The Caravan Channel

A refreshing change!

2010-11-30T07:12:00.005Z

From the end of this years production schedule, that's programme 107 of the Caravan Channel, premiering on 15th December 2010, I'll no longer be responsible for the production and editorial direction of the UK's only broadcast TV caravan and motorhome programme, The Caravan Channel on Information TV.

After 4½ years, and 107 shows, I think its time to pass this hugely successful show on into new hands, and I'd like to thank all of the brilliant people in the industry and associated businesses who've helped me to make a unique programme which has inspired some people, helped many more, and maybe opened some eyes to reality.

I'm delighted to say that the programme's broadcaster, Information TV, is already assembling a team who I believe will continue to build on The Caravan Channel's existing success, and will see it grow from strength to strength. They'll also be introducing new blood and new talent into the mix, and continuing to work closely with both the industry and campers/caravanners and motorhome owners to take the programme to new heights.

In addition, Information TV is of course a much bigger company, with much bigger budgets and capabilities. Developing a brand new programme concept from scratch is fine for a one-man band like me, but taking it on to a whole new level of success and influence demands a much more structured, disciplined and professional approach.

On a personal note, let me say very clearly that this change is a result of my choice. I've been looking for some time for a new production company to take over the programme, essentially because producing a new programme every two weeks is continuous hard work for a one man band, and that's not what I want to do!

The Caravan Channel's email addresses - editorial@caravanchannel.co.uk and production@caravanchannel.co.uk are still your points of contact.

This doesn't mean that I personally will be fading away completely, of course. I'll still be doing some freelance work, and making some other programmes in other areas of interest.

You'll still be able to contact me at chris@chrisgosling.co.uk and I'll have a website online at www.chrisgosling.co.uk

Now that's a long times between posts!

2010-11-20T10:03:00.004Z

In terms of putting posts on The Caravan Channel's editor's blog, I do tend to be fairly remiss . . the pressure of producing a fortnightly TV show makes me less keen to do other things to a schedule, even though I know I should!

But this time, I must say I've got a lot better excuse.

Since my last entry, things have been changing apace in both personal and business terms, and I'm delighted to say that i think it's all really rather good - although some aspects may be a bit worrying for a time!

At present, I can't make a full revelation, but as soon as I can, I will. Til then . . watch this space!

Living in the past?

2010-10-09T08:02:00.003+01:00

One of the things that sometimes rings my bells is the number of misconceptions that people in general have about TV today.

That ringtone gets loudest the moment someone says "constructive criticism" . . like an email I had the other day.

This gentleman decided to share his expertise with us all:

I believe you have the makings of a first class product that can attract a very good audience but you have to first get a professional presenter and not someone who appears to make the programme just as a way to supplement his pension.

The makings of a first class programme? With over 100 shows now broadcast over 4 years, one every 2 weeks, and showing to an estimated audience of 180,000 viewers per edition, The Caravan Channel is certainly one of the biggest, if not simply the biggest, niche show on satellite TV. It has an income that surprises me, and employs a couple of people quite a lot of the time.

I am sure the presenter knows what he is talking about but firstly he is not very photogenic and secondly his voice makes everything seem so boring.

The reason it's presented by me is two-fold - first, because when it started, there was no money to pay anyone (even me!), and secondly because I happen to be very much against the cult of "celebrity" that seems to pervade mainstream TV today. I've always tried to make programmes where the content carries the show, and that's what I'll continue to make . .

I have gone back to caravanning after 20 years of using hotels and it is great to see the new models, the new accessories and the sites which I find informative although the sound quality is similar to that of a 1940’s B movie, so while I would like to see many improvements I am very fond of the channel just please consider upgrading it into the 21st century.

All this chap is saying that he doesn't like me as a presenter, and bluntly that worries me not a jot - it just annoys me that (a) he isn't sufficiently aware of satellite budget restraints that make hiring a "presenter" impossible, and that (b) he doesn't comprehend the simple fact that I acknowledge that not everyone who likes caravanning, motorhomes or camping is going to like either me, the show, or it's style.

In today's hugely diverse TV spectrum, there's a surprising absence of variety and individuality, and all this fellow seems to want is a celeb presenter, and a flashier style . . and content created by TV hacks who do a workaday job with not much enthusiasm, and with no interest in the topic - the tired old recipe as before.

I'm sorry if what we show is different . . perhaps he'd be best off watching 100th-time repeats of "Caravan Sights" and "The Caravan Show", last made in 2003, on terrestrial broadcast budgets, five times the size of ours!

Back on track

2010-09-18T11:54:00.003+01:00

We've definitely had an odd time, but I hope that things are now back on track.

Next week, I'll be working on getting our Caravan & Motorhome 2010 presence sorted our properly, and with a bit of luck will have everything resolved in time!

Doing the stand at a majopr show like this is a big effort however, and I reckon we'll be pretty extended doing it - but we'' do our best as ever, although one specific factor has to change.

However, all being well, we'll be there on stand 19 -36, and looking forward to seeing you!

Caught up in the big wheels . . .

2010-09-13T06:39:00.004+01:00

I seem to have had a very odd summer this year . . .

We rather set the tone early in August, when Dot came down with some rather nasty tummy trouble, which seems to have gone on and on - but at least now the medics have started to deal with it and I hope she'll start to feel better soon.

Later in the month, had a very unhappy (and still ongoing) bit of dealings with the mighty Ofcom, who it seems are now required to deal with online video services, and their contractor in this area decided they wanted The Caravan Channel to notify them as a possible service provider . . . at an annual cost of an astounding £2,900 "registration fee" for the first year.

This looks like an amazing bit of possibly "catch-all" regulation, that could do lots of harm to the UK's TV and video production business.

Here are the qualification:

(a)its principal purpose is the provision of programmes the form and content of which are comparable to the form and content of programmes normally included in television programme services;

(b)access to it is on-demand;

(c)there is a person who has editorial responsibility for it;

(d)it is made available by that person for use by members of the public; and

(e)that person is under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom for the purposes of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive.

Now is that a catch-all, or not?

Reading it from my viewpoint, it looks as if any of the hundreds of YouTube video-makers who make small, but often well-made and "TV-programme-like" clips could get caught up in this set of regualtions - but I don't think that this is the intention of either the UK or the European governments, it is the effect of sheer disinterest from the regulatiors, Ofcom, who look as if they've ignored smaller operators.

Essentially, these regulations come from a European desire to regulate the programmes that broadcasters put online, designed to ensure that they follow the same basic rules online that they follow on broadcast. For most broadcasters, this isn't a problem anyway. and registering for it at a cost of a few thousand pounds is neither here or there - they can spread the cost of over tha hundreds and thousands of hours of video they have online, and it doesn't amount to anything much.

However, they seem to have completely ignored small businesses in their calculations - for instance, they claim to have "consulted widely" in the spring and early summer of 2010, but bluntly, I for one never heard of this - and I suspect that like most very small businesses, I have my nose too close to the grindstone to have noticed this kind of thing.

So where am I at the moment?

Fighting!

I produce two little programmes, and may produce a third later this year. I only put short clips online at present, which I don't believe qualify, but would like to put longer clips or whole shows online for people who don't have satellite. Does this mean that with a turnover that isn't much more than the national average wage, I have to pay the same rate as the BBC for an tiny service?

Both Ofcom and their contractor ATVOD seem to be saying that they can't make allowances for size, yet the explanations of the original law seems to say something different:

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM TO THE AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA SERVICES REGULATIONS 2010

2010 No. 419

11. Regulating small business

11.1 The legislation applies to small business. It is anticipated that few small businesses which employ fewer than 20 people will be providing services which satisfy the definition of an ondemand programme service and fall within the scope of the regulatory system, although some small start-up businesses may be affected. However, the Government expects that the fees payable to the regulatory authorities by businesses providing on-demand programme services will be set in such a way as to minimise any potential adverse impacts on small businesses.

Just an example . . .!

2010-07-27T22:10:00.003+01:00

Lots of people tell me what a wonderful time I must have, but I though this week I'd illustrate an example of how this job goes!

It isn't a moan - it's just an explanation!

One Sunday, at about 3.30 (after the Grand prix, which Dotty watched, and I worked through) we set off for sunny Humberside - we reached our little Travelodge hideyhole just after 7 o'clock, and settled down for the evening after having a nice chat with the reception girl, who we sympathised with for having a nasty bite on her ankle.

Set off to travel the 20 minute ride to Swift, stopping off for brekkie at a MacD's -journey took nearer 40 mins, but we still had brekkie and arrived by 9.30ish.

Chat, briefed on new products, of we went. Stopped for lunch at 1, back to work by 1.30. Quit about 4.30 (run out of creative juice!).

Went hunting something I wanted to film for another project, failed to find it, quit!

Got to pub we like about 6.30 for a very nice early dinner, very enjoyable, then back to the hotel.

Tues - up at 7, eating brekkie by 9, shooting by 9.30. Finish around 12.30, meandered to Goole, where we did a little filming on a interesting topic we tripped over - essentially for one of Giles programme threads, however.

Home by around 8pm - time to catch up on the email while video is running into the computer - watch it with half an eye.

Bed by about 10.30 (that's about now).

Up sensibly early to drive to Stealth tomorrow . .

I love it!

A small hiatus . . . that's not a hernia!

2010-07-25T21:31:00.001+01:00

A long time ago, someone asked me something something about my blogging style - the only answer I could give then (and now) is intermittent!

In fact, I think it all depends on what time there is in that odd concept, the working week! And when you're a tiny little business like mine (now with added Giles, I'm glad to say), producing a total of 3 hours of brand-new TV in a month, plus and additional 3 hours of reformated to order TV, there isn't that much time!

However, just to update you . . we've not been out in the little Finesse since bringing it home from Hull on our last visit as we have been waiting for our little car to be fixed. But we should be towing again by the middle of the week - hope so, as we're supposed to be out in it next weekend!

Miles n miles!

2010-07-06T06:34:00.003+01:00

Since becoming registered for VAT, doing more and more miles - this week, we'll be driving up to Consett to take the Elddis Xplore 302 back home about 290 miles.

Tomorrow, we'll go to their launch day, the drive to Hull - about 140 miles.

On Thursday morning, we'll pick up a new van and tow it back to Felixstowe - about 210 miles.

That's nearly 650 miles, my good lord!

I'll have to suggest that caravan manufacturers should relocate - somewhere around Cambridge would make a nice run there and back on a day-trip basis!

Wow - what a week!

2010-06-18T08:05:00.000+01:00

Sometimes on The Caravan Channel, I seem to just get so busy!

The past week, for instance:

We had Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights in the caravan, 50 miles from home at Great Yarmouth racecourse Caravan Club site. Although we did some family stuff, too, we filmed material on two of the days of our stay . . .

Home Tuesday lunchtime, computery stuff, then off to Cambridge on Wednesday - to freeze the little Elddis 302. Back there on Thursday, to pick it up and take it home. Filmed on both days . .

Friday (today) off to London to record a big interview with argueably one of the world's most important caravan and motorhome people . .

This weekend, I hope to get a couple of nights on a site, but who knows . . Next week, got to put together edition 13/2010, due for premiere on 30th June, although I'll miss Tuesday, with some serious and heavy-duty money people coming down from London for a major meeting . . .

Why am I telling you this?

Just to prove, I suppose, that it isn't all beer and chips, as I think some people assume!

The sad fact is, of course, that I love it!

One of those exceelent caravanning days . .

2010-05-22T20:59:00.004+01:00

Caravanners probably have entirely different kinds of holidays to conventional tourists.

For instance - today: got up at about 9, did brekkie, sat and computered some stuff until about 10, discovering on the way where to sit (in the awning) and at what angle to site (facing inwards a bit) to get full-speed broadband on the dongle.

Showered eventually, then left about noon to Shaftesbury, not knowing much about it . . . discovered a very charming small town, lots of oldish buildings in the centre with a disproportionate number of charity book shops! After a Wiltshire pasty from Reads bakers (delish!) found the Abbey ruins (didn't go in though, sat around and enjoyed a colossal view out over the valley . . . then strolled down, and back up "Gold Hill", with lots of lovely old houses on am amazingly steep hill.

Smashing honey ice-cream, then a quick nip into Somerfield (right beside the long stay carpark, £1 for 2 hours), to make sure we don't run out of beer, wine, and, oh yes, grub).

Back at the van, lounge and read in the lovely sunshine, watch Dr Who, saladly dinner, and post this for you to read.

It's one of the many kinds of day that the caravan gives us . . all for around £20, free from the constraints of hotel life, and with no need to do anything at all if we don't want to!

You'd love it!

A bit of business . .

2010-05-18T08:00:00.002+01:00

For keen followers of The Caravan Channel's business affairs, we've been developing our market spread over the past few weeks.

About 8 weeks ago, we started broadcasting a weekly back catalogue show, called Caravan Channel GOLD, which goes out on Sky 216, on the 3 days when the main Caravan Channel show isn't broadcast on Sky 166. The programmes are shows from 2008, mainly, and they'll gradually come closer up to date as we go along. The idea with showing is that at present, we're getting lots of new viewers who haven't seen these older shows, and they do deserve the chance to see this material.

We're also now developing an online weekly show, called Caravan Channel Weekly. This is aimed at addressing the people who haven't got Sky, or Freesat, but still want to watch the show. Each weekly show is effectively half of the programme that finished its broadcast run 2 weeks before, so it also acts as on-demand video for backlog shows. Gradually there'll be a big stack of shows online, so that you can enjoy a bit of caravanning any time of the day, week or year!

2010-05-01T08:20:00.002+01:00

Despite the fact that people often say pitches are under pressure, we haven't had a problem finding one for this May Bank Holiday weekend.

The Caravan Club were able to accomodate us at Chapel Lane, near Birmingham on Sunday 2nd May and BH Monday, 3rd May, and we're at Kingsbury Water Park Camping and Caravanning Club site later in the week - nice, I'm told.

It'll be interesting to see how things go as the season progresses - I'm really having rather a good time so far this year!

On the hottest day . . .

2010-04-28T06:44:00.001+01:00

. . . so far of the year, the forecasters tell me, I'll be sat in my litle workroom, putting together edition 9/2010 of The Caravan Channel!

But it isn't a bad life.

We've just had a good couple of nights in the Camping and Caravanning Club's Kessingland site, and next week, we're planning to head a bit towards the midlands, and maybe the north - not too sure yet!

I do like doing stuff at relatively late notice - it's more fun than making plans weeks ahead, but it does become an issue at times. I think that the current pressure on sites/pitches is one of the problems, although it isn't too bad during the week - but I can see it getting worse and worse during the year.

It'll be interesting to see how this year goes for pitches; I don't have a list of new site openings due this year, but when I get one I'll let you know!

What a lovely start to the season . . .

2010-04-21T10:47:00.004+01:00

Its an interesting and delightful start to the season - beautiful weather again today, and nothing much to do with our time!

We didn't get up early, essentially because the filming we'd planned to do fell down . . . such is life. It does mean that we've got rather more time to actually enjoy the day, and the relaxation, sitting here at Mablethorpe Camping and Caravanning Club site.

Its just coming up to eleven o'clock, and in a minute, I'm planning a stroll around with the camcorder, then we'll be on our own for the day - but of course, I'll take the cameras with us, in case we see something interesting!

Interesting comment, and self-answered question, in an email from a viewer, too, today: "why is it that The Caravan Channel is always coming to us from various campsites and locations that are related to caravans, motorhomes and camping? It must be because the people who make it are real caravanners, not studio or office-bound businessmen . . "

I do like my job . . .

2010-04-19T07:33:00.002+01:00

One of the things I decided a good number of years ago is that I wouldn't do a job I didn't like - and I've most managed to keep to that over the past ten years, after quitting my job as a sales and marketing specialist.

For a couple of years, I become first a boat bum, sailing around in my little yacht, and then I became a more general kind of waster, travelling around in Europe for a few months.

These days, I suppose, I'm more of a proper worker than I was, making my long-running string of TV shows - The Caravan Channel, and Caravan Channel GOLD, but I still manage to include a pretty good level of meandering about. Today - well, we're off again, towing our little caravan up to Lincolnshire for a few nights.

Latest press release . . .

2010-04-07T09:39:00.000+01:00

Camping, caravanning and motorhome fans can now watch a specialist TV programme every night of the week with the start of the new series of Caravan Channel GOLD on Showcase TV, Sky channel 216.

For the past 3½ years, the Caravan Channel programme has been making a new edition every 2 weeks for show on Sky channel 166 and Freesat 402 - and 85 programmes later, is starting a weekly repeat series, with shows from 2008.

"Over the last year, we've gained large numbers of viewers, who say they want to see some of our older shows," says programme producer and presenter Chris Gosling, "and we're delighted to oblige!"

"It also means that we and our thousands of viewers get a wider selection of content to watch," he added. "If you count the repeat series programmes as "new" for viewers who never seen them before, it means that we're efectively bringing 6 new programmes to TV every 4 weeks - not bad for a tiny production company, mainly run by just one person."

The main Caravan Channel programme plays at 7pm 4 nights a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday on Information TV, Sky 166/Freesat 402/online, while Caravan Channel Gold plays at 7pm on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday on Showcase TV, Sky 216.

Bank Holidays . .

2010-04-03T09:19:00.000+01:00

Funny things, Bank holidays . .

It's the Easter weekend - we had a day out yesterday (Good Friday) but over this weekend we won't be doing much - just seeing people, and maybe making a trip down to Kent to see Caz and Rob.

But we are out next week, to a Caravan Club site not far from Baldock, I think, Ashridge Farm.

It'll be the start of my summer "get fit campaign, too, 'cos I'm feeling a bit fat and flabby!

Get the hiking kit out!

Completely shattered!

2010-03-31T16:51:00.001+01:00

Heavens - just finished edition 7/2010 of The Caravan Channel in record time . . I'd really kinda forgotten about the bank holiday weekend!

The problem is that when you work for yourself, you really can easily lose track of time - I tend to carry on working, and only stop when I've finished what I'm doing. That's fine for me, cos it means I can quit then, and any day or time is equally good for me.

However, of course, the broadcaster and other people do tend to work what you can only call "ordinary" hours - 9 to 5, etc. So next week's show, due to premiere on Wednesday, would need to be posted on Friday or Saturday, to reach them on Monday morning.

But no - they're closed from tomorrow (Thurs) pm til Tuesday am, so it'll have to be there tomorrow (Thursday) . . . its all go!

Repeats show . . .

2010-03-30T07:30:00.002+01:00

Keen watchers of The Caravan Channel who've only recently come aboard, and haven't seem a lot of shows, might be interested in our new repeat series, launching next week on Showcase TV, Sky channel 216.

It's called Caravan Channel GOLD, and the idea is to show programmes dating back to 2008, on a weekly basis, showing 3 times at week on alternate days to the main Caravan Channel, but at the same time.

The first show premieres on Tuesday 6th April . . . be interesting to see how it goes, and to get your feedback.

A timely reminder for me!

2010-03-26T07:43:00.002Z

There's nothing like a regular trip somewhere to remind you that the years are flying by!

This weekend, Dot and I will be using our little Elddis 302 for 3 nights as our base (and our stand, I think) at the Newark Motorhome & Spring Fair, at Newark Showground.

Although it's mostly a motorhome do, we have attended right from the start, and it's becoem a bit of a tradition for quite a lot of people. It's chummy, comfortable, and an entertaining weekend!

Come and see us, if you can!

Video blog . . .

2010-03-17T21:04:00.001Z

See what you make of this one:

Seriously busy at Serious Leisure!

2010-03-14T12:33:00.002Z

One of the reasons I called the production business Serious Leisure was to try an explain that we are serious about leisure - it's one of the most important things in my life, certainly, and I hope it is the same in yours!

But this week has been seriously busy - seriously!

First, I discovered that if we go on as we are, we'd soon be in trouble with the Queen - or at least, her VAT minions at Customs and Excise. So we're now registered for that lovely tax . . . more paperwork!

Next, we're in the process of launching two new related broadcast shows.

The first is straightforward - it's called Outdoor Shopping TV, and it is designed to give outdoor retailers, manufacturers and service providers the opportunity to promote and directly sell their products on TV. The show will play out immediately after The Caravan Channel programme, and producer Giles Meehan says it'll be well-loaded with bargains, deals and information for outdoor people - everyone from caravan and motorhome owners to tent campers, hikers, orienteers and mountain-bikers!

And the second - well, negotiations are at an advanced staged, but . . . my lips are sealed!

What's next?

2010-03-06T07:07:00.003Z

One of the things that is hardest to deal with properly in the little world of the Caravan Channel is just how rapidly the background journalism has changed over the last year or two.

Instead of constantly looking around for content, and worrying about where the next item will come from, it's more a question of what to cover or not cover among the many editorial opportunities that come to us. It is sometimes really rather difficult to decide between them!

For instance, we're already pretty well loaded for March - the first programme of the month (edition 5/2010) is ready to run to tape, and more than half the content for 6/2010 is ready to roll. We're also committed to the Newark Motorhome and Caravan Spring Fair, too. But April has a big stack of material queued-up to think about!

A couple of the manufacturers say they'll have new things to show us then, and we want to go to Ireland and to Germany to film some interesting products. Some of this, of course, means that we can't do some other things . . . it's a constant juggling act!

Nice to be home sometimes!

2010-03-04T06:17:00.002Z

It's so nice to be home sometimes, isn't it?

We had last week away - from the 19th to the 24th we were in Scotland, and from the 26the to the 28th we were at the NEC show.

Just now, I'm sitting in my little workroom, having more or less finished editing the latest Caravan Channel TV show - just got the voicetrack to do - and thinking how nice it is to be here, in our own little drum!

Of course, once I've been here a couple of days, I'll be thinking about how nice it'll be to be out in our little Xplore 302!

Just how many people watch . . .

2010-02-28T06:44:00.002Z

One of the things you have to remind yourself about is just how small the world of the internet is, and how huge the world of broadcast TV really is.

For instance, some of the biggest online communities get up to 10,000 or 11,000 members - but that's actually a mere 1% of the total caravan and motorhome ownership in the UK. On the other hand, broadcast TV gets a massive audience.

Our broadcaster reckons that we're now reaching an audience "well in excess" of 150,000 viewers per programme, over each programmes 8 broadcast showings. That's a massive number, but it's still only maybe 15% of the actual population of owners, and maybe 30% of that audience which has Sky or Freesat installed. Of course, our audience also probably has a proportion of non-owners, or aspiring owners, too, who want to buy or get involved.

Attending this year's Boat and Caravan Show at the NEC has been a real revelation. Every day, loads of people have said hello, and had a little word. But literally hundreds more have looked and pointed, and maybe given a little wave. So this year, if you want to come and have a chat, maybe come to the Newark Motorhome and Caravan Spring Fair show, at the end of March - we'll be there, with our little Elddis, and we'd love to see you!

Here we are again!

2010-02-26T18:26:00.005Z

Yes, it's our fourth year at the NEC as Britain and Europe's only on-air and online camping, caravanning and motorhome TV show, and this year we decided to ring the changes by coming along for the back end of the show, rather than the start.

We managed to arrive at noon, and have had a really rather busy afternoon, with some interesting things to look at, and some fun people to chat to - including a surprising lot of people who watch the show, and decided to stop for a word or two; it's one of the things I enjoy the most!

We've so far taken a peek at the finished Roma Glengariff - amazing the difference from when we looked at the empty shell, some rather smart awnings, one of which we'll be using for the season, and a couple of caravans on the Swift stand. Really liked the family friendly Musketeer EB, and very compact 5-berth, with good flexible storage. We had a look at Whale, to see their underfloor heater, which we're impressed with, and I like their new, higher capacity waterheater.

More tomorrow - or tonight, if I'm not too dopey after a night out with the Caravan Club!

A new caravanning blog

2010-02-03T11:19:00.003Z

To give people who're new caravanning a bit more insight and interest, we've got a new caravanning blog at: http://caravanchanneldiary.blogspot.com/

It's about our new Xplore 302 caravan from Elddis, who are building it for us tomorrow, and then we'll be taking it and using it for the next few months . . it'll be interesting to see how we get on and what we discover, as new users of a brand new caravan.

Take a look as we go along, and see what you think!

Online Numbers Surprise . .

2010-02-01T13:12:00.002Z

One of the most confusing things to get your head around is how the numbers work out, when you're not only broadcasting on TV but also online . . .

We're reasonably happy with the accuracy of our broadcast number at around 150,000 Sky and Freesat viewers per edition, but have never been entirely sure of what happens to our streamed output, which the broadcaster handles through a specialist outfit - Global Mix.

So I asked - and was I surprised by the result!

The video stream which is delivered by Information TV is getting an average of 2,000 viewers per show. But apparently there are many ways for people to "pirate" these video streams, and the broadcaster says that probably around five to ten times more than the original number are actually watching - that's around 10,000 people watching each show online - amazing!

Busy winter

2010-01-24T10:27:00.002Z

It's interesting to see how busy we are this year, compared to last.

So far, we're doing lots of visits to manufacturers (Swift, Bailey, Roma, and Elddis to come in a week or two), and then we've got the mighty NEC Boat and Caravan Show at the end of February. After that, we're back on the road again - with tons of trips planned around the UK and on the continent.

I suppose the fact of the matter is that now we've been established for coming up to 4 years. We get amazing viewer numbers, and massive responses to all our draws, etc - sometimes well over 1,000 people phone-in or email us to win a travel or holiday prize.

It just proves that perseverance is the name of the game!

Olympic expedition?

2010-01-16T08:58:00.002Z

More like an Olympus expedition yesterday (Friday) as we were in Swindon for the Bailey Olympus range press launch. Interesting day.

We drove over to Newbury on Thursday evening, and stayed in a Travelodge, as we usually do on these sorts of jaunts. Then off to Swindon on Friday morning, with a break on route for a Sainsbury's cafe brekkie - very nice.

The Olympus is very similar to the Pegasus, with the main difference being that the actual body is just 7'2" wide as opposed to the Pegasus 7'6". But generally it is quite similar, with a slightly lower spec level designed to take it into the middle market price range.

You can find more information about the Olympus on the Caravanning News and the Caravan Channel websites.

Interesting stuff in 2010!

2010-01-12T09:12:00.002Z

I'm delighted to tell you we have a lot of good stuff coming up in 2010. During this week, we'll be out shooting new caravans with one of the biggies, we'll be doing a factory visit next week, and in a very few weeks time, we'll be doing a trip to the North of England to collect a new van for an extended test - now that'll be interesting!

In addition, we'll be doing some new things - like starting to test some accessories, and looking at the new products on show at the NEC February show - hope you'll enjoy them all!

Innit lovely . . .

2010-01-06T08:49:00.002Z

All this white stuff . . . in fact, it isn't a particularly big problem - some countries not a million miles from us seem to do rather well despite their weather and geographic problems.

Switzerland, Norway, Sweden . . . even one of the world's largest untapped economies - Russia . . . they all live with three or four months of snow and minus temperatures.

Yet here, in the kind of weather Dot and I caravanned in last February (7 inches of snow at Ferry Meadows), we really struggle every time the snow falls . . . I suppose the reason is that because it so rarely happens, we're almost invariably not ready for it!

Roll on a bit of spring!

That's Christmas nearly done, then!

2009-12-26T11:44:00.002Z

I'm never quite sure how much I like Christmas - it always seems like a giant marketing exercise, without any other message being strong enough to over-ride the hype.

From the caravan and motorhome viewpoint, I suppose, it is really just a waymark on the route to next spring, when we'll be starting with a trip to the midlands in March, then off and away on another 80+ caravan night season, I hope!

It'll be great - but the sooner the winter is over now, the better!

Happy and successful New year to all, I say!

Time off for good behaviour?

2009-12-24T15:54:00.002Z

Well, here comes a few days off . . . nice!

In all honesty, I haven't actually done too much over the pas few days, in amongst doing this and that, and getting loose ends tied up!

But I've just put the last video before Christmas on the website, made my last tweet and facebook entry of the day for today, and next, I'm going to put the dinner on - something pretty straightforward, I think, but seasonal . . .

I'm really looking forward to next year, too - we've just fixed up an excellent caravan for the first half of the season, and have good plans for the second half. I think it would be nice to get over to France and maybe Holland and Belgium, in the spring, and I still have my sights set on an autumn/winter in the sun, but who knows if that will happen!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Off we go to sunny Kent

2009-12-20T12:43:00.005Z

Time for an outing, although not in the caravan.

We're on our way to Kent, to visit Caz (The Caravan Channel forum's boss) and her husband, Rob for an overnight stay. If Rob is up to his usual speed, it'll be a bit of a big feed tonight, and we'll take them out for a Chinese feast tomorrow lunchtime - if he isn't, we'll do something else!

We always have a rather cheery time down there, even though Caz hasn't been very well at all lately . . but she's one of those people who bashes on regardless, and does as much as she can.

Rob has also been suffering, so we hope he isn't too bad now.

For Caravan Channel forum members, we'll post a couple of snaps when we get there.

Merry not-quite-Christmas!

Stunning responses . . .

2009-12-15T08:10:00.002Z

I'm quite often taken aback by the amount of responses we get from our prizes draws and competitions.

The latest set of draws, which have just finished, have brought in the following:

Just over 1,000 phone and email entries for our week's pitches in France draw - about 50/50 in entry method.

450+ entries in our Manchester show ticket draw - email only, which I think is seriously high for this regional show.

and 300 entries from our last show newsletter, for an assortment of smaller prizes.

It's excellent - and it is giving our viewers something back for their continued viewing of our programme!

Hardish week!

2009-12-12T08:11:00.002Z

It's been a hard week at Caravanning Towers!

On Sunday, we drove the nearly 300 miles to Consett, where we filmed to new models from 9.30am til about 4pm on Monday, then we drove to Wigan for the night.

On Tuesday, we filmed with Vanmaster all day, then drove back to Felixstowe, reaching home just before 9pm . . .

On Wednesday, did a bit of catch-up work in the morning, then went to a big prebooked Christmas lunch do - lost afternoon, I'm afraid!

Thursday and Friday: all day edits on that shot material to arrive at edition 25 of 2009, which I'll play to tape today . . . wow, glad this week is over!

Someone said that shooting new caravans and camp sites was an "easy option". . . perhaps not, I say!

The running show . . .

2009-12-09T19:49:00.002Z

One of the problems with making a newsy, up to date programme, is that sometimes you end up with not quite what you're expecting!

For instance, the show that's on-air now, edition 24/2009, has a bit too much in the way of internal self-promotion . . . but that's essentially because we understood we were getting an additional story (didn't happen!), and we ended up around one and a half minutes short on our tunning time.

I'm very against padding out stories beyond what i think they're worth - it isn't hard when you're laying out print pages, you can just tweek the photo or text sizes or layout, but with TV . . can't do it.

Not an excuse, not really an apology, but next time we get something like this, we'll look for another quick solution!

What a day!

2009-12-07T21:47:00.004Z

I'm cream-crackered! We arrived at Elddis's Consett factory at around 9.15 this morning (Monday) and spent a really full day shooting material around their new Xplore 302 (love it to bits) and the new Avante 526 - a 6-berth single axle, that looks like a real snip for family use.

But I think the 302 was the star of the day - it will certainly be the star of the next edition of The Caravan Channel, which premieres on Wednesday 16th December at 7pm on Sky 166/Freesat 402.

Tomorrow, we're off to Wigan (well, we're here already, really), to shoot with Vanmaster - now that'll be an interesting contrast!

You can read the full story about the Elddis 302 on the Caravanning News website

Christmas a'coming

2009-12-06T10:41:00.002Z

One of the things you quickly learn is just how much the internet quietens down for Christmas - in common with other businesses, and the media, too.

For instance, all of the caravan and motorhome industry more or less closes down for a week or ten days, so there's no news from them, and there's nothing much else from anyone.

This year, The Caravan Channel is really lucky because we've got a constant flow of new filming over the break. Today, we're driving to Consett, to see Elddis . . . and after that, we're driving to Wigan, for a tour around the Vanmaster works . . . which means that we'll be able to bring viewers some heavy-duty coverage over the break.

As for January . . . there's more, there's more!

2009-12-04T07:48:00.002Z

Had a really rather nice week - not too much to do. but next week is going to be seriously busy.

We're shooting with Elddis on Monday, in Consett, which means driving up on Sunday afternoon, and staying over, then we're shooting with Vanmaster in Wigan on Tuesday, after another hotel night.

The results from those two days will get edited on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and possibly Saturday, to comprise the content for edition 25, which premieres on the 16th December. That show will also feature our draw for seven nights free pitches in Ireland, which I think is a really nice prize.

Further into the future, we've got some channel crossings and some Irish sea crossings up for grabs . . plus satellite tv items, books, booze, weekend breaks . . . lotsa stuff!

Always a surprise!

2009-12-03T05:59:00.002Z

I'm always surprised and delighted by the response we get to our free prize draws, both big and small.

The current on-air show has just got an excellent email and phone-response to the free holiday in France draw (7 nights pitches for nowt!), and the secondary draw, the free tickets to the Manchester show, has done well, too.

I'm expecting another little influx of enteries from our newsletter subscribers, as the last newsletter before Christmas has just now gone out. . . and newsletter subscribers also get their own small draw, with prizes ranging from a bottle of champers to guide books and towsure vouchers.

I have to say that I'm always chuffed with Caravan Channel viewers and online users . . . They do tend to tell me when we've gone wrong (sometimes more than I'd want!), but when there's something they like, they pile in - its great!

I just love changes . . .

2009-12-01T16:27:00.002Z

I think that change, and more particularly quite rapid change, is something that keeps you interested.

On the Caravan Channel, and on our new Caravanning News website, I've been making quite a lot of changes lately. One outcome from this is that I've been able to actually have a little more time to do some of the things I want to do for myself - like writing this blog!

It's good because working as a journo makes you think about what you report on, and having the blog gives you a kind of off-the-record route to saying what you think.

Don't expect too much, then - but do expect more odd ramblings from hereabouts, when I see a story that tickles my interest.

Blogs tend to suffer!

2009-11-29T15:46:00.003Z

This is my oldest blog, and its the one I keep up most . . . but it does rather tend to suffer from inattention when I get very busy!

However, I've decided that in 2010 I'll try and do better with it. It is a labour of love, esentially cos I never know how many people do, but its one I enjoy doing when I can.

I'm also planning to use it a bit more for trying to put over an editorial viewpoint for our new Caravanning News website - that's proving very popular, and I'm rather proud of it!

Day 5 in a motorhome!

2009-10-23T18:52:00.005+01:00

Today has been what I'd call our first real motorhome day - the day when we took advantage of the vehicle in the way that makes the most sense.

In Edinburgh, we used it in the same way that we'd use the caravan - left on site, and using the bus system to get into around the town.

Leaving Mortonhall, Edinburgh, we drove to Portobello, then Joppa, where Dot lived when she was a teenager. Her house was right on the seafront, no 11, and we stood outside it. Then we drove along the Coast trail, down to North Berwick, and on to Dunbar, and again southwards. We found a layby high above the North Sea, where we stopped for lunch (fishfingers, yum). Got a bit blown about by trucks.

After that we passed through Berwick on our way to the Northumberland coast trail - passing Bamburgh Castle, the Farne Island and other places of . . . we took about 7 hours to cover 80 miles, point to point, and I guess that this journey, in the way we did it, wouldn't have been possible towing the caravan.

Tomorrow, we'll be going to Barnard Castle, so we'll be able to have a look at some more of the coast before going through Newcastle on our way south . . . On Sunday, it's down to Scarborough for our final night in the Escape 664, which we take back to Hull on Monday - how sad!

For people who've never used a motorhome, but would like to know more about the excellent Escape 664 that we're using, there's a special email address at greatescape@swiftleisure.co.uk. or you can phone Swift on a special line on 01482 479479 - have a chat and ask any questions about all the aspects of using a Swift motorhome.

In a motorhome in Edinburgh . . .

2009-10-22T09:53:00.003+01:00

This week, we've got a really nicde job - we've got a Swift Escape 664 motorhome on test, and we've taken it up to Scotland, so I'm writing this as I sit in comfort on a campsite in Edinburgh.

It's excellent for this sort of touring holiday. We spent one night at Boroughbridge, tomorrow (Friday) we're off to a site near Craster, Saturday we'll be at Barnard Castle, and Sunday night we'll be at Scarborough!

It's proving really interesting to have this large vehicle, too. It drives really nicely, and isn't hard to handle . .

It has four berths - a fixed double, and a convertable double - we were supposed to have Giles travelling with us, but sadly he didn't feel well enough to come along.

If you'd like more infotmation about the motorhome itself, you can contact Swift on The Caravan Channel's special line to them - its 01482 479479, and tell them Chris sent you! There's also an email address: greatescape@swiftleisure.co.uk

I enjoyed this . . . .

2009-10-17T22:56:00.001+01:00

I'm rather impressed . . .

2009-10-16T16:26:00.003+01:00

. . . with the amount of feedback we got at the NEC.

In a press release from the show organisers, Bailey was quoted:

“A lot of people had done their homework before they arrived,“ Marketing director Simon Howard said, “and we picked up a number of orders very early in the day. The opening of the show tends to attract the hard-core buyers, and it’s the ten-year guarantee that has made the difference.” Bailey launched a dedicated Pegasus website in advance of the show, which generated a lot of interest. ”So far we’ve marketed Pegasus using the usual mechanisms, but we have used the Caravan Channel for the first time and it’s worked well."

We also had a plaudit from Flush-it, who make the famous noo bloo loo goo - otherwise known as One-Chem. They picked up a lot of business when we reviewed it and did a little price promo for them . . . director Hadrian Garner said, "We were still packing at 1 o'clock in the morning some days . . . "

The other thing, of course, was the sheer number of ordinary caravanners and motorhome owners like you and me who stopped to say, love the show - or variants! Thank you so much for that, folk - it does me a bit of good to know you like it - after all, that's why we make it!

Two days at the NEC . . .

2009-10-15T07:18:00.003+01:00

The International Caravan & Motorhome show at the NEC has got off to a good start, with major manufacturers reporting much higher levels of business on the first two days, compared to last year.

We did a little zip-around at the end of business on Wednesday, to discover that reports ranged from a 25% increase - and some people say that they anticipated perhaps doing half-as-much again as previous years . . .

From our person viewpoint, it was an amazing do!

Alhtough it wasn't as big as past shows, it did have a terrific atmosphere and a great buzz. The first day wasn't as busy as I expected early on, but by the early afternoon, there were crowds - so the big Caravan Club day did its usual job of really bringing the crowds in.

One of the nicest things about these shows is, of course, seeing people - and hundreds (yes, really, hundreds) of people had a word over the first two days - I was really delighted, because it does take a bit of determination to walk up to some old geezer, and say whatever you want to say - so thanks to all those folk who said hello!

Keep thinking the season's over . . . but . . .

2009-10-07T06:20:00.002+01:00

We've just had a few nights at the Caravan Club's lovely Broadklands site, just a few miles from Wroxham, and just a few yards from Ludham Bridge - where you can spend an entertaining time watching motorcruisers "just missing" each other in the morning rush!

I thought that we'd be finished for the season a week or two ago, after we came back from Marketing Deeping's autumn get-together, but no, there we were again . . . and it now looks very like that we'll be off again nearer the end of the month, to Edinburgh. Dot wants to go up to read the book of remembrance at the cemetary where her mum and dad are, so why not?

We might also take Giles with us . . . and we're not sure yet if we're going in a caravan or a motorhome . . . have to see!

Chilling weekend . . .

2009-09-26T15:21:00.002+01:00

It's extra nice when you go caravanning and you really don't have anything do, from my viewpoint.

Usually when we're on a site, I'm filming something or going out to film something. This weekend, at The Deepings campsite just outside Market Deeping, its a forum get-together weekend, and there isn't much to do. Yesterday, Dot 'n' I went out shopping, but that's all we've done, really. Didn't get up til after nine today, had a seriously large brekkie, did some 'puter stuff I'd mean to do for ages, had a shower about one p.m - that's what a lazy weekend is all about!

And it's 3.30 now . . just finished lunch, in fact!

Bailey's big launch . . .

2009-09-16T07:20:00.000+01:00

Interesting to se the amount of stuff flying about regarding Bailey's new Pegasus range of caravans.

We were invited to the main press launch, a couple of months ago, and have managed to keep our work under wraps - but tomorrow (Thursday 17th Sept), it all comes out - we'll have our first report online at www.caravanchannel.tv, so make sure you don't miss it!

The main report, with a lot more information, will be in edition 19 of the Caravan Channel, which premieres on 23rd September.

Back in the groove again.

2009-08-17T06:50:00.002+01:00

Had a nice three nights away at the Caravan Clubs very nice Normanhurst court, and we're next off for a few at Blenheim Palace, for the Carmping and Caravanning Clubs National Festival of Lanterns - never been to one of these before, so it should be interesting.

We also got to complete the work we've done on our borrowed Caravalair caravan - so far we've shown it three times on the show, and we have one more major report to do. Overall, I think it's pretty good, but not the same as an english one!

First time for a month!

2009-08-09T09:25:00.002+01:00

Off in the caravan for the first time for a month, tomorrow.

Its amazing - we had around 40 nights in the van for the spring and early summer, but haven't been away for around 4 or 5 weeks, essentially due to pressure of work - unheard of!

Hopefully, we'll now start to get more time - I'd like to take a week in France in September, and then there's the quietening down period in October to think about - maybe we'll take the van up to a site near the NEC for a change this autumn

Good plan, if we can manage to get the time!

Another good launch . . .

2009-07-24T08:11:00.002+01:00

Just finished editing footage from the latest 2010 launch; Swift at Hull.

Really interesting, I thought, with one outstanding range - the Sprites. These look good, are surprisingly well equipped, are punching above their weight in the marketplace - it's going to be interesting to see what happens when dealers get them onto their forecourts across the country.

What they've tried to do is make a range that will persuade people looking for higher value secondhand-hand vehicles to buy new; and I think this could work well. They reason that if there aren't sufficient s/h vehicles on the market, buyers will say, for just £10 or £20 a week more, we could buy a new Sprite, and that reasoning seems solid to me.

They also seem confident that there's enough finance available in the market - so this could be a very intereting autumn for the caravan industry, with the threat of a winter VAT rise hovering over their heads!

Time flies . . .

2009-07-12T09:35:00.002+01:00

Doesn't it just!

But mostly when you're having fun; producing 6 shows every 4 weeks is proving quite a bit of fun, especially when you're also having to travel about for two or three days each week to keep the ball in the air - for instance, we were filming with Explorer Group last Tuesday, which occupied most of Monday (getting there and relaxing a bit when there) and Tuesday (film til around 4, get home by 10).

This coming week, we're filming with a certain Bristol-based caravan manufacturer, and then with another the week after!

It keeps me off the street and off benefits, I suppose.

But it does make time whizz past. There aren't many moments when we don't have plans, and even when we don't something usually comes up.

Do I like it? Definitely. One of the things I've been working on is a programme about retirement (Goodbye, 9 to 5!, Sky 166 at 6pm) and it's really fgoing well - so there's no chance I'll retire just yet!

A Really Good Few Days

2009-06-28T20:48:00.002+01:00

I've just had a couple of really good days . . . don't know why, but I'm just feeling good about things, and life in general.

The two new programme strands I'm making, hopefully with the help of young(ish) Giles, are looking good - if you haven't seen them, you can find them on Information TV, Sky 166 and Freesat 402 - seem to be picking up, and I hope loads of people will catch on to them . . .

Goodbye, 9 to 5! is aimed at people over 55 - like me (but only just . . . well, just 7 years ago . . . )
.
Countryside Britain is intended to bridge the gaps between countryside business owners, recreational users, and landowners, by explaining each ones different viewpoint to the other.

These two programmes alternte 6 days a week, Monday to Saturday at 6pm.

Hope you like them!

Agoes gone by!

2009-06-23T15:08:00.004+01:00

It's been hectic - whats happen recently has been a bit chaotic, and represents some of the silly stuff that can happen when one thing goes wrong . . .

So - my old, cream-crackered and worked to death PC finally died. I spent around £100 on trying to heal it before we decided it wasn't going to happen.

In the weeks before that, I'd been working with a couple of new broadcast companies, trying to get some new projects in hand, and to get some replays of The Caravan Channel and UK boating going. I was also due to send out some Caravan Channel and business newsletters, and these went by the board.

The broadcaster we were working with seemed to be having a lot of problems keeping in touch with us, which was very frustrating. Everything was kinda crashing down around my ears (at least, that's how it felt!).

Three of four weeks down the line, I've now more or less got everything back together again. But I've now got to get the newsletters back in gear, my whole communications set-up back in gear, and my working life back in gear - its still pretty chaotic!

Am I moaning? No, I'm just telling you why, if you wonder, you haven't heard as much from as you usually do!

Getting back to normal!

2009-05-30T17:09:00.004+01:00

After what I can only describe as a bit of a disaster, when my original base computer crashed in what seems like a pretty terminal manner, I'm finally getting back on my technological feet!

The old machine I bought about 7 years ago, I think; it was an e-machines cheapy from PC World, and it eventually died when the power supply gave up. Someone locally put the original innards into a new box, and we were under way again.

But it died again a couple of weeks ago - and heroic efforts, including buying a new graphics card for £50, haven't resulted in any useable effect, sad to say.

So I've got a new Dell, which I'm gradually equipping with all the software I like. It doesn't run Vista; it's been "downgraded" by Dell to XP, so it'll still run my last major spend on softward without hitches. When I loaded by old XP dreamweaver onto a Vista machine, it promptly died!

Next week, I've just got to sort out my printer problems, take the old HD drive out of the old machine, and get the email system sorted . . . nothing much to do then!

Caravan Club National Rally - WOW!

2009-05-27T06:24:00.005+01:00

Well, what a nice weekend, spent at The Caravan Club's National Rally, which took place at Prestwold Park, just north of Leicester.

We'd never been to a rally as large as this; three thousand plus caravans, around nine thousand people, all on one super site, organised by the mighty Caravan Club. It is a major feat of logistics, beautifully put together, and with very few visible or noticeable problems of any sort.

One of the really startling things about this major event is just how much of it is put together by volunteers - all of the show marshalls, and all the caravan and motorhome camping area stewards, are volunteers, and the major part of the background organisation is done by volunteers, who come along and do huge amounts of work - and pay for the privilege.

The Club does have a professional events section at their head office, but its just four or five people - who I image must be pretty hard workers! But the level of detail that this particular event must require would probably need three or four times that number if it weren't for those volunteers.

So here's a word for them - thank you all so much! Every one we spoke to was cheerful and bright, helpful and knowledgeable about the event.

And it wouldn't have happened without them.

At the National Rally . . .

2009-05-24T08:09:00.003+01:00

The Caravan Club is seriously good at organising large events.

This year's National Rally, other than being what it is, doesn't have a special theme or purpose, but it still is a massive "do".

There's things on all day; lots of sporting things in the morning, with arena items starting in the morning and running through until late afternoon. In the evenings, there are two seriously big entertainment marquees, with all kinds of bands, groups and entertainers.

There's also a low-power rally radio station, which puts out information about traffic, music and other material. It seems a little difficult to pick up - so far, despite hunting about, we haven't managed to locate it!

In the main central area, there are plenty of retail stands, a couple of caravan and motorhome dealers, and a food court.

A lot of the events are centred around Caravan Club Centres - Centre chairpeople get looked after well, which they deserve, I should think, and the Club's great and good roll up to do their duty - and mostly enjoy it, I should think.

It is quite entertaining, so I hope you manage to get to one of these events one day. Otherwise, take a look at www.caravanningnews.co.uk for a flavour, or watch our next edition on Sky 166 or Freesat 402.

HHH - Hardly h'ever home!

2009-05-21T05:27:00.004+01:00

Being a caravanning TV programme maker is a hard life . . . there are times when we're hardly ever home!

For instance, last weekend, departing Thursday lunchtime, home Monday early afternoon, combined a night at Newbury for the Caravan Club Motor Caravan Design and Drive awards, and then on to Devizes for three nights to see friends, and film some bits.

Tomorrow (Friday) morning, we're off to Loughborough for the same Club's National Rally - 3,000 caravans on site, with lots of interest and entertainment - home Tuesday lunchtime, I guess. I'll be trying to build a flavour of the event for people who haven't been, so plan to be busy while there.

Now this may appear to be the life of Riley (who was he, I wonder?), but it has it's drawbacks. For instance, this week, I'm editing like mad to try and make as much as possible of the next programme (edition 11, premieres 3rd June), because next week, when I should normally be making it, I have 2 days out of the 4 available devoted to filming for a project which is dear to my heart. That really leaves just enough time to do the voice-over, the titling and the final checks, so I've got to have most of it in the can ready to go.

Having said that, what would I do if I didn't do this? It makes for a life that I find full of interest, and manages to entertain Dot, who finds the whole thing quite amusing at times.

It also means that I get to meet loads of really nice, interesting and amusing people at times - and that's probably one of the most important benefits to me! So if you see us out and about, give us a wave!

Technology . . . .

2009-05-10T20:03:00.002+01:00

I do have a problem with technology . . . . it conks out!

I think the latest thing to go is my screen - I've had it several years (came with the computer before this one!), but the question is, is that what it is?

So what I'll do, I think, is replace the screen with a nice new one, and if that doesn't work, I'll get an new PC box . . . if that doesn't work, errrrrrr . . .

True, though, isn't it? We buy a car, service it, and know it'll last for years. Computers? No idea!

Not a lotta people know that . . .

2009-05-01T19:27:00.002+01:00

The Caravan Channel really didn't start out as a business, but it is now the way I earn a living.

The problem is that although I was once a person who wore a marketing directors hat, and before that a sales and sales management hat, I haven't really been fiercely interested in sales and marketing for this little business. I enjoy making the programmes . . . and sales of ads and sponsorship more or less come in from people who discover the shows and ask.

But today, I've actually had two people say to me "we want to advertise". One has already sent through the visuals and the voice script, while the other has yet to do that, but I'm sure they will.

It's quite impressive really. We're an overnight success, in two and a half years!

In the wild north . . .

2009-04-24T09:33:00.003+01:00

It's really rather nice, actually!

We've just had our seventh night in the caravan, three more to go before it's back to the daily grind - be home early afternoon Monday, get all of the footage uploaded into the editing system, and start the main edit Tuesday.

Wednesday, scuttle up to the NEC in Birmingham to film around a show there, and then in front of the computer on Thursday and Friday, hopefully getting the show complete to go in the overnight on Saturday morning, arriving in London by Monday noon to go on-air on that Wednesday!

The following week, assemble the subsequent show's main sections, which have now been filmed, and try to do some paperwork (like the accounts!), and talk to broadcasters, potential advertisers and others!

No wonder I like being in the caravan!

Main shooting trip number two!

2009-04-19T14:03:00.002+01:00

Off on our second "proper" filming trip for the year - although we've been in the caravan for twenty nights already this year, it's been mostly graft. Our first outing for the year was a week at the NEC temporary site in February, which was okay, but really rather chilly and 'orrible, with only 6 amps of electricity - if we go for that period next year, we'll probably stay elsewhere.

We had five nights in March, at Abbey Wood and Crystal Palace, and that we enjoyed. This was followed by three nights at Newark - one on a CC affiliated site called Milestone, and two at the Newark Showground. At Newark, we didn't have any electric, and again, I don't think we'll be staying on that site again, although I'd like to do the Spring Fair itself.

The bottom line, I suppose, is that in the winter, madam and me need our 16amps, but in the summer, we're fine with less. In the UK, we need enough electricity to run the TV for nice evenings in, and it's nice to have enough to keep the battery charged, and run the kettle etc.

But abroad, I guess having enough to do the (750w) keetle is good . . . honestly, I'm not so worried about the telly . . I didn't have tv for a long time a few years ago, and I'm still as happy as Larry (whoever Larry was) without the box!

I'm still struggling with what to do for the rest of the year. I missed having a trip to France last year, and I do seriously like going there . . . perhaps we'll manage a week or ten days in May or June.

I'm pretty sure we'll get a trip to Scotland this early summer, too - I want to film at a couple more places in Yorkshire, so we can fit that into that trip, with luck . . .

Still won't manage to get a month's trip anywhere, like some people I know!

Finally, If you've very computer keen, don't forget I twitter to keep you up with doings (!) at http://twitter.com/Caravanchannel

First shooting trip of the season . . .

2009-04-15T07:01:00.003+01:00

All things being equal, we'll be off on our first major shooting trip next week. We'll be filming with Swift Group and Explorer, and should be shooting three or four campsites, plus snippets about the areas that the sites are in.

During this run, we're planning to stay at Clumber Park, Rowntree, Grange and Grafham Water Caravan Club sites.

Should be a nice trip!

Incidentally, I don't know what to make of Twitter - have you seen it? I twitter on a regular basis when I spent a lot of time in front of the PC or laptop, and I think some people find it entertaining - if only to see what a dull little life I live! Find the thing at: http://twitter.com/Caravanchannel

Comparisons are . . .

2009-04-10T09:40:00.006+01:00

invideous? Someone recently wrote to me, asking a couple of pointed questions about why our programmes sometimes aren't up to what they called "BBC standards" . . .

I had to write back and tell him that essentially, it's because we don't get the same amount of money that the BBC spends on programmes!

I don't think people are aware of the sheer size of the wedge of wonga it takes to make a TV programme. For its cheapest daytime programme content, the beeb reckons to pay out around £10,000. But that rate can easily grow as programme-makers put more into the mix, and using higher profile presenters can quickly stack extra thousands into the costs.

The 7pm evening slot that Yhe Caravan Channel occupies, on the BBC, would be worth probably around £20,000 to make . .

The Caravan Channel, however, creeps along on between a tenth and a fifth of what the mighty beeb would pay for a daytime schedule spot, if they were convinced that the caravan and motorhome community were worth the interest - which they rarely seem to consider the case.

If we had the money, I'd be delighted to spend it on improving the show - probably, in response to some popular demand, I'd replace me, a caravanner on their third van, who can actually reverse into a pitch with only one or two shunts, with a dolly bird or a comedian who wouldn't be seen dead in a caravan or motorhome. I'd put in some soporific background music, strings and oboes, in response to the people who call what I think is our present quite suitable boppy music, "hard rock".

There'd be loads of other things to do that would spend the dosh. It would probably be a much slicker, snazzier programme . . . but all it would be to me, would be another of those shows made by TV pros without the vaguest interest in the topic.

Smooth and with arty camera angles.

But without the genuine interest, enthusiasm, and real-life action of the original Caravan Channel - which is why I really rather tend to disregard the opinions of the people who constantly talk about style.

Content first, I say.

Holiday Times . . .

2009-04-05T09:20:00.002+01:00

I do like not being bound to conventional holiday periods - like, for instance, this Easter holiday break. We're going off for a couple of days next week, with Dot's grand-daughters, to a site in Norfolk, and I expect we'll all have quite a good time.

But it'll still be nice, after the Easter weekend, to hitch up and meander off on a ten-day trip north, for some shooting and some holiday in the North of England. The plan is to visit Swift, to shoot details of one motorhome and one caravan; to visit Explorer, to shoot something around their factory, and maybe to get as far north as Edinburgh, where Dot spent (or mis-spent) her youth!

This will also give us the chance to visit a couple of additional places, and to do several site reviews. As ever, it'll be busy but enjoyable!

Home again - delighted to say . . .

2009-03-30T18:05:00.002+01:00

Although Dot and I do rather live for our caravan outings and trips, it is rather nice to get home at times.

For no good reason, I felt that way when we got home today, after 4 nights away - 1 at Milestone, just north of Newark on the A1, and 3 at the Newark showground. It was just good to be back in our own little place, with the heating on ('cos it was extremely chilly in Newark).

Having said that, we now want to plan the next trip - if we can find a pitch next week, it'll be up in Norfolk, and we'll take Dot's grandchildren with us for a couple of nights.

It'll be another good test of the little 4-berth caravan we're using, the French-built Caravelair Antares Lux 425. So far, it's done quite well, and I wouldn't have too many qualms recommending it to suitable users - but it isn't a Brit, most definitely. UK built caravans and motorhomes tend to be high on internal luxury, and this doesn't have that, but is is comfortable enough, and if the weather outside were warmer, it would be fine.

Orf we go again!

2009-03-26T10:36:00.002Z

Well, heavens, it must be spring because:

(a) It's been raining this morning

(b) The Newark UK Motorhome & Spring Fair starts on Saturday!

As last year, we're up at this interesting and enjoyable show, with our own little stand, and looking forward to meeting some of the many friends we've made over the nearly three years of The Caravan Channel.

As always, it'll be a busy couple of days, but we enjoyed last year enough to go back again. After the heavy workload at the NEC, I hope we'll have a rather less busy time, and it would certainly be nice if we have enough time to do some serious filming - we'll have to see how it goes!

See you there if you're going!

A bit ahead . . .

2009-03-20T06:07:00.002Z

For some mad reason, I just decided to try using Twitter . . . looks like a really rather odd thing to do!
Apparently, you're supposed to kind of (b)log your way through the day, using either the net, if you're online, or the phone if you're not.
I'll be fascinated to see if people look at it - there's a running example at the right-hand side!

A proper weekend away . . .

2009-03-14T10:46:00.003Z

Although we've had a fair few nights in the caravan this year, this is the first proper weekend we've had.

We overnighted at Ferry Meadows in the February snow, then spend a whole week in the temporary campsite at the NEC for the February caravan show, but this weekend, we've visited Abbey Wood and Crystal Palace CC sites - the latter is where I'm writing this.

So it's been a chance for us to actually have a proper bit of a break, and sort the caravan out. This year, we've got a temporary loan of a van from the French manufacturer Trigano - their UK importer, Freedom Caravans, fixed up for us to have the use of one.

In the next couple of weeks, we'll be filming a first report on it - I wanted to before, but because we've been too busy, we haven't got around to it, and it's just as well in some ways.

The problem is that in many ways it's ideal for the French, with their slightly better weather than ours, and not quite so good for us. But with a four-berth (two convertible dinettes, and there's a version with two bunks) in a short space, it is very comfortable for herself and me . . .

In the aftermath . . .

2009-03-06T17:32:00.003Z

The aftermath of the NEC show has been really odd. For no good reason, I haven't seemed to have my act together since, but hopefully we're over the worst now.

I think the main reason is that Dot and I are used to working alone, and having more people about gave me some difficult moments when making programmes. For instance we usually shoot all the footage ourselves, but this time had Giles and Roy shooting bits and pieces, too. That means I didn't have a good record in my head when editing, so spent a lot more time searching about for material I knew I had, and wanted to include.

But we've nearly got to the bottom of the NEC clips pile now, so I hope that after next show is completed (6/09, premiering 25th March), we'll be done with that event!

Dickers - man of the match!

2009-02-23T21:30:00.004Z

How nice to be home!

The Caravan Channel's first attempt at an NEC exhibiton was really quite a lot of fun, but I'm glad its over. We had an amazing number of stand visitors (Giles reckoned around 1,000), and there were very few who didn't enjoy the show, I'm very pleased to say. One or two couples did come along who were complaining about odd camera angles and zooms . . . but they'd been watching old editions of Caravan Sights . . .

Dot, Giles and I spent the whole six days (Tuesday to Sunday) at the show, arriving on Monday early afternoon and departing today (Monday) at about 9.30am. We got the van back in the store yard by 1pm, and back home to start work on assembling Wednesday night's show.

Caz and Rob from the forum came up for an outing on Saturday and Sunday, while mod Dickers (Roy Dick) spent 5 days out of 6 on our stand! Roy, in fact, was a major factor in our stand's success - what a good bloke, and an asset to The Caravan Channel forum.

For people who know her, I'm delighted to say that Caz is doing better all the time, and has a new buggy, which is making life much better for both her and Rob. It does 8 miles an hour flat-out, and I'm just aching to have a go on it!

Will we do it again? Well, we'll certainly do smaller shows like Newark again, but I think those big NEC exhibitions are just slightly beyond what makes sense for us. In addition, having the stand actually reduces the amount of filming we can do - Dot and I usually manage to shoot two or three hours material, but this time we only just got two hours to work from.

The big shows are also not really what we do - if we had some sort of proper business operation behind us it might be different - but there's only me!

Busy, busy . . .

2009-02-12T17:06:00.003Z

For no very good reason, I've felt as if I've been really busy this month. Is that an excuse for not blogging? Probably.

It hasn't been much busier than usual, really, except that we've had all the extra pressure of doing the show stand (Stand 5007, Hall 5, if you missed it) at the NEC, and with taking on a new caravan for a full season trial - more of that later. But when you're doing these kind of things, Sod's Law kicks in, and you discover the caravan insurance isn't right, you've got to sort out insurance for the show stand, there's an event you want to cover but can't, etc., etc.

But hey, it is nearly March, which means that it's nearly April, which means . . . etc . . that we'll be doing a lot more with the caravan - great!

Feb already!

2009-02-01T08:58:00.002Z

The next big event in the Caravan Channels diary is the NEC National Boat, Caravan and Outdoor Show, where, for the first time, we'll be having a small stand.

It won't be a big thing from most of the other exhibitors (or visitors!) viewpoints, but for us, it'll be quite a big effort. There'll mainly be me, Dot and editor Giles Meehan on duty, and the excellent Roy Dick (Dickers from the forum) also plans to spend some time with us. I'm also hoping that Caz, our forum admin, is well enough to come along for a day.

If you're at the show, do come along to stand 5007 in Hall 5 - we'll be glad to see you!

Reality TV . . .

2009-01-16T22:22:00.016Z

One of the things that interests me about making TV programmes is how little most people really understand about the process - and the costs!

If you walk into any conventional TV company, and ask them to make (say) a series of 12 or so half-hour TV shows, on a reportage/feature basis, they'd probably assign a team of three or four people to do the job. They'd also hire in specialists, like cameramen at £300 at day or more, for the odd day or two on each episode. They'd probably shoot for 2 or 3 days, and spend days on the edit.

Overall, you'd expect to get a bill for £10,000 per episode, maybe a lot more, and they'd take a week, maybe two, to make each one.

Here on The Caravan Channel, it's all very different. There's just me. CG. The only person who makes the programme. All of it, all on my own.

So I do the basic journalism and research, for each an every item in the show. I do the journalistic editing - ie, deciding what and how we're going to do things. I do all the fixing - that's arranging for shoots, getting people lined up for interview, etc.

I shoot the shows. That means travelling around to the different places we go, working out how to shoot a subject, and actually filming it - sometimes putting myself in front of the camera, although mostly only when I think it will explain things most clearly. Because I work at this alone, I don't have time for the sophisticated job I could do if I had another person working with me - and so I shoot me fairly close-up, to ensure I get a good picture, and clean sound.

After shooting material, I have to edit it, mysef and no-one else. I quite often don't worry about slight intrusive sounds or minor picture points, essentially because the materal has been shot with no-one behind the camera, only me in front of it, and there's no time to go back and do it again.

For each show I make, it takes between 1 and 2 days of 10 hours to edit the material, except during the winter, when we show some repeat material - usually less than 20% in each of 4 or 5 shows in December and January.

I spend between 6 and 8 days making each programme. It's intensive, hard work. The programmes don't go out perfect, simply because of the bulk of work required and the level of detail involved.

The shows cost a tiny amount compared to terrestrial TV - but the BBC and ITV companies won't make TV about what they see as tiny, not very interesting minorities. The only times they do, they tend to employ comedians and comics doing silly stuff to attract a mass audience, and most caravanners and motorhomers then say how little they like it.

So, where's all this going?

Nowhere much. I have to admit I get a little frustrated when someone talks to me about minor focus or sound issues; I really am not interested unless the person making a complaint would like to pay for the additional time and employ an additional person to deal with it for me!

There, that was easy, wasn't it? Is that all I do?

Well, no, actually . . . I do run all of the business side, everything from selling the ads to making them, and from writing the bills to writing the cheques . . .

PS -added next day; I also spend at least 4 or 5 hours a week looking after The Caravan Channel website, and probably the same on the forum, depending on how busy it is. I only though of this just now, as I got up at 6.30, and except for stopping for a shower, have been online since then . . . (its 10.30 now)

2009 . . . year 4 . . .

2009-01-12T18:03:00.002Z

Amazing - The Caravan Channel website first appeared at the beginning of 2006, the programme first aired in October the same year, and now we're in 2009 - so that's our fourth year of production.

It's also the seventh year that I've been producing editorial video, counting the nearly three years that I ran the Felixstowe TV website.

I'm pretty staggered by the statistics, as you can probably tell!

The count of Caravan Channel shows is fast approaching sixty, the UK Boating shows went on for 26 editions, and there was also a one-off car show, Serious Wheels. In 2009, there'll be 25 Caravan Channels, and we plan to revisit boating with a 13-part series on a subject yet to be announced.

It'll be another busy one!

Nice job!

2008-12-29T21:25:00.002Z

One of the nicest jobs I have is dishing out prizes. This afternoon I sent three emails, and made seven phone calls to people who've won tickets to the Manchester show. It was great to speak to them . . . because, like most of us would be, they were delighted to be winners . . . and giving them the good news really is a lot of fun.

One lady even rung me back after I spoke to her partner, because she thought it might be a practical job or a wind-up. But it wasn't!

Excellent stuff.

Big numbers . . .

2008-12-27T10:05:00.004Z

Had a hour or two looking at Caravan Channel view numbers - and what a surprise.

The most popular video we've ever put online is our Clarkson's Caravan vid on YouTube - near 40,000 views as I write. It's here, with the rest of our Youtube bits. Mind you, there's only about 40 or 50 clips there, including some more personal bits and bobs. Our main website has around 150 . . .

The clips we did with the excellent Little Guy mini caravan have also been highly popular with around 15,000 views between the Youtube and the Caravan Channel versions, and the Caravan Club instructors, Berni and Tony, have scored 14,000 views across 4 clips on the two sites - hope these have helped some people get to grips with reversing, too!

Although these numbers aren't anywhere near the numbers we get on broadcast TV, estimated at around 100,000 viewers per programme, they're pretty amazing for a tiny little niche programme, catering to a smallish national audience - there's around half-a-million caravans and 150,000 motorhome owners, out of a UK count of 25M households.

The TV numbers are seriously impressive, too, remembering that only around 8.5M of those households have satellite systems - in other words, only one-third of our potential audience could watch the show, if they wanted to . . .

Mind you, as we're giving away a satellite system in the next show (premiere 31/12/08), we'll be helping to up the numbers!

Happy Christmas!

2008-12-24T20:11:00.000Z

To you all!

Forum matters . . .

2008-12-21T09:30:00.002Z

The Caravan Channel forum has been suffering a bit of late, mainly because it's administrator, the redoubtable Cazanne, has been in hospital. Although she's a tough lady who has battled with ill health for a long time, with a combination of enthusiasm for life and sometimes raucous good humour (laughter heard over two campsites away in Brean last spring), she's really been knocked back by an illness that the medics don't seem to have been able to identify.

However, the good news is that they have now started to make some progress, and the plan is for her to be back home before Christmas, and back in the driving seat of the forum. She's just got some treatment to go through, probably over two or three days, and then she should be out!

It has been interesting and instructive to see how the forum has been while she's been away - it really is rather subdued, although there have been some amusing moments. But Caz's absence really does prove how valuable her work with it has been; what with the pressures and time consumption involved in making the programmes, I don't have time to do more than simply manage it, and Caz's excellent mods, Trooper and Aidan, like to refer to her when they're aren't too sure about what to do.

But all told, I think it will soon come back to a more lively state once herself is back in charge - the people who post without thought will be nursed back, instead of being bludgeoned, and there'll be a constant flow of more entertaining topics!

Christmas or what?

2008-12-13T09:17:00.002Z

I'm not a big fan of Christmas these days.

For some reason, I often seem to get some sort of bug over the holidays, and end-up flat out and feeling awful. I usually have the flu jab offered by the medics, but does it do any good - who knows.

This year has a been a bit painful because of the way programmes run up to the holiday break - we've got one show premiering on the 17th and the next on the 31st - so both have to be completed and with the broadcaster in plenty of time. That's compared to the usual schedule, where I can work right up until the Saturday morning before premiere, which means that we can be pretty well up to date with content.

But it's nearly done. The New Years eve show is nearly sorted, and we'll just be shooting an item about satellite TV early next week to edit in on Tuesday, and that'll be it . . .

As for 2009 - looks pretty damn busy from where I'm sitting!

Year three . . . Merry Christmas!

2008-11-27T07:16:00.003Z

One of the things that amazes me is how rapidly the time passes when you're having an interesting time . . . I'm lucky enough to be one of those people who always has something on the go, and doesn't let themselves get bored.

This coming year, it looks like The Caravan Channel will be busier than ever. We'll be doing a trip to France relatively early in the year, towing hopefully a new caravan, and filming a factory, as well as doing some sites and towns there; we'll be attending one important show as exhibitors and maybe another one or two; we'll be doing more about motorhomes and tents.

Some of these things will also give some of the excellent people from our forum the chance to do a bit, too - I was delighted with the number of forum members who managed to get along to the Newark Spring Fair, and I think everyone had a good time at this fun show.

So, only a few weeks til Christmas and the New Year - happy Christmas to you all, and a busy and enjoyable new year!

A not-too-funny moment!

2008-11-20T10:18:00.004Z

I do get taken aback by people's enthusiasm at times.

For instance, a few weeks ago, I was shown a fleece which carried an embroidered copy of The Caravan Channel's logo. I was completely taken aback - doesn't that belong to me?

I have to say that I was sufficiently surprised and upset to actually spend some dosh to get a legal opinion. It turns out that yes, I do own the logo, and yes, it is protected by the laws of copyright.

Apparently, the people who made this fleece said that as the logo didn't carry the ® symbol of the registerd trademark, they could copy it. But the fact is that everywhere it is used in the TV show and on the website, it is covered by the copyright symbol © and is therefore copyright.

The thing that got to me was that the person with the fleece didn't even bother to ask . . .

Never at Home!

2008-11-08T10:21:00.005Z

Well, I've just munched my way through two Macdonalds-style brekkie buns, cooked to perfection by the excellent Rob - what a non-fattening treat!

After last weekend at the Camping and Caravanning Club's Devizes site, we got home on Wednesday - only to depart to auntie Caz's on Friday, via a stop and filming session at the Caravan Club's Bearsted site, just outside Maidstone.

This new site opened in the summer, but the Club just staged the official opening this week.

It was a very enjoyable little event, and I also finally managed to have a chat with one of the Club's director's about getting some help with publicising The Caravan Channel TV show. The outcome of this is that hopefully, we should have a bit of an article in a forthcoming edition of the Caravan Club's magazine, which goes out to a staggering number of members.

It could be major step in upping the number of viewers we get . . .

Way Out West

2008-11-03T16:14:00.004Z

Despite some fairly orrible weather, we've had a quite enjoyable long weekend at Devizes.

We haven't done much, but have done a couple of little touristy outings, and yesterday (Sunday) spent the day with one of Dot's childhood friends and her husband, who live nearby.

One of the benefits of caravanning is that we've been able to see them most years by driving over and finding a pitch, rather than expecting them to put us up, or having to stay in an expensive and probably moderately mediocre hotel, without having the caravan as a daytime base if the weather goes off.

Tomorrow, we're off to Bailey's for the day - filming their factory, which should be interesting!

The Main Event . .

2008-10-25T12:39:00.002+01:00

So there we were at Marketing Deeping . . . the sky was blue(ish) . . . the wind was exceeding cold . . . the natives were restless . . . don't blame them, it was Nick and Carole's wedding day!

It was excellent, in fact. The vicar was a cheery sort of bloke, the congregation (not a bad turn out) rather enjoyed the service, and the meal after was really nice - a carvery, with stacks of nice veg, batters and good, well-stew, gravy.

There was also plenty of red wine - but I was slightly foiled in my desire to become totally blotto by Carole, who arranged for the very large carafe of red to be replaced by a rather smaller, nearly empty carafe!

However, I still enjoyed it. Went home at above 4ish - slept til 6ish.

Good evening do, too. Had a boogie.

Today? Well, we're sitting in Caz's van, playing on DSs, laptops, and having a relaxing day. Tonight, big eats at our's, with a slow-cooked lump of beef, roasties, etc. Tomorrow, Rob and Caz are off to Yorkshire while Dot n I drive a coupla miles to Ferry Meadows . . . then home on Monday.

I've then got to put together the next programme 23 (5th Nov), and then we're off to Devizes C & CC site for 4 or 5 nights, and we'll be filming that and the Bailey factory during our stay.

All go, isn't it!

Winter-time thoughts . . .

2008-10-20T09:20:00.003+01:00

I'm not at all keen on the winter.

I'm not sure if it is an effect of the dark and long nights, or of the even more miserable weather, but I like winter less and less as time passes by.

So a recent thread in The Caravan Channel has been striking chords with me - the one about taking a trip to Spain in the depths of January or February - and so I'd really like to do it!

I've been trying to work out the best way of handling it for us, and have arrived at the idea of doing it immediately after the NEC show in February. If we left at the start of March, we could get back with stacks of material in May, in time for our own caravanning season - and I'd be able to it in some warm sunshine, hopefully, instead of in the dismal rain!

Back to the Blog

2008-10-13T07:17:00.004+01:00

I don't think I'm a natural diaryist, which is probably why I find doing this blog a bit of an uphill task.

But it is a good way of keeping people in touch with what we're doing, so I'll try to report more over the winter.

Today, Dot and I are off to the mighty NEC, to see the new halls and to spend a couple of days working our way around the stands. Among our other objectives, we'll be looking at some of the new vehicles on show, and trying to understand what manufacturers and others are doing in the present very difficult financial climate.

We'll also be trying to produce pieces on subjects that have been raised by our forum members; trailer tents, wind and solar power generators, etc.

The first results of this trip should be in show 22/08, which will premiere on 22nd October.

Goodwood

2008-07-11T08:50:00.003+01:00

1st night impressions from Goodwood?

Not bad, although the pitches are pretty tight - 9m deep by 7m wide, plenty of room for an average sized caravan, car, and a bit of space between. Definitely not separated by 6 metres, as the Caravan Club and the Camping Club require.

People chatting away around their tents until probably around midnight, but there's nothing you can do about that - not everyone dives into their pits by 10.30, like I do!

We just had brekkie, so it's off to the races ina mo . . let's see what it's all about!

Catching up (slowly!)

2008-07-09T16:27:00.004+01:00

One of the problems with doing what I do is that when you're away, stuff doesn't get done - so you have to do it when you get back!

However, things are now rather easier as I can now carry elements of our editing system with me on a laptop. This seems to work quite well, and last week, while in the caravan, I did a lot of filming and was able to capture it to hard disc and have now put a programme together using it. There were a couple of little glitches, but nothing to worry about.

However, one experiment I don't think I'll be repeating is the video upload from sites, etc. It really is very demanding in terms of time and effort, and the interest level on YouTube really hasn't been enough to justify the amount of work involved.

Interesting thing to try, though.

Orf we go again

2008-06-27T06:52:00.002+01:00

We're off to the north of England on Sunday, for a trip up to York, via a stopover at the Caravan Club at Peterborough.

Plans at the moment are to take a look at the Swift factory in E Yorkshire, and to visit converter Wellhouse Leisure in sunny Huddersfield!

Thansk to my new T Mobile thingy, I should be able to keep in touch!

With the mighty Caravan Club . . .

2008-06-25T09:08:00.003+01:00

Spent a couple of nights with the mighty Caravan Club at their new site at the New Forest on Thursday and Friday gone by - very smart, let me tell you.

There's even plug-in TV booster points, for which we bought a new cable, and wi-fi - but that's amazingly expensive - a fiver for an hour and around £30 for a week - I'd much rather use my £15 a month T-mobile phone modem USB plug-in, which works okay (at dial-up speed) there, and at full broadband speed in more favoured locations!

Big time stuff . .

2008-06-18T06:36:00.003+01:00

. . . with the mighty Caravan Club: Dot and I are off tomorrow to Beaulieu in Hampshire, for the Caravan Club awards evening - there's a posh dinner and an awards ceremony, where member and media awards are handed out. The feed is on Friday night, but we're going on Thursday to have a nice day at the site on Friday - hope the weather is good.

We're also taking Giles Meehan with us, who is becoming our regular away-day cameraman, and he and I are probably going on the Bedfordshire on the Saturday, to film motorboat racing for UK Boating.

But as far as the Caravan Club goes, it'd be nice if TCC could get a little award of some sort, gov.

Different kinds of shows?

2008-06-12T09:00:00.000+01:00

One of the things that's interested me about the last show is how people's views vary - particularly when you look at the split between long-term TCC viewers and newbies.

I'v now produced, I think around 45 (yes, 45!) half-hour caravanning shows, mostly with all new content, although by my reckoning that 22 hours includes around 4 hours (total) repeated material, spread across several winter shows.

The programmes have settled down into a groove which lets me produce material that works for me, and that seems to work for most of our viewers - but the biggest problem we have is with new viewers, who come along, watch one programme that works in the context of the series, but maybe doesn't work as well on its own. They then make what I think are out-dated suggestions, essentially because they haven't watched any other shows in the series!

The reality of course, is that in the 40-odd programmes we've covered almost everything - and some in real depth, others in less depth.

So in future, whensomeone comes along and says whatever, I think my response will be "if you've only watched one show, watch more. Don't look at us like ordinary entertainment TV - we ain't!"

What planet are you from again?

2008-06-04T20:33:00.001+01:00

Sometimes, you get really odd phone calls . . .

Now, I'm not particularly shy - so anyone with a little sense can find a contact number for the Caravan Channel, and ring it.

Fine so far.

I also don't have a big problem with people liking or not liking the shows we make. If you like them, that's really great. If you don't, that's fine, too - turn over, watch something that you do like.

But I do have a problem when people ring to say "Your show was rubbish . . " - no sensible criticism, no discussion, just to have a go. So when this geezer rung to do that, I hung.

What an idiot. If you don't like something, watch something else!

Spring springs onward . . .

2008-05-31T14:06:00.003+01:00

Well, it's nearly summer really, but I don't get any better at keeping up the blog - I don't think I'm the kind of person who could keep a worthwhile diary!

I just do it when I think of it, in amongst the mass panic caused by making 4 half-hour TV shows every month. It does fall to the bottom of the to-do list all the time. If you'd like me to blog more, just say - part of the problem, I suppose is that I'm not convinced anyone reads it!

Just home . . .

2008-04-30T08:13:00.002+01:00

. . . from France yesterday, after a very nice few days on a canal boat on the Somme Canal - really pretty and charming, wide waterways, delightful places, and interesting towns and villages to stroll through.

Wonderful.

Spent half the time wondering when we were going to get the chance to take the caravan there!