The League of Gentlemen Are Behind You - Panto

Sunday 4th December

The League of Gents Panto has come in for some criticism in recent previews and reviews so I wasn't sure what to expect. I can see that as Little Britain is touring for the first time, the L of G's show might seem a little tired, since many of the characters have been here before. Still having seen the show I think the backlash was a little unwarranted.

The show was split into two parts, the first half saw Legs Akimbo trying to organise a community navity play. After an accident befell Olly (or rather the stage props befell on Olly,) the community decided to put on their own panto. So the second half was the panto proper. Or at least a shambolic panto with all the characters from the show we know and love. The Panto Cow is inspected by Veterinary Chinnery. The Ugly Sister/Dame is Pauline, complete with pen influenced garish costume.

I think if you paid for a League of Gents Panto, that is what you got. And funny too.

Mike's 30th

Saturday 3rd December

We spent this Saturday night in a scout hut tucked at the back of the Waitrose Car Park in Birch Hill, Bracknell, for Mike's 30th.

The first of the group to hit the milestone, it's frightening to think so many of us have it all to come in the next year.

It was a good night. Plenty of cheap pints and JD, until the JD was gone (shock horror, we cleaned them out!)

Here are a couple of photos I took with my digital camera during the evening, though I am sure there must be more floating about since there was a disposable camera on every table.

Big Howard Little Howard Show - 2nd December

Friday 2nd December

Howard’ show being as technical as it is, is always going to have problems, especially when relying on Macs and infrared connections, but Big Howard is used to this by now. He has little tricks to make us forget and just make it all part of the shows charm.

I took Dave along with us this time, having already converted Caz, so he could see what we were raving about. (My “it’s a ladybird” Little Howard impression isn’t enough apparently.) Making Caz and Dave sit on the front row was in hindsight only ever going to backfire, but I know they wouldn’t have been able to see any further back.

So sure enough as a technical problem occurred, which involved rebooting the main computer attached to the main screen, a quick 5 minute sketch on the laptop to the side of the stage was needed. Choosing a sketch from last years show, that I wasn’t fortunate enough to have seen. So I couldn’t have known what was coming. As Howard asked for a volunteer to go on a date with Little Howard, the shows 6 year old cartoon boy. I tried looking all around, bar right in front of me, where Big Howard was stood. As soon as I turned, thinking it was safe, I caught his eye and realized I’d been the intended target all along.

The date started pleasantly enough. Big Howard played the waiter, as Little Howard went about ordering Sunny Delight to drink. I was prompted by an onscreen script to ask for Um Bongo, as LH said “an excellent choice my dear.” The date went remarkably well, apart from him falling asleep when I replied to his question of what I did for a living, (a stock response for all 6 yr olds I understand.) There was an embarrassing question about what it was like to have breasts, to which my ad-libbed reply of “great” made a couple at the front laugh out loud if no one else.
Funny how when (prompted) to ask if we could get out of their as I wasn’t that chaste that I was chased by Big Howard back to my seat! Apparently propositioning a 6 year old cartoon boy is wrong. (Ok that was me joking.) He did tell me I looked ravishing, that I will take seriously. It’s not like I get told that everyday, cartoon boy or not.