Hey everyone,   I know its kinda late to say "Happy New Year" but there you go. Tomorrow morning is my first breakfast show of the year and decade and I cant wait. Been off for 2 1/2 wks is longest break I've had for years and it was great thanks. The time with my kids was just the best. They both flourished with all the time and undivided attention. Why do we send them to school this young?   I hope you had brilliant Xmas and New Years and we want to hear all your stories good, bad and especially ugly tomorrow morning. Get any odd gifts? My Dad got my daughters a garden limbo set!! My wife got me Sir Terry Wogans book. No, not the brand new just out one...the two year old one in paperback......thanks, no its just what I wanted...   Ever seen a Celeb on holiday? made a fool of myself in front of a Rugby International whilst on holiday, full story tomorrow. Who have you seen on hols? Even seen a celeb at the baggage reclaim? Was wondering about that this morning at 2am at reclaim 7 at Heathrow. Thought of Sir Paul McCartney lugging his case of the carousal.   Saw some great films and Tv whilst off. The Hurt Locker and The Hangover both great in their own respective ways. Just gotten into the amazing Friday Night Lights. Unmissable.   This year I promise the shows will be...well you'll have to tune in and find out. 2009 brought you twatgate, Dr Who doing the show, Toddler Racing, Mr T, Richies genius and Barry Claus. 2010...more and better. If that's even English.   Chris Evans starts tomorrow and Imp going to text him good luck in a mo. We get better by working with and up against the best. And you should have the best possible choice in the morning for who and what to listen to as its a time of the day you need cheering up and gee-ing along. if your 92 then you should try him.....he's a good guy!   Starting in January will be Beat The boss. New thing where we want you and your boss to play a game. You beat your boss and you win Monday off work, boss wins....you work Saturday.   Lots of other exciting new things starting this month too.     Thanks very much for all your songs that remind you off....those particular songs that are like a soundtrack to a real moment in your life. What Imp enjoying with these isn't just the good songs but your stories, so please keep them coming, haven't picked the first one yet for tomorrow. email me yours christian@absoluteradio.co.uk

  So Terry is leaving his breakfast show. and what a show. Its old school class like a vintage Jag or Bentley. Others may be newer, quicker and faster but there just not as...classy or fun. The construction may be starting to fray but its made with real craftsmanship and love. This cannot be easily and cheaply copied and manufactured.

 

Terry Wogan set the high watermark for not just breakfast radio but for radio. He's ridden the merry go round that is a career in this industry several times now and is more popular now than he's ever been! He makes me want to be a better presenter. To care about my words more.

 

See that the thing with Terry. He knows that the words matter. That sounds obvious but Terry is a wordsmith, a true weaver of verbal magic. One of the early lessons your taught in radio is that you have to paint pictures. Terry is the master of that. Danny Baker has that gift as does that fella that's taking over...

 

It was a real honour last week to be asked to say a few words at Terry's lunch as he was inducted to the radio academy hall of fame. I along with John Humphries, Chris Moyle's, Alan Brazil, Neil Fox and Chris Evans said what we thought of Terry. I shared a story about how I must be one of the few presenters that Terry has provided holiday cover for!

 

Years ago I used to present a show called Fighting Talk on BBC Five Live. As a presenter you never want someone really good sitting in for you. Good but not...Terry Wogan. When I found out I was stunned he'd want to sit in for me, the honour, but then thinking how were the listeners meant to feel when I came back! Like going from a hot one night stand with Cameron Diaz to Anne Widdecombe.

 

He was of course brilliant. Threw away all the rules wed taken ages creating for the show and just had fun. Because that's what he does every day. Has fun. I cant claim to know the man very well but I'm willing to bet he loves doing it and his audience. You have to.  Its such a privilege to be invited into your worlds each morning and to have done that so well for the  past of 27 years....He's a much a reason for the licence fee as David Attenborough and Top Gear.

 

He's going to miss it and his audience will miss him too. But the right man is taking over and he's cut from the same cloth as Terry. I wish him well which is why I wanted Chris to come onto my breakfast show. Its never been done before. Many thought I must be nuts inviting a rival onto my show. I think we get better at whatever we choose to do in life by being stretched and going up against the best does that.

 

I wont be offended if you flick over and enjoy his last few moments tomorrow. He's an inspiration and brought pure joy and life into many millions of lives on many a dull grey morning and bad news day. He created a club that was cosy and warm and welcoming. He was also a sly old subversive getting away with murder sometimes the twinkly eyed charmer.  

 

To Terry!

 

Christian O'Connell      

So starting tomorrow morning at 6am bright and early whilst some of you will be sleeping something funny will be happening. The Good Doctor David Tennant will be co-hosting my breakfast show on Absolute Radio. Tomorrow and Thursday and Friday.

 

We have talked about doing a show together and then after a rather good lunch thought we'd do a few and so we are. There are going to be lots of fun and I hope you can not only listen but also get involved.

 

There is a very special prize David will tell you about tomorrow that you can win in an auction for Children in Need. This trust me is a prize like no other. Very funny.

 

Then there is the twittersode. A special Dr Who episode written on twitter. This will be performed Thursday so please let us know what you think should happen in your own Dr Who episode. You can be Russell T Davies, but without the money. The basic rule is whatever we go with can last no longer than 144 seconds (like a great tweet is a max of 144 characters). Your ideas, plot, dialogue can be sent over several tweets.

 

Good luck and get tweeting!

 

and on absoluteradio.co.uk we will post up David's video diary he will be making before, during and after the show

 

  So, yesterdays funeral. You never know what to say to someone other than "hope it goes as well as these things can go". I got an email from someone at the station that eve said   "Hope today goes ok – sad day n all that"   Indeed n all that. The service was so sad yet also beautiful. The sun was beaming in through the stained glass windows and onto to her casket. She wanted a wicker (what is it about the properties of wicker women love so much?) casket rather than coffin. The weird thing was seeing the casket and thinking like you do at a funeral, that they are in there, but not. Some flowers were on top and I was taken by the wasps on the flowers, life carrying on right next to death.   My mum whose sisters it was that died did a lovely reading. I wasn't doing too bad until the songs. Songs always move me. Its the great thing about music. Its ability to move our spirits and soul, or to make us hit scan if its Nickelback. The service was packed, standing room only at the back and sides. well over 200 people. As they took her through the church down the aisle I realised it was the very same aisle 25 years ago she walked down  after getting married and your truly was an 11 year old usher. It was all too much for me. I fell into line behind her son and husband and they started playing "Yellow" by Coldplay. Now normally to me a song I have played probably hundreds of times so many its lost its initial impact and a song we know may mean actually very little. But at this time and place just knocked me sideways. I then saw all the nurses who'd worked with her over the last 40 years she had been a nurse. There were paramedics too who had known her, these people were all in their uniforms. Standing at the back. The Doctor who had been her care specialist for the last 9 months was there too. After the service the incredible thing was they all went back to work.   The resting place, sounds better than cemetery doesn't it? was stunning. Place called Acre Ridge that Linda had picked out herself and didn't have those grey tombstones everywhere but little plaques and just countryside views for miles. Perfect. The sun was shinning down on her it felt and that felt right.   The wake in a great old fashioned boozer (no chip and pin or sandwiches with rocket, hurrah) was full of stories and love and laughter. I left feeling sad, angry that she died at all but then lucky to have the life I do. Which is why now I must crack on..I'm full of resolution to make more of what I've got.   So I have a 5 page sample of my next book to hand in today. Sundays radio 5 show will be a cracker as Vanessa Feltz who I think great is on, comedian Russell Kane and Bob Mills. find out more on our twitter page @theocsolution   mondays breakfast show has the start of Missing In Action, but who should we track down first   must go, lifes happening   Christian x

So, I wasn't supposed to be telling anyone this just yet bit I put it up on twitter and forget just how immense that thing is at spreading news! Absolute Radio wanted to do a proper release and aren't too happy with me. Shame the Wogan gigs gone as might be job hunting soon.   Its all true though in November top man, bon viveur and time Lord David Tennant will be co-hosting the show with me for a week.   Hes always great fun when he comes in, loves his music and and is always up for larks. Dont forget the time I crashed another interview he was doing on BBC Radio London? or the xmas panto he did with Thandie Newton and Brian Blessed?   If you saw a tweet last week you will have seen the man in disguise (as a peado) meting me for a lunch. Some red wine later I asked if he fancied doing the show with me. We had planned to do a one off show at the weekend sometime but I meant co-hosting the breakfast show. I said he'd only have to do 2 hours or so but he wants to do the full four hours, 6am to 10am. He even said he's going to be there when I turn up at 5.15am and asked to be treated like the rest of them team. Well bring your knee pads then Dr Who!   No, I jest, he will have to pitch ideas for the show at 5.45am like everyone else. Normally these are ribald affairs with good and bad ideas and coarse language. I expect no difference from him and trust me I will be taping them....no ideas a bad idea...we will see...   whilst we were having lunch Rob Brydon walked in and joked "some kind of power meeting going on here I see" and took another table rather than the free one next to us so worried was he about getting caught up in the vortex.   We have some great stuff planned*and let me know what you think we should do   tweet me   Christian *I say 'planned' due to the red wine taken in this Frost/Nixon meeting I have no idea what any of the ideas were..

How is everyone?

 

For someone whose been off his breakfast show for a week I'm totally knackered! Ruby had a nightmare last night apprently involving a cokerill, a chicken and a monkey that took her 3 hours to go back to sleep from. I have asked her to give me more details as there could be a horror movie in what these three were doing together in that nightmare. any ideas? It could provide new Dr Who episode.

 

I hope you all had great bank holiday weekends, lovely day today, feels bit like the last day of summer it being September tomorrow and back to school for many kids. Im excited about getting back on air tomorrow and this weekend my radio five live show starts sunday morning at 11am and the big first guest will be David Tennant who is always great value. Ill let you know the twitter home for The Christian O'Connell Solution this week as i'll be wanting your ideas as ever to shape the show.

 

As i was off last week I found out that Oasis have split at a service station. I didnt see Noel at a Wild Bean Cafe or anything, someone asked me my opinion. After the no show at V there have been as ever so many rumours. It does seem like a pretty nasty split from which there may be no going back. we will see. Noel was always going to do solo stuff and I look forward to that next part of his career.

 

watched some of the office night last night, what an amazing show that was. the training day episode was genius.

 

Im now working through emails and working out what to fill your breakfast show with this week. Im my head right now;

 

Very Poor headlines about the Oasis split. They could have done more witht he back catelogue no? Stuff like 'Wonderbrawl' can be bettered?

Champagne Supernowitsallover

Rock and Dole-Star..

 

any more??

 

richie asking strangers if he could buy their pants off them for £150. maybe its the lack of sleep but this ideas will be radio gold...or not

Google Proof...going to do a competition that will be hard, google proof in fact. Like why did i have to cut a chunk of my hair over the weekend?

Codewords you use at work, story about a scary incident at waterloo station and an automated announcement  going "INSPECTOR SANDS TO THE STATION OFFICE IMMEDIATLY" on repeat full blast for ages, was this a code?

off to check in with Richie now see whats being going on in his world

 

tomorrow then,

 

Christian