Winding My Way Down On Baker Street
At ten o'clock this morning I was in London, scurrying around the back alleys off Baker Street searching, Holmes-like, for the offices of . They're the people who organise the and I was asked to attend a meeting of the organising committee to chuck in my tuppence worth. Finally a very nice traffic warden steered me in the right direction. They're good blokes when you're not driving a car, although he did look longingly at my little trolley case.
These industry gatherings are always fun because you get that clash of cultures between the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ bods and the folk who run commericial radio. I congratulated Bob Shennan who has just quit as controller of Radio Five Live to take the reins at . "Welcome to the dark side, Bob" quipped one of the commercial guys.
I sat beside Susan Lovell - my opposite number at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Ulster - who described some awards ceremonies she'd been to in Ireland where so much drink was taken that no one really cared who wins. It sounded good to me.
Afterwards, out on the street, we chatted with Mark Damazer, Controller of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 4 before he announced proudly that he would be walking back to his office. There was a look in his eye which suggested we should do the same.
But Susan was heading for Belfast and I was going to Glasgow and, to be honest, I was already feeling ridiculous wearing that deer-stalker in broad daylight.