Everything in the garden is rosy.

You might imagine that being the spring on a garden gate would be a rather boring, cheerless existence, which over the years would crush the spirit of even the most joyful soul. 

But apparently not.

Extra Souvenir Programme try-out this Saturday!

Hooray, the venue have confirmed - there WILL be an extra try-out date for my sketch show: 5pm this Saturday (the 27th) at the Albany, Great Portland Street, W1W 5QU. (I know, matinee! Classy, huh?) Better still, I'm trying out a new way of taking bookings that doesn't involve massive booking fees: go here to book.

And even then, only if things get more delicious if there's more of them. Which they don't.

Sorry for the silence - it's still unusually busy around here. For instance, this Saturday, there will be another informal try-out of new material for my sketch show. It will be earlier than usual, starting at 5pm, and it will almost certainly be at the Albany, unless I find out tomorrow (Thursday) that it will have to be somewhere else. Watch this space for confirmation, and instructions how to get tickets - the good news is it won't be through that place with the exorbitant booking charges.

In the meantime, here's something spotted by my friend Karl:

...As opposed, presumably, to their previous policy of putting two thirds of a bar in each pack.

By the way...

My Radio 4 sketch show, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, is being recorded on the 16th August and the 6th September at Broadcasting House. The tickets for the first recording have gone now; the tickets for the second haven't been released yet, BUT free tickets for the try-out show this Saturday, 13th August, at the Albany are available here. Come along!

UPDATE

Ooh. Those went quickly. If I know you, and you would like to come to either of the recordings, please email me on my personal email. If I don't know you, but you came to two or more of the Albany try-outs, applied for tickets to the recordings, and didn't get them; email me on cabin pressure (all one word) at john finnemore (all one word) dot com, and I'll see what can be done. No promises...

Goose smoothies all round.

St Petersburg, the final episode of the third series of Cabin Pressure, is now available here. Spoilers for it follow.

Well, I thought it was about time I did an exciting final episode. Both the final episodes of the first two series were 'shut-in' ones; the main characters alone, passing the time, annoying each other, playing games, and with a bit of character revelation. I really like episodes like that, but this time I fancied doing a proper finale, with actual peril, both with the emergency at the beginning, and with the threat to the company. One thing I like about it is that when Douglas says he hasn't got any ideas, and can't save them, he's telling the truth. It's only when he realises Gordon's plan that he sees how to turn it to his advantage. I also like that in an actual bona fide emergency, Martin is capable of coping with it, and Douglas is capable of letting him.

God, wasn't Timothy West good? I wanted someone who could equally well do genial and disarming at first, to make the guys (and us) wonder what Carolyn and Arthur are making such a fuss about - and then suddenly drop into sheer bastardry for his big speech. Trying to describe the character to David the producer before he'd seen the script, I believe I said: 'Well, if it was a film, you'd get Timothy West'. Still can't believe we actually did! And Paul Shearer! Only about six words to say as Tommo, but got a laugh on every single one! I felt at the time it was a terrible waste of such a funny actor (though he was also St. Pete ATC), but you can't argue with a laugh-per-utterance average like that. 

Not much in the way of deleted scenes this time - or rather, there was one massive one: a four page  long conversation between Martin and Douglas in the canteen about their fathers, but losing that meant we were able to keep everything else more or less intact. I won't post that, because I might use it in the future. The only other thing I slightly regret losing is the bit where Gordon, when he still seemed nice and reasonable, conned Carolyn not only into letting him book the office where they meet in MJN's name, but into thinking he was making a concession to her in so doing. I won't put that up either, though- instead I'll put up this very small cut from Gordon's first scene.

GORDON: Just got in. Bloody hell, the crosswind, eh? Hairiest landing I’ve had for years!

MARTIN: Yeah! You should try doing it on one engine!

GORDON: Jeez, I wouldn’t want to! Did you?

MARTIN: No, I didn’t!

GORDON: Oh. Right, I was gonna say!

MARTIN:  No, I mean, I didn’t want to either. 

DOUGLAS: ...However, he absolutely did. Rather well, actually.

Anywhere but home.

Ok, it's looking suspiciously like there will not, in fact, be a Rotterdam blog - there just hasn't been enough time and energy this week. Sorry about that if you were looking forward to it - I will definitely do a St. Petersburg one tomorrow. And if time and energy permits, I may do Rotterdam another time.

Also, if you would like to come and see the first recording of my new, and STILL untitled, Radio 4 sketch show, you can apply for free tickets here. It's at 7.15 on the 16th August, in, I'm afraid, London. (I'm not really afraid. I'm glad it's in London. That's where I live.)