Just A Minute blog

A blog on the BBC radio programme Just A Minute

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Location: Wellington, New Zealand

January 19, 2014

JAM panel news

was Paul Merton, Sheila Hancock, Josie Lawrence and Richard Herring.

I'm sure we are all delighted to have Sheila and Josie back again, and Richard seems to adore doing the show. He's tweeted though that Nicholas was poorly but continued on - let's hope he makes a quick recovery!

Some bits from Richard Herring's twitter after the show, with contributions from fellow JAMmers Josie Lawrence and Rebecca Front...

Josie Lawrence: Great fun recording Just A Minute tonight.

Richard Herring: lovely to work with you. A huge fan of you (and everyone tonight). Thanks for being a great table mate!

Josie: A pleasure to sit next to you - you're smashing. x

Richard: Recorded 2 eps of Just A Minute tonight. Always terrified I will break it by being rubbish, but it's robust enough to cope! Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, an extraordinarily witty Sheila Hancock and a poorly Nick Parsons who was a bloody trooper. I liked it when NP said shit, probably won't be on the radio, I said "special porridge", that might be. Best thing is the chat in the dressing room afterwards. Merton and Parsons chat about those they've worked with, comedy fanboy dream. This show is comedy history. Appearing on it every now and again is one of my absolutely favourite things about my job

Chem 2006: remember listening to it as a kid in my dad's car. Kenneth Williams...just a genius at it.

Richard: yup. He was my fave too.

Richard: Spoiler - still to manage a full minute. Doing well in one round tonight, but tripped at about 40 secs

Gary Percival: Do you practice beforehand or can you just do 'stream of consciousness'?

Richard: no real way to practise. Even if you knew subjects it wouldn't really help. Just got to launch in and hope for the best.

Fiona Plowman: when is it due to be broadcast?

Richard: Easter-ish I think

Anthony Cooke: the last time you were on I laughed so hard I nearly crashed on the M56.

Richard: I will try harder to kill you next time

Piers Cawley: I’m sure you weren’t rubbish. Can’t remember, was that your first go?

Richard: nope done about 10 now! Gets a bit easier

Peter Robinson: do you practice? If cocks is a topic you will storm it.

Richard: you can't really practise. Wouldn't even be a help if you knew subjects. Throw yourself in, hope for the best

Sierra Charlie: Are you a Merton-like fast talker; Freudesque slow, anecdotal and listy; Williams word-stretcher or your own man???

Richard: think I go quite fast. And then crash and burn. Merton is amazing

Rebecca Front: it's weirdly, unnervingly difficult, isn't it? X

Richard: getting slightly easier with time. slightly! Love it and fear it. Lovely panel tonight though. Sometimes forgot I was in it!

Rebecca: yes! I kept thinking 'ah, I love this show...', then 'oh damn, what am I supposed to do again?' Xx

Richard: I laughed more tonight than I made laughs! Still too nervous to ask Merton to be on RHLSTP to his face (have emailed his people!)

Brian: I love Josie Lawrence.

Richard: who doesn't? And she's just as lovely in real life!

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Dean, Your previous bloggers have beat me to my report on Sunday's JAM at Broadcasting House. I had a suspicion that Sheila would be on and my heart skipped a beat when Nicholas gave the performer a big build up and it was Sheila. Richard was good in both shows. He and Josie were a little bit conspiratorial - vouching for each other in a jokey way. Josie has certainly taken on the status of a mature JAM player with the experience she has gained on JUNIOR JAM & JAM. She was cooking and getting bonus points. Sheila has hardly ever played the game with a bonus point in her favour was genuinely surprised when Nicholas gave her one - a bonus point that is. Yes Nicholas dropped in some innuendo into both shows. It was the first head to head between the two ladies - Sheila and Josie. Looking glam in her recently bought pashmina scarf and knee-length scarlet boot from the sales in Paris, Sheila was the first to do a full uninterrupted minute. When Josie challenged Sheila a couple of seconds before the whistle, the audience let out a panto like hiss. Josie was undeterred and reacted laughing with a witch's cackle. In the second show Sheila was in ascendance and no-one was able to catch her up. Richard told some good gags about Cheddar Gorge and the cheese. Paul did a great minute of improvised comedy. When Richard challenged Sheila a few seconds before the whistle, Sheila reminisced about Clement's fondness for last second challenges. When it was announced that Sheila had won she punched the air like a footballer who had scored the winning goal at a World Cup final - The grand dame of Just A Minute was well on form and the audience love her for it. Tilusha told us that the firstne of last Sunday's shows with Paul, Tony, Gyles and Rebecca will be the first in this 68th series and the first of Saturday's shows with Sheila and Josie will be the second. The series starts in the second week of February. Don't know whether they will record two more shows in March or February I don't know. Radio 4 seems to be on a short budget these days - 6 programmes series seem to be the thing.
Nicholas is on the road to a full recovery. He's had a thing called reflux which brings on bouts of coughing. Tilusha is alright about this. She can edit out the few coughing fits that Nicholas succumbed to. As Richard blogged and as we all know - Nicholas is the consummate professional and would never let anyone down. Steph, the long term JAM fan who accompanied me to the two Sunday show's told Nicholas about Bruce Forsyth having been given daily breathing exercises for his problems with reflux and Nicholas was keen to hear her comments. Still he gave 100% to all the shows of this 68th series and that in itself is a testement to his professionalism and his legend that very few can match. You'll love this new series. Tilusha has done a brilliant job. The comic sparks are flying in all of the shows.
Best Wishes and Take Care Keith XXXX

7:48 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nicholas is mentioned in a video by a man who highlights Cluedo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPDwxWUcj6M.

3:16 am  

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