West Herts Drivetime With Danny Smith

The Radio Verulam Film Guide - 24th May 2013

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:38:58 PDT

Despite confidently declaring that Brentford would trounce Yeovil Town in the League One Play-off Final and that Yeovil fans could 'climb back into that stinking pit they call home' (his words, not mine) Simon was brought back down to the Earth with a bump. Brentford did not succeed and this has finally tipped him over the edge. He pulled up outside the studio in a red Ferrari 308 GTS, dressed in a ludicrous Hawaiian shirt and with a new, thick mustache (which upon closer inspection was revealed to be a heavily-drugged ferret).

"Errr.... hi Simon." Danny muttered when presented with this new style which, even for the usually ostentatious and florid Simon, was rather garish.

"I don't know who this Simon is, for I am Magnet PI!" Simon retorted, pointing his finger to the sky.

"I'm pretty sure it's Magnum PI, Simon. And why are you talking like a Victorian gentleman?" I asked, still bemused by the whole thing.

"How dare you, sir?!" he said, visibly angered at the affront. He whipped out a silk glove from behind his face-ferret and struck me across the face. "I challenge you to a duel!"

We never got around to dueling, as Danny had been quietly having Simon sectioned under the Mental Health Act. We wish him well in this trying time. I blame Uwe Rösler.

Ok, that was a lie, but Simon was in the studio to discuss the UK box office and discuss his pick of the best films on TV for the coming week.

Friday

Final Destination 3

10.55pm – 12.40am

Film4

Saturday

The Crazies

11.40pm – 1.35am

Flm4

Sunday

The Lake House

11.20pm – 1.00am

BBC1

Monday

Wyatt Earp

11.00pm – 2.50am

ITV4

Tuesday

Desperado

10.50pm – 12.50am

Channel 5

Dan in Real Life

11.35pm – 1.10am

BBC1

Battle of the Brains on Drivetime

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:43:42 PDT

Danny spoke to an 'intellectual equal' on Drive this evening, none other than CJ De Mooi, best known for his eight years on the panel of quiz show Eggheads.

As well as knowing the two double landlocked countries (Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan in case you aren't as clued up as Danny and CJ), he filled us in on the charity quiz being held in St Albans tomorrow night to raise money for The Crescent.

The Crescent provides help and support to those living with, or otherwise affected by, HIV. Without any funding from Herts County Council, they rely entirely on donations, the goodwill of their volunteers and fundraising events such as The Quiz Night.

As a patron of the charity, CJ will be hosting the Quiz Night held at Homewood Rd United Reformed Church Hall tomorrow from 7.30pm. Tickets are £6.00 a head or £22 for teams of four and people are encouraged to turn up on the door if you haven't had a chance to buy a ticket CJ has promised a night of fun, education and everyone's favourite event, a charity raffle. And if you didn't need any more incentive to go, CJ provided an exclusive West Herts Drive time hint, reading the news tomorrow could help you win a round or two tomorrow...

To find out more about the quiz and the charity visit The Crescent website.

Chris' Film Club: Bruce Almighty

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:31:39 PDT

Chris' choice for today was released on this day in 2003.

Directed by Tom Shadyac and stars Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carrell.
Jim Carrey gets to become God.

Chris' Film Club: Mission Impossible

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:27:17 PDT

As with Chris' other choices this week, today's film was released ton this day in 1996.

Directed by Brian De Palma and starring Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Jon Voight, Jean Reno and Kristen Scott Thomas. This is a big screen remake of the classic TV show, spawning three sequels to date.

Travel Correspondent Andy Jarosz

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:12:01 PDT

Our guest this evening was travel correspondent Andy Jarosz who told about his recent trip to Greece;
Even aside from the effects of the Greek financial crisis, there are some tremendous deals on travel to Greece. Cruising worldwide is experiencing a downturn, and so cruises in the Greek islands are at the lowest prices in years - even on luxury lines, in part because of 2012's Costa Concordia disaster and other problems with cruise ships worldwide. You may be able to upgrade your trip considerably by taking advantage of some of the lowest hotel and transportation costs in a long time. Even summer flights are at lower-than-usual prices; some package tours are at decade-low prices.
While carrying a few days' cash in Euros is always a good idea, since ATMS can run out, this is especially important now. Bank mergers have actually reduced the number of ATMs available, without reducing demand. Also, be sure you have sufficient prescription medications with you. Since many medicines are imports, there have been burps in the supply lines to Greece as unpaid bills to pharmaceutical companies pile up.
While Greece enjoyed an upsurge of plenty of extra tourists in 2011, followed by fewer in 2012, I don't expect it to be that busy in 2013. With the ongoing world economic downturn, tourism to Greece may decline, though Greece is receiving many visitors from China and newly wealthy former Soviet bloc nations. But in general, you're much less likely to face massive crowding at the monuments and attractions. And this in turn leads to less jammed hotels and tavernas, which may mean that the owners have more time to relax and chat with the guests they do have. This may translate into an even more memorable and pleasant trip for you, at a bargain price.

Bottom Line: Still Go to Greece. You'll have a wonderful time - maybe an even better trip than in a "normal" year.

More details can be found at he web site http://www.501places.com/

Chris' Film Club: The Empire Strikes Back

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:01 PDT

The film I've chosen for the film club today is The Empire Strikes Back, which was released today in 1980, making it 33 years old! The film (the 2nd in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy) is often held up as being the best of the bunch. It displays several qualities that Lucas failed to replicate in his more recent Star Wars films: character development, decent acting, interesting plotting and not Hayden Christensen.

The film, directed by Irvin Kirshner and starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Billy Dee Williams, is an all time classic and features one of cinema's most famous twists......... Bruce Willis is a ghost!

Clare Gill and the East Common Project

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:33:33 PDT

Clare Gill from Redbourn spoke to Danny today and explained all about the East Common Project. The project is a group of local residents who want to provide a natural, all age and all ability area for children and families.
The volunteers are now working with the Redbourn Parish Council and have a goal to transform the East Common, they listened to residents of all ages and got feedback from both children and their parents so they have a great knowledge of what people would like.
So far they have raised over seventy thousand pounds however to hit their target they still need another ten thousand. Their next fund raising event is Redbourn Strikes Back on the 30th June. The film "The Empire Strikes back" will be shown, there will be characters and a fate with stalls.
For more information on the project or to look out for when the tickets go on sale follow the links to:

http://www.eastcommonproject.co.uk/

You can also like their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RedbournEastCommonPlayGroup

Or follow on Twitter.
@EastCommonProj

Chris' Film Club: Willow

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:42:38 PDT

All this week, Chris' Film Club will be featuring films that were released this week in years gone by. Today's film was released on this day in 1988.

Directed by Ron Howard and stars Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley and Jean Marsh. The story is one of an evil queen who foresees her downfall being caused by a young girl, so it is up to Davis and Kilmer to protect this girl and defeat the queen.

New Music Playlist w/c 20th May 2013 & This Week's Featured Track by Caro Emerald

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:46:42 PDT

Hi Drivetimers

Here is our new music playlist for the forthcoming week:

Agnetha Fältskog - When You Really Loved Someone
Bastille - Laura Palmer
Black Star Riders - Bound For Glory
Bon Jovi - What About Now
Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me
Caro Emerald - Liquid Lunch
Daft Punk - Get Lucky ft. Pharrell Williams
Depeche Mode - Soothe My Soul
Fleetwood Mac - Sad Angel / Without You / It Takes Time / Miss Fantasy
Goo Goo Dolls - Rebel Beat
Jamie Cullum - Everything You Didn’t Do
Josephine - Last Minute
Josh Groban - I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
KT Tunstall - Feel It All
Lady Antebellum - Downtown
Nell Bryden - Echoes
Olly Murs - Dear Darlin’
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Dresden
Passenger - Let Her Go
Phillip Phillips - Home
Sinéad O’Connor - Old Lady
Status Quo - Bula Bula Quo
Stereophonics - Graffiti on The Train
Stooshe - Slip
Tegan And Sara - I Was A Fool
Texas - The Conversation
The Band Perry - Done
The Script - Millionaires

Items in BOLD are new additions

This week's featured track is Liquid Lunch by Caro Emerald:

Lifestyle - with Lisa Pearson

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:17:40 PDT

Lisa Pearson our lifesyle correspondent was our guest this eveing, Lisa coverd healthy eating:

What is a rubbish cook?
Just because I’m a rubbish cook DOES NOT mean I eat READY MEALS!

In my case it’s someone who ….
1) Can’t follow a recipe that involves more than three ingredients
2) Panics when there are too many steps
3) Add to that children who are not willing to politely wait for more than 10 minutes, so it’s got to be quick
4) A lack of interest in improving my skills (in fact a big mental block which I’m happy to keep)
5) No chance of being organised at the beginning of the day for dinner at the end
6) Not worried about being boring and having only enough meals for 2-3 weeks of repeats
7) Cleverly married the Big Northern Hairy One who can cook brilliantly
8) Makes the same meals for the kids and adults, because I really don’t have enough time not to
9) Has a phobia of soup apart from Heinz tomato soup with lots of bread
10) Quite likes a bit of salad, but definitely couldn’t be considered a health nut

I really, really, really think that you mums who can cook, casserole, make pies, and organise yourselves so brilliantly are amazing. You don’t appreciate the skill required to read and follow a recipe.
Seriously, it is NOT that easy!
BUT, I’m not that bothered about learning. I have been a domestic goddess twice in my life and it kicked me big time in the butt both times, so I’m totally content with my rubbishness.

So why on earth am I going to write about it, if I’m so rubbish at it?

Because I think that the media only gives three really extreme images of cooking.
1) You have the chips, curries, fried in humungous amounts of fat with a sprinkling of sugar and salt on top image.
2) Then there are the incredibly extremely healthy bunch, who eat a pile of things that I wouldn’t consider, let alone my children.
3) Then there are the chefs who seem insistent on adding so many ingredients and chopping so many things up, even when they are cooking something ‘simple’ or ‘quick’.
more details can be found at the web site http://mummywhispererblog.com

I have learnt to cook healthy well balanced meals, that are simple and quick to cook.
There’s hardly any preparation time.
They are easily mix and matched.
And they work for both the grown ups and the kids in this house.

So that’s what I’m going to share. Hopefully it will help anyone stuck in the chip scenario to break out of it, and Mums struggling to balance their demanding lives with providing healthy food.
Some of you may then go on to become brilliant cooks, which will be great.
Some brilliant cooks might still like to read my ideas, just to make sure that they are also brilliantly healthy.

The Radio Verulam Film Guide - 17th May 2013

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:30:03 PDT

Today Simon was in the studio again to talk all about films. He appears to have recovered from the story told in the most recent blog post, which saw him driving off into the sunset in a Cadillac with a bevy of beautiful women and a cooler full of beers. He was just acting out after his beloved Brentford missed out on automatic promotion. He insists he is very fine indeed, although the second wedding ring on his hand and the 'THUG LIFE' tattoo on his knuckles suggests otherwise. Football can do crazy things to a man.

Ok, that was a lie (the tattoo says 'YOLO'), but he was in the studio to talk about the UK box office and his pick of films on TV for the coming week.

Friday
In the Line of Fire
9.00pm – 11.45pm
5USA

Saturday
Face/Off
9.45pm – 12.00am
BBC3

Sunday
The Social Network
9.00pm – 11.20pm
Channel 4

Monday
State of Play
11.10pm – 1.35am
ITV2

Thursday
Beverly Hills Cop
9.00pm – 11.05pm
Film4

Today's phone guest was Breakaway Theatre's Bob Lewis

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:29:21 PDT

Bob Lewis was our guest today, from the Breakaway Theatre company. They have been going 25 years and are a roaming company that do inside and outside productions. They have around 40 active performing members, and around 200 associate members - often arranging social evenings, acting lessons, car boot and cake sales.

Their forthcoming production is called 'Roberto Zucco' based on a true story of an Italian serial killer in the 80s. He was notorious throughout Europe, being placed on the 'Most Wanted' list. The subject matter may seem dark but there is a comedic edge too. In a twist to the format, the main role is undertaken by two actors to show the outside and inside of Zucco. It was written by French author Bernard-Marie Koltes and has not been performed previously in Hertfordshire. It contains adult themes and strong language, some discretion is advised.

The show will be performed from 30th May-1st June and then from 6th-8th June at the Maltings Arts Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketsource.co.uk/OVO and information about the group can be found at www.breakawaytheatre.co.uk

Camphill Village Trust

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:41:46 PDT

Today, Kay Weston from the Camphill Village Trust spoke to Danny about the work of Camphill St Albans charity. As well as this, she enlightened us on the charity's Cafe on the Corner, one of the only cafes in St Albans Danny hasn't (yet) frequented!

Camphill Village Trust is a UK organisation supporting adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems and other special needs. Camphill St Albans has various projects which aim to get people involved in the community and help them be self sufficient. Alongside providing accommodation, they have a studio where service users create art and jewelry to sell, an allotment where vegetables are grown to be sold and a centre for social events, including plays, karaoke and PC facilities.
As well as all this, Kay runs a sewing club, and is in the process of holding sewing machine lessons, aiming to make the internal mending service a profitable endeavor by opening it to the public.

The Cafe on the Corner, (the corner being that of Adelaide and Catherine St) is open 9am - 4.30pm Tuesday to Saturday. Beneficiaries of the Trust get the opportunity to work here, and you can help them by buying a cup of coffee and some homemade cake. (We don't need to be told twice..)

The Trust are always looking for help and in particular are looking for donations of sewing materials to help their sewing club. If you know anyone that can help, or would like to learn more about the charity, you can call them on 01727 811228 or visit their website.

Local Tourism Feature with Charles Baker

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:37:09 PDT

Charles Baker came into the studio to tell us what's happening in the month of May!

Firstly the bank holiday weekend is jam packed with activities. There's the Urban Beach weekend at the Verulamium Park on sat 25 and sun 26th May, brand new courts have been set up in the park with sand directly from the Olympic venue. There will be lots going on at the park such as face painting, zumba, circus skills and refreshments. The weekend is free for any more info please head to www.stalbans.gov.uk/beach-courts

The Hertfordshire county show is also taking place on the Bank holiday weekend. Radio Verulam will be broadcasting live from the event so pop down and say hello!

On the 19th May the St Albans charity cycle ride is taking place. The Rotary clubs of St Albans organise this charity cycle ride event. There are 4 routes around mid-Hertfordshire. The event welcomes everyone to take part from adults, children and young people and families.

Moving onto June, on Saturday the 1st June - Sunday 15th September The Magna Carta 1213: The journey starts here is at the museum or St Albans. you can find out what motivated the barons and clergy men to formulate their demands to King John. For any more information on this event or others go to enjoystalbans.com

Citizens Advice Bureau

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:59:14 PDT

Elizabeth Crampton from St Albans Citizens advice bureau was our guest this evening on West Herts Drivetime, amongst the items covered were:

Disability Living Allowance - sometimes referred to as DLA - is a tax-free benefit for disabled children and adults who need someone to help look after them, or have walking difficulties.
The Council's Income Maximisation Team is happy to assist you with completing the DLA form. They can visit you at your home. Visit the contacts area of this page to access their details.
From 10 June 2013, a new benefit called personal independence payment (PIP) will be introduced to replace disability living allowance (DLA) for people of working age (16-64).Children under 16 will continue to claim DLA, and people over 65 can claim Attendance Allowance.
From October 2013, if you are aged between 16 and 65 and you report a change in your condition, you will have to apply for PIP instead.
If you receive DLA and will be aged between 16 and 64 on 8 April 2013, you will eventually have to make a claim for PIP instead, even if you have been given an indefinite or lifetime award for DLA. At some point between January 2014 and March 2016 you will be contacted by DWP and invited to claim PIP. When you claim PIP your DLA will continue to be paid until the PIP claim has been decided, but if you do not make a claim for PIP within 28 days your DLA will be suspended.

What is money transfer fraud?
Money transfer services are often the preferred method used to obtain cash by a variety of fraudsters. Money transfer services, such as Western Union, allow individuals to send cash quickly, easily and reliably, allowing criminals to obtain cash from online auction site frauds, lottery scams, 419 frauds and criminal cashback.
When money transfer services are being used in connection with criminal activity the recovery of any cash sent is extremely difficult. Individuals do have to produce identification when collecting cash, however, the documents produced by these fraudsters are often very sophisticated.
How can we protect ourselves from money transfer fraud?
Never use money transfer services to send cash to people that you do not know or whose identity you cannot verify.
Never pay for an item bought on an online auction site such as ebay, through instant wire transfer service. The seller may suggest this option to you and may be entirely genuine, however there is little security in this, no matter what the seller says. Even if you are being offered a good deal, or a ‘second chance’ on an item that you really wanted, you are effectively sending your cash to a stranger ‘on trust’ alone.
Never send cash via money transfer service if you have been in receipt of any lottery fraud emails in which you are encouraged by the sender to transfer money in the form of advance fees in order to release lottery winnings. Genuine lotteries will never ask you to pay taxes or release fees. In fact genuine lotteries, such as the UK Big Lottery, have no idea who bought the winning ticket, so will never be able to contact you telling you about your ‘unclaimed’ prize money. You have to contact them with your details. If you have received any emails requesting that you send money, never reply, and never send these people money - by any method.

Similarly, never send cash via money transfer service if you have been in receipt any ‘419’ emails, that offer you a cut of a large sum of money - if you help to release it from a bank account. If you do respond to this mail, during the discussions with the sender you will be encouraged to send them cash in the form of advance fees to gain the release of the money, which is usually a ridiculous figure that is in the millions. Again, never reply, and never send these people money - by any method.

Never send cash via money transfer service if you have been in receipt of a cheque payment from an individual - in a sum greater than what you have asked. This is known as criminal cashback for the item you are selling or property you are renting. After the cheque has been paid into your account, the fraudster you will encourage you to send the difference to them, or someone else by money transfer or bank transfer. Never send these people cash by any method. If the cheque you have received is stolen or forged, it can often take more than 3 days before that cheque is identified as being fraudulent, and by that time you would have already sent the funds by money transfer with no means of getting it back, and also find that your bank account will have the original debt reversed, leaving you with the loss of the funds withdrawn and sent by money transfer.

What help is available to victims of money transfer fraud?
Victims of this type of fraud often feel personally humiliated by the situation – especially if they find themselves embroiled in a scam and have parted with a great deal of money. In most cases these victims do not inform the police, or tell anyone at all. It is extremely important however, that you do tell people, and inform the police if you find yourself embroiled in a scam as described above. As already discussed, career criminals look for victims who are unknowing about transfer services, or maybe looking for that ‘too good to be true’ opportunity of a lifetime. Always stay vigilant, and never even reply to any offers made to you that you are not entirely sure of, and only ever use money transfer services when sending funds to your family and individuals that you know you can trust.

New Music Playlist w/c 13th May 2013 & this week's featured track by Bastille

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:22:54 PDT

Hi Drivetimers

Here is our new music playlist for the forthcoming week:

Agnetha Fältskog - When You Really Loved Someone
Alison Moyet - When I Was your Girl
Bastille - Laura Palmer
Black Star Riders - Bound For Glory
Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me
Daft Punk - Get Lucky ft. Pharrell Williams
Depeche Mode - Soothe My Soul
Fleetwood Mac - Sad Angel / Without You / It Takes Time / Miss Fantasy
fun. - All Alone
Goo Goo Dolls - Rebel Beat
Jamie Cullum - Everything You Didn’t Do
Joe Cocker - I Come In Peace
Josephine - Last Minute
Josh Groban - I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
Lady Antebellum - Downtown
Nell Bryden - Echoes
Olly Murs - Dear Darlin’
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Dresden
Phillip Phillips - Home
Rod Stewart - It’s Over
Sinéad O’Connor - Old Lady
Stereophonics - Graffiti on The Train
Stooshe - Slip
Tegan And Sara - I Was A Fool
Texas - The Conversation
The Script - Millionaires

Items in BOLD are new additions

Our featured track for the week is Laura Palmer by Bastille:

New Music Playlist w/c 6th May 2013 & this week's featured track by Nell Bryden + Caro Emerald Album giveaway!

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 06 May 2013 08:00:11 PDT

Hi Drivetimers

This week we are giving away copies of the brand new album by Caro Emerald. If you would like to win a copy, just scroll to the bottom of this post for details.

Here is our new music playlist for the forthcoming week:

Agnetha Fältskog - When You Really Loved Someone
Alison Moyet - When I Was your Girl
Black Star Riders - Bound For Glory
Bo Bruce - Save Me
Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me
Daft Punk - Get Lucky ft. Pharrell Williams
Depeche Mode - Soothe My Soul
Dido - End Of Night
fun. - All Alone
Gabrielle Aplin - Panic Cord
Jamie Cullum - Everything You Didn’t Do
Joe Cocker - I Come In Peace
Johnny Hates Jazz - Magnetized
Josh Groban - I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go ‘Round
Lady Antebellum - Downtown
Nell Bryden - Echoes
Noah And The Whale - There Will Come A Time
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Dresden
Passenger - Let Her GoPhillip Phillips - Home
Primal Scream - It’s Alright, It’s OK
Rod Stewart - It’s Over
Sinéad O’Connor - Old Lady
Stereophonics - Graffiti on The Train
Stooshe - Slip
Texas - The Conversation
The Mavericks - Born To Be Blue

Items in BOLD are new additions

This week's featured track is Echoes by Nell Bryden:

COMPETITION

For your chance to win a copy of The Shocking Miss Emerald, simply subscribe to our daily email digest below and we will pick 5 random winners. If you have previously subscribed, just email danny@radioverulam.com for inclusion into the prize draw. Please note that the competition closes at 4pm on Friday 10th May 2013 and you will need to collect your CD from our studios in Hatfield Road, St Albans.

The Radio Verulam Film Guide - 3rd May 2013

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:11:44 PDT

On this glorious Friday afternoon Chris was in the studio again, taking the place of Simon for another week. Simon has driven off into the sunset in his pink 1970 Cadillac Eldorado with a bevy of beautiful, bikini-clad women by his side and a ice box of cold beers under the seat and has said he will be back 'when he's back'. We think he's just acting out after Brentford missed out on automatic promotion last weekend. He'll get over it, Brentford fans are used to disappointment.

Ok, that was a lie (except for the bit about Brentford and disappointment), but Chris was filling in for Simon again this week and he spoke at length about the UK Box Office Top 10 and his pick of films on TV for the coming week.

Friday

HotFuzz

ITV2

9.00pm – 11.25pm

Saturday

Star Trek

Channel 4

9.05pm – 11.25pm

Sunday

True Lies

Film4

9.00pm – 11.45pm

Monday

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

BBC1

8.30pm – 10.40pm

Tuesday

Manhunter

ITV4

10.30pm – 1.00am

Wednesday

Home Alone

Film4

7.00pm – 9.00pm

Thursday

30 Days of Night

Film4

11.45pm – 1.55am

Chris' Film Club: Bend It Like Beckham

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:41:46 PDT

As it's David Beckham’s 38th birthday today, Chris has chosen the film Bend It Like Beckham. The film stars Parminder Nagra who so desperately wants to play football but her parents don’t allow her to play. She befriends Keira Knightly’s character who convinces her to try out for a local team.
The film also stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Shaznay Lewis and Ameet Chana.

Today's special guest - Tunde Baiyewu @Tunde_Baiyewu formerly of the Lighthouse Family

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:28:25 PDT

On today's show we heard my recent interview with former frontman with the Lighthouse Family, Tunde Baiyewu.

If you missed it, or would like to hear it again, click here.

Monthly Wildlife Feature with Sarah Buckingham

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:39:31 PDT

Our local wildlife correspondent was in today giving us the lowdown on local nature events in the county. For those who aren't familiar with previous Wildlife Features with Sarah, she is a part of Herts and Middlesex WildLife Trust which is the leading voice for wildlife conservation in Herfordshire and Middlesex.

The first topic of interest was the recent Woodland Wildlife Weekend. This happened last week and was celebrating woodland wildlife up and down the country. Due to the weather being quite erratic this year those going on Blue Bell and nature walks may have noticed that the Blue Bells are only just starting to grow.

Blue Bells are also signs of ancient woodland areas, so large masses indicate where ancient wooded areas once were. In Hertfordshire The Gobion Wood and Brookemans Park are excellent places to see wood and grassland as well as carpets of wood anemones.

Not all woods have blue bells (due to soil, light and other factors) but they still can be rich in natural history. In the east and south of the County we have large amounts of Oak Hornbeam which was originally cultivated for firewood in London. Managing woodlands is now one of the main tasks for the Wildlife Trusts especially as the woodlands have no purpose today. One of the most commen practices the Trust perform is "Coppicing" which is cutting a tree down to the stump to allow more light into the surrounding area to allow the wildflowers to grow.

For those in the vicinity of Spellbrook you may have noticed a lot of restoration work at Thorley Wash Reserve. Currently the Wildlife Trust has been clearing a lot of the willow trees to help local wildflowers grow as the area is a place of scientific interest. Thorley Wash has also some new residential conservationists : Water Buffalos! These cow-like creatures are originally from Romania and Asia and love swampy marsh land and their grazing helps maintain the environment. They are currently the star attraction at the reserve. You can visit them on Saturday the 11th of May, Spellbrook, Nr Bishop's Stortford. You can also take part in the new brand new Sculpture Trail!

Sarah also mentioned some other up and coming dates: On the Bank Holiday Weekend (4th May) Stanwell common, there will be a spring walk as well as a morning walk in Hoddesdon at the Danemead Nature Reserve.

Other dates include some events for Half Term for you and the kids:

Woodland Wildlife Bonaza : This is on the Wednesday 29 of May, Brickendon from 10.30am - 12.30pm. You can hunt for butterflies and dragon flies and collect woodland bounty to create mini-boats and woodland creatures! Suitable for children 5 -11.

A Twilight Adventure : This takes place on the same day at Hertford Heath at 7.30pm - 9.30pm. Listen out for hoots of owls and watch for bats and other creatures of the night and gather round for a nice warm drink before going home. Suitable for children 6 -12

Evening Bird Walk : Again on the same day but in Tring. Starts at 7pm and end at 9pm. It's a guided walk at Wilstone to look for hobbies. The meeting pointing will be in the car park at Wilstone Reservoir.

Book well in advance as places are limited! Finally the best part is it's completely free!

(The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust do welcome donations as all money goes towards maintain local wildlife as well as running projects and raising awareness.)

For more information on the past and future events and The Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust go to :

www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk

Chris' Film Club: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:30:01 PDT

Today we wish a very happy birthday to the very talented Kirsten Dunst, who is 31 years old today. She is the rare example of a child actor who has gone on to prove herself in adult roles. None more so than in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

She joins a cast that includes Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet who get together but before too long they suffer a traumatic breakup. They both decide to erase each other from their memories and start afresh, but the process leads to some weird results.

It also stars Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson and Mark Ruffalo and features an Oscar-winning screenplay from Charlie Kaufman and trippy and imaginative direction from Michel Gondry. Not to be missed.

New Music Playlist w/c 29th April 2013 & this week's featured track by Tunde Baiyewu

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:23:56 PDT

Hi Drivetimers

Apologies for this being a day late but here is our new music playlist for the forthcoming week:

Agnetha Fältskog - When You Really Loved Someone
Alison Moyet - When I Was your Girl
Black Star Riders - Bound For Glory
Bo Bruce - Save Me
Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me
Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams - Get Lucky
Dido - End Of Night
Elsie - Your Loving Arms
fun. - All Alone
Gabrielle Aplin - Panic Cord
Jamie Cullum - Everything You Didn’t Do
Joe Cocker - I Come In Peace
Johnny Hates Jazz - Magnetized
Josh Groban - I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go ‘Round
Lady Antebellum - Downtown
Michael Bublé - It’s A Beautiful Day
Noah And The Whale - There Will Come A Time
Primal Scream - It’s Alright, It’s OK
Rod Stewart - It’s Over
Stereophonics - Graffiti on The Train
Stooshe - Slip
Texas - The Conversation
The Mavericks - Born To Be Blue
Thea Gilmore - Love Came Looking For Me
Tunde Baiyewu - Diamond in A Rock

Items in BOLD are new additions

This week's featured track is Diamond In The Rock by Tunde Baiyewu (who just happens to be a guest on Thursday's show!):

Chris' Film Club: Batman Returns

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:30:01 PDT

Today we say a very happy birthday to one Michelle Pfeiffer, who is 55 years old today. She played Catwoman in the second of Tim Burton's Batman films. The films stars the underrated Michael Keaton as Batman and Danny DeVito, Christopher Walken and Pfeiffer round out an impressive cast.

While not as 'gritty' as the recent Nolan Batman films, it is very stylised and features the Burton aesthetic we have come to know and love. Well worth a watch (although maybe watch the first one, you know, first).

The Radio Verulam Film Guide - 26th April 2013

danny@radioverulam.com (Radio Verulam) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:29:49 PDT

Today Simon was not in the studio so it was down to the handsome and effervescent Chris Aikman to calm things down a bit. Simon is known for being unpredictable; a maverick; an all-round loose cannon, so it was nice to have the air of civility that Chris brings to proceedings. Danny and him sat down with a nice pot of tea, a copy of today's Financial Times and the cricket on the radio in the background before delving deep into a discussion about the works of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

Ok, that was a lie, but Chris really was in the studio instead of Simon and spoke eloquently and knowledgeably about the UK box office and his pick of films on TV in the coming week.

Friday

Shaun of the Dead

ITV2

9.00pm – 11.00pm

Saturday

Commando

ITV

10.35pm – 12.20am

Sunday

L.A. Confidential

ITV4

10.00pm – 12.50am