Alastair Mavor

Hi there,

I am now back from a fantastic month in Edinburgh. Both “Boys of the Empire” and “What’s Wrong With Angry” were a great success and were well reviewed as well as drawing in full houses on many of their performances. It was great to be involved in both productions and I am hugely grateful to both Glenn Chandler and Patrick Wilde for giving me the opportunity. I am thoroughly looking forward to a short rest now, before trying to organise my next challenge, whatever that may be!

Alastair

Hey!

It’s what English people do best really - queue in the rain! And the weather is back with a vengeance today -  so much so that I’ve got through three different pairs of shorts, and they say dress doesn’t matter! Mind you, the hair dryer will be working flat out on them tonight!

Last Friday we had our press nights for both shows (which went very well), and were fortunate enough to be treated to a fantastic champagne reception courtesy of Mr Chandler afterwards! Some photos will be posted soon (I always say this and I do genuinly mean it this time!!) Away from the parties, and (of course) late nights, the two productions are going well - we’re regularly managing to trip over wires in are 40oC venue and corpse on stage. On a serious note, we’ve had some great reviews and the audiences have been very good too - I feel so lucky to be part of two fantastic shows. They are both so different, and there are so many ways you can play around with empire - the ad-libs are often the best bits (that would be lying actually - it’s a great script really Glenn) - I’ll get into trouble if I don’t make that quite clear!!!

Unfortunately I can’t say the same for some of the things I’ve watched up here so far - there really is a lot of rubbish. Mind you, there are a few gems as well - “KES” being particularly memorable and quite tear jerking at times. I’m off to see The Great American Trailer Park Musical tomorrow, certianly sounds like it should be a good laugh!

Anyway, off to get some much needed sleep. Just hoping no one else walks out of What’s Wrong With Angry muttering “unnatural” again - I mean why see a play that confronts the issue of homosexuality if you’re not at least vaguely open minded, and at least give it more than the 5 minutes you gave us to change your view!!!

Alastair

Hi there,

We’re now up in Edinburgh and are through the whole rigmourole of technical rehearsals, set-ups and desperate attempts to put on fiddly bits of costume in time whilst trying to staying calm! Well, pretty much anyway. We had our first previews on Wednesday, and bar some technical slip-ups, it all came together better than we’d hoped (particularly as we hadn’t managed to fit in a dress rehearsal before the run at all)!

Edinburgh has really started to buzz now and certainly has a festival feel about it with flyerers mobbing anyone who is brave enough to venture down the Royal Mile and some rather drunk, depressed looking actors heading back towards their company flats late at night after an exhausting day’s flyering, technical rehearsals, performances and press launches. Our press night is tonight, so we’re hoping for a good audience and hopefully some good reviews as well. We’re certainly very happy with the way the shows are going. “What’s Wrong With Angry” is starting to flow seemlessly from scene to scene now (which is one of the fantastic things about the way it’s written), whilst “Boys of the Empire” is developing by the day, and even now we’re still finding new ways to make it interesting and hopefully even funnier.

Anyway, off to grab something to eat before tonight (probably another Subway sandwich - has become my latest obsession due to a major lack of free time for meals)!

Alastair

Hi there!

It’s been a few months since I last posted, but thought I’d keep everyone up to date with my progress - not that anyone will probably be reading!

I will be acting in two shows up at this summer’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The first of which is a new play written by Glenn Chandler (Taggart creator). Called Boys of the Empire, it’s set in a 1920s public school and is a satirical comedy, full of great jokes (we think!), but with a strong message behind it. I’m playing a lead character called Warren Overday (I love the name too)! The second play is called “What’s Wrong With Angry” and is written by Patrick Wilde, who also directs both shows. After a successful run in the west end in the mid 90s, it was turned into a fantastic feature film called “Get Real”. You can check out both plays at www.boysoftheempire.com and www.whatswrongwithangry.com.

Do give me a shout if anyone is up in Edinburgh - it would be great to meet up. In the meantime, I’ll probably do some blogging, uploading of photos whilst I’m up there.

Hi there, Almost a week has passed since I ran in the London Marathon. I thought I’d give you a little taster of what last weekend was like! We arrived in London on Saturday afternoon (Mum, Dad, Frances and me), had a relaxed afternoon and had supper with cousins in the evening. I have to say, I was unusually organized on the Saturday night, and everything was lined up, ready for the morning including the chip timer on my shoe which took about 4 goes to get on! My alarm went at 5.30am and my specially ordered porridge arrived at 6am - it always feels a bit weird eating at this hour, but I stuffed it down hoping that come mile 17 all the extra energy would come in handy. I then took a train to Greenwich and walked to what I thought were the main gates of Greenwich Park for my interview with Jonathan Edwards. Unfortunately, I’d been directed to the wrong gates, so I had to trek across to the other side of the park. Both Jonathan and the producer were very friendly, and while my interview wasn’t actually aired, it was a great experience. At 9.45 the gun went, and I was fortunate enough to be near the front of the start area, so it only took about a minute to cross the start line. The first 12 or so miles went without alarm - the atmosphere was pretty amazing and I made a conscious effort to take on Lucozade Sport early in the run. Unfortunately I started to feel blisters forming on the inside of my feet at 9 miles, but I ploughed on (aren’t I a toughie!!!), worried that stopping would cause me to lose my rhythm.  Mile 13 went by as I crossed tower bridge - being passed by a giant fish in the process, and I reached the half-way mark in 1hr 45! All going according to plan. As I ran towards Canary Wharf (with the elite athletes running back in the other direction), the rain came  plummeting down, and everyone was completely drenched in about 5 minutes. But, it wasn’t until I hit mile 16 that the legs really started to hurt, and the last 10 miles became a real struggle/war of attrition (makes it sound more like a WWW1 poem!!). Thankfully my family and several sets of cousins and aunts and uncles were on hand at various points to cheer me on, and I have to say the crowd were absolutely amazing! When I ran towards Buckingham Palace an hour and a half later (my last 13 miles were 45 minutes slower than my first!), an incredible feeling of achievement ran through me, and I don’t think I have ever felt as relieved as I did when getting to the finishing line!! It really was an unforgettable day, and I am so grateful to everyone who was kind enough to help out, donate or support me on the day. I am delighted to announce that we have managed to raise £11,000 for the CF Trust - it would never have been possible without all your help. Now the challenge is to find something even more grueling than a marathon - but I think I might have a little break first if that’s OK?! Perhaps a few years maybe! All the best, and thanks for your support. Do check back next week for some photos. Alastair 

Hi there, Will give more details in the morning, but just to say I finished today in 4 hours 11:08. A bit slower than my goal, but I’m still really pleased. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced more pain than in the last 10 miles of the race!! My second half was nearly 50 minutes slower than my first, but I got there in the end!! Thanks for your support, Alastair 

Hi everybody, It has been a really positive week, and all the press attention has given me some great momentum going into Sunday’s marathon. One final point on that, I am being interviewed by Jonathan Edwards on Sunday morning before the race starts. I believe the interview will be broadcast on BBC1 from 8.30am onwards, when the BBC’s coverage begins. The sooner Sunday comes, the better for me. The longer the wait goes on, the more the nerves build up, and I can’t wait until the race just starts! I have been eating loads of pasta, rice, porridge and lots of foods which will stack my muscles up with carbohydrates. Come 18 miles, I’m hoping my thorough preparation will help me get over the dreaded “wall”. I am also having to make sure I pay particular attention to getting enough salt into my system. People who suffer from CF are particularly vulnerable to loss of salt, and when combined with consuming a lot of water, that could be fatal when running a marathon. But don’t worry, I’m not planning to drop down dead just yet! I’m just making sure I have plenty of salt tablets, and will be making a b-line for Lucozade’s Isotonic drinks on the route.  A few final things I thought I’d mention, as this will almost certainly be my last blog before Sunday. Firstly, my running number on the day is “35453″ so keep an eye out for me! I will be wearing a yellow fluorescent CF vest. Secondly, if you are coming up to London on Sunday and are planning to watch, do give me a call/text and I will look at for you on the route (my mobile is 07771530950). Thirdly, just a few little thank you’s before the race. I am in danger of this becoming an oscar’s speech but hey - my family have been absolutely immense throughout my training. I am enormously grateful and I just hope I do you all proud on Sunday. Also, a massive thank you to Kay Hill - without your amazing help, assistance and generosity I would certainly not be arriving at Sunday’s race in the shape I am in, if at all. Finally, a massive thank you to everyone who has donated money to my run for the CF Trust. I am so very grateful and I am just stunned that 2 days before the marathon I am able to announce that THE £10,000 MARK HAS BEEN REACHED!!!!!! It is an enormous achievement, and every single one of you has contributed - be it £5 or £500. I have had well over 100 separate donations and the number of supportive messages I have received in the last week has given me a major boost. Thank you. I will be giving Sunday 110% and I hope I do you all proud! All the best, Alastair 

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/40639/Running-the-marathon-could-save-my-life

Do check out BBC SOUTH EAST TODAY tonight after the news on BBC1 for a possible feature on me.

Hi there,

Some exciting media updates here:

1) I am being featured in an article for “THE DAILY EXPRESS” tomorrow (Tuesday 8th April). It is on page 37. So, do buy a copy!

2) I am being interviewed by BBC RADIO KENT tomorrow (Tuesday 8th April) at 10.15am. The frequency is 96.7FM, 97.6FM and 104.2FM. Alternatively you can listen to it using “Real Player” on the BBC Radio Kent Website.

3) I am being interviewed by BBC SOUTHERN COUNTIES RADIO at 11.35am on Wednesday morning. The frequency is 104-104.8FM and 95-95.3FM.
Do feel free to buy a copy/tune in!

Thanks for all your support. If you are coming up to London to watch, let me know and I will look out for you!

Alastair (amavor7@hotmail.com)

Hit the massive £8000 mark today! Thank you to all those who have sponsored me. Over the next few days I am going to list the names of those who have been kind enough to donate under the “Sponsorship” section. Do check out the “Gallery” section this week - I hope to finally get some photos up as well. Just a reminder to you all to get the Daily Express on Tuesday - I think I’m being featured in an article in it! Alastair