Sad News ~ Pam Jones

It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart when I say that a family friend and life long fan of mine, Pam Jones passed away on March 15th 2012.

Pam had followed my career from the early days when I toured with Danny La Rue and Cannon and Ball in Blackpool, she saw all of my pantomimes all over the country and was at all of my television recordings, Pam was a true fan. I think in total she saw me perform in over 600 performances! She has always been a part of all of our lives and I know that she was so happy to be included as a guest at mine and Maries wedding in 2005, she had a great time.

Pam was from Swansea and would always book a seat in the front row at all performances, there will be an empty seat in this years pantomime at the Grand but I know she will be smiling down at me…….. God Bless Pam.

Balmoral Fred Olsen 9-30th March 2012

What a busy time it’s been since I came home from Australia, I did have some quality time at home and we managed to do loads, Sam is such a joy, such a lovely boy and I have so enjoyed my time with him and of course my wife Marie. During my time at home I decided to go on a diet, well more of a weight loss programme really, focusing on life style rather than quick fix diets, it’s called Lighter Life, my mate Owen Money has lost 5 stone on it, I have so far lost a stone and a half so doing well, I have stopped drinking alcohol, stopped sugar, bread, pasta and all those lovely things I used to crave, take away’s another downfall, but do you what, I don’t feel like I’m on a diet at all, I have a shake for breakfast, soup for lunch or a mix style shepherds pie or chili con carne or a curry, a bar for afternoon tea and a meal at night that you cook yourself and let me tell you I am eating well, anyway, no big deal but I looked at myself on the QM2 and didn’t like what I saw so I am doing something about it.



I had quite a few shows to do during my time at home, Theatr’ Brychieniog Brecon was a good one with the added bonus of having my son Tom lighting the show, as was Porthcawl Pavilion Theatre a great night and a 100% sell out, the Swansea Grand Theatre was a wonderful night, a special night as it was St. David’s Day so I shared the stage with a lot of very talented young people, my dear friend Llinos Daniel was terrific as were the four young ladies I am trying to mentor at the moment “Lase” who are four sisters who sing beautifully, I predict big things for them, also my dear pal and fab actor Phyl Harries who compared the evening brilliantly, there were lots of schools performing some wonderful stuff, I did a piece with the students of Gower Collage Swansea and my musical director Michael Morwood also worked on that and it was a big hit with the audience, I had a 25min slot and it went by so very fast but on the whole the night went great. We also took our show to Neath Workingmen’s Club for a charity night for “Help The Hero’s” and I had a very pleasant surprise that night as another old mate of mine Diane Cousins came to see me and she has been so terribly ill, so thank you Di it was lovely to see you.



I was also part of another great event called “Taffyfest” at the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd, another great night indeed, with my band and again some hugely talented youngster’s, I invited Llinos Daniel to perform and she did a tip top job for sure also my girls “Lase” who wowed the crowd with there superb singing, also harpist and singer Bethan Nia did an amazing job.



Life at home was lovely, we had mother –in-law Julia staying with us so a kind of a house full, which I like.



I had another day at the Real Radio Studio recording more Trade Centre Wales Ads so listen out for them also some massive savings on all the cars if you are looking to buy something.



Another a bit a news, I have not been back to the Swansea Grand Theatre for Pantomime in 5 years, I had 4 happy years with the Owen Money Theatre Company and last year I took the Panto off and it was a lovely experience to have a proper Christmas with my family, however, this year I am back at the Grand Theatre Swansea playing (wait for it) Ugly Sister alongside my old pal who I have done many panto’s in the past, Kevin Johns and Chico is top of the bill! It will be a very different part to play and although I’m very nervous about doing this, I am looking forward to it and taking the learning proses to a whole new level. Am I now to look forward to becoming a Pantomime Dame? Time will tell. I want to thank Nick Thomas, Jon Conway and Jonathan Kyley of Qdos and Many Ward of Mandy Ward Artiste Management for getting me back into Panto World…see you all there…oh yes I will!



Soon it was time to pack and get ready for another journey to the airport, this time Gatwick and my flight to Rio Brazil, the flight was great, yes I couldn’t believe it, I slept for 7hrs so arrived in Rio refreshed and raring to go until the baggage reclaim, it took 1hr 20mins to get the cases, an hour and 20mins just stood starring at luggage going past on a conveyor belt, I almost expected a cuddly toy to go past. A long coach ride in heavy traffic to the ship and once onboard I began to relax. I bumped into an old pal and brilliant comic John Evans onboard, so we spent a good 4hrs chatting and laughing just like the old days when we were both sailing together on P&O Oriana way back in 1996, I like John he’s a good bloke. I have a beautiful suite, which overlooks the aft swimming pool so I will be happy in here. When I unpacked my case, one of the Lighter Life food packs had burst and now most of my clothes smell of Chicken Soup as the powder had burst out, oh well no problem! I have met the cruise director “Boz” they call him and what a really nice welcome, also onboard is yet another old pal Don Reid who is doing some comedy lectures so I’m looking forward to hearing them, Sarah Chandler a brilliant sax player who once upon a time worked in the main band on P&O Arcadia, she is a lovely girl and a great player, I always knew she would end up doing her own show one day, good on you Sarah, we have an opera singer Anthony Stuart Lloyd on, what a fantastic bass baritone voice he has and he’s welsh…tidy!



We are over night here in Rio tonight, what to do, should I go for a walk and see a bit of Rio, there’s the famous Christ statue, Copacabana Beach, Ipanina Beach, or should I stay onboard and chill, I have been here before on Oriana about 10yrs ago, we’ll see!

I stayed onboard, I had a beautiful meal and then a stroll around the prom deck then bed, watched Kill Bill Vol 1, funny and blood thirsty but I suppose I enjoyed it, we sail tomorrow (10th March) and I have 3 weeks on here, I must stick to my routine now and keep up the weight loss and NO BEER!!!!!



Good Morning once again from Rio! It’s a very hot day around 88c, I didn’t get up this morning until 10am, what a great sleep, you always get a good nights sleep when the ship alongside as there is no movement and even more important no noise. Had my shake for breakfast and then went out and sat around the pool in the baking sunshine. I had my lunch that consisted of a Pea & Smoked Ham Soup from my Lighter Life packs, lovely; no I mean it, really yummy. I have a meeting with the Cruise Director at 3.30pm, an emergency drill at 4.30pm and we sail at 5.50pm and we sail north along the Brazil coast to another exotic port.



I enjoyed our sail away from Rio, it took ages but it was lovely, I have taken some photos but as you can see it went dark quickly so not much to see, but all the same beautiful.

Prince Harry has been here all the while I was here, his car and entourage passed the Balmoral just as we were doing our emergency drill; I hope he gave us a wave!



Good Morning and we are at sea, it’s Sunday today so I’m off to church at 10am and then look at the gym or more sunbathing or work on my show which is coming up in about 5 days time, ah lazy days at sea. On P&O Sunday at sea was a great day, Church followed by coffee with the Captain, then I used to go to the crew bar and have a Sunday afternoon drink with the boys and girls of the crew, I’m the new boy on here so I have to get to know people, lucky for me I have my fellow entertainers for company so not so lonely, it can be a lonely place if you don’t know anyone! See you later!



This afternoon I had the pleasure of watching comedian Don Reid do a lecture on some of the old comics from the 60’s and the 70’s what a lovely way to spend an hour in the company of a great man who is also a very funny comic, he is doing 10 presentations this cruise so he has his work cut out, but do you know what, they love him and it will be a big hit this cruise, well done Don! Tonight’s entertainment is the wonderful Bass Baritone Anthony Stuart Lloyd, he a big chap with a big voice so I’m looking forward to see him later on this evening.



What a fab show last night with Anthony Stuart Lloyd, what a rich chocolate voice, he’s known as the man with the Rolls Royce Voice, I so enjoyed his show as did everyone else, well done Anthony.



I can’t wait to get on that stage myself now, all this waiting is killing me, I have my first show in 4 days time, I need to work now and make my mark so to speak.



Its another sunny day here on Balmoral in the South Atlantic Ocean, I’ve had my strawberry shake and I’m ready for the day ahead, I’m also reading a book I have been looking for, “The Secret” and it’s a very interesting read! Now, to the fresh air and some sun!



Ah lovely, a nice 4hrs in the sun and a nice pork salad for lunch followed by a nice pint of sparkling water and ice, oh yes I know how to live the good life alright! I spent half an hour in the gym, I power walked for a mile and did some sit ups and press-ups, I’m not great in the gym but at least I went today.



I have a blackberry phone so everyday I get to talk to Marie via what they call BBM its like a free text service between blackberry’s so at least we catch up on things.



I’m dying to get on that stage; I still have another 4 nights to wait. Tonight, we have an old friend of mine sax player Sarah Chandler who yesterday had a piece written on her in the Sunday Express all about her cruising on this ship next month remembering the Titanic. I’m looking forward to seeing Sarah tonight as she used to play for me on P&O Arcadia and now has her very own act, can’t wait!



Wow…Sarah Chandler…what a great show she did last night, she really does have that likability factor, which really is the key to going well onstage, she connected with her audience and they loved her, so proud of you Sarah, well done!



Today we are in Salvador in Brazil and the temperature is a cool 35c, it was 30c at 8am. I have had my banana shake this morning and in about 20mins I’m going ashore with the tours manager to take a look around the city, I have heard it can be dangerous out there with pick pockets and muggings but I’m going anyway with my trusty canon G12 and going to take some pictures of this old and interesting city.

I was blown away with the city of Salvador, it is so busy and colorful I have taken loads of pics, take a look!

I enjoyed the company of William the tours manager and also his knowledge of photography so really enjoyed the long walk around a very old city steeped in history.



Good Morning and a day at sea, we are no sailing for Recife once again in Brazil. I woke around 9am only to put the TV on and learn of the awful tragic accident in Switzerland. Those poor kids, what a terrible accident in that tunnel, my thoughts and prayers go out to those poor families who have had this awful news of their children. When you have kids of your own it really hits you hard, I don’t know how I would cope if something ever happened to my boys, I am so sorry to hear of this.



And now some good news…I switched my phone on and had a message from my son Tom, “I got a job” it said, he has only landed a job on the National Tour of Birds of a Feather starting next Thursday at the Wolverhapton Grand Theatre then touring all over the UK until July. I am so very proud of him, well done son.



I can’t be bothered to go out tonight, so it looks like a night in in front of the telly…right then, what’s on!



Today we are in Recife in Brazil and another hot day. I went to the spa for a haircut and the guy there scalped me, shortest haircut ever, I know I haven’t much hair but all the same it’s short, I quite like now though! I am really enjoying my book “The Secret” everyone should go buy it as it’s not a secret, its out there for all to read.



I work tomorrow night and I am looking forward to it!



I spoke to Marie today and she tells me our little Sammy is not so well, he has a temperature of 101 and is feeling pretty down poor chap, he picks things up in school, what can you do? Never mind, he’s in good hands with Nurse Mummy and will soon be on his feet again!



We sailed out of Recife and I took a few pics, nothing great but here they are anyway!

Good Morning and a day at sea for us on Balmoral, I was up at 9am and got straight into sorting my show out for tonight, oh after the first cup of tea of the day of course and the daily Lighter Life Shake that is! I have been on the Blackberry Ping with Ian Parsons and we have some interest from some more Theatres in Wales for the autumn, so it was good to look at that. My son Sam feels a bit better today says Marie so I’m glad to hear that too!

Tonight’s the night then, yes I am finally working, it’s been a week since I boarded this ship and I clearly need to get on that stage and do what I do best, I am looking forward to it and I am up for it too! My rehearsal and sound check is in 50mins time so no doubt I will let you know how all of that went! See you later!



Yes a good band and the sound onstage is good too, all I want now is the audience to like me and we’re away. I have taken a date back at the Swansea Grand for 21st January 2013, I know it’s a Monday night but I do hope as many of you as possible will come out and support me, the panto would have finished by just a week so it’ll be good to get back into a suit and out of the frocks, my goodness I can’t believe I just said that “out of the frocks” what does the future hold?



Tomorrow we are in Fortaleza Brazil and after that we are going up the mighty Amazon River, I am very excited about that.



Ok, see you after the show!



The 8.45pm show couldn’t have gone any better, a full house and a full standing ovation, thank you. Now I have to do the same for the 10.45pm show…see you later!



Oh Thank you Thank you…the late show went great too and always nice to have some welsh people in the audience!



Today we are in Fortaleza in Brazil and its already 32c, I loved doing my show last night and now feel as if I’m part of this cruise. My lips have been so sore due to a cold sore and then burning them in the sun, but today they feel better, sorry I know this is of no interest to you but I write as I feel, if that makes sense!



Well what a day, Wales won the Grand Slam, Swansea won 3-0 against Fulham, and it was St. Patrick’s Day. Anthony Stuart Lloyd sang for us all as we sailed away from port and Pat Shannon gave us a wonderful Irish Show, also we had wonderful singer Suzzie Woods and comic Don Reid who did a marvelous job, what a night on Balmoral!

What a day at sea today, the Captain and his officers were thrown in the pool by King Neptune, ok let me explain, for years now when ships cross the equator a ceremony is put on to mark this happening, so one of the crew dresses up as King Neptune and a few dressed as Pitate’s and if you have never crossed the equator before you are initiated and then thrown into the pool to be cleansed, the poor old Captain was thrown in as an example to all, it is a lot of fun, I was initiated back in 1982, so I was ok and didn’t get wet, here’s some photos of the event taken from my balcony.



This afternoon was quite interesting, as we are about to enter the Amazon for some reason or another the ship had to power down its engines and shut off the electricity and then reset everything including computers, engines, water supply, air conditioning, it was horrible, we all sat sweating like pigs all afternoon, but it had to be done, I have no idea why but that was that, anyway we are on our way again now, I’m sat on my balcony as its like an oven in the cabin, air con not working yet. It was a strange feeling when the ship went dark and with no engines, you got an idea how those poor people on that second Costa ship might have felt, the ship was just floating around with waves slapping up against her, really weird! I feel sorry for the show company tonight as they have a big production show to do in this heat, air con will take hours and hours to come back to the required temperature. Worse things happen at sea, is that the old saying?



Today we are sailing up the mighty Amazon River, it’s hot, sticky, rain about to come down, huge insects, the biggest cockroach I have ever seen in my life and the river is a chocolate brown colour. I went to see Don Reid’s comedy talk at 11am and just before that had my sizes taken for the costume department of Qdos, which is for my costumes for panto this year. Anyway, have a look at some of these photos taken in the Amazon, huge bugs!!! (Shiver)!

Good Morning and welcome to Santarem deep in the Amazon, it’s a very hot day and more bugs have come out to play, take a look at this bat I found hanging upside down outside my cabin, also some more huge butterflies or are they enormous moths?

I’m on tonight so my rehearsal was set for 11am and it went without a hitch, we have a good band a good soundman so I’m looking forward to going on tonight. I haven’t done a long cruise like this for a very long time, the last time was on P&O Arcadia which was Acapulco to Southampton and that was a week longer 4 weeks, this is just over 3 weeks and I’m feeling a tad homesick, oh well only 10 nights left to go then I have 3 days at home of which I am working one of them at St. David’s Hall Cardiff with two old pals from Carmarthen Wynne Evans of Go Compare fame and his brother Mark Evans, so that ‘ll be nice to see them, I knew their Mam and Dad very well Dai and Liz who, if we are to be honest, helped an awful lot of young performers from our hometown of Carmarthen. I then fly back to South America and Lima in Peru to join another Fred Olsen ship Black Watch and sail from Lima through the Panama Canal and onto Barbados, and then it’s a family holiday in Tenerife!



I have just over an hour now before I go onstage so it’s a nice hot shower and get ready, see you after the show!



My shows both 8.45pm and 10.45pm went really well, all I have left to do now is an interview onstage in the Theatre tomorrow morning at 11am and then I am to host the Farewell Show the night before I fly home from Madeira.



We left the Amazon this afternoon and we are now heading across the Atlantic to the Cape Verde Islands. I am so looking forward to going home now, I have missed my family very much, I can’t wait to have our little holiday!



My interview/talk went really well, I had a full house and I talked about a lot of personal stuff and the laughs were loud and strong so a happy Doyle today. I had a few pints with Don Reid in the pub afterwards and we really laughed out loud, which is a good thing! Tonight there is an outside show around the pool and as my suite over looks the aft pool my balcony will provide the perfect viewing for the show, so I have invited the entertainers onboard to enjoy the night from my balcony!



Another day at sea, another hot day so I sunbathed and listened to my iPod for a few hours, after lunch I went along to listen to Don Reid’s Comedy lecture and it was brilliant, he’s a really nice man is Don, he gave me a copy of his book and signed it too!



Tonight we have the wonderful Suzzie Wood singing for us so looking forward to that!



Yes…Sussie did a great show, great ending too with “No Regrets” well done good job!



We had Sarah Chandler soon after and bless her she did her show sitting down as she has had a very bad back and had to seek medical treatment whilst here, but what a show, just fantastic!



Today we are at last in Cape Verde, and Gavin Murrey who is a member of the show company called me and we went ashore for lunch, a great day too, we bumped into Geoff and his wife in a bar on the way back to the ship, they are guests from the ship and really lovely people. I rang home and Marie gave me all the news, my Mam and Dad came to stay and Sammy loved seeing his Nanny and Granddad so that must have been nice, other news is my niece Tasha has got an audition with the X Factor so we are all behind her and wish her well. I also had some bad news, my dear Aunty Beryl from Lampeter is not all well, so we are thinking of her and the family at this time too!



I went to see Anthony Stuart Lloyd tonight, absolutely fantastic, what a voice and what an act.



I got myself off to bed only to find it’s another hour forward on the clocks so not such an early night afterwards. I have 3 sleeps left now including tonight s I’ll soon be home, its going to be tough this time at home as I only have two days before I go again and I’m working one of them at St David’s Hall Cardiff, oh boy this is going to hard for us all!



Good Night all!



It’s another beautiful day on the Balmoral as we sail once again over the Atlantic towards Madeira. I had a good walk around deck 7 this morning, I must have done almost a mile, this afternoon we having some fun in the sun with the ships company including the higher officers like the Captain joining in, have a look at these photos of them being thrown in the pool!



I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about going home, I am sure my little boy Sammy will have so much to tell me, as will my eldest Tom with his news of being on tour with “Birds of a Feather” oh my goodness I can’t keep up!



Right then, it’s haircut time!



Last day on Balmoral, this had been a long stint at just over 3 weeks and I am so looking forward to going home. I am on again tonight only this time I am hosting the night, as it’s a Variety Show with all the entertainers that have been on this leg of the world cruise.



Great 2 shows last night, everyone did a fab job and the crowd loved it too!



Today we are in Madeira and I fly home tonight at 6pm and arrive Gatwick 9.20pm, so I should be home around midnight, Billy from www.executivecarswales.com is picking me up!



I am so looking forward to going home!

A Day Out In Cardiff Bay

I enjoyed a lovely day out with Marie and Sam in Cardiff Bay. Wales has some beautiful sights as well!!

Taffyfest Muni Pontypridd March 3rd 2012

Had a great night at Taffyfest last night at The Muni in Pontypridd
have a listen to my special guests Lase - look out for them!!!

Mike Doyle Live at Theatr Brycheiniog Brecon 24th Feb 2012

Just had a great night at Theatr Brycheiniog , a theatre that holds so many happy memories of being in panto there for two years- A great audience!

Silver Whisper and Queen Mary 2 Feb 2012

I had just 2 days off and so enjoyed seeing my little boy Sam and my wife Marie, we did as much as we could, I got back from Costa Rica and went to bed at 9.30pm and fell asleep almost immediately, the next day Marie and I enjoyed some lunch out in our favorite pub and soon after picked Sam up from school, that night we had a delicious chili con carne and had an early night, the next morning Marie and I went to watch Sam and his class putting on a little play all about penguins, Sam was an emperor penguin, now all this normal stuff which might be so boring for you

to read was like heaven on earth for me, I so enjoyed seeing Sam singing and he even had a speaking part, we were so proud sitting there with tears in our eyes.

I have just flown through the night from Heathrow to Cape Town and I’m now sitting in a café waiting for my next flight to Walvis Bay in Namibia where I then join the 6 star Silver Whisper and sail back to Cape Town.

My flight to Walvis Bay was amazing, we flew into a desert in Namibia it was spectacular and my camera was in my luggage so no photos of the Desert Airport. I shared the taxi to the ship with Michael (who’s surname will come to me as the blog goes on) who is a wine merchant from Cape Town and he is here to give a couple of lectures on his wine, a nice guy who loves a beer too!
Once through another immigration routine I was on board the 6 star Silver Whisper which is a 28,000tonne cruise ship for the very rich basically, my suite is ever so nice with a massive bathroom, a huge double bed with a pillow menu, a spacious sitting area, a fully stocked fridge, a TV with a hard drive with 100’s of films, a balcony and a walk in wardrobe, oh it’s very nice, I sailed on Silver Spirit last year and that is their newest ship at 36,000tonnes but this is just as nice, it even has an iPod friendly docking system and it is an open bar here, so everything is free!

We are overnight tonight and we sail tomorrow for Cape Town where I have just flown from, my show is on the 3rd Feb and 1 show only at 10.15pm, so only one crack at it, the guests on here are very well to do, very wealthy and have paid huge amounts of money to be here, so I have to be the very best I can be, no pressure then, but really I have to be 100% on form as this is a top end product, a 6 star product!

Good Morning and we are still here in Walvis Bay, I slept like a baby last night, the bed is a comfy as a Tempur mattress and the pillows, well, you just melt into them. I was too late for breakfast so instead had a meal beside the pool and met some lovely people from Scotland, they were in the Whisky business and have now retired and enjoying life, I also met 2 very nice people from Palm Springs in California. The people on here are just so wealthy and speak a different language to me, I have my show tomorrow night and I am praying they like me.

This afternoon the nice man I met yesterday Mike Ratcliffe who is giving a wine lecture so I shall be going along to that and I’m quite looking forward to it.

The weather has turned quite misty and overcast so not a sunbathing day today.

I went to watch Mike Ratcliffe’s wine lecture and I thoroughly enjoyed it, he showed us where in South Africa his vineyards are we had three white wine’s to taste and comment on, now my wife Marie is the white wine expert in our house but I have to say I enjoyed them, I soon came to understand I was to taste them not guzzle them down the way I did, all the same they were lovely.
I am staying in tonight as for me it’s a school night as I am working tomorrow night, I should really go see the production show they are putting on tonight, but I have chosen to stay in, now staying in on Silverseas can be a great night, I have just finished my meal that was delivered to my room by my Butler Dennis (I know…Butler, but that is how it works on here) and the meal was beautiful, a nice 12ounse New York Sirloin with fried pennies, carrots and broccoli and washed down with a nice glass of Merlot, what more do you need. I have Barry Manilow playing on my iPod and the sun has just gone down across the South Atlantic Ocean, I am also feeling a tad home sick and at the same time feel very fortunate to be here, its totally out of my league but who cares, please let me sleep tonight and not worry too much about my show tomorrow night, if they like me, what can go wrong so to speak. Goodnight all!

I wish I could say “good morning” to you, last night I had hardly any sleep at all, I have been at sea since 1982 and last night was the roughest seas I have been in for a long while, the cabin creaked loudly and I rocked to and fro in bed all night long, it’s 5.45pm and it still hasn’t let up, this ship is only 28,000tonnes so its moving more so than a larger ship. I had my rehearsal and sound check this afternoon at 1pm and it went well, the band is a trio from Poland and read music well and the sound is being taken care of by Rudy from Manila, it’s not the best but its not bad, all I need now is this crowd to enjoy my show. Tomorrow we will be in Cape Town where the ship will be alongside for 2 days so at least I will get some sleep in. I fly to Perth Australia on the 6th Feb to join Cunard Queen Mary 2 in Freemantle on the 8th Feb.

Well, I have 50mins to go until my 2nd sound check (its how they do it here, 2 sound checks, its because other things have gone on the theatre since my rehearsal and sound check, good thinking really) my one and only show is at 10.15pm, what a long way to come for one show, when I first started off all those years ago back in 1975 I would never have thought I would have been flown all the way to South Africa to do one night only, I do hope it goes down well, I know the insecurities are setting in with only 2hrs to go until show time in the Viennese Theatre. Do you know, waiting to go on, is worse than actually doing the show, funny that isn’t it!

There has been some amazing African sunsets, have a look at these!

What a great night…I know I get a bit strange before I go on stage but these people are so upper class, well they loved it and so did I, thank you everyone who came to see my show in the Viennese Theatre I’m sorry I over ran, I was only supposed to do 45mins and ended up doing over an hour, I had a great time, in the audience there were people from the USA, Germany, Canada and the UK, thanks guys I had a blast.

Good morning and what a lovely morning it is and welcome to Cape Town, take a look at these photos of our approach with Table Mountain as our back drop, the historic city of Cape Town is instantly recognizable, and few cities in the world possess its beauty and style.

I sat in the sun for a good few hours this afternoon, I spoke with Marie my wife and she told me to enjoy the sunshine as it’s snowing back home, so I did just that. I watched the sun go down over Table Mountain and thought to myself “I love my job”! We are here overnight tonight and tomorrow night and then on the 6th Feb I fly to Perth Australia via Jo/burg so I have another day to enjoy beautiful Cape Town.
I so enjoyed the wine lectures by Mike Ratcliffe and have made a friend of him; he’s a great guy and owns the Warwick Wine Estate in South Africa www.warwickwine.com check it out!

We had another day and night in Cape Town and I sat in the sun next to the pool and the temp was 37c, boy that was hot. I met some very nice people from Aston near Sheffield, Edward and Jenifer who own a few different businesses in the UK and our great fun to have a drink with, they went up Table Mountain and the taxi they took had done 600,000 miles or more, it was a Toyota, so not a bad advert for the Japanese motor company. Also at the pool bar I chat to two ever so nice people Mike and Linda who are just great company, I would jest and tell people that Mike was my agent, he loved that, he also introduced me to Bloody Mary’s and Bull Shot’s oh my goodness what a drink, thanks Mike. I did finally get off the ship and headed for the famous Waterfront, wow what a place, I mean I have always thought that Cardiff Bay was amazing but take a look at these photos.

Fab isn’t it, it even has a huge shopping mall and as you can see, oh and that is where Woolworths have gone. There was a wonderful atmosphere at this awesome resort and with the time difference being only 2 hours you get over the long 11hr flight much quicker, I will feel sad to leave Cape Town and I look forward to coming back sometime in the future, they also have some of the best golf courses in the world here, so that would be the icing on the cake if I could get some golf in too. I am half packed and my car will be here at the ship at 3pm to take me back to Cape Town International Airport for my flight to Australia.
I really do appreciate the fact that you take the time to follow me on my blog, thank you. I can’t believe we pick the tour back up 24th Feb in Brecon, then Pavilion Porthcawl 25th Feb, then a charity night at the Neath Workingmen’s Club for “Help The Hero’s” on the 26th Feb, we go back to Swansea Grand Theatre on St. David’s Day 1st March, the Towers Hotel and Spa Jersey Marine on the 2nd March and then a very special night the next night at the Muni Pontypridd the 3rd March in which I am to be part of a festival called “Taffyfest” a night of celebrating Welshness!
Ok…see you later!
What a day so far, I blagged a taxi to the Airport and when at the British Airways desk they told me my luggage will not be tagged straight through to Perth, so that meant I would have to collect my luggage in Johannesburg and re-check in for Perth with only 1hr 45mins grace, well I did panic, on a scale of 1-10 probably a 6, when I got to Johannesburg my case came off almost first and the check-in for South African Airways for my flight to Perth was only 3mins walk so panic over. I am now on the flight to Perth and have no one next to me so that is a bonus. My next slight worry is I hope I have done the necessary with visas for Australia; I did it all online, so please let everything be in order. Ok, see you in Australia!

Are we there yet? Another 3hrs to go, I had my “plane sleep” as I call it, where you are asleep but still hear the noise of the plane and you still feel the pins & needles in your hands, feet and bum, then there’s the passing wind bit where you let one go, then realize you’ve done one, then with eyes shut tight hope it doesn’t smell, but at the same time you don’t care because you are in “plane sleep”.

I have just been served a cup of tea, which kind of resembles a muddy puddle, and what’s this froth that’s starting to appear? Oh the joys of air travel, yes talking of air travel, why on earth haven’t I ever signed up for any sort of air miles, everyone says to me “oh think of the air miles you are saving up” no, not me, and I must have done thousands and thousands of miles.

Ok back to my disgusting cuppa and see you down under!

Welcome to Perth Australia. I flew through immigration and once I collected my case there was the nice man Len to take me to my hotel the Crowne Plaza and it’s lovely. I just had to get out there and explore Perth, the sun was out and the temp was 38c so very hot. I walked miles around the Waterfront (yes Perth has a waterfront too) just take a look at these photos, they say it all, wow what a place, you just can’t take a bad photo, this place is beautiful, awesome, stunning, jaw droppingly fabulous, now that may sound over the top, but look at the photos.
Tomorrow morning I’m joining the Cunard flag ship Queen Mary 2, I joined this amazing ship in Perth 2 years ago, well Fremantle actually, so I am looking forward to that very much. The weather is set to be another very hot day with a high of 36c. See you tomorrow!

I joined the QM2 around 10am and met a fellow entertainer Andy James who’s a comedy magician, we half unpacked and headed ashore for a couple of beers, we found a great pub with a great choice in beer, we were looked after by to lovely ladies Nat and Sharon who run this fine bar, Andy did some magic tricks and we were soon made to feel like locals, the beer was very expensive $10 a pint that’s about £7.00 but having said that we were given a great welcome, I can’t remember the name of the bar but will find out soon, just incase you ever find yourself in Fremantle, a great place for lunch too.

Andy James did his show last night and it was fantastic, so clever and very funny, he’s done now till Sydney lucky thing. My show is on the 11th Feb with an 8.45pm and a 10.45pm show so one night only.

It’s quite windy out on deck today but the sun is out, but with this ship being more a liner than a cruise ship it feels more an indoor ship but I’m sure I’ll get out there in the fresh air later.

There are quite a few people working here from P&O so last night I was invited to the Officers Wardroom for a drink and met up with an old mate Ben who used to be the Security Officer on Artemis and Phill Aldridge who is the Chief Engineer I have known him for at least 12yrs and his lovely wife Nikki, also the Cruise Director Paul O’ Loughlin who has worked at sea for years but I had never met him so it was nice to chat to him about people we both know and have worked with over years, there is also another cruise director onboard doing what they call a hand over, his name is Keith Maynard and what a nice chap he is. Here’s some useless information for you, The Wardroom originally was known as the Wardrobe Room, a place where Officers kept their spare uniforms. It was also a space where any loot secured from enemy ships was stored. In an effort to have some privacy on a crowded ship, Officers would sometimes take their meals in the Wardrobe Room. Today, the Wardroom aboard ship is where Officers take their meals, relax and socialize.

Tonight we have a lady called Jenifer Green who is doing a special show singing the songs of Shirley Bassey, so that is going to be fab, they also have “A Night at the Opera” with Carmen so what a night of amazing entertainment we have onboard QM2 tonight!

QM2 is on a World Cruise, I was in Southampton the day she left it was 10th January as I was on Independence of the Seas, also that day Queen Elizabeth was in and setting off on her World Cruise, and I have done a leg on both ships Ft. Lauderdale to Costa Rica on QE and now here Fremantle to Sydney on QM2. Going back to Independence of the Seas for a minute, I remember waking up on the 11th January looking out to see from my balcony and there was QM2 sailing alongside us, here’s the photo.

We are now 9hrs ahead of the UK so keeping in touch with home is hard as when I’m up and about Marie is fast asleep, oh well not long now before I come home, it’s been a long stint this time with a lot of long haul flights, yes I must sort out the air miles!

Another day at sea and another hour forward on the clocks, I didn’t get to sleep last night until 5.40am just could not sleep at all, I woke this afternoon at 1pm, I hate jet lag!

Today at 5pm I have been invited to appear on the in-house TV Show with Cruise Director Paul so I have an hour to go for that, he’s a really nice guy so I am looking forward to that.

We have another hour on the clocks tonight so then we will be 11hours ahead of the UK.
The TV show went great, they record it ready for the following morning and it gives you the chance to promote your show that evening. Paul O’ Loughlin is a really nice guy and he has invited me for a few drinks after my late show tomorrow night, that’s nice isn’t it!

I’m off to the gym in 20mins, I think it will do me good, all this food and very little exercise isn’t good for anybody!

Well I enjoyed that, I walked/ran a mile in 15mins so not much I know but it was good to do. I went out last night and enjoyed the pub with Magician Andy James and we had a great night.

Today we were in Adelaide, we were docked a long way out of the city so we had to take the bus which was 45mins transfer, well to honest I wasn’t that keen on Adelaide as the roads were so uninteresting being long and everything in blocks like it kind of looks in some American cities, I took a few photos so take a look!

Tonight is my show in the Royal Court Theatre which holds 1100 people, I’m on in an hour. My rehearsal went well as the band are awesome and the sound is brilliant, so much better than the last time I was here, lets hope and pray it stays the same when I’m up there doing my show! See you later.
Loved it…both shows went really well, I couldn’t have done any better and the crowd were just fab for both show, they were mainly Australian and boy they make a great audience, also British, Kiwi’s and Americans so a good mix! After the show Andy James and I went down to the Officers Wardroom and had a lovely couple of pints.

A day at sea today and a great afternoon in the Golden Lion Pub where we had a good chat with guests and some beautiful fish and chips, Andy did some amazing close up magic too!
It was early to bed at 9.45pm and fell asleep almost straight away only to wake up at 3.30am so just lay there watching tv and waiting for morning to come, I am ready to go home now, I’m missing my family a lot and as much as I am looking forward to going home I’m not looking forward to the 24hr flight back to Heathrow from Sydney.

This hour on every night is really messing my head up, I feel so drowsy all the time, as I was up so early I had to go back to bed around 9am and I slept till 12noon.
I got up at 6am and it wasn’t the best weather but as I walked on deck there it was Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, I have a lot of memories here in Sydney, I first came here in 1982 to become an Entertainment Officer (there’s an another blog just on that) I took a few photos of the Opera House and surrounding area, have a look!

On my way to breakfast I bumped into a lady called Jenifer Green who is an amazing singer and does a wonderful tribute to Shirley Bassey, as we got chatting I just mentioned that I had been coming to Sydney for 30yrs off and on and that I had got to know quite a few people, I spoke of the ever so funny Jeannie Little, Maria Venutti, Sylvia Ray, then I said “have you heard of an Australian singer called Wayne Cornell” well, she nearly fell of her chair, she said “Mike, that’s my husband” we laughed and enjoyed talking about Aussie showbiz and soon it was time to get on the bus with my new found buddy the brilliant comedy magician Andy James www.ajmagic.com well when I say get on the bus we only got on the wrong bus but all was well in the end. I was also back and fro with my best mate Dave back in the UK that day as he and I were once in Sydney doing some shows here. Well as I was getting off the ship that day and flying home I had absolutely no time to spend walking around Sydney, so it was straight to the airport.
Great news Andy and I managed to get upgraded to exit seats where there will be bags of leg room. We had a couple of beers with two guys from Sydney and then we were soon onboard and a 9hr flight to Hong Kong. It was a Virgin flight so loads of films but very cramped sitting in economy.

We landed in Hong Kong and had 2 hrs to wait for the next flight to London, we found a great lounge where they served chinese food and cold beers and free wi-fi, so texts back and fro to Marie, I am so excited to come home!

When we got onboard for the London flight we found it wasn’t full so once the seat belt signs were off we dashed to the empty seats and lay flat out and went straight to sleep, it was heaven compared to the last flight, I slept for 8hrs, oh thank you God for that.

I am now sat back in the spacious exit seat and we have 2hrs left till London Heathrow where my driver will be there to take me home. What an adventure it has been these past 2 months, Barbados, St. Lucia, Tortola, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, San Juan, Cartagena, Panama Canal, Costa Rica, San Jose, Grand Turk, Cape Town South Africa, Walvis Bay Namibia, Johannesburg, Perth Western Australia, Fremantle, Adelaide, Sydney New South Wales, Hong Kong and back to London and HOME!

I have quite a busy time now at home coming up, I will be back in the studio for Ads work for Trade Centre Wales, rehearsals for St. David’s Day Concert at Swansea Grand and Muni Pontypridd, also my tour starts back in Brecon 24th Feb, next night Pavilion Porthcawl then a charity for “Help the Hero’s” at the Neath Workies!

But most of all I can’t wait to spend time with my family!

Cunard Queen Elizabeth 20 - 29 Jan 2012

Today is my father’s 75th Birthday and he has gone to work as he has done all his life. Happy Birthday Dad!

I however, am now on a Boeing 747 flying to Miami to join Cunard’s beautiful Queen Elizabeth in Fort Lauderdale. I have managed to get myself an emergency seat so I have bags of leg room, I have the seat next to me empty and the next seat is sat Keith, he is a top brass manager for a company called Harding Bros, so I said I know the company well as that is who most of the onboard shops on cruise ships are with, so it is a small world indeed. I have a 9hr flight to Miami so 7hrs to go.

I had a lovely week at home spending time with my family, taking Sam to school, taking Marie shopping and having a delightful lunch at the Duke of Wellington in Cowbridge. I had a good meeting with my accountant and my TAX is now sorted and paid thank the Lord, I hate January as I have Tax and VAT to pay and it comes straight after Christmas.

I have a week now on Queen Elizabeth sailing out of Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean and through the Panama Canal, I fly home via Miami from San Jose on the 28th January. I am hoping for some nice sunshine and a rest, I also have a re-learn as my tour starts back up on the 24th Feb in Brecon and I haven’t done any of the tour material since, I also have to re-learn some songs from Copacabana and Contender as I am singing some of the songs from them at Swansea Grand 1st March and the Muni Pontypridd on the 3rd March this year. I have also brought with me the DVD of John Steinbeck’s classic “Of Mice and Men” as I have been offered to play the part of Lenny in this brilliant play, which is to tour the country in 2013.

As I sit here in this plane, I can’t help but think of those poor people on that stricken Costa ship, I feel furious about what the Captain did, leaving the ship and what seems to be making up stories of falling into a life boat, I have been at sea since 1982 and I have had safety drilled into me every time I step foot on a ship, if this had been P&O, Cunard, RCCL or Celebrity this would not have happened or any other company for that matter, but at the end of the day, it’s not Costa’s fault is it, it’s that Captains fault simple as that, I have been fortunate enough in my life at sea to know some brilliant Captains and two Commodore’s and they would never have taken such stupid actions, I have always felt 100% safe at sea even when we have been met with horrendous weather like a force 11 off Japan in 1997.

I do hope this incident has not put anyone off cruising, as it really can be the holiday of a lifetime. I have sailed to the four corners of the earth and feel very privileged to do so. I have never been on Costa but I hear they are beautiful ships with very luxurious public rooms, it is such a shame this had to happen.

I’m staying at a hotel tonight and joining the ship tomorrow morning, Queen Elizabeth has the most beautiful theatre, take a look.

I had a great nights sleep at the Regency Hotel in Miami, 8pm to 5am…a rubbish breakfast and a bus to the ship, then to find out I should have stayed at the hotel until 11am as a car was booked for me, I jumped on a crew bus and now it’s a waiting game at the dock side. Loads of ships in today including the 240.000tonne RCCL Oasis of the Seas, it is massive, it makes the Queen Elizabeth look ever so small next to it, it’s more than twice the size, but the Queen is far more beautiful to look at!

Just take a look at these photos of our day in Fort Lauderdale today, so many ships, Oasis of the Seas for one take a look at this.

Also in with us Liberty of the Seas, Grand Princess, Crown Princess, Eurodam, one I don’t know what it is and us Queen Elizabeth the best looking ship in the harbor today.
Inboard an old pal who I haven’t seen for years Stewart Gilles, a great act that once found fame on the original Opp Knocks and had a big hit with a song called “Amanda”, so lovely to see him again.

My show is in 2 nights time so at least I get to relax a bit, poor old Sam my little boy is not feeling so good, he had a temperature of 103f the other night and he’s still not great now, I spoke to Marie earlier and she is nursing him through it bless her and bless him too poor little chap!

Today was a day at sea and it’s Sunday. I love Sunday at sea, it always feels special on Cunard and P&O ships, I always try and go to Church and this mornings service held by Captain Christopher Wells was very good indeed and a good turn out, after church as is customary at sea it was off to the pub, Man Utd was playing Arsenal and they won 2-1, now I’m not a great soccer fan but I enjoyed the game, the pub was packed and had a great atmosphere, I met up with an old mate Albert from the band and Stan who I met on QM2 a couple of years ago and I have remained friends with him and his lovely wife since, so a good time in the pub and an excellent chicken korma too. I had a TV slot with cruise director Amanda Reid at 3pm to promote my show tomorrow night, so that went well and it was lovely to see Amanda again.

Tonight is a formal night and a school night for me, so I am not going out, it’s a night in front of the telly for me. Tomorrow we are in Grand Cayman so I hope to get some rays before my show’s, which are 8.30pm and 10.30pm. See you tomorrow…Good Night!

Good Morning and welcome to Grand Cayman and what a lovely surprise to see P&O Oceana in with us and the Crown Princess, doesn’t Oceana look lovely!

I sat in the sun for a few hours but every time I settled a great big rain cloud kept moving over and putting the lights out, so I thought forget this and had a nice salad and back to the cabin or stateroom as they must be called on here!
I have my rehearsal at 5pm and two shows tonight, oh I do hope they will be a good audience!
I’m just back from rehearsal and the band are just fab with musical direction from Tim Faulkner and sound by a new guy who comes to Cunard from the BBC in London, I got on great with him and he has given me a great sound, please let it be the same tonight.

Just back from the 8.30pm show, well I don’t like to go on about my show but that was just perfect for me, best I have ever gone down on Cunard, now it’s a case of beware the 2nd show and the Captain is coming to see me…help!
Oh yes…the 2nd show went as good as the first, it’s always tougher this time of year as it’s World Cruise time and people see an awful lot of entertainment. This afternoon after a delicious fish and chips in the pub I went to see a play in the Royal Court Theatre, it was farce and it was just fab, so funny, I loved it.

Tonight it’s Indian food for dinner, so I am looking forward to that. Tomorrow we are in South America and Cartagena, they say it’s quite a dangerous place to go, stay onboard that’s what I say. See you tomorrow, good night!
Good Morning and welcome to Cartagena in Columbia South America, it’s a hot and sticky morning, I have been up since 7.30pm and rang Marie almost straight away, poor old Sam my lovely little boy has been ill and is off school, poor thing. My agent emailed me to say Princess Cruises wants to start using me and we have taken three cruises for the summer on Grand Princess which once upon a time was the worlds biggest ship, she is very similar to P&O Ventura and Azura so it wont be too much of a shock when I get on there.

I had a lovely breakfast then went for a walk and I have taken some nice photos of the the area around the ship, we had some lovely local dancers and musicians on the quayside, have a look!

Not far from the ship I walked through a beautiful garden with pink flamingos and parrots roaming around, I love the parrot.

I may go back off the ship as in that garden was a nice little bar and with it so hot today I think a nice cold beer would be very nice.

Tonight it’s my dear old pal Stuart Gilles onstage, he is doing a show tonight of Scottish music and wearing his tartan kilt as it is Burn’s Night, so I’m sure this show will storm them.

What a great show Stuart Gillies put on last night, what a pro and everyone loved him.
Today we were transiting the Panama Canal, a place my dad would love to see, it really is a massive engineering masterpiece, here are some photos I took whilst sailing through.

Amazing isn’t it! The Canal is a 51 mile ship canal that connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Work on the canal started in 1880 and was completed in 1914.

Today we are at sea and en route to Costa Rica where I will be flying home to London via Miami. I have my second show to perform tonight again at 8.30pm & 10.30pm.
Just back from a good rehearsal and sound check and am now waiting to perform, to is going to be a very long day and night for me, 2 long flights awaits.