Displaced Beachbums

Meanwhile back in London (taking a break from John’s India, Nepal, Bangladesh guest posts)…

At a pub quiz this past Sunday night, I mentioned I’m a fan of the “Graham Norton Show” and an expat New Zealander said she’d been to TWO tapings of the show. Needless to say, I pressed her for all the details of how, when and where. Here’s the down and dirty: Tickets can be applied for through SRO Audiences.  Click here for a list of shows and ticket requests).

First thing was to sign up for “The Graham Norton Show” ~ it’s done by a lottery and hopefully I’ll get picked for next week’s show. Fingers crossed!

Since signing up with SRO Audiences, I’ve started getting information about other shows. On Tuesday, I received information about a BBC 4 (radio) taping of a pilot called “Britain vs The Rest of the World” ~ a light-hearted, humorous contest between comedians. I applied for and got four FREE tickets for the following day (last night).

It’s definitely a last-minute sort of thing but if you’re up for a little spontaneity and something to do on a weekday night, it’s a lot of fun. Since I had two extra tickets, I was thrilled my friend Leslie and her husband could make it. Always more fun to go with a group. In the UK corner was Hal Cruttenden and the international representation was Henning Wehn, a comedian from Germany. Isn’t it an oxymoron to be a German Comedian? Just KIDDING! Ed Byrne (often seen on the Graham Norton show) was the “referee” of the contest.

I’ve never been to a taping of any type of show (radio or TV) and here’s what happened. I got an email with my eticket and a detailed list of dos and don’ts. Most important information was doors open at six and there’s a bar while you wait until the show starts. Makes the wait so much more tolerable. When we got there at six, there were already 10 or 15 people waiting to go in. As we walked in, they asked my name and gave each of us a pink wrist band with a number. I later found out pink bands are the “regular” ticket holders. Blue ones were for special/personal guests. After relaxing in the (hot) bar area for about an hour, we were called according to the numbers on our wrist bands. Having gotten there early enough, we were able to sit in the second row. Did I mention hot ~ be sure to wear layers so you can strip down a little. I’m so glad I wore a sleeveless lightweight top.

Because they want to fill all seats, they do “overbook” to make up for those who don’t show up. All seats were filled last night and I noticed a few people who didn’t make it past the bar area. My advice if you go is to get there early. If I get the Graham Norton tickets, I may go there at lunchtime and camp out…just to make sure I get a seat.

Since this was a pilot show, I’m not sure if it will be picked up and become a hit but I enjoyed it a lot. Ed Byrne was VERY funny as the moderator. He’s quick and witty. I also really liked Henning, the German ~ very dry humor.  His sidekick on the team was a Canadian who announced she really sounded American because she lived so close to the border. Hmmm…NOT! She sounded very Canadian to me and she should be proud of it. She had a deadpan sense of humor as well.

Bonus for me, the studio happened to be in Soho and was only a 15 minute walk from our flat. Another reason (I think I’m up to reason number 1,438) why I’m going to miss London so much.