Sunday 3rd May 2026

I have followed Danny Baker's career for nearly 40 years, and yet not being from London missed most of his early radio career, it was only when he got onto Radio 1 and then Radio 5 did I really listen to him.

I know he's not everyone's cuppa, but he has always worked, and sometimes done things on impulse without thinking, and so suffered the consequences.

Radio 5, for example.

Anyway, I am a subscriber to his podcast, The Treehouse, and have written in several times and been interviewed at least twice in the last year, as well as having been on his Radio 5 show a few years back.

His podcast has an active group of fans/subscribers, and there is a part that overlaps with A Word in Your Ear. So, when tickets went on sale for a live show of the podcast, I wanted one. But was away when the sale went live and could not get tickets.

Then on Tuesday, three tickets were returned. I got one, booked accommodation near to Blackheath, in Lewisham when I last went. Arrangements were made to meet friends before the show.

Was good.

Sunday.

And you know what's coming: up early, to the gym for a session.

Jools did swimming, while I did my cycling. And as drinking might be involved later in the day, we went out for breakfast. To Chaplins in town, ordering our usual in an already packed café at ten past opening time.

Stomach lined. We came home, I had a shower, then got ready my few things I would take, until half eleven ticked round and it was time for Jools to drop me off at the station.

Due to engineering work, Charing Cross was closed, so all bar the high speed trains were going to Victoria, even the ones through Ashford, and the journey onward from there was via Maidstone East, then the Darent Valley line to Bromley, then back across south east London to Crystal Palace and then to Battersea.

The train was fairly quiet, at least until Maidstone, and its always nice to see unfamiliar countryside roll past the windows.

It was a fine day for travel, and no real hurry to get to London, so I sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Entering the London suberbs, the train snaked from junction to junction, crossing other lines to get onto the main line into Victoria near Peckham Rye.

I had ten minutes to find my train back out to Lewisham, and had to find a way from platform 7 to 8, which meant walking almost to the end of the platform before there was a way though, where the train was waiting for departure in just four minutes.

I got my seat, then sat as for the first ten minutes were went back the way I had just come, before turning off and again, snaking through London, in tunnels and through cuttings until it screeched into Lewisham.

The hotel was at the bottom of the station approach road, so I walked down, only to be told I couldn't get in my room right away, I'd have to wait a few minutes.

Turned out to be fifteen minutes, during which I was told I could have a coffee from the breakfast bar. I checked in and went to my room. Clean enough, a double bed and a single. I had a wash, took some stuff out of my bad so not to have a toothbrush in my bag all evening.

I walked back to the station, waited ten minutes for a train to carry me the three miles to Blackheath.

I had agreed to meet friends at The Railway near the station. Makes sense to have it there. And found they had Titanic Plumb Porter on draft, so had one of those, then another with an early dinner of loaded nachos.

And once Keith and the rest arrived, two more pints of porter were supped as tongues loosened and we chatted and swapped stories.

At seven, we walked up the hill to the halls, where we met fore friends and contributors. Hugs were shared, hands shook and the rest. Already well lubricated meant I didn't have to queue for the bar, so went into the hall to find my seat.

Danny was joined by Pep and producer Phil, and talked, laughed and more for three and a bit hours, until it all came to an end at ten fifteen.

The three of them stood on stage to take their curtain calls.

Keith invited me to join his heading backstage.

This was fun.

So, past the queue for the toilets, through a big security door, up some steps, along the edge of the stage, a 18 degree turn and down more steps, through two doors, before arriving at the dressing rooms.

It was all a but unglamourous, but Danny's family was there, as was Louise's, all milling around, and the thin rider was already all gone.

I spoke with Danny, shook his hand, and spoke then to Peps. I realised I really only knew Keith, and was feeling left out.

And tired.

So, made my excuses and walked back up to the lobby and onto the street.

Back at the station I found the next train had been cancelled, so we had half an hour to wait. So I put on a podcast and listened to that until the next train arrived at two minutes to eleven.

Ten minutes later I was back in my room. Had a wash, listened to the rest of the pod and crashed out, as train passed a few metres from my triple glazed window. Soundlessly.