[Douglas:] tell them that, at the end of next month, for a week, to mark Australia Day, this programme will be coming to you live from Sydney. Now, we're looking for two couples to accompany us down under, to find out how you can perhaps qualify, stay tuned for the Dougie Down Under competition, thanks to QUANTAS, Australia's national airline. Ten to eight is the time, Anna from Chigwell is on the line to me. Anna, good morning.
[speaker002:] Good morning, Doug, I'm a first time caller.
[Douglas:] Welcome, what would you like to talk about?
[speaker002:] Well, I'd just like to say, about the lady who kept her hat on in the house all the time, and if someone called that she didn't like, she would say I'm just going out. If someone called that she liked, she'd say, I've just come in.
[Douglas:] [LAUGHTER] You've alre you're, you're, you're erm, er referring to the story that we were discussing
[speaker002:] Yes, yes.
[Douglas:] earlier, we've had a lot of calls on this on er, the best way to deal with house guests who inflict themselves on you over Christmas, have you ever had any horror stories yourself?
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] I guess... well not really, I erm, I try to make people welcome, and they usually let me know if they're coming and then I'm prepared.
[Douglas:] Well, that's true, but there are some people whom you'd rather not have in your house, that you really can't do much to avoid coming, can you really?
[speaker002:] , well you can say you're going away can't you?
[Douglas:] I suppose you can really.
[speaker002:] I mean there're always excuses these days. People do go away for Christmas.
[Douglas:] Yes, that's, it's a lovely, er, lovely story, Anna, er had a hat on and if she didn't want to see anybody, she was just going out
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] Yes [].
[Douglas:] and if she did, she was just coming in. That's lovely well, yes
[speaker002:] Well, listen, can I say something else?
[Douglas:] Please do.
[speaker002:] About the television licence
[Douglas:] That's right, this er, this proposal by the Commons' Heritage Committee, that if you actually want another telly in your house, you have to pay twenty quid extra.
[speaker002:] well, I have one, and I think that's expensive enough, but regarding the licence extra money, I think that we shouldn't have to pay any television licence at all with some of the programmes that we're getting on, they're all repeated
[Douglas:] [LAUGHTER] Well, er, Anna, and it is er, er a complaint that is er, often, er put up on this programme when we discuss television, they're repeated, and I do agree. There are an awful lot of repeats, especially through the summer, on the B B C especially. But, you know, a lot of those repeats get huge audiences, and th they must have repeated Dad's Army, and 'Ello, 'Ello about fourteen hundred times, but they still get enormous ratings, those programmes. Erm, I suppose it's the sort of humour that er, one looks at again and again, and still laughs. I know it is with me, er, with Dad's Army, so er, if they're getting huge ratings with those repeats, well, they're obviously gonna put them on aren't they? David from Stratford, good morning.
[speaker003:] Good morning, Douglas. Erm, this is story a that goes back about twenty, twenty one years ago. Er, I, I was only about twelve, thirteen at the time. Erm, we had a erm, I had an aunt and uncle, they lived in Southend, and they used to like to come up and perform em, he had a violin and she used to play the piano, and my erm, father didn't really care for the music, but they liked sort of opera and stuff like that
[Douglas:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker003:] so we saw them, er saw them actually because we live in a flat, and we saw them coming from the station, er one, one Saturday morning
[Douglas:] Yes.
[speaker003:] so, we decided to pretend we weren't in. Now, at the time we had my grandmother living with us, so we had to tell her shut up, erm, and when they rang, er on the door, she, she wasn't to sort of, call out and you know, to tell us that the door was ringing,
[Douglas:] Yes.
[speaker003:] so, erm, they rang and they rang, and they rang for a good twenty to twenty five minutes and we just erm, we, we all huddled together in the living room, and erm, anyway about half an hour went past, and then they finally went, we saw them, we live in a flat, and we saw them from the window, we saw them going back to the station you see. So, my dad says oh, thank goodness for that, anyway, erm, we, we sort of relaxed after that. About two, three hours later, after lunch, there was another ring on the doorbell, I went to answer it, and of course you can guess. There they were, they, they'd gone for a walk round London, and er come back. They'd come all the way from er, Southend, as I said,, and erm,
[Douglas:] Oh.
[speaker003:] I didn't know what to say, and they said, well where were you, well er, I said we were all standing on the balcony and we, we didn't hear you, erm, it was ab I mean looking back now, it's funny, but it was ludicrous at the time.
[Douglas:] Well indeed, and er, having got in, I suppose they proceeded to entertain your father with the music he didn't particularly want to hear in the first place? That's lovely. I feel a bit sorry for them, having come all the way from Southend, to your place, and er, being left ringing the doorbell for half an hour. I suppose a lot of people would say he got his just desserts, they did in that family, because they all came back for, three hours later, and er, gained entry. Doris from Ilford, good morning to you.
[speaker004:] Oh, hello Doug, yeah I wonder why you're so jolly in the morning. I mean, when I get up in the morning, it takes me four hours before I come to, you're always so jolly.
[Douglas:] Well, I think you know, I'm a naturally optimistic sort of person, and I, I'm not er, sort of blowing my own trumpet here, I, I, I erm, look on life with a great deal of optimism, er touch wood, I've been fairly lucky in my life. I've got a job that I love doing, and er, I also take the view that if I came and did this programme and moaned away at everybody, and er, moaned away about everything, nobody would ring me up, and nobody would listen. So, you know, I, I don't want to be too jolly, because er, er that, that, that's er, as bad as being morbid, isn't it and miserable, but I try and strike er, a happy balance.
[speaker004:] Okay, can I talk to you about the televisions?
[Douglas:] Yeah
[speaker004:] Well, I've got one in my bedroom in c cos, when I was in, ill, you know, erm, it's er, nice to, but I've got one downstairs, that's two, that's two. Now, for a long time, because my children have grown up, and I don't see them being, being young men, when the young men get married, you, mothers don't see them, so I'm on my own, and it's, erm, I can't rely on that for company at all. L B C is on day and all night but
[Douglas:] Wonderful.
[speaker004:] the thing is, erm, I don't think that the, the standard is good enough to warrant paying eighty two pounds for a licence.
[Douglas:] Oh, so far from paying any extra for a another television set, you are not happy at paying what we're paying at the moment?
[speaker004:] I'm going a step further, Doug. And I've got some friends, who are very affluent, I'm not affluent at all.
[Douglas:] Mhm.
[speaker004:] Er, you go in their home, it's black and white, because they refuse, they don't think it warrants the eighty two pound licence, and I'm gonna get, er black and white, and er, that's what I'm gonna do.
[Douglas:] Okay Doris, well, far from paying another twenty quid for her extra television set, Doris is very annoyed she's got to pay eighty three quid for a colour licence, and she's gonna now go to black and white. I forget what black and white is, it's considerably cheaper, isn't it really? But, erm, a lot a people are now saying that the quality of er, the programmes on the telly isn't very good. Er, if you want to er, develop that part of the argument, then by all means, let's do so, after the eight o'clock news. It's now three minutes to.... Right, exactly sixty seconds to go, then I'll bring you the eight o'clock news, then after that, we'll continue our conversation on the main topics of the morning, according to you. Families with more than one telly, could soon be paying twenty pounds extra for their licence. It's to lessen the burden on hard-up viewers, but most of you this morning, feel that to pay the existing licence fee is far too much, so I'd like to hear more views on that please, and also I'd like to hear from Spurs fans especially, and football fans in general, your memories, your tributes to the late, great Danny Blanchflower. Right the eight o'clock news coming up, on this radio station.... [music of waltzing matilda playing] Right, I'm sure that er, many people will know by now, but I'm gonna say it anyway... that at the end of January, we will be on the Breakfast Call, broadcasting to you live from Sydney, to celebrate Australia Day. Now here's the interesting bit, in the next few minutes, I'll be telling you how you can win the chance to travel with me on an all expenses paid trip. Stay tuned for the Dougie Down Under competition, thanks to QUANTAS, Australia's national airline. The time now is nine and a half minutes past eight. If you've just joined us for the eight o'clock news, as many people do, welcome. We're discussing this morning, and I'll run briefly through the subjects that we have been discussing this morning for the er, new listeners. Families with two tellies could soon be paying twenty pounds extra for their licences, to lessen the burden on hard-up viewers. That is the proposal from MPs on the Commons' Heritage Committee, do you think it's fair? That if you have a second telly in the house, you should pay twenty pounds extra in licence money for it. And it may be, that if you have three tellies in the house, you'll have to pay forty pounds extra. I wonder if that is fair, even if it is going to ease the burden on hard-up viewers? A lot of people are saying this morning, that er, the existing licence fee of eighty three quid is far too high, given that we er get repeats from the B B C for most of the summer. Well, a lot of er talkers there, and er, if you'd like to give me a ring, it's. We've been discussing the release of the three British hostages. Saddam Hussein has made the most of it, hasn't he really? Getting himself photographed shaking the hands of our mediator, and negotiator, Sir Edward Heath. I wonder if that erm, really did revile you seeing a leading British politician shaking Saddam's hand? Do you feel a deal has been done there? And, er if indeed a deal has been done, is it worth it, to get those three British people out?. We've been discussing guests coming to stay at your place over Christmas. And there's a fascinating article in this, the current edition, the January edition it is now, because they go so far in advance, of She magazine, which says that er, it's a desperate plight sometimes, when you have people coming for Christmas who fall into several categories like lazy slobs, who do absolutely nothing, and misers, who turn up with a stale box of chocolates, and never take you out for a meal in return for your hospitality, and the amorous couples who er, embarrass you by er, er, noisily retiring to their bedroom, if I may put it that way, and then the guests who turn up in mid-row, and bicker systematically over the whole of the festive period. So, how do you get rid of or avoid coming, of the unwanted guest? And I'd like to hear your tribute, perhaps your memory of the great Danny Blanchflower, who so sadly left us yesterday. One of the great footballers of er, his age, or perhaps any other age, and it's sad isn't it, that in the same year, we've lost two, Bobby Moore and then Danny. There's also another story, I'd like to er, throw into the conversation, if I may? The residents of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, are,th the dismay, of British Telecom at the moment, because, about thirty five percent of B T's sixty thousand customers in Tunbridge Wells, are not in the book. Well that may surprise you. Keeping out of the book, in fact, has become increasingly popular, with the national average of twenty five percent, being one of the highest in the world. In London, believe it or not, B T tell us, that forty three percent of their customers are not listed, while in south west Essex, the average is forty percent, and in west Middlesex and north west Kent it's thirty five percent. Now, er, I don't know er why you might want to be unlisted, ex-directory, not in the book. If you are, then give me a ring and tell me why. Melvin from Hendon. Good morning Melvin. Good morning, Douglas. I'd like to pay my tribute to Danny Blanchflower. Yes? Er, he in my view, was a rare spirit. A spirit, that it seems to me, has virtually gone from em, certainly English football nowadays, and I think, in many ways, English sport in general. He was not only a fine footballer, he was also a gentleman to the Nth degree, and he told the story, I remember, he started his erm, professional football career in this country, with Barnsley, and he was transferred from Barnsley to Aston Villa, and at the time there was some haggling over the fee, and er, he was taken by the chairman of Barnsley, to meet the chairman of Aston Villa in the chairman's Rolls Royce. They went down to Birmingham, and while the er, two chairmen negotiated in the dining room, over a, an extremely affluent lunch, Danny Blanchflower was em, pushed into the kitchen to sit with the servants, if you like. That was the way of things in those days. Yes it was, yes. He was erm, unusually for that time, indeed, unusually for now, a university graduate. He graduated from St Andrew's University, and to, in many ways, he was infinitely better educated and more intelligent than those who ran football around him, but nevertheless, erm, he never showed that, in erm, a sense of being superior. Never, he was a remarkable footballer. He gave Tottenham Hotspur the title, I think, of the greatest club side ever in erm, British football, and they won erm, the double as everyone knows, in nineteen sixty one, the first English team to have won it this century. He led them to the er, first British title for a European trophy, and erm, eventually er, he also was a member of the Northern Ireland team that actually reached the quarter-finals in the nineteen fifty eight World Cup. And Northern Ireland's a very small country against all of the others. Yes. I d I know that, there's that phrase you know, we will never see his like again, I think we probably will, but it will be a very long time, and I cannot tell you the infinite feeling of sadness erm, that I felt when I heard of his passing. It seemed to me, an age had gone. Melvin, thank you very much indeed for your reminiscences. Jeff of Streatham. Good morning.
[Pam:] Good morning, Douglas. First of all, all the best next week.
[Douglas:] Oh, thank you.
[Pam:] Er, secondly, the hostages.
[Douglas:] Yes?
[Pam:] You know, the ones being released today.
[Douglas:] Mhm.
[Pam:] Erm, I er, like everybody else, are very glad to see they're gonna get their release, but do you know Dougie, erm, I for the life of me, cannot understand, and we don't know the full circumstances, how these people wander into a country like Iraq, which has a terrible reputation, and they don't like us very much, you know, how does this happen? Wouldn't you stay about five mil at least five miles away from the place if you were, if, if you were, if you er, wandering out there
[Douglas:] I certainly would Jeff, I couldn't agree more
[Pam:] I mean I can't understand, yes... yes
[Douglas:] I'd stay about five hundred miles away from the border if I was them... yes
[Pam:] That's right, yes, me too. Erm, you know, this is what I can't understand, we haven't heard this.
[Douglas:] An interesting point. Thank you for raising it, and er, we might get some er comeback on that one. Er, it's all very well saying er, these people were apprehended, what a bit of bad luck, but what in God's name were they doing, straying around the border of a country like Iraq? Cos I say, I'd steer well clear of that place. There are many other places I'd like to visit, Sydney is one of them. I'll be telling you more about that in mo.... [music of waltzing matilda playing] Do you know, I'm getting quite attached to that tune. In five minutes it'll be the Dougie Down Under Competition, thanks to QUANTAS, Australia's national airline. We'll be bringing the show to you live from Sydney, Australia, at the end of January, to mark Australia Day, and we're looking for two couples, they can be husband and wife, mother and daughter, father and son, any combination you like, even a couple of friends, we're looking for two couples to come to Australia with the show, and to act as roving reporters. We want you to travel round the country at our expense, all expenses paid, needless to say, and we want you to tell us, by phone, live on the programme, in Sydney, what you're seeing and what you're doing. Sounds an exciting trip, really fabulous trip, and it will mean of course, seeing you will be li live on air, that we have to give you a little audition, so the finalists, have to be prepared to do an audition with me, live on air, just before Christmas. Okay. You must also, of course, have a valid passport, and you must be free to travel in the last two weeks of January. Okay. So I'll ask you a question in about er, three or four minutes' time, which could result in you're going out next month with Dougie Down Under, thanks to QUANTAS, Australia's national airline. Beverley of Hampstead.
[speaker006:] Hello.
[Douglas:] Good morning.
[speaker006:] Good morning.
[Douglas:] What would you like to talk about?
[speaker006:] Well, it's about why I've been ex-directory for the last, er, twenty years.
[Douglas:] Oh, right, why then?
[speaker006:] Well [clears throat] because I'm a single parent,
[Douglas:] Mhm.
[speaker006:] a single mum,an you know, started off with two small babies, living very, very fast, and er, it's sort of safer. I think, you know, a woman living alone,
[Douglas:] Mhm.
[speaker006:] in this day and age, erm, is sort of erm, not a good thing, to sort of, advertise your name in a phone directory.
[Douglas:] Mhm, and you don't find that that gives you any difficulty at all, er with people who genuinely want to find your number?
[speaker006:] Er, well, erm, they could sort of do it, erm, I mean, when I leave er, a place that, house that I used to live in, I leave a forwarding address but no, I make sure, with the people that erm, take over the house, but they don't actually give out my phone number.
[Douglas:] Mm.
[speaker006:] But they can, if they're serious, they can do it by writing, you know.
[Douglas:] Mhm, so you're ex-directory, Beverley, and you've found that it's er, a great benefit as a single mum?
[speaker006:] For security reasons, yes.
[Douglas:] Beverley, thank you for your call. Larry from Chalk Farm. Good morning Larry.
[speaker007:] Hello Doug, how are you?
[Douglas:] I'm very well, and I know, er, that it's your birthday today, and said
[speaker007:] No.
[Douglas:] That's right isn't it, are we right?
[speaker007:] No, you're not. My birthday is February the tenth.
[Douglas:] Oh.
[speaker007:] And in fact you're probably going to be invited because everybody seems to want to give me an eightieth birthday party.
[Douglas:] An eightieth birthday party? Is it, are you eighty in February?
[speaker007:] Yes, February the tenth.
[Douglas:] Oh right, I thought
[speaker007:] Now th
[Douglas:] it was December the tenth. We got er, the wrong dates, we've got you down in our list as December the tenth
[speaker007:] that's very odd... no, I'm going to give you a list of parties, you can choose your party. I would, if I were you, I'd take the one in George studio.
[Douglas:] [LAUGHTER] Alright, that's, you're on then, in February []. Right, okay, well a happy birthday when it comes, and er, welcome to the show.
[speaker007:] Now, the reason I called was, that I have always been out of the phone directory ever since my name got well known in showbiz. You get
[Douglas:] Sure.
[speaker007:] an awful lot of pressure if your name is in it, but I got a special pleasure when I organized the reading from Salman Rushdie's book.
[Douglas:] Oh yes, well I suppose it would be
[speaker007:] I organized that at Conway Hall now, in most reference books my agent's name is listed, and my agent got a call saying the minute I began to read from that book I would die.
[Douglas:] Oh.
[speaker007:] Well, my agent got terrified, and she closed up her office that day, and they all went home.
[Douglas:] You're still here.
[speaker007:] I'm still here. They, they, they did get me, and I don't know how they got my number. They called me, and they said again, if I read the book I would be killed. And I said, look why don't you meet me in front of Conway Hall and kill me then, it would save so much time.
[Douglas:] Larry of course, with er,w w being a famous personality as you are, I mean er, if you were in the book, it would be awful wouldn't it, cos people would just have to, to er look up Adler, L and they
[speaker007:] Yes.
[Douglas:] they'd get you wouldn't they, really?
[speaker007:] Well, you, you see you get of every kind of, of a charity application, begging letters and so forth and it sounds cruel rather
[Douglas:] Yes, I can understand that.
[speaker007:] to say that you don't want to read all those letters. You cannot get interested in so many things.
[Douglas:] Larry thank you very much indeed, and erm, well have an extra birthday on us. Happy birthday for December the tenth as well. Eight twenty five. [music of waltzing matilda playing] Right time for the Dougie Down Under competition, thanks to QUANTAS, Australia's national airline. Two couples must win an all expenses paid trip to Australia with me, when the show comes live from Sydney at the end of January. Hope I'm back for Larry's party. We've had four questions already this week, if you missed any of them, we will be repeating them next week, but now here is the final question. I think it's the most difficult actually that we've er, brought you this week. What is a baby kangaroo called? What's a baby kangaroo called? Now as soon as you have the five answers, and if you haven't heard the other four questions, then there will be a chance, as I said, to hear them again next week, when you've got the five answers, I'd like you to send me them on a Christmas card please, this is very, very important... send them on a Christmas card please, to the following address.. Answers on a Christmas card, to and the Christmas cards please, with your answers, to be in by first post, next Friday, the seventeenth. Then, we'll keep you posted as to what happens next. Eight twenty seven.... Right, the search is on for the person in the team who told me that Larry Adler's birthday was today, and not February the tenth. Anyway, er that apart, for your views on the news. The news coming up....
[Pam:] [sports report] and when I talked to Derek Thompson an hour ago, he's been in good form has Tommo. He's er, three winners out of four days, and a second, and er, he's going for a couple at Cheltenham today, in the twelve thirty five, number four, Book of Music, and in the two fifty five, number two, Flashing Steel. Twelve thirty five, Cheltenham, number four, Book of Music, two fifty five, number two, Flashing Steel.
[Douglas:] Pam, most of the morning papers of course, have had er, glowing tributes, quite rightly so, to Danny Blanchflower, we've had a lot of people on this morning saying that we'll never see his like again. Er, er, it's dreadful isn't it, that we've lost two of the outstanding footballers of this or any other age in one year. Bobby Moore and now Danny? Mm.
[Pam:] Bobby Moore, yes, and of course, er, you know, it, it has been a, a very sad year, you know if you couple it together with, with Arthur Ashe, the Wimbledon champion and
[Douglas:] Of course, mm.
[Pam:] of course, erm, James Hunt, but er, yes, it's rather sad as well that, you know, the last few years of erm, Danny's life were, were, were, he was so crippled with Alzheimer's and, and really not er, er shade of the sort of happy, er person, that, that he had been. But I think that's how we will remember him of course, when, when, you know, the sadness er passes away.
[Douglas:] Well, one of the great gentlemen of football, wasn't he? Now maybe there's no place for gentlemen in football now, I don't know, but er
[Pam:] Absolutely... well it does seem, it does seem a, a football of a, of another era certainly, but erm, I mean, I think he brought a breath of fresh air into football at the time. I mean even, even myself as a young girl, I'm not, I'm not th you know, that, that erm, that young yet, but I can remember him the er, you know, streak of er, lightning across the old black and white screen. But erm,
[Douglas:] Mm, yes.
[Pam:] indeed, he, he's been revered as an intellectual player, erm, he, a thinking player, a shining example, and of course, that, that shows up in, in statistics when you read about what he's achieved, and you think, you know, fifty six caps for Northern Ireland.
[Douglas:] Mm.
[Pam:] He got Northern Ireland into the quarter-finals of the World Cup in fifty eight, and again at club level. Cup double, cup and league double in sixty one, F A Cup the following year, and erm, the first British club, Spurs in nineteen sixty three, to win er, to win the European Trophy, the Cup Winner's Cup, a five one er, victory against Athletic Madrid, I mean, that is tremendous, that all speaks for himself, and, and I gather he's a very great rac raconteur, and a much, much loved er man, sadly missed
[Douglas:] Mhm, mm... oh yes indeed, yes, indeed, indeed, a great after dinner speaker too, tremendous er, tremendous Irish wit. Well, he graced Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, of course, well placed for the World Cup draw, aren't they?
[Pam:] Yes, quite interesting because er, they've been named er, in group two er, of the seedings, which have been er, released today. The draw will er, be er, a glitzy affair in Las Vegas, with er various Hollywood stars, and rock stars, next week Elton John and Rod Stewart will be turning out, and Julio
[Douglas:] Mhm, I can imagine... well they know a bit about... they know, oh, the, well, Julio of course used to keep goal didn't he? For er, a club side in Spain wasn't it?
[Pam:] [LAUGHTER] Yes, I can't imagine it, and again of course Rod Steward, and Elton John, we all know, how er, well connected they are, er with the game, absolutely, so
[Douglas:] And they're very good footballers, or they were, mm.
[Pam:] there's gonna, so we'll need quite er, quite a turn up there, but erm, Republic of Ireland are seeded er, in group two, and in fact above Holland who are in group three, and Norway, in group four. If you think they were, they were two who did better than England.
[Douglas:] Sure.
[Pam:] But I mean, poor old England, erm, it's R I P I'm afraid.
[Douglas:] Yes, poor
[Pam:] Er, group one seedings, just to let you know, United States who're in that seeding group as hosts anyway, Germany as the holders, and then former winners, Argentina, Italy, Brazil, and Belgium and it's all, all based on their, their results of the last three competitions. So.
[Douglas:] Right, Rugby Union, more concern about er rough play, Bath accused of foul play.
[Pam:] Yes.
[Douglas:] Getting a bit much, isn't it?
[Pam:] It is a bit much when you think, you know, hot on the heels of Will Carling's erm, you know, accusations about the All Blacks, and, and what they're er, er, alleged to have got up to on their tour of England and Scotland. Er, now, erm, Harlequins have complained to Bath, there've been allegations er, during last weekend's er Courage League match, which Bath won incidentally, of gouging and biting, er and Bath officials now have agreed that they will look at a video recording and take appropriate action, in quotes, if anything erm, needs to be done. I mean Harlequins actually, erm, alleged that it wasn't just an, an indiscriminate boot or a punch, this was quite er, yeah
[Douglas:] Calculated stuff, yeah and er, talking of fracas, a lucky escape for Ayrton Senna, in his disciplinary hearing in Paris.
[Pam:] Yes, he, he's erm, escaped with a two race suspended ban, this was for erm, his fist meeting the face of er, Irish driver Eddie. Er, at er so
[Douglas:] [LAUGHTER] Nice way of putting it.
[Pam:] This was er, the, the er, Japanese Grand Prix in October. Erm, he didn't actually admit at the hearing that he had hit, erm, but erm, the disciplinary panel agreed that he had perhaps been provoked er rather more than er, had been necessary. So the, the upshot of it all, is he's banned for two races, but this is a susp suspended erm, ban over two months, er er, over six months rather, so it means that if he's a good boy over the next six months he won't miss any races at all, so he has had a lucky escape.
[Douglas:] He has, he has.
[Pam:] Well known for his temper.
[Douglas:] Yes, indeed so I believe. Pam thank you very much indeed. Er, Pam Dixon er,step stepping in for er, Dominic, is the er, bearded man back on Monday?
[Pam:] No, I, I gather he has taken a long weekend, I don't know where he's whisked himself off to, but I'm afraid I won't be here, er next week, I don't know, quite know who will be, but er, Dominic's taking er, a well needed rest.
[Douglas:] Right, yes, I might say that, right, Pam, thanks very much indeed, it's twenty minutes to nine.... Seventeen minutes to nine. Gerald has rung me from East Sheen. Good morning Gerald.
[speaker008:] Good morning Mr Cameron, and er, many happy birthday returns for er, Larry Adler.
[Douglas:] Yes in February.
[speaker008:] No doubt he will, er,re reciprocate, because it's mine on Monday.
[Douglas:] Oh, is it?
[speaker008:] Twenty s I'm not sure whether it's twenty six or twenty seven. No comment please.
[Douglas:] [LAUGHTER] Never mind, happy returns, many happy returns er, for Monday.
[speaker008:] Anyway,th thank you very much, and, and, I hope you do well when you go into hospital on Monday.
[Douglas:] Oh thanks, nothing, nothing to, very minor thing, on Monday.
[speaker008:] Well it is it's still, it always causes some concern though, for those around you. Anyway, it er, this business of erm, twenty pound increase on the T V.
[Douglas:] Yes.
[speaker008:] Quite, my goodness me, we er, surely the people must be sick and tired of this lot. All they seem to do is target the ones at the hospitals, the police, the fire brigade, everything. Even the heating, and now they're targeting invalidity benefit... yes... mm
[Douglas:] Well, when you say this lot, actually, it, it's not er, actually a government body, this, in fact er, the Commons' Heritage Committee, er these are the people who are announcing this price rise, in the proposals yesterday, they're, they're actually led by Gerald Kaufman, who's never been a Conservative in his life.
[speaker008:] I know he hasn't, I know he hasn't. But even so, the government are still the people in charge, and they're the people who should er, make a final decision or not, er, er, isn't it? I mean, it's, it's t
[Douglas:] Oh they will yes, indeed er, it will be up to the government.
[speaker008:] I mean, I mean they are, they're, they really are you know, we're so complacent in this country, Mr Cameron, I, I don't know, do you know, they're just hitting us in every direction, my goodness me, you, you know, you'll be afraid to breathe without they'll want to target that.
[Douglas:] Okay Gerald, thank you very much indeed. Gerald obviously feeling er, very, very bad about er, this scheme to make us all pay twenty pounds extra, if we have a second T V set in the house. It's a proposal, nothing more than that at the moment, Derek from Barnet, good morning.
[speaker009:] Mr. Cameron, I'd like to pay tri tribute to Danny Blanchflower
[Douglas:] Yes.
[speaker009:] er, because I saw him play actually in the nineteen sixty two final against Burnley.
[Douglas:] Oh yes.
[speaker009:] And, er, and my father actually looked up the year before and found he knew the S H M, an old school chum, and he sent us a ticket. So I've only been the once,
[Douglas:] Yes.
[speaker009:] and he really was a marvellous player. Er, he never any, you know against him, and his skill and his performance was absolutely immaculate.
[Douglas:] I wonder how he would have done in today's game, do you think there would have been room for him today?
[speaker009:] Yes, absolutely... I think so Mr Cameron. You see, he's got such skill, his footwork, and he's always in the right position, and he really was, I can't pay a higher tribute. It's very sad, the news, of course.
[Douglas:] Mind you, he'd of probably been hacked down, wouldn't he today, before, that's the problem nowadays?
[speaker009:] Er, well, that's the point... what a marvellous draw Barnet's got Mr Cameron, against Chelsea in the Cup?
[Douglas:] Oh yes, that's right, of course, you're a great Barnet supporter just an ex
[speaker009:] Absolutely, I went to see at, we had to trouble at, not of our supporters
[Douglas:] Well the way Chelsea are playing at the moment, you've got a very good chance of winning.
[speaker009:] Well, we've got this runner you see, younger brother Carl, he does a lovely job at and of, there's a bit of spice added to, to it.
[Douglas:] [LAUGHTER] Derek thank you very much indeed for your call.
[speaker009:] Thank you Mr. Cameron, bye-bye
[Douglas:] We must move on, because we've got to have a commercial break, and then we want to check on the traffic. It's fourteen minutes to nine.... Countdown to the stars, here he is, Mr Murray. Good morning.
[speaker009:] Good morning, how are you Douglas?
[Douglas:] Not bad at all sir, thank you and you?
[speaker009:] Has it stopped raining? [LAUGHTER]
[Douglas:] Not yet, just a, well that's it, I don't know, it's pretty dismal.
[speaker009:] Horrible isn't it, but I hear it's gonna be a bit better this afternoon.
[Douglas:] Yes, I think it, a little bit better, but much colder at the weekend, with a touch of sleet, by Sunday evening, we're told... mm.
[speaker009:] Oh, sleet on Sunday, oh dear.
[Douglas:] Never mind, you can all warm us up with your, your programme this morning.
[speaker009:] Well, we start with the morning talkback, and the hour between ten and eleven, er, it's erm,, and the Vocational Guidance Association, helping people to find the job they really want. Er, between eleven and eleven thirty, Mike and Mark will be joining me, they're the authors of the official politically incorrect handbook. [LAUGHTER] And between eleven thirty and twelve, Eddis who's the author of London, Under London. We'll be talking. Some fascinating things happen under
[Douglas:] Yes, I'm sure.
[speaker008:] And then between twelve and one, it's sport back on talkback with Tony.
[Douglas:] Mm, right.
[speaker009:] That's it.
[Douglas:] Right, right, I think you'll get a lot of calls on er, Danny Blanchflower this morning, a lot of people ringing up, remembering him with er great fondness.
[speaker009:] Yes, I'm sure we will. A terrible thing that he, he had Alzheimer's Disease for so long I mean, he was only, you know, sixty seven when he died, terrible.
[Douglas:] Mhm, yes, yes, yes, yeah, but a wonderful, wonderful player,
[speaker009:] And one of the most intelligent, er, footballers, I've ever met, right
[Douglas:] yes, mm, yes, yeah. Well, I think we'll get a lot of calls, and people remember him with great fondness. Pete thank you very much indeed. Pete Murray, between nine and one. Nine minutes to nine is the time now. On we go to the birthdays.... [tape change]
[speaker004:] Saw Dennis Law on T V, and he says that when he first played against Danny, he kicked him all round, all, all over the park.
[Douglas:] Dennis did?
[speaker004:] Dennis said that, yeah he said that
[Douglas:] Dennis was a fairly, let's put it er, as mildly as we can, a fairly competitive player wasn't he?
[speaker004:] I think he was.
[Douglas:] I think that's er, perhaps, er, enough to be said about Dennis Law's game. A brilliant player, played many great games, but erm, very competitive.
[speaker004:] I must say, he said that he regretted it now. But he was young probably. It was the first game he played against. But erm, and the other thing is, er, going back before er, Danny Blanchflower we had a goalkeeper
[Douglas:] Yes, Ted.
[speaker004:] You remember him?
[Douglas:] I do, the cat they used to call him, mm.
[speaker004:] That's right and I believe, well I think he was the first goalkeeper to throw the ball out. I never saw a goalkeeper before him throw a ball out to erm, you know, a player.
[Douglas:] No, I don't know Alf, I can't remember if he was the first goalkeeper ever to throw a ball out to a player but, er if you want to ring up, tell you what you want to do, you want to ring up if you're around, between twelve and one, and discuss that with Pete Murray, and Tony Lockwood, for, when they have the sport back on Talkback, and er, that of course, is the specialist sportsperson's hour, and er, they may be able to throw a bit of light on that. But I can remember Ted very well indeed. The cat, yeah, he was one of the er, first goalkeepers to er, make a habit of catching the ball, rather than punching it. Anyway, Alf, thank you very much indeed, er, for your call. Rebecca of Poplar. Sadly the last call, I think we'll be able to squeeze in this morning on our programme. Rebecca, good morning.
[speaker002:] Good morning, Doug. It's in regards about the television licences.
[Douglas:] Yes?
[speaker002:] Well, I'm eighty four years old,
[Douglas:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] and I pay full price, eighty three. I heard a while ago on the radio, that they were gonna put it up to eighty four fifty. Now, in regards about that, what I don't understand, people who live in sheltered accommodation, some pay five pound a year, some pay nothing. So I say, if it's good for one pensioner to that, why don't they allow other pensioners to pay it?
[Douglas:] Yes.
[speaker002:] Or, even make it a little cheaper?
[Douglas:] Well, I would have thought so, and I think that's what the
[speaker002:] I don't mind paying for it, if they could even reduce it a bit
[Douglas:] Yes, I think perhaps that is what may happen. I don't want to raise your hopes too much, Rebecca, but I think what, er the idea behind this, I er, thing is, families with two tellies, paying twenty pounds extra for the second set, and perhaps for the third set, another twenty pounds, it's to try and lessen the burden on viewers who genuinely can't afford the existing licence fee as it is now, and Rebecca, I would have thought that you would've fallen into that category. So, er, help may be at hand in the future. And er, on that message, er, it seems, er good enough time to say that's er, all we have time for as far as the phone calls are concerned on the Breakfast Call this morning. It's three minutes to nine, we'll have a break, then we'll have Rob back with the latest traffic.