Travel, Theatre, Music, Cricket, Tennis, Writing, Life
Totally genuine picture taken on the night in question I needed to get one more Ogblog piece in before the end of the 2023/24 tax year, obviously, so have chosen briefly to write up the Ivan Shakespeare Dinner which took place on 4 April 2024. These gatherings of former NewsRevue writers (most of us relics … Continue reading “Ivan Shakespeare Dinner At Spaghetti House, Holborn, 4 April 2024”
This photo and others from Skills Night by Conor Coley, with thanks Skills Night At Lord’s 1 November 2023 Lord’s Skills Nights, now held twice-yearly, have become “my thing”, by dint of me, foolishly, offering to help back in 2019. Foolishly, because I thought “help” might mean adding a bit of extra resource to a … Continue reading “Real Tennis Skills Night & Club Nights At Lord’s, Some Really Real Tennis At Queen’s, Dedanist’s Lunch At Lemonia & Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner In Holborn, November & December 2023”
Eight of us gathered for one of our periodic NewsRevue alum evenings at the Holborn Spaghetti House. There were no controversial shortages of certain dishes this time, but there was an especially irritable waiter who seemed to decide that I am an idiot, perhaps because I turned up a little late and didn’t want to … Continue reading “Are You Shaw I Went Wilde With Excitement?: Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner, Spaghetti House, 27 April 2023”
With thanks to John Random for several pictures, not least this one: me with Noel Christopher – Caroline is also there, trying to hide in the corner of this picture Given that Ivan Shakespeare Memorial dinners are principally gatherings of comedy writers, they have not been much of a laughing matter of late, with many … Continue reading “The 2022 Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Seasonal Dinner, 8 December 2022”
It seems churlish to complain about too many nice events, but this particular week really did include a surfeit of them for me. I had already enjoyed the Parasite evening at Curzon Mayfair… …and the Z/Yen 25th anniversary party at The Old Bailey… …and it was still only Tuesday. The three events described in this … Continue reading “A Hat Trick Of Seasonal Events, London Cricket Trust Dinner, Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner & Z/Yen Team Lunch, 11, 12 & 13 December 2019”
NewsRevue’s 2004 Guinness World Record for being the World’s Longest Running Live Comedy Show – Gerry Goddin far left, Barry Grossman back left, a wide-eyed me front right Partly inspired by my chance encounter 18 months ago (and subsequent re-encounters) with Chris Stanton at the real tennis court at Lord’s… …partly inspired by the fact … Continue reading “Class Of ’92 Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner, Café Rouge Holborn, 5 October 2017”
NewsRevue goes back all the way to 1979. When the show turned 25, in 2004, it was awarded the Guinness World Record for being the World’s Longest Running Live Comedy Show. I was there. I’d been there since 1992. This year my involvement with the show turns 25. Those of us who wrote for the show … Continue reading “Ultimate Love and Happy Tories, Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner, Café Rouge Holborn, 3 March 2017”
A first time for the Ivan Shakespeare memorial dinner crowd at a new venue, which seems at the time of writing (January 2017) to be our gathering’s new home. John Random circulated us a couple of weeks before: In response to popular request I have taken the decision to change the venue to the Cafe Rouge … Continue reading “Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner, Café Rouge Holborn, 4 June 2015”
I think I have explained the background to Ivan Shakespeare memorial dinners sufficiently elsewhere – e.g. click here and look at the second of the three events. I’m pretty sure we were still going to the now defunct Café Rouge in Maida Vale the previous autumn and I missed the 2014 Christmas bash, which had been … Continue reading “Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner, Pizza Express Charlotte Street , 19 February 2015”
John Random’s rallying cry for this one read as follows: …the next Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner is to be held on Thursday March 5th at 8 o’ clock at the Cafe Rouge in Clifton Thingamy. Look forward to seeing you all,, and if you haven’t been for a while, please don’t think that means you … Continue reading “Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner, Café Rouge Maida Vale, 5 March 2009”
