Accidental Fun

This is about radio, trust me. For a while it's going to look like I'm writing a post about my life. But it's not that, promise.

In April, I have to go to London for a training course. It's going to be quite hard and involve a lot of learning about complicated things that I don't much understand but it's also going to involve spending a week in London and that is No Bad Thing. I've been pretty excited about the prospect of this trip because, let's face it, I don't go away much for fun so if work wants me to go away somewhere for not-fun then at least that's a step in the right direction. After all, fun may well be had by accident.

Because the training is in London and I am on entirely the other side of the country, I will be going up the night before (because the alternative is me dragging myself out of bed at 3am and probably sleeping through the first day of the course, or at least the part where they explain all the important words). Anyway, this means I will be in London for five nights with nothing to do but to seek sushi/a restaurant where I can eat alone and not feel like a social pariah.

Obviously the first thing I did - before even booking my hotel - was to research what radio programmes might be recording while I'm there. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that Counterpoint is something I'd particularly enjoy. Oh well, I thought, no doubt I'll find something to do.

And I have!

I'm an occasional reader of John Finnemore's blog, on the grounds that he is a complete and total (brilliant!) genius. Cabin Pressure is hilarious. He's always both funny and clever on the Now Show. And John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme last year was fantastic. The man can do no wrong in my books. So, when I sat down to waste ten minutes before I had to go out, I was happy to see he'd posted something about the next series of his Souvenir Programme. Actually, not just something but something about preview sketch nights, in London, on fortnightly Sundays.

London. Everything fun happens in London, I sighed. And on a Sunday too. That's a really inconvenient day for getting back home from London. Well, wouldn't it have been great if I could have gone?

In my defence, this entire train of thought took place shortly after I'd got back from work and it had not begun with me contemplating what I might do with myself while on a training course for a week. So, as I clicked through the booking link out of sheer curiosity, the fact that I am going to be in London on a Sunday hit me like a goose hitting a number two engine over St Petersburg. 

So now I won't just be aimlessly wandering London looking for sushi. There are four other nights for me to do that. No, instead I shall be going to see John Finnemore try out material for his new comedy series that will end up on Radio 4. And all I have to do is find Kilburn on a tube map.

Best. Training. Course. Ever.