Jezza

Thursday 24th November was a great day --- really good fun, despite the few panic moments when we thought we were not gonna make it !


Jess, Gina, Nikki, Zoe and I set off just before 10am to travel to Manchester Granada TV Studios, to be in the audience for a Jeremy Kyle show! The journey was ok until the junction where the M6 turns off into about 6 different lanes - yes - we took the wrong turn ........ I had printed off directions BUT  ................................ 


Zoe to the rescue (well and all the others cause they all have smart phones LOL). Zoe had bought her Sat Nav and we plugged it in.


UNFORTUNATELY - That didn't help much ...................... not initially anyway - the SatNav gave some directions a little late .......like "turn left now" when we had already gone right !


OK I ADMIT IT AND I OFFICIALLY CONFESS ..... I am rubbish with directions !


I regularly get lost when presented with somewhere to get to and there must be a scientific calculation that doubles the chance of getting lost when I have a time limit ........ 


The directions to the studios that I had printed, suggested that it would take 3 hours to get there - we naturally thought that if we left at 10am and had to get there by 2pm that left us an hour for any distractions OR for us to get lost ...... hoping that we wouldn't - and could then stop for lunch or coffee.


Well .......... forget eating or stopping for a coffee - we took the first wrong turn from my printed directions - then another wrong turn from the SatNav each taking us about half an hour out of the way and to get back on track.


With 2pm fast approaching we got to the right location .........only to find that the car park shown on the reverse of the ticket was just for Granada employees


ARGGHHHHHHH - (we do have a suspicion that the car parking attendant was having us on actually but had no time to argue the toss) 


THANK GOODNESS for retail parks and massive Sainsburys stores - we parked within a 10 minute walk. it was 1.50pm and the priority tickets stated that although doors open at 2pm we should be there 10 minutes early!!!


CUE frantic race across town - crossing horrendously busy and wide roads - teetering on high heels and with  one very unfit older lady (that'd be me) and one who has just had a baby - huffing and puffing like we had reached the end of a marathon.


Nikki and Zoe (the fitter amongst us)  ran on and got to the doors - they signalled to us to slow down and as we turned the corner we realised why - it was 2pm and we had rushed for nothing ... as everyone - even in the priority line - was still queuing. 


This was, in fact, a godsend as The Unfit amongst us had chance to breathe and reduce the colour in our cheeks. We queued for another 10 minutes, (losing half a packet of biccies on the pavement during the course of queuing) and EVENTUALLY we were let in.


NOW - bear in mind we had just travelled for 3 and a half hours - had run miles (well maybe a mile at best) had queued for 10 mins ......what would be the first thing on your mind ...... THE LOO !!!


We were searched (I had to hand in my mini Swiss pen knife) and then we made a bee line for the conveniences .......... only to find that there were just 2 cubicles and the queue for these was out of the door !!!!


WHY oh WHY were there only 2 and WHY OH WHY were both blocked ..... yes honestly - epic fail Granada !!!!! (oh must just mention seeing both Michelle Collins and the actress who plays Sally Webster - bet they didn't have to wait for the loo!)


SO finally - we had refreshed ourselves in some not too pleasant facilities - and went into the Studios.


We were sat right next to Jezza'a entrance and sorry to announce this but ...actually .... he is not very tall!


I am not sure if this was the reason they asked Gina to sit down when he came in, or whether it was genuinely the camera angle, but whatever the reason - as the rest of the audience stood up when he came in - she had to stay sitting.


I will not reveal details of the show - in fact the guests themselves were not that exciting. JUST will mention that Jezza is actually SOOOO much funnier than you imagine - he has a good sense of humour and kept the audience entertained in the breaks.


So for an epic journey there we spent just 3 hours at the Studio and then it was done - Maccy D's for tea (Manchester Maccy's was excellent! - probably because we were all starving by 5pm having had nothing to eat since brekky other than biscuits) Then the journey home.


All in all a fantastic day and the girls made the journey such fun - the conversations home shall never be repeated again or put into print !


Now all I can say about the journey home was that it was SIMPLE - why is it always the way NO WRONG TURNS at all - straight run through and home before 9pm !!!!!!!!!


Like I say - there must be a calculation regarding lost directions and time constraints !!!


The 6 hour travelling time thought was so worth it and I recommend anyone to try going to a Tv show - any show - just for the experience - I can cross that off my list and we will very probably be going again !!!!