WC FEBRUARY 6.
The thought of the week ahead was quite exciting but I wondered how I might fit everything in. It was going to be manic.
On Monday I managed to complete my JH Interview for the March copy of The Beacon. It is in the form of a life celebration for a long standing friend who died quite recently. A very famous Islander.
On Tuesday night we nipped over to Southsea to see Dreamboats and Petticoats at the Kings Theatre. Another great night and I loved the show which is on tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the launch of the first album. Before the show I interviewed Jimmy Johnston, one of the stars of this most enjoyable production, full of brilliant songs from the late 50s and early 60s. He has a fascinating story and has appeared in so many huge West End hit shows – and he’s such great company to be with.
On Wednesday we went to the press night of Billy Elliot at the Mayflower, Southampton, to see the much-hyped musical. It took me most of the first half to really start to enjoy this show. This might have been because I was literally quite shocked by the excessive bad language in a production with lots of youngsters in it and in the audience. I heard a few complaints about this after the show. I really got into it more in the second half and was so impressed with young Emile Gooding, who was brilliant in the role of Billy. I understand it was his first appearance in the show. Just in case it was me having one of those nights, I watched the first 45 minutes of the Sky Arts live production on catch-up a few days later and still struggled to really enjoy it. This is one of those rare occasions when I have enjoyed a movie so much better that the stage show. Not overly impressed with the songs from the musical version.
On Thursday I nipped up to Woking to interview two of the stars from the latest Peter James thriller, Not Dead Enough, my old friend Shane Richie and Louise Whitmore. This show, which comes to the Mayflower, Southampton, from March 7 to 11 is currently on a very successful British tour. They were both in great form on the interview which was undertaken in the busy period an hour or so before a show. I was grateful for their time and the help of company manager Roger Richardson. I can barely wait to see the production in Southampton. Peter James is such a clever writer.
On Friday morning I was one of hundreds who attended the funeral of the former leader of the IW Council Morris Barton, a friend of many years. Such a great man and it was an emotional service with some wonderful personal tributes. I am writing my own personal tribute in the March edition of The Beacon magazine.
On Saturday night I was thrilled to be asked to introduce New Moon on stage at Lower Hyde, Shanklin, in front of a full house of over 500 people. They were in great from and it was a brilliant night. The boys allowed me to sell my book with, a donation from each going to the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. I sold many more than expected and was able to pass on £114 to the EMH.
I went to bed at 1-45am on Sunday morning and was up again at 5am to head for Rickmansworth to meet my son, Sean, and his wife, Susie, at the Third Festival Of Film. It was a wonderful day and I managed to chat to a few former interviewees of mine, Brian Murphy, Liz Fraser, Jason Dors-Lake and Jess Conrad. Renown Pictures, who run the glorious Talking Pictures TV channel, which is 81 on Freeview and 343 on Sky and features a fantastic array of old movies – and mainly British, too. I am so pleased that Renown are going to promote my book, The John Hannam Interviews, on their March and April newsletter which goes out to 10,000 people.