Yesterday was hecticly amazing!
Was jittery the moment the plane landed at Gatwick, and as the time got closer i was shaking!
Went over to the Mulberry Bush pub and sat with a beer awaiting anyone who looked, well mental enough to be going to see TISWAS! Bit by bit, the odd "TISWAS" tshirt surfaced, along with some "ATV" tees... and even "Compost Corner!"
Upon searching bluetooth in the pub a few silly people had named their phones Chris Tarrant and Sally James, so obviously to make us all go "shit! are they in here already?!?!"
I swear, sat with a lovely manchester lass called Helen (the only other cage applicant who was on tiswas as a kid) we smoked lots and kept looking at the clocks.
Driversoft popped over and showed us a card trick and more and more people came in, outrageous hats and such.
Peter Thomas *waves hellloooo!* arrived looking very cool in pvc trousers and a Clash shirt! That would have looked ace in the cage!!!
NOW ONTO THE GOOD PARTS
ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!! after we all signed our forms and got ready and sat around listening to Goldie Looking Chain ... and being quizzed by the others as to how i know TV gunge doesnt stain
Lenny Henry and Frank Carson popped by saying they'd get a photo with us, but they'd prefer to do it when we're covered in gunk!
We went down to the main studio, where Mouse was waving and blowing kisses.
I swear I couldnt get the cheesy grin off my face, after the warm up acts and the music came on, we all stood in the cage in this collective jittery madness. The tub above the cage was filled with lots of foamy water and coloured gunk. I kept thinking "DO i want to be at the front of the cage? Do i want to feel the full force of that gunk? I want both goddammnnittttttt:!"
The show was ace, after Chris threw the first buckets and they did the first segment, Sally approached the cage... i was at the front and waved.
She said "My god, your face when that first lot hit you, your expressions are amazing"
I almost fainted. Sally James rocks!!!!!!!
They showed lots of clips, and sang all the old songs, lots more buckets of freezing water and mess came and went. The other cagers swapped about, and i offered to swap, but some of them were getting too cold so I was at the front copping the full lot!
Despite the heavy jeans and everything else and the nipples that could cut glass, i still had this permanent GRINNNNNNNNNNNN. My cheeks still hurt now!
Status Quo!!!! came on stage, right beside the cage, and they copped a lot off the *duh duh duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh* Phantom Flan Flinger
afterwards though we copped a couple of buckets off them, im not sure if thats on cam, but its certainly embedded in my mind (amongst other things!)
The whole thing was just so cheesy and wonderful.
Dick and Dom were in the audience along with Stephen from M.O.M and they copped some punishment too!
David Bellamy, John Gorman, BOB CAROLGEES AND SPIT!!! I dont care how long he's been doing it, the man just makes me laugh so much.
He also was taken aback to hear i'd come from Belfast just to get soaked, saying "cor you're enthusastic!"
Francis and Rick from the Quo said "Blimey you dont look messy enough, when we were in there we would have been unrecognisable"
And tis true, was more wet and foamy than messy but all the same it was like Christmas come true!
I dont want to give away the whole lot, it'll be on ITV on a Saturday evening in the next month....might even only be 3 weeks away.
My only disappointment is that we in the cage, did not get pied, or get a tshirt as they'd run out by the end!
I wasnt allowed my cam in the studio so unfortunately you'll have to wait for pics!!!
P.S. We tried to get Tarrant in the cage, and jumped up and down in the flooded cage so much we actually broke a bit of the stage... I wonder who could have initiated such bouncy shenanigans ......?
