Anniversary.

I took the photographs above recently - click on any one to see a larger version. The Bexleyheath Christmas Market and Funfair has been running for several weeks now. Whilst I have seen a large number of shoppers in Bexleyheath, I have not seen many people using the funfair rides or buying goods from the number of shed based outlets in the area around the Clock Tower. Many of the stall holders looked bored, and I am aware that whilst the fair is meant to operate into the evenings, many of the stalls shut up as soon as the main retail shops close. I don't think the event has been the success that the organisers hoped for. Have you visited the fair? What did you think of it? Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

On Saturday afternoon, I was queuing at one of the checkouts in Morrison's in Erith. The man in front of me had around a dozen jars of various varieties of pre - made pasta sauce in his trolley. I had to bite my tongue and not say anything. Mass produced pasta sauces are both a culinary abomination and a waste of money - not to say that they also contain a large number of additives, including a lot of salt, preservatives and sugar. Fresh pasta sauce is so cheap and easy to make that I really cannot understand why someone would pay more for a vastly inferior alternative. Every so often I publish the occasional recipe, and this week is no exception. This is how to make a very basic pasta sauce - I have been using this for years, with very successful results.

Hugh's basic pasta sauce recipe.

Ingredients.

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 large onion, finely diced

3 - 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of dried mixed herbs

3 small Bay leaves

Dash of Worcestershire Sauce.

Method.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan or wok; add the finely diced onion and cook until it starts to soften, then add the garlic and fry until the onions are translucent. You can then add a generous dash of Worcestershire sauce (it will initially smell overpowering, but will mellow remarkably as it cooks), followed by the tin of chopped tomatoes and the bay leaves. Cook for around ten minutes when the sauce starts to reduce, then add the dried mixed herbs, and cook for another five minutes, adding a dash of water if the sauce becomes too dry. Serve with cooked pasta of your choice. You can add chopped mushrooms, sweet peppers, finely chopped carrots or celery to this basic sauce to make it a little more interesting, or even add minced beef before the chopped tomatoes to make a basic Bolognese sauce (I don't subscribe to the theory that Bolognese meat should be a mixture of minced Pork and Beef - firstly this seems too complex for what is essentially an Italian peasant dish, and secondly I am Pork intolerant, and have to avoid all Pig related products). Nevertheless, the basic recipe can be modified as you see fit. It tastes infinitely superior to the shop bought jars, and is far better for you. The raw ingredients also cost a fraction of the factory bought stuff, so what is there not to like? If you would like more details on my recipes, do feel free to drop me a line to hugh.neal@gmail.com - let me know what you think.

Thanks to regular reader and occasional contributor Gary for bringing the following story to my attention. To mark the 60th anniversary of the launch of groundbreaking offshore radio station Radio London, also known as The Big L, a series of commemorative broadcasts are planned by some of the original D.J's. In the 1960's Radio London was the main rival to Radio Caroline, and had a fascinating, if relatively short life. Radio London was the brainchild of Don Pierson, who lived in Eastland, Texas, United States. In a 1984 interview, Pierson said he got the idea in 1964, while reading a report in The Dallas Morning News of the start of Radio Caroline and Radio Atlanta from ships that were at that time anchored off south-east England. Pierson said he was struck by the fact that those two offshore stations were the first and only all-day commercial radio broadcasters serving the UK. An entrepreneur, he compared the number of stations then serving the population of his native northwest Texas with the two stations serving the entire UK. He told Eric Gilder that he thought his idea would make a lot of money while bringing enjoyment to many people. Pierson caught the next night flight from Love Field in Dallas to the UK, where he chartered a small plane and flew over the two radio ships. After taking photographs, he returned to Texas determined to create a station bigger and better than either. Radio London broadcast from the MV Galaxy, a former Second World War United States Navy minesweeper, originally named USS Density. It was fitted out for radio broadcasting in Miami, then sailed across the Atlantic to the Azores, where the antenna was erected, before final positioning off the Essex coast. The operation was overseen by one of the other investors, Tom Danaher. The disc jockeys included Chuck Blair, Tony Blackburn, Pete Brady, Tony Brandon, Dave Cash (who also teamed up to present a popular Kenny and Cash Show), Ian Damon, Chris Denning, Dave Dennis, Pete Drummond, John Edward, Kenny Everett (co-host of the Kenny and Cash Show, and ultimately fired for continual on-air criticism of the religious programme, The World Tomorrow - much more on Kenny Everett further down this week's update), Graham Gill, Bill Hearne, Duncan Johnson, Paul Kaye (who became the main news reader), Lorne King. Virtually all DJ programmes originated live from a studio located in the hold at the rear of the ship. The original studio was installed by RCA while the ship was being fitted out in Miami, but the ship's metal bulkheads presented problems with acoustics and soundproofing. That was rectified by lining the walls with mattresses and blankets from the crew's bunk beds, although that meant no-one could sleep during the daytime. In early 1966, two new studios were constructed (also below the water-line), with proper acoustics and a more ergonomic layout - the main on-air/DJ studio had a modern sound/mixing board, and a smaller one for the hourly news bulletins, production (of commercials, etc.) and as backup. Radio London's transmitter was housed in a large purpose-built steel shed on the rear deck, because it was too large to fit in the hold. The US-manufactured RCA Ampliphase transmitter was rated at 50,000 watts (50 kW). An on-air slogan ran 'Your 50,000-watt Tower of Power', although initially it operated at 17 kW. In contrast, Radio Caroline, its main rival, operated with a Continental Electronics 10 kW transmitter. In 1966, Caroline South upgraded to a 50 kW Continental transmitter and, for a time, Radio London pretended to retaliate by increasing its power to 75 kW. The station's antenna was a vertical-guyed tubular steel mast aft of the bridge. Radio London's publicity claimed the mast was 212 ft (65 m) high, but later calculations from photographs indicated that it was approximately 170 ft (52 m). The positioning of the antenna was at the ship's centre of gravity and that was critical, as no cement ballast was used in the ship's hull to counteract movement caused by such a tall and heavy mast on a floating vessel. At midnight on 14 August 1967, the Marine, & Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967 came into effect in the United Kingdom. It created a criminal offence of supplying music, commentary, advertising, fuel, food, water or other assistance except for life-saving, to any ship, offshore structure such as a former WWII fort, or flying platform such as an aircraft used for broadcasting without a licence from the regulatory authority in the UK. Despite initial plans to the contrary, Radio London decided not to defy the law, and closed before the Act came into effect. It was decided to close at 3pm on 14 August 1967, partly to guarantee a large audience, as well as to enable the ship's DJs and other staff to return to shore and board a train to London. A one-hour recorded show was broadcast from 2pm to allow staff to get ready to leave. The time also described an "L" shape of the hands on a clock face, but whether that was a real consideration is unknown. Their Final Hour, as the programme was called, had recorded greetings of farewell and remembrance from recording stars; included were the voices of Mick Jagger, Cliff Richard, Ringo Starr and Dusty Springfield. The 2:30 news bulletin, read by Paul Kaye, was the final live segment on the station. Birch thanked DJs and staff and others involved throughout the station's life, as well as politicians and others who fought for the station – and its 12 million listeners in the United Kingdom and four million in the Netherlands, Belgium and France'. That was followed by the last record, "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles, then Paul Kaye's final announcement: "Big L time is three o'clock, and Radio London is now closing down". Radio London's theme tune, the "PAMS Sonowaltz", popularly called Big Lil, was played before the transmitter was switched off by engineer Russell Tollerfield, just after 3pm. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the launch of Radio London, some of the original staff have got together to produce some new broadcasts; their announcement reads:- "We couldn't let Radio London's 60th Anniversary pass by without a celebration! We've hired some powerful Short Wave Transmitters to send BIG L's signal to the four corners of the Earth (and beyond) - We'll also be on the World Wide Web in stereo. There are BIG L DJ's past and present in specially made programmes as we keep the spirit of this great radio station alive! 11 hours of New Radio London Programmes over 2 days!" You can read more about the radio station and their 60th anniversary by clicking here. 

Had he survived, Christmas Day 2024 would have been Kenny Everett's 80th birthday. The man who many, including myself, regard as Britain's greatest ever DJ. He was born Maurice James Christopher Cole on Christmas Day 1944 in Liverpool. He attended the same school as offshore radio DJ Mike Ahern and considered joining the church; indeed he did spend some time in a Catholic seminary, but he left under a cloud, having made free with the communion wine. His first paying job was in a bakery. With a passion for radio and playing around with tape recorders, he sent a tape of a home-made programme to the BBC. Having acquired an ability to impersonate everything from The Goons to the opening of the airlocks in Journey into Space, he bought two tape-recorders and began to make his own programmes, interspersing music with bouts of silliness. This interested the Corporation enough to invite him down to London and he was interviewed on the Home Service's Midweek programme. Kenny hoped it would lead to a job with the BBC but it did not. Instead he joined the new offshore station Radio London when it launched at Christmas 1964 - as previously mentioned above. Everett was madly seasick at first, but offshore radio suited him: it meant access to studio equipment 24 hours a day (DJs did three weeks on, and a week off), and all the time in the world to invent loopy characters (as the first zoo DJ, Everett was the father of the late Steve Wright and all the rest). He chose his new name from that of the Hollywood actor Edward Everett Horton, and both his own show and the double headed programme he co-presented with Dave Cash, The Kenny and Cash Show, won a massive following. His writing and tape-editing skills were phenomenal and Kenny was responsible for many of Radio London's more creative advertisements, jingles and promotions. Unfortunately his humour was not always appreciated by the management and he was fired for six months after making fun of the sponsored religious show The World Tomorrow, the station's biggest advertiser. Along with Jerry Leighton from Radio Caroline and Ron O'Quinn from “Swinging” Radio England, Kenny joined The Beatles on their 1966 tour of the USA sending back reports on the concerts, sponsored by Bassett's Jelly Babies. Sharing the same Liverpool background, Kenny developed an obvious rapport with the group. He left Radio London in March 1967 and worked on Radio Luxembourg and the BBC Light Programme, later joining BBC Radio One at its launch. Although hugely popular he was soon in trouble again. He was constantly being told off for criticising the station in the press and when he joked on air that the wife of the then Minister of Transport had passed her advanced driving test by bribing the examiner, it was the final straw. He was sacked. He presented some shows on BBC local radio and others on Radio Monte Carlo International. By 1969, he had married Audrey "Lee" Middleton, a former pop star and psychic better known by her stage name Lady Lee - who had been Billy Fury's girlfriend. Within a decade, he had realised he was gay and they parted but remained friends, and it was she who found him his first boyfriend. It was the launch of London's Capital Radio in 1973 that returned him to the forefront of British broadcasting. Here he was reunited with his old partner Dave Cash and their Breakfast Show helped to establish the new station. From Capital, Kenny moved to BBC Radio 2 and then back again to Capital. Having got a job with the BBC once more, Kenny became so big that he was often to be found hanging out with the very stars whose music he played. One of his closest friends was Freddie Mercury. It was in 1978, at the height of his radio powers, that he moved into TV with a bang. The Kenny Everett Video Show introduced the nation to a host of new, crazy characters, created by the writing team of Kenny, Barry Cryer, American Dick Vosburgh and Canadian Ray Cameron, father of current comic Michael McIntyre. The latest hit singles were featured, often performed by the bands and singers themselves, and all sorts of people were more than happy to appear alongside the anarchic Kenny. From Cliff Richard to Billy Connolly, they would all be struggling to keep a straight face as Everett created mayhem around them. Captain Kremmen, science-fiction hero, punk rocker Sid Snot and lecherous Frenchman Marcel Wave were among his characters. The third series ended with Kenny making a farewell speech as the crew removed the set and background scenery, picking him up and placing him in a dustbin. In the 80s, having fully thrown off his guilt about his sexuality, he took up nightclubbing with a vengeance, and it was on one such evening out that he met Nikolai Grishanovich, the lover from whom he would eventually contract HIV. Grishanovich was one of the two husbands he eventually unveiled to the press (the other was a Spanish waiter, Pepe Flores), and he died of an AIDS-related illness in 1991, the same year as Everett's close friend Freddie Mercury. In 1993 he confirmed newspaper reports that he was HIV-positive but continued presenting shows on Capital Gold until his death of AIDS-related causes on 4th April 1995. A genuinely original talent, a naturally funny man. and a brilliantly skilled editor, he was a disc-jockey whose listeners eagerly awaited his every word Everett was the subject of an episode of BBC Radio 4's "Great Lives" - which you can hear by clicking here. Alongside his radio success, Kenny also enjoyed a television career, starting with Nice Time for Granada in the sixties, later with LWT, Thames TV and the BBC. A radio industry organisation, the Radio Academy, has its own Hall of Fame honouring people who have made an outstanding contribution to UK radio. One of the first recipients was, quite rightly, Kenny Everett. In October 1993 Kenny was the castaway on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. The programme is still available on the BBC website - click here to listen to it. Everett was fond of animals, and at one stage had a Chihuahua-Yorkshire Terrier cross, two cats, a parrot and several horses. His companion in his last years was a cat called Pussy Cat. By way of recreation, Everett enjoyed needlework.

If you are a user of Microsoft Windows 11, the giant software company are shortly to launch a new feature which integrates Artificial Intelligence into the operating system. The forthcoming new feature is called Microsoft Recall, a new AI-powered feature designed to help users remember and retrieve past activities on their devices, has sparked a debate about its potential impact on user privacy. While the tool offers undeniable benefits in terms of productivity and convenience, it also raises valid concerns about the security of sensitive information. Recall captures snapshots of your screen and activities, including websites visited, documents accessed, and even snippets of text conversations. This data is then stored locally on your device, allowing you to search and retrieve it later. However, the continuous capture of potentially sensitive information has raised red flags among security experts and users alike. Potential risks of enabling Recall on a Windows 11 PC include the following:- Data Exposure: Accidental capture of sensitive information like passwords, financial details, or private conversations poses a significant risk. Even with safeguards in place, the possibility of such data being stored remains a concern. Vulnerability to Attacks: In the event of a malware attack or unauthorised access, the locally stored Recall database could be compromised, potentially exposing a treasure trove of personal information. Erosion of Trust: Previous instances of data misuse by large corporations have fuelled user scepticism about the security of personal information, and Recall's extensive data collection capabilities contribute to these anxieties. Due to these security concerns, Microsoft delayed the launch of Recall back in June in order to make changes to address the issues. The new version of Recall encrypts the screens it captures and, by default, it has a “Filter sensitive information,” setting enabled, which is supposed to prevent it from recording any app or website that is showing credit card numbers, social security numbers, or other important financial / personal information. In tests, however, this filter only worked in some situations (on two e-commerce sites), leaving a gaping hole in the protection it promises. It is clear by now that just like many other technology companies, Microsoft is so utterly convinced it needs to add “AI” into every corner of its products, that it no longer seems to be asking the most important question during product development: do people actually want this? The response to Windows Recall has been particularly negative, yet Microsoft keep pushing and pushing it, making all the mistakes along the way everybody has warned them about. It is astonishing just how dedicated they are to a feature nobody seem to want, and everybody seems to warn them about. The “Filter sensitive information” setting is so absurdly basic and ineffective it basically only seems to work on shopping sites, not anywhere else where credit card or other sensitive information might be shown.

The end video this week is from popular transport YouTuber Geoff Marshall; in this short piece he visits the London Air Ambulance, talks to staff members, gets to see the life saving equipment carried inside the helicopter, and gets a ride over London. Comments and feedback to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.