To lots of people from the North East but particularly Geordies (I can imagine some people from Teesside seeing it as another example of the Newcastlification of the regional programming output) Mike Neville is an institution. I know technically an institution is something that still goes on and Mike is pretty much enjoying his retirement now save for the odd appearance on wildly different things but in people’s minds he was the greatest local newsreader bar none, he had a terrific sense of humour, indeed if you look back he doesn’t look in the slightest bit Alan Partridge like the rest of them but rather a bloke taking the piss out of the whole trivial experience. He also of course did Larn Yersel Geordie on the radio and in books and did those fantastic recordings with George House that were years ahead of their time.

I’d much rather be Mike Neville than Mark Watson. If Mike Neville walked into a pub on Tyneside, people would want to buy him a pint. Mind you I think that was half of the problem as he was in alcoholics anonymous for years allegedly and was famously done for drunk driving and thus had to read it out in the third person when doing the news after the court case.

Ah well, we’ve all done silly things and I for one am a big fan of the bloke. It was a big shame that he never did The Regionnaires with us all those years ago. His mate Bob Johnson the weatherman did a show as a guest (another lovely feller with a great sense of humour) but Mike thought it was all going to be a bit zany and student for him. I was told by Bob that he regretted turning us down after he saw it, I reckon he would’ve been a great guest.

Last night was the best yet at The Stand Newcastle. I closed the Red Raw night, it was a good one to do. 150+ was the crowd, it felt like a lot more and they roared me on all the way through. The very new stuff even worked okay. The fairly new stuff rocked and the older stuff left them bleeding. Tony Jameson was compere. It was nice to see a local act doing a good solid job and holding the show together, I hope the Stand use him a lot, he looks like a big game player. There you go, a nice sentence with not a hint of cynicism or sarcasm. Don’t worry I’ll get my grousy head on tomorrow.

Right I’m off to a meeting in a different city then I’m talking to students tonight in North Wales and then home. I can see a Red Bull fuelled, Five Live/talking book journey back to Wallsend tonight, wish me luck.

TODAY’S BLOG IS SPONSORED BY THE BLUE EAGLE ON THE MUPPETS THAT WANTED MORE ‘CULTURE’ ON THE SHOW.