Wednesday 13 October 2010

Cabin Presents

Hello. Sorry it went a bit quiet, I've been a little busy. And here's news of one of the things I've been busy with: 




My Radio 4 sitcom Cabin Pressure is having a Christmas special this year; a one-off episode which will go out, we've just been told, at 8:30 on Christmas morning! And then repeated at a more civilised time on December 29th, but I'm very chuffed to get a Christmas Day transmission. It will be recorded at the Drill Hall in London on November 7th, and if you'd like to come, the way to do so is to keep checking here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/tickets/radio

...for the (free) tickets to become available, which they will do, I am told, within the next 24 hours. They will then, if past experience is anything to go by, sell out very quickly, which is why I've asked to be allowed to give you advance notice here.

There will also be a third series of Cabin Pressure, though I'm aware that I've been saying this for so long now some people are beginning to disbelieve me. Nonetheless, there will be; it will be recorded early in the new year; and I'll try and give you a similar heads-up when the tickets for it are about to come online.

Oh, and in other cheerful Cabin Pressure news, I'm happy to say we've once again been nominated for a Writers' Guild Award. Hooray! 

48 comments:

Unknown said...

Just as an aside, this amused me:

"I write and perform comedy and drama for TV, radio and the stage. For instance, I write the BBC Radio 4 sitcom 'Cabin Pressure', and play the part of Arthur." VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE

*clicks on VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE*

"I write and perform comedy and drama for TV, radio and the stage. For instance, I write the BBC Radio 4 sitcom 'Cabin Pressure', and play the part of Arthur."

Ah, that fills in all the gaps.

Ed.

Michele said...

WooHOO! I wonder if I can get a ticket and make it to London - THE DAY BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY?! 'cos that'd be an awesome birthday present!!

Stu said...

Nurse! I don't require the drip anymore ... suddenly I feel a lot better.

Auntie Em said...

Congratulations on the WGA nomination. Thoroughly deserved.

Mags said...

8.30 on Christmas Morning! Are Radio 4 nuts? Who in blue blazes is listening at that time?

Well at least I may be able to listen to it without being completely piddly.

Michele said...

Well my radio goes on at 5am, when I wake up - and mostly stays on until 10pm, when I go to sleep... So 8.30am is perfectly fine with me!

eAi said...

Very excited :) Might come to the recording if I can get a ticket. I shall set an hourly reminder to check the website :)

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Rob said...

Love Cabin Pressure, can't wait for the Christmas Special and for the new season!

Ross Bennett said...

Oh, that's excellent. Because here, that's 02:30 on Christmas Eve, which means we can listen while Santa's finishing his manuscr...I mean...filling the stockings we'll have hanged by the chim-i-nee with care.

How terribly civilized!

Anonymous said...

This needs to be a TV series. Why arent the BBC commissioning it.

Michele said...

I disagree. I don't think it'd work as well on TV as it does on the radio.

LynneM said...

The great Roger Allam was looking much more streamlined than in this photo for his excellent performance in "Tamara Drewe"!

"Cabin Pressure" on Christmas Day- now that WILL make Christmas Morning something special :-)

Congratulations on the well-deserved nomination, and Good Luck, perhaps they'll award it correctly this time round.

I absolutely agree with Michele: I'm quite sure TV would spoil it.

Dave Shelton said...

Is this place under new management or something? Normally it's so lovely and quiet and now I come back and it's full of all these strange new folk and I can't even get a seat! Next thing you know they'll all start saying they like that band that I keep banging on about that, previously, no one else had heard of...

If anyone needs me I'll be through in the snug with me dominoes...

Paul said...

Not sure one way or the other about a TV version. It really needs a pilot :)

Harriett Starr said...

I love a bit of Cabin "pressure" ;)

Michele said...

Oh Paul! That was dreadfully punny of you!

Dave, I hope you're joking! I'd hate to think you resent John's brilliantly funny show finding new fans!

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see Cabin Pressure as a tv series. The scripts are ripe for it.

Unknown said...

Mr Finnemore,
You wouldn't believe how excited I am to here this news!
Roger, Benedict, Stephenie and your fine self together again is just bloody fantastic!!!!
And to have it on christmas morning!
The best christmas present ever!!!!
Can you tell I love the show?
Oh and congrats!!!! (: xxx

Kitty Shepherd said...

I adore Cabin Pressure; it has been one of my favourate comedies on the radio particularly the episode with “One Man Went to Mow”. I live in Andalucia and I know all those funny ways of imitating and animals and as for the Spanish dogs…don’t mention the dogs, please!
By the Way Alexei Sayle live here! I have seen him in the super market.

eAi said...

Of course, this isn't your fault, but it's 24 hours later and the tickets for the recording aren't available yet!

Unknown said...

eAi I knoww!
:(
John will the be coming soon??

John Finnemore said...

Hello! Thank you for all the nice comments - really lovely to read, and great motivation whilst I'm writing the new lot!

Sorry the tickets aren't there yet - I'm afraid I don't know why, or when they will be. All I know is what my producer told me, which was, at 1pm yesterday, that they'd be up 'within the next 24 hours or so'. But it's not his fault either- he'll have submitted the information then, and it's just up to BBC audience services when they put it online.

And hello to all the folk from Blogs of Note. You're very welcome, make yourself at home. Stu, put the kettle on for them.

Dowsa said...

I guess that's what he meant by 'or so'; one of those handy little opt-out clauses. Just as long as they haven't all gone before I get there.

Anonymous said...

Hooray! I'll be listening whatever the hour.

MissPear said...

If those tickets don't go up soon, I am going to prod the BBC with a big stick.

That said, congrats on the nomination, and VERY pleased that there's going to be a third series!

AM said...

The tickets are now on the BBC website (12pm or should that be 12 hundred hours). When you submit your details you are submitting an application for tickets and BBC email you nearer the time if you are successful so not sure if first come first served or a ballot. Fingers crossed then..

eAi said...

Hoping it's first-come-first-served as I've been refreshing that page almost non-stop for 24 hours and I'll cry if I don't get tickets!

muerps said...

I can't make it to the recording – it's too far away – but at least I can listen to the Christmas special at 9:30 in the morning thanks to the time difference. (In Germany, Christmas Eve is more important than Christmas Day, which is why Christmas Day is always a bit … bleary. But it won't be this year.)

Tim said...

Good lord...it's you. I have often wondered whilst listening to the credits at the end of a radio four show whether it was indeed the John Finnemore I once knew. Congratuations John, bloody good work, it was obvious this is what you were built for...well done.

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Elisabeth said...

Dear Mr. Finnemore,
I could still kill myself when I only came to the recording of episodes 3 and 4 and not 5 and 6 as well (series 1). If I don't get a ticket for the special recording I will never mention the BBC again ;-). Christmas holiday in Germany.
Benedict told me when he did "After the Dance" about a possible TV version of the show. Although I am normally critically about this transfer, with a cast that matches their characters to the dot on every i I am convinced the cast would shine on TV as much as on the radio (everybody who enjoyed Roger as Falstaff who talked himself out off almost every trouble or Benedict as the pretty self deluded guy knows what I mean).
Please take yourself enough time, because the previous episodes are so hilerious, that every repeat is better than 95% of the other BBC radio comedies.

SebiMeyer said...

EXCELLENT news. Or as Arthur would say: BRILLLIANT! ;)

Will it be the regular format? Or will it be longer, different from the 30 min shows that we all have come to love?

Elisabeth said...

No tickets more available. Let keeps fingers crossed to be on the list.

Anonymous said...

does anyone know how many tickets/seats there are usually available for the audience at recordings in the drill hall, london?
(I managed to apply for 4 free tickets within an hour of them going up)
But I've never done this before, so I am just curious.
Also whats the format of the actual event? (okay that is worded weirdly)
but what i mean is, what is being in the audience of something like this actually like?
thanks in advance

elisabeth said...

A lot less than in the normal studios near Oxford Street

Anonymous said...

Joy! I am so excited!

Elisabeth said...

So I have to wait until it is available on audible.co.uk, then, hopefully :-(

eAi said...

Yay got 2 tickets :)

Based on my experience from going to recordings of The Now Show and Dead Ringers with my godmother (who worked OB for the BBC) many years ago, you basically just watch them record it, possibly with mistakes and retakes at the end. I'd imagine it'll take an hour to an hour and a half for a half hour programme...

The Drill Hall has about 200 seats I believe.

Looking forward to it - it better be good!

Anonymous said...

I was at the Drill Hall at 5.10 tonight but couldn't get in. Beyond disappointed (like lots of others who were turned away). :(

Michele said...

Alas that I couldn't even go today as I had to go for a medical procedure this morning. SO sad I missed out.

Simon said...

Just arrived home after seeing the recording of the Christmas Cabin Pressure. They've really pulled out all the stops for this one and it's one of the finest (maybe *THE* finest) episodes. Just one piece of advice: if you're having chicken for dinner on Christmas day, just stay away from air conditioning ducts

eAi said...

Anonymous: Me too, must have been near you in that crazy queue.

Trying to find who to complain to at the BBC.

studioaudiences@bbc.co.uk doesn't work :(

Anonymous said...

I got following response from complaintresponse@bbc.co.uk

(Although I could apply and haven't received Tickets I felt mocked by their email reminder 12 hours after closing)

Dear ...
Thanks for your e-mail regarding ticketing for BBC recordings.

I understand that you feel the ticketing process is unfair at the BBC. I particular you refer to the application for tickets t 'Cabin Pressure' which you applied for tickets for, were then told that tickets were sold out before receiving an e-mail regarding ticket availability.

Unfortunately 'Cabin Pressure Christmas Special' did fill up very quickly as some of our smaller shows do sometimes. The show went live on Friday the 15 October and was included in an e-shot (Ticketing e-mail) on Monday 18 October. However, the tickets for the recording were fully allocated over the weekend, and marked as fully booked on our system at 10:07am on the 18 October, after the Monday e-shot was sent. This was an unfortunate error and is something we are now looking out for in the future.

We’re guided by the feedback that we receive and to that end I'd like to assure you that I've registered your complaint on our audience log. This is a daily report of audience feedback that's circulated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, programme makers, channel controllers and other senior managers.

The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.

Thanks for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

Mark Roberts
BBC Audience Services

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miss_vixen said...

Have read somewhere that your 3rd series is due in July this year .Wow what a terrific birthday present if this is a fact. Love the series and no matter how often I listen Its the GREATEST ,

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