, and, perhaps most notably, third lead in Vicente Aranda’s beautiful 2003 adaptation of Prosper Mérimée’s novella Carmen. Someones doing alright!

When not in front of the camera, he and his partner run Sync or Swim (Geddit!?), providing post-production ADR services to the film and television industry. Recent projects have included Downton Abbey, Any Human Heart and Armando Iannucci’s first feature film, In the Loop.

Jay and I discussed English market budgets compared to American sized budgets, as he has worked on both with Sync or Swim. He said the difference is palpable. If making some form of Blockbuster, epic, and the Americans want 200 soldiers running from a hill then they will employ 200 extras but if the same scene were to be shot in England then they will use the same 6 actors over and over again and just hope that none of these film type anoraks, (you know who you are) sit and watch the film frame by frame, thus noticing that Harold Smith 'the extra' is kicking in his own head!

In addition to all this, Jay's voice can be heard on video games, documentaries and TV and radio adverts, as well as in innumerable lifts, theatre foyers and other public spaces. The irritatingly soothing voice requesting that you take your seat and switch off your mobile phone is quite probably him: so now you know who to blame.

Currently Jay can be seen treading the boards as Bill Wilson, Co-Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, in a new play for The Outside Edge Theatre Company - One Day At A Time.

Written and directed by the Artistic Director of Outside Edge,Phil Fox, it tells how the man known as ‘Bill W’ pioneered the ‘12 steps‘, helped AA grow and - finally - set it free:

Bill Wilson is struggling to stay sober. His depression, womanising, physical illness and collapsing marriage are taking their toll. Under criticism from fellow recovering alcoholics Bill instigates an encounter with an old friend who suggests a way through his troubles.Following his suggestions Bill risks all, and sparks events leading to the final and greatest chapter in his and AA’s destiny.

Jay says it is intense stuff, but that he is immensely happy to be back on stage and has wholeheartedly embraced this return to theatre, as he sees it as the only platform to which you can truly test yourself as an actor.

“Can anyone ever get rid of the Demons? Or the ghosts that follow you? … however long Bill Wilson stays sober, he has other problems; his smoking, his womanising … Dr Bob Smith, his co-founder, is his constant ghost and will not let him be … This play could be – should be – at the Fringe Awards next year at the Waldorf … I urge you to see this play. Great performances from Jay Benedict as Bill, Cathy Walker as Lois and Michael Halden as Dr Bob Smith. Phil Fox deserves much credit for the writing and direction. “
(Review by Tony Parkin from London Festival Fringe.)

Well it seems that Jay has certainly passed this test!

Tessa Peake-Jones is best known for her role as Raquel in the television comedy series Only Fools and Horses. She had a co-starring role in the 1999 TV series Births, Marriages, and Deaths and has appeared in the television series, The Demon Headmaster, Midsomer Murders, Casualty, Holby City, The Bill, Up the Garden Path and So Haunt Me.

Currently, Tessa plays Sue Bond in the BBC Birmingham daytime soap opera, Doctors.

Rachel (or "Raquel" as Del would say) first encountered Del via the Technomatch Matrimonial Agency in 1988. She told Del she was an actress but the truth was soon revealed when she was booked to perform in the Nag's Head......as a stripagram - Racy Raquel!!!. Despite this shaky start love soon blossomed between the pair (lovely jubbly) and their offspring, Damien, was born in 1991.

One of Raquels best known lines is as she is giving birth :

'Don't you ever come near me again Trotter'

Tessa was an absolute dream to have hanging out in the Green Room and her and Beth got talking about cult show conventions - Beth being in Doctor Who, and Tessa in Only Fools and Horses. Tessa said to Beth 'oh no - I would never go to one of those now' to which Beth replied, 'you may be wise. I was at a Doctor Who convention last week where someone was dressed up in a silver boiler suit with a mask in the shape of the pig over his face. On the second day, having been snuffling around in character for the whole of the first, I didn't see him again. I asked someone what happened to the pig in the boiler suit, to which they replied...........put his back out'!

Pure Genius - just one of our Green Room gems. Tessa seemed to be having a fine old time and we loved having her.

Next up we had the delightful Colin Murray to visit The Towers. He also hung out in the Green Room, after his session, and had Andy Stanson and Lucy Scott roaring with laughter. He is a very genuine and funny person and it is clear to see that his relationship when presenting alongside Edith Bowman on the radio was a true representation of their friendship together and as individuals.

It has been a few years since Radio 1’s hugely popular Colin and Edith Show came to an end. Its success was largely due, as mentioned, to the warmth and humour shared between the two close friends, which resulted in the afternoon show setting new listening-figure records for its time slot. Breaking up such a popular and successful partnership to pursue his late night solo show was a risky and brave decision, but a good one as it has propelled Colin to dizzy heights indeed.

He says of his partnership with Edith:“I don’t think we would have split up had we just had a working relationship because it was working so well and we had record listeners. Because we were such good friends we were able to talk about what we wanted to achieve and what challenges we wanted to take on, which resulted in me feeling the only choice I had was to leave Radio 1”, he explained.

Thankfully for Murray and his many fans the powers-that-be at Radio 1 did not let him go without a fight and offered him his own show in the late evening slot (10 until midnight, Monday to Thursday), a slot previously occupied by such legendary Radio 1 DJs as John Peel and Mark Radcliffe.

Murray said with the show being such a specific reflection of his own musical philosophy, it may not have been to everyone’s taste. Perhaps Murray inadvertently put this best in his typically candid description of music in general - “It goes in your ears and it will either hit your heart or your head and you’ll like it, or it will come out your arse”. How deep and profound!

On 18 March 2009 Murray left Radio 1 to expand his work at 5 Live, hosting 5 Live Sport on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. In 2010, Murray presented coverage of the BDO World Darts Championship on BBC, replacing the departed Ray Stubbs.

In April 2010, it was announced that Murray would replace Adrian Chiles as BBC's Match of the Day 2 host on BBC Two, while also hosting the BBC's World Cup highlights programme in Summer 2010.

Murray said of this move to Match of the Day 2, "I can't imagine how nervous I will be sitting there and hearing that theme tune. I like a laugh but I am serious also about football and the impartiality required to respect all football fans."

Well it seems that the fans also respect him as he has certainly carved out a lovely little niche in the market for himself. Lucky then, that he and Edith had that candid chat! Ain't the boy done good.

So that is all for this week I am afraid. Only one month until the birth of baby Jesus, St Nick or for any die hard religious fans out there.... Coca Cola's Santa Claus. Whatever your belief, let's hope we all get a better deal than Derek Trotter did when his dad Reg paid him a surprise yuletide visit:

"It's a right blinding Christmas this has turned out to be innit. I mean, some people get wise men bearing gifts, we get a wally with a disease"

Until next time folks - Keep it un-severed and water tight!