Author Archives: Paul

Those who love Early Doors and those who’ve never seen it. For those in the latter category, it was a BBC sitcom, set in a Stockport pub, written by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey. I’ve known Craig for years, since I worked on an ad campaign for British Gas with him and Caroline Aherne in […]

From today in Canada it is now legal to sell or possess marijuana for recreational use. This may come as a surprise to one particular Canadian who hadn’t realised it wasn’t.

British society has been wonderfully enriched by the culture of India and South Asia. So much so that Chicken Tikka Masala is considered Britain’s favourite dish. Yet no matter how many times we’re told that Bollywood is going to be “the next big thing”, we’re not interested. Bollywood is already a big thing – a […]

Prince Andrew, Fergie and their two daughters. Andrew’s choices always seemed unwise. His ex-wife, to put it mildly, never had the dignity of a Duchess. Her former boyfriend’s chalet in Verbier was known as Cocaine Castle and her nickname back then was “Lollipop”. Years later, I was at a dinner for a charity of which […]

So of course, due respects were paid to the best-selling examples. On a countdown on Radio 2, we heard (yet again) Sgt. Pepper, Thriller, Dark Side of the Moon and Rumours. Like millions of others, I’ve bought all these albums twice. Once on vinyl and again on CD. They’re all great but I was always […]

I couldn’t bear the sound of John Wilson on Radio 4 fawning over Elvis Costello. Not because “Elvis” is boring, pompous and overrated but because he called Ray Charles a “blind, ignorant n*gger”. Google it. I’m not making this up. Can you imagine if Donald Trump had said that? Or Jim Davidson? The hypocrites who […]

For the first time in about fifteen years, I went to McDonald’s. I hadn’t eaten all day and was starting to get “hangry” so a Big Mac and fries seemed a quick and perfect cure. McDonald’s had changed dramatically. It’s now more like Argos. You place your order at a touchscreen digital kiosk, you’re assigned […]

I loathe the Toyota Prius. But more than that, I loathe anyone who drives one. It was the first popular electric hybrid and is driven as a virtue-signalling emblem of eco-piety. Even worse, the Prius is also the Uber driver’s vehicle of choice. They seldom know where they’re going and dawdle aimlessly around, gazing in […]

….was on Thursday but on Wednesday, I found myself working with Lemn Sissay, one of our the finest contemporary poets. Read his books, listen to his recitations, find his Desert Island Discs on iPlayer – however you discover and absorb his work, you’ll find it a truly enriching experience. I’m afraid I’m a bit of […]

Advice for life which someone was kind enough to impart to me many years ago. Whether it’s a job, a relationship, a boring party or awful pub – always work out how you can escape. I thought of this when I went to Wigmore Hall to see Joshua Redman – virtuoso saxophonist whose version of […]