First of all, apologies for not blogging sooner – things have been a tad hectic, what with one thing and another – in fact it was two things and another (that’s three things in total).

The first thing was the production of my latest comedy “Searching For Doctor Branovic” which I premiered in November at the Theatre On The Steps Bridgnorth. I don’t mind admitting I was a little apprehensive about how this might be received by the wider public. I think I’d lived with it for too long and couldn’t even decide if it was a comedy any more. But, thankfully, reactions were overwhelmingly positive, and I can now let the little child go into the wider world knowing it’s had a decent start in life.

If anyone’s interested in seeing a short clip you’ll find it on the web site by following this link: www.flyingducks.biz/d25_000064.htm

The second of my two “things” was happening the very same week. Highbury Players from, well, Highbury actually, were premiering another of my new plays “Hypnosis”. All in all they did a splendid job of bringing this dark, comic thriller to the stage, and had a very successful ten night run – so well done to them.

And so to the third of my three things. Inspector Drake - The Movie.

This has now become a major obsession, and will envelop every waking moment of my spare time for the next year or so. This film is my mid-life crisis, arriving somewhat belatedly. A motor bike would have been cheaper, and possibly safer, and undoubtedly quicker, but nevertheless I’m hooked. I’ve been making videos for a long time now, but always for other people, and usually built on fascinating scripts about Health and Safety, or Human Resources, whatever the hell they are. Inspector Drake – The Movie finally connects up the best bits of my day job to the very roots of my writing hobby.

I want to try and harness all the talent from all the people I’ve met over the years, and indeed people I’ve yet to meet, and showcase it in this ludicrously ambitious project. So if you’re out there, and you have something to offer and want to be a part of it, get in touch. I’ve even sold my soul to the devil and set up some Facebook pages, including a group site one for the Flying Ducks Theatre Company, so people can get involved – you’ll be able to track us down on www.facebook.com/flyingducks

But before all that, we have to get through Christmas. My favourite time of year.

As we all throw ourselves, lemming-like, over a financial precipice; force grotesque amounts of food into every orifice until we split; feign goodwill gestures to distant relatives with whom we share nothing but the same basic number of limbs; watch films we’ve never seen before, like The Wizard of Oz, The Great Escape, or some shite American modernisation of A Christmas Carol with Bill Murray; indulge in dreadful electronic versions of board games with rubbish rules that never finish; undermine the climate change talks and destroy the planet by lighting up the house like Blackpool for three weeks; queue for Jeremy Clarkson DVD’s that we’ll never watch, cookbooks we’ll never use, and celebrity autobiographies written by unknown journalists which we’ll never read; add to our huge stockpile of unwearable socks, comedy underpants and ill-fitting leather gloves; write panic replies to Christmas cards we weren’t expecting, from people we don’t know or care about; inexplicably buy a Terry’s Chocolate Orange, a box of Matchmakers and some walnuts; get up at 3am on the 25th to switch on an oven, and 5am on the 26th to stand outside some more shops offering 1% off an eight thousand pound sofa, two pounds off some boots that look crap on you, and a half-price coat that was originally priced at three times its true value.

Merry Christmas, everyone. And don't even get me started on Pantos.