May 2006

DREW MCADAM MAY 2006 NEWSLETTER.

Hello, Folks, how are you?
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Tel: 01506 873013www.drewmcadam.co.uk

GOODBYE BBC
Well, those of you who have been following this newsletter will know that there have been some pretty exciting things going on with regards to TV work. Well, one of them just unravelled; with a heavy heart I had to turn down a very excited BBC team who were working on a six-part series for BBC2. Working with the director and producer of The Weakest Link was fun, but it became increasingly apparent that the format simply was not for me. (I can’t go into details because that would not be fair on the BBC team who have worked long and hard on this project and are so confident that the format WILL work that they are now looking for another presenter who can do the same things I do – good luck to them; and I don’t mean that in a facetious way.)

I was convinced that the format they came up with would do little or nothing to enhance my professional reputation; and at the end of the day, that’s where my career lies, so I have to be careful with it.

However, the good news is that my TV agent has several other irons in the fire. Formats have been discussed and I have to say, they look very, very promising. I would certainly be a lot happier working on those. Mega-work ahead, though.

TO DO
It’s all been crazy busy lately. In fact, despite the fact that my To Do list was written in tiny, tiny lettering, it STILL covered an A4 page and leaked on to my desk. I’m getting there, though!

COMMENT
Nice comment from an old friend, the Reverend Jim Wallace with regard to my career and how I make my living: "Who says crime doesn’t pay?" Nice one, Jim!

MEETING
Weird meeting: "The Wizard" Marc Oberon was performing in (I think) Nottingham and found himself at the same table as my photographer friend, Gary Baker. Hearing his Scottish accent, Marc said: "Oh, you’re from Scotland... do you know Drew McAdam?" Guys, Scotland is a surprisingly big place (you’ll know that if you’ve ever been lost up here!) But, yep, the query paid off. Weird.

FREE BARBECUE
I laughed so much a wee tear ran down my leg.... Somebody sent me an e-mail , which told of the supermarkets who were offering barbecues to customers. The blurb went on that the unit came with a steel section which could be placed above the flames to keep food warm. Amazingly, these barbecues – from places such as ASDA, Safeway, Tesco and so on – were FREE! (Though some stores charged a £1 administration charge.) Fine. When you scrolled down, there was a photograph of a shopping trolley with a wee fire in it!

Now, I forward this to Paul Johnson – superhack at The Sunday Post. A few days later I received an e-mail which was headed OH. MY. GOD. Seems his mother, who had received the e-mail, was complaining bitterly... Yup, she had gone to several of the named stores for her free barbecue and was most annoyed that none of them had heard anything about it! Hing yer heid in shame, wuman!

FAST YEAR LAST YEAR
I can’t believe that’s a year since I was on the Island of Sark in the Channel Islands with some of the GODS of mentalism: John Archer, Marc Paul, Banachek, Ian Rowland, Spyros Melaris and Luke Jermay. Since then we’ve all been working hard, with one sad postscript. The wonderful Peter Willats paid for all our travel and accommodation from all over the world – well, his son Isaac contracted that fiendish disease, leukaemia. I’ve mentioned it before, but I’d count it as a special favour to me if you had a read of his diary and kept him in your mind and in your prayers, and particularly if you dropped him a we note, or a cartoon or something. You can read the diary here: www.freewebs.com/isaacwillats How difficult can it be to make a 3-year old feel important? Much obliged.

Actually, just looking back over what happened this time last year, it was a woozer: There was a 3-page piece in SHE Magazine which kicked off the whole television thing, I bumped into Billy Connoly in Aberdeen and I had a top rate gig in the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art. Can’t believe that was a year ago!

THIS MONTH
As mentioned earlier, thanks to Susie Townson for setting up meetings with a couple of production companies. There was also a great meeting – before we go to meet the TV company – with Hilary’s mob somewhere near Stansted Airport. What wonderful people they are! (Hi, Dave! Yes, that includes you!). I had two fabulous gigs at estates (the shootin’ and fishin’ type) in the wilds of Perthshire near Aberfeldy. These gigs were over two nights, and were followed the next night by a gig at The Norton House Hotel, then a dash up the motorway for another gig at The Highland Hotel in Stirling. It was a quick tour that left my head spinning but was a whole lot of fun! (And a darned sight easier than digging ditches for a living!)

On another evening I had two gigs in the same venue at the Dalmahoy Hotel near Edinburgh. Yup; one straight after the other. Little wonder then that I was so tired by the end of the month that I had to give into a nasty cold and actually take a day off work.

A CRACKING COLLECTION
Interesting one this: you know that I like Daleks, right? Well, my good chum Don jack actually HAS one in his house. So, I set off in the company of Colin McLeod to see it. Imagine my surprise then to discover not only a full size, scary, dalek, but that he has a huge collection of memorabilia that included: Darth Vadar’s costume, Johhny Depp’s costume form "Sleepy Hollow", Robocop, jewellery worn by Elizabeth Taylor, Cher and Marilyn Munro. As if that’s not enough, there’s also the Mask from "Mask" (a reproduction, but no less scary for that) the mask from Predator, a pair of Fred Astaire’s tap-dancing shoes, one of Marilyn Munro’s dresses, a script from "Titanic", signed by the cast... can I stop now? ‘Cause there’s more! And remember, all this is one room of his house (though it IS a very big house, it has to be said.)!
Don, you’re a weirdo, mate!

ENDS