Just A Minute

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From: martingerardmccague <martingerardmccague@...>
To: just-a-minute@...
Sent: Wednesday, 4 April 2012, 23:17
Subject: [just-a-minute] JAM 4th April Radio Theatre

Hi all
I was lucky enough to win tickets to tonight's two shows. Doubly lucky in that three of my favourites were there too. Julian Clary and Sue Perkins and Paul Merton. Greg Proops was the guest. A big crowd was in attendance. Standing room only at the back. I was upstairs. Got a better seat than I should have due to the Beeb's unusual crowd organisation, for want of a better (worse?) phrase. I wasn't trying to get as good as seat as I could. Front row upstairs, yet I could look down and see all the empty seats whilst just behind me some ended up standing all through the programmes. The show was delayed a bit by these seats being filled eventually. Strange, as people were assigned numbers and called 25 at a time. How simple can it be?

Earlier, I was told I couldn't take photos and that this was on the ticket if I looked carefully. It was too, just as the time that the BBC opened their doors was printed as 6:15pm. When I got there at 6:00pm I was 160/161 in line with my girlfriend. I asked why people weren't queuing and was told that complaints received in the winter by people queuing outside in the cold have made them open their doors early. Why not let everyone know by printing this on the ticket? I was a bit bemused by the way they tie themselves in knots with their own logic.
As for photographs, I would have taken one or two. I don't believe that it can effect the sound equipment. It's all unnecessary but perhaps some of the people on this list will tell me I'm ignorant. I don't mind.

I'd never been to the BBC before and was curious about the whole thing.  Overall, I enjoyed it. It was free so I should. Very good value. Well, it's not really free but as good as.

Nicholas Parsons came out and introduced himself. He looked very dapper. It's too incredible to think that he is 88. He certainly doesn't look or sound it. He had a cold but assured us he couldn't have let any of us down by staying away. Not least break his phenomenal attendance record.

The shows were great. I won't spoil anything by talking about jokes or what people said.
Nicholas asked us at the beginning if we thought the TV shows were as good as the radio and most people said no. Personally speaking, I have found some of the TV shows as good as the radio. It all stands and falls on the weakness of the panellists. The shows that had four good panellists, were brilliant and the ones that have a weak panellist are good and two and it all becomes hard work.

I did like Ruth Jones recently on telly. The only episode I thought was a disaster was number 5. Paul was getting very strident with John Sergeant I thought. Deservedly so. The silly old fool shouldn't have come on if he doesn't know what he's doing. Also, I find  Josie Lawrence's voice grates and apart from when she was talking about the pound shops she never got into the flow. My heart sinks every time I hear she's going to be on the radio programme, so I admit I'm biased against her.

Anyway, I was in luck tonight and thought I'd share my thoughts for better or worse.

Martin







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