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Really looking forward to this European football super league. How exciting. May the best team win. I love football.
It’s probably a bit too late to complain about football being too commercial or weighted in favour of the richer clubs. Personally I’d like to see a system where you can only play for the team that you were born nearest too. So if Pocklington FC want a 53 year old fat man with one bollock to go in defence (I am at 50% of risk of injury in wall situations) then you know where I am. I still occasionally dream that I’ve been called up for York City and to be honest I think if things continue as they have been going for the club then that dream might come true.
A lovely day researching my fascinating and highly admirable RHLSTP guest for tonight, Anneka Rice. I had once run past her on the Thames path up by Barnes and wondered if the moment would mean as much to her as it did to me (though I didn’t blog about it, amazingly - what more exciting thing happened to me that day?) If you think you know Anneka then you are probably wrong. She has had an incredible life of chucking herself into things and hoping for the best, which has been remarkably successful. But she’s a very intelligent and astute person, so you might need to have those qualities as well. She also tried to track down her Madame Tussauds head (and hadn’t considered the fate that I thought was the most obvious, but then I have a twisted mind) and for some years pretended to be her own agent and created a complex string of lies and subterfuge to keep the pretence up. And now she’s a stand up comedian as well.
I chanced across an episode of Treasure Hunt in an article about her, and weirdly it was one that started with Anneka hanging off a cliff on Cheddar Gorge. It would have been in about 84 or 85 and I’d have been in the sixth form and very much in the village, but I can’t remember anything about it now. I can’t imagine it wasn’t a huge talking point, both as it was happening and when it was broadcast and nor can I imagine that I wasn’t super excited (in all kinds of confusing ways) that this undoubted sex symbol was in my village. Or that my village was on TV. Fun to see 1980s Somerset captured on film though.
Anneka was a glorious guest, open, honest, funny, unexpectedly sweary and she must have a portrait in her attic (probably painted by herself as she’s a formidable artist) as she barely seems to have changed. She always seemed head-girly and nice, but I think part of her success was that you knew that underneath that facade she was capable of great naughtiness - and sure enough, she revealed some of her mischief in the podcast tonight. I’d been hit by afternoon weariness again, but all tiredness was dispelled. If you didn’t watch this one live then you’re going to love it when it comes out in a couple of weeks.
First couple of guests for the Clapham Grand RHLSTP gigs (which you can attend in person or watch live online) revealed
31st May Johnny Vegas
5th July Robin Askwith
Buy tickets (quick it’s socially distanced so limited)
here
And monthly badgers - keep an eye on the news in the members area of rhlstp.co.uk - one of the guests for 24th May has been announced there.
