Some Pics from The Prince's Trust Gala Night

For your amusement - for we were most amused, were we not?

 

All these wonderful pics are by the super talented Christie Goodwin.




And here we are in full flow ...



"The Prince's Trust is a youth charity that helps change young lives." Here is the link to their website for more information.

The Red Carpet

Helen stands on a red carpet! causing one to 'act up' with what my headmistress called 'silly behaviour' if there had been no red carpet I might have just shared about the #Leveson inquiry -but as it was, I found an overexcited twirl with the lovely spirit of Richard Arnold to be more immediate.

If you missed Daybreak yesterday you get another chance! Here's the link (I'm on just before 8!): http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=328332

Will tell all soon (maybe) x

We Are Most Amused: The Prince's Trust

The thing about working with all the comedy national treasures is that one can feel a bit sick the day before. And so this is a photo of me and some other comedy giants on the big dipper in Thorpe Park when I wasn’t feeling sick...

We were filming Happy Families written by Ben Elton, Dawn French,
Hugh Laurie, Jennifer Saunders and moi 

Ben Elton is now directing and writing sketches for this gig … http://goo.gl/9QDKv  I will be the only participant without my own TV series and while that is a distinguishing fact, I also used to run my own bespoke travel agency called Helen Travel (aged 10) which is another.

 Mission statement for the week? Keep boundaries firm and try not to annoy people.

We Are Most Amused, Wednesday 28th November, Royal Albert Hall, 7.15pm start
For Tickets: http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/support_us/events/we_are_most_amused_2012.aspx 

Sun Tan Grief

It’s fading. So keen am I to hang on to the last vestiges of being beige (in hue, not personality) I dash into a stand-up skin dying booth. Shock horror. I see my trainer in the reception area. We do the decent thing. We ignore each other. Me because I’m no longer training with him (or anyone) and him, I assume, because it’s a bit feeble to be seen tan topping when one is a big bloke.

Am wearing a talisman around neck (see pic) from Egypt to ward off bad omens and with this new vigour I have decide to up my income. My new approach thus far has been to beg for work on the internet. So far I have received three replies out of my 70 warm and friendly invitations to employ my versatile voice. These were to thank me for my interest but to share that I got their name wrong and also to mention, in passing, that they don’t make TV programmes that need voices any more. (Surely this has to be a lie?)

Undaunted, I am also selling my quirky, vintagey clothesies. A lady is taking photos of all my stuff. (Not undies – as if.) She lays my j brand velveteen jeans out on the wooden floor in an expert manner. ‘Are these clean?’ she asks sternly. ‘They most certainly are,’ I retort. And then secretly worry as I see her pick a fleck of something off the thigh …eew

No one was killed in the taking of this photo of my J brand jeans.
 Although it look as if they have been.

I want to sell my two antique French tables bought under duress so as not to disappoint the vulnerable antiques lady who was selling them. I phone up a new ‘old items’ shop in Dulwich to see if they want them. It seems that every yummy (not me as I am not yummy on purpose) mummy has tried to do the same thing and flog their faded, flecky, caravan fold-away camping item to said shop. The answer was a Scandinavian, stylish but firm ‘NO’.

Celebrity news? Was in Voice of Russia, St James Square, yesterday. Met the owner - a nice Russian man who was sporting a fisherman’s jumper (which didn’t surprise me) while Peter Hitchins plugged. 

Am mugging up on the news for SKY TV this Sunday  and  preparing for my STAND UP COMEDY APPEARANCE at THE ALBERT HALL where I am not headlining in any shape or form http://goo.gl/9QDKv #Most Amused 28th November. Coming?

At 'Stand Up To Cancer' Gala last night
 wearing my mother's shoes.

Windy in Whitby

I have been filming a TV series with Bernard Cribbins. I find walking, talking and riding a tricycle tricky enough - but remembering lines at the same time has slightly tipped me. Or maybe it was having to ride my adult trike down a ravine in the rain and say ‘busy busy’ in a cheery voice and try not to think about losing my life as I flew off into the sea. How do they do it on ‘Call the Midwife’?

One poignant memory is of Bernard and me sheltering in the rain... waiting for the raincoats to be cruelly whipped off before we did some acting. We were so blue our teeth were clicking

Bernard is not wearing wig.  I am.

The props were excellent. I nearly found myself eating a rubber fish it was so life like …

Me n the rather lovely Paul Hawkyard being actors quite near some water.

Very essential to keep energy high as it was also my birthday while I was away and there was a reasonable expectation for me to drink vodka. I couldn’t disappoint.  I double dosed on my Youth pill which is a food supplement and brilliant. www.beautyworkswest.com I saw Dinny Hall had spoken about it in a newspaper and since she does nice ear rings and said the Youth pills gave her more of everything - I decided to have some of what she was having . It certainly does that. The make up girl said I had more hair than most people (on my head) and she should know – she had to plait a strange plait into my hair every morning at 6 am. But she was stoic about it. I credit this hirsuteness to Youth and have vowed to book in to their Medi Spa in Notting Hill 8-9 Lambton Place, Notting Hill, London, W11 2SH T 020 7221 2248 to have what they call pampering but in a medi spa sort of way.  The L-Argonne gives the peppy energy and since this was invented by a Doctor who is also a hormone specialist .. who am I to jettison at this heightened time?

Missing you missing me possibly

Haven’t blogged for a wee while, so missing you missing me possibly

Got a scary twinge of the dark side of the internet after being a guest on Big Brother’s Bit on the Side on Monday.

Got carried away by the celebration sweeties in the Green Room and aligned myself needlessly for and against various celebrities I had never met before or heard of and I started to ‘Over Connect’ as opposed to EM Forster who ‘Only Connects’ ( Howard’s End before you ask, but you knew that ). Got my knuckles rapped from said celebrities’ loved ones on facebook and twitter and found myself feeling rather sick and vexed. I hate upsets. That’ll learn me.

Mind you Julian Clary spoke out against republicanism which may have been a departure for the CBB viewers.

For those not on a diet , and who haven’t given up drink in order to loose the weight for a job not vanity (I lie) and who therefore are not watching Celebrity Big Bro in their pj’s at 9, 10 and 11 respectively - it may be diverting to learn that I went to Jonathan Harvey’s book launch as well.

I was also invited which made the entrance less stressful. The shabby chic pub (velvet and peeled paint) was positively teeming with talented, good looking literati so had to immediately request vodka being too much of a suburban to ask for an absinth and a quill. Jonathan’s tweet on the night: “It’s my book launch tonight and I’m a bit over excited. I may actually piss myself” will whet your appetite. I can’t wait to get stuck in.

Did a few Sky News reviews since I last saw you. This time no one said my hair was like a dog’s dinner on that forum I accidentally came upon. Bloody right they didn't  - I had it tongued and sea salt sprayed as a precaution. Finally topical news not about me : Jeremy Hunt is a lucky ...

On Radio

The joys of radio are that all the people who act in radio plays are very nice - and also one has a laugh. I have not fathomed why this should be but it's true. I met some marvellous people in Manchester while doing the series Higher -where I play a woman who is long suffering and helpful (very similar to myself) This series is funny and written by a real academic so there … tune in


Afternoon Drama - Higher - Series 4


'Return of the comedy series by Joyce Bryant about the worst university in the UK - ranked 132nd in the academic league tables.'   Listen to the first episode - 'Clearing' - on iPlayer  (available until 6th August)

Next episode is on  Monday 6th August.