The last few months have been quite hectic.
I have been on a course at the CityLit in London in Presenting as well as a course at Bishopsgate Institute on Public Speaking. Both are run by a well known face, Gavin Campbell. He has been brilliant in the tutoring all of us and has a very good skill of being able to accept people at their level - newcomers are allowed more imperfections than the more experienced and pays attention to our individual needs. It is really fun and we all really enjoy it!
My appearances at 8 out of 10 Cats and Brainiac have been very well received and I am still asked about them. I was a little bad at 8 out of 10 Cats as I talked too much, but I think I got away with it! Also I got a visit round the Gallery and met some of the people who make it happen as well as more of the production crew.
I also got to meet some of the contestants from BBVI - Grace, Mikey and Shahbaz. I was in the dressing room when there was a knock at the door; "Hello Eugene, oh wow, it is great to see you, I loved you on Big Brother!!!!" - Yes, it was Shahbaz! He is just like he was on Big Bro, however, you can tell that he is very down to earth and just a bit overpowering. We got on very well!
Grace and Mikey were nice to meet. Very pleasant and supportive, I think that they enjoyed the show.
Jade tried to keep control of the group when it got too loud, but we still carried on. The oddest part was when Nadia got up and threw water over Jimmy Carr. I was really surprised. Yes, he made a few "Nadia" Jokes, but that is all in the spirit of the show. I think she was trying to make a statement, however I don¹t think that anyone else found it funny. Jimmy was a little annoyed, however, like a true professional, he told her off and then went backstage to get made up again, coming back spick and span. He was really nice to meet afterwards and very chatty.
While at TVC, we noticed that the TV in the "Filling Station" had still not been fixed properly. Before I went on Big Brother, we did a visit (I worked for the BBC) and noticed the Plasma Screen on the wall not working. After some deduction, we found a little set top box on top of the plasma was not working. Turns out it was the power adaptor.
Over year on, the plasma had finally been fixed (this was recent). They had got a video recorder, and table, and set it up just to make the plasma work.
Why not just change the power pack!
Had great fun doing some filming with Simon Fox, a freelance camera & sound man who I know. We went on the Toyota Supra MkIV "Dragonball Run". It was brilliant. We went over to France, staying at an Eco Village.
I followed a guy called John who was able to demonstrate the performance without any problems (possibly slightly faster than the speed limit :o) ). We filmed the whole thing and are editing it. Keep a watch out!
On the Subject of Cars, I took part in a Banger Race in New Addington (Nr Croydon). The event was the Dave Sealy Memorial race and I was invited by Derek and Boo Moses who knew the family well and also knew I was into Bangers! The best part was the Ramp Rollover. This is where, I had to drive the transit at a Ramp as fast as I could dare. I was well strapped into the seat and as I drove at the ramp I had second thoughts. I still ploughed on, and when I hit the ramp, there was a tremendous discomfort as I was launched into the air. Then as I saw the ground come towards me, there was another very hard bang. I was a little dis-orientated as I was helped out, and had just a few small bruises and a bit of an ache. It was brilliant.
Went up to Scotland to visit some of my friends from Beat 106 / XFM Scotland. Met up with Fraser Thompson and Stuart Barrie. Also met up and stayed with Ross from the West of Scotland Amateur Radio Society and met up with Ryan from River / Kingdom FM.
This week happened to coincide with Islands On The Air (IOTA). I joined Ross, Cam and several members from the club on the Isle of Eigg. We camped out for 3 days. 1 setup, 2 contest, 3 Set-down.
It only has about 40 inhabitants and was really cool. Everyone lives off self sustainance (plus some diesel and gas). We were up on the hill in a slight bog on the South side of the island. It was great fun, but a little wet as it rained for 2 out of the 3 days.
Finally, a few weeks ago, I helped out at the Bognor Birdman competition.
I interviewed some of the contestants about their crafts and charities. It was really great fun and in fact, I ended up helping with some of the filming as well. The production was organized by Jon Collins and the Bognor Film Society. John provided the TV gear, Bognor Film Society the operators and presenters.
So it has been quite busy.
Now it is getting into the Autumn, I have Rocket FM coming up and of course the Lewes Bonfire Celebrations. On the 18th Oct I am giving a talk for the IET in Belfast. Similar to my Brainiac appearance and my previous talk earlier in the year, there promises to be lots of bangs, props, and Health and Safety breaches!
Eugene