lindajan

Have just checked the details about Stammer House and it is made by IWC Media who were also at the meeting mentioned in Matt's tweet, so it looks very likely that this is the course that is being filmed. Linda

Have just seen this tweet from Matt Wilton: I wondered what it meant so looked on the McGuire website and Gareth is course instructor there from 19th - 22nd October. I don't remember seeing this before. We know he is doing the Ireland one in November but not this one, unless I've forgotten. He certainly believes in keeping himself busy. Linda

What a great day for Gareth. Doesn't he look impressive with his clipboard? I'm pretty sure that the meeting he spoke in would have been a committee meeting somewhere in the Houses of Parliament - not actually in the Commons. But it sounds like he got the opportunity to go in there later (even if it was boring - I watched a bit on TV too). Steve Brine (the MP for Winchester that he was pictured with) has a wife who is a Speech and Language Therapist. No doubt the reason for his involvement. Gareth never ceases to amaze us with all the things he is involved with and he is true to his words on Pop Idol, that he wanted to help others. I'm so proud of him. Linda

Thanks so much, June, for these brilliant videos. I don't know how you manage to get such clear recordings. I tried to record some at Darlington and Prestatyn but the sound quality is terrible. Perhaps it is the difference between an acoustic set and one with a full band. Anyway it is lovely to be able to watch these and image that I was actually there. Lovely picture of you with Gareth too. Keep up the good work. Linda

It definitely sounds better when Gareth sings it. Thanks for your concerns Eternal - next time I must make sure I drink more (and I don't mean alcohol!). Although I have had a stiff neck for a few days, I feel much better today so no lasting damage - and I did get that extra hug Glad you liked the extra little details and that you weren't bored. Linda

Really pleased to read about the panto. Of course I also want Gareth to do more musical theatre and his album, but I think that he enjoys the fun of panto enormously. Milton Keynes is much easier for me to get to, although I did go to Wimbledon and Woking. In fact it is quite close to my Mum and sister, so definitely intend to go. As for the costume, it needs to be Chinese in character and the yellow background in the photo doesn't help much. It may not be what he wears in performance anyway, as the publicity pics for his other pantos showed him in different costumes, I think. Linda

Hi Nat. It must have been you, your Mum and boyfriend that were just in front of me in the signing queue. It was your Mum that kept my place for me when I felt faint again. Thank her for me. Also thanks for the full song list, at least I know what I missed now. Linda

Thanks for all your concerns. Despite the incident I wouldn't have missed the day - it was brilliant seeing Gareth so close and of course the lovely hugs Meant to say that Mike Choi was acting as Gareth's manager this weekend, so was standing by during the signing and even took some photos for some people. Just after my photo, Pete (the guitarist) crept up behind Gareth and probably got included in the picture being taken. He and Gareth hugged and appeared to thank each other for the weekend. I'm sure Gareth made a great impression on so many people who saw him yesterday - he was a world away from the other entertainment that evening. It's great that Gareth is doing so many varied events (although I'm sure some of the press would go to town on him appearing at Pontin's, if it had been more widely publicised). He is managing to give a very wide range of people the opportunity to see him. There was a young girl in front of me who was very nervous and shy when she got to Gareth. She shied away from a hug, so he grabbed her and gave her a kiss - it was lovely, as it was when earlier he had picked up a little girl (about Missy's age) and gave her a hug. It was only my glasses that I lost and, no, they haven't been found. It's a shame as they were a new pair that I'd only had a few months, still never mind. I'm fine, except for a stiff neck. I'm not sure how much Gareth actually witnessed but he must have known something had happened and I suspect that Dani would have said something to him. Indeed what a way to get noticed Linda

You asked for it, June: “I look forward to your report Linda, I want every detail Please” Well here goes, are you sitting comfortably? But then, perhaps all you want to know is GARETH ROCKS!! More details? Oh, OK then. As Prestatyn is about an hour and a half from where I live, I was excited when I saw the gig announced. Then I couldn't find any details about it and whether it was open to non-residents. Eventually on Saturday it was mentioned in the flyer at the top of the main Pontin's site but no details. I did know that you can get day passes, so decided to go anyway. I arrived at Pontin's just before 3pm and was able to get a day pass for £5 (think it would have still been £5 if I'd had a car-full). I went in to have a look around and find where he would be performing – a large room with a stage with a wooden clear area in front, tables and chairs and then a raised, tiered seating area. The blue-coat on stage at the time mentioned that Gareth would be there later. However I didn't notice any posters advertising his appearance. The place was pretty depressing to be quite honest, so I went for a drive around Prestatyn, Rhyl and ended up on a beach near Talacre, where I spent a couple of hours. I returned to Pontin's at about 7 and had a look inside – the tables were all occupied – and there was some kids' entertainment going on. A sheet detailing the day's entertainment mentioned “worlf famous Gareth Gates”. (Spelling mistake their's not mine.) I had a wander about outside, popping in every so often, sat in the reception area until I went into the performance area at about 10 to 9. There really wasn't anywhere to sit (perhaps in the tiered area but this was a long way back), so I stood at the back of the tables. From about 9.30 members of Gareth's band would appear on stage making sure everything was set up and then at quarter to 10 Gareth burst on stage. I started recording on my MP3 player – a truly awful recording, believe me, but at least I can just about make out the songs (list in a bit). Then I noticed people starting to fill the area just in front of the stage, so I joined them. I managed to get to a position near the centre of the stage with about 3 people in front of me. It was brilliant being so close to Gareth while he performed. I could see every bead of sweat – it was extremely hot in there – and Gareth had to keep having drinks and mopping his face. As usual, Gareth got the crowd involved, bantered with his band members and showcased some of their talents when they performed solos. He went from one classic song to another: 1.Summer Of '69 2.Don't Stop Me Now 3.Build Me Up, Buttercup (for the oldies and he could see plenty!!) 4.Suspicious Minds 5.My Brown-Eyed Girl 6.Sunshine 7.Wake Me Up Before You Go (one from the 80s) 8.Valerie 9.Someone Like You (huge cheers after this) 10.Sweet Child Of Mine 11.Here I Go Again (I think, one by Whitesnake) 12.Livin' On A Prayer Then........I fainted! How embarassing – this was something I thought youngsters did, not women of more mature years. At the end of Livin' On A Prayer, I did something with my mouth which made my jaw lock with a shooting pain. As I wondered whether it would stop hurting, I suddenly felt faint and before I could really think what to do, my head it the floor. Gave the people around me a bit of a shock! I know I tried to stand up but don't know whether I did or not. The next thing I knew I was lying on the floor surrounded by people, including several from Pontin's. They kept asking questions but I couldn't hear a thing. Eventually they managed to get me up and took me to the fire exit, still inside but with an outside door open and sat me on a chair. Although I was feeling awful, I could hear Gareth performing and kept thinking I was missing it. I kept being asked whether I had a medical condition that would cause fainting (yes I have, but not one that would make me faint) or whether they needed to call an ambulance. I said that I had got really hot, I'd been standing a long time and that I was probably dehydrated. Dani, the blue-coat who was looking after me by this time, got me a bottle of water. I was then moved outside and slowly I revived. The duty-manager offered me a room for the night if I didn't feel able to drive. My opinion of Pontin's changed a bit – the staff could not have been more caring. I was talking to Dani about Gareth and she said that she had been asked to look after him backstage. She said that he was lovely (as we know) and that he wasn't at all demanding. Some people treat them like servants apparently. I talked about his performance and she was surprised and delighted that he had brought a band and was performing live. (The Cheeky Girls did about 3 songs then mimed!) She really seemed very impressed and then said he was doing a signing session in the dining room. By this time I was much better and we heard Gareth finishing with Spirit In The Sky. I thought that my MP3 player might have picked up some hint of his other songs, but it must have got switched to pause when I fell, because there is no more after LOAP. I think I heard Your Sex Is On Fire, possibly Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me, but there were probably a couple more. I then went to wait for the signing – long queue, 3 people wide mainly – and that's when I realised I was missing my glasses. My jacket, camera, keys and bag had all been picked up, but as I can see generally without the glasses I hadn't noticed they had gone. They hadn't been handed in either. We waited for quite a while – Gareth must have been exhausted – and just as he came in, I felt faint again but made it to a seat in time. I was able to rejoin the queue and met Gareth again. When I told him that I had fainted, he said, “Oh, that was you!” and gave me a hug. He then signed my Manchester Les Mis programme because when I saw that I wasn't well enough to go to the stage door (couldn't walk very far). Then I had another hug and our picture was taken – lovely one of Gareth, not saying anything about me. He remembered my name when he signed! Well, that's it. I hung around a little longer and then thought I'd better go. It was by then past midnight and Gareth was still signing. I got home OK although I did head in the wrong direction on the A55 but immediately realised my mistake. Today I feel a bit battered and bruised and my neck and top of my shoulders are quite sore – whiplash? Gareth was brilliant and I'm just sorry that I didn't manage the whole performance. Sorry this is so long, Linda

Gareth was brilliant at this gig. He and his band were on stage for 70 mins and then he did a signing and photo session. I left just after midnight and he was still signing. There's a bit of a story attached to this, so I'll post again later when I've had a sleep. Linda

Thanks for these, they really give an idea of how big this event was. Gareth is also on nos. 67, 69, 74, 76 and 77 - rehearsal and backstage pics. Linda

Never really fancied a cruise, but definitely like the sound of this one - I wonder why? Daren't mention it to hubby though, he rolls his eyes when I tell him I'm going to a show or a gig, so I don't think he'd take kindly to this. But imagine being on a cruise ship with Gareth for 3 days - no, I mustn't think about it!

Thanks for your reports, Maggie and Cris, about Gareth's performance in Blackpool. As always it sounds like he was brilliant and there have been good comments on Twitter, especially from some of the other performers. It is obvious that people who actually meet Gareth and/or work with him realise what a thoroughly decent and hard-working guy he is. Nice to hear that a lot of his family were there and that you got to talk to Wendy and Suzanne, Maggie. As you mention that some of his sisters were there (and from Gareth's tweet today that Nicola was going to Darlington with him), I wonder whether the other young girl you mentioned was Mia, Nicola's daughter. She is about a month older than Missy and I expect they like playing together. Thanks again, Linda

Nice pic. The girl/lady with him is Linda Lusardi - good friend from Dancing On Ice.

Great interview. Gareth talked about lots. He said that he had holidayed in Blackpool often as a child and spent lots of time on the beach. He spoke about Donna's Dream House (the charity that the Blackpool show is in aid of) and why he supports it. This July is 10 years since his first audition for PI and that he has achieved a lot in his short life. He said that musical theatre was something he always wanted to do and where he started singing in Joseph at school. He spoke about Joseph in the West End and then being in Les Mis. Gareth said that musical theatre had developed his acting skills and that his singing voice is now stronger. Gareth was asked about his stammer and how much better it is, so of course he talked about the McQuire Programme. He agreed to do a backstage interview with the presenters at Blackpool next Sunday and said that he was doing a gig in Mansfield on Saturday, then hoped to be in Blackpool all day on Sunday - perhaps on a few of the rides! After the interview they played Empty Chairs At Empty Tables. It was lovely to hear Gareth speaking about so many things. He explained that he tried to speak quite slowly and methodically in situations like radio interviews so that he could control his stammer. Sure I've missed something but these where the main things. Linda

Have now said they are trying to get through to Gareth on his phone.

I shall look forward to reading this as well. Linda

Thanks for all the great pictures and videos. Lovely to be able to share in this event even though I couldn't be there. Linda

Thanks for the link Carol. Lovely to read about this very special evening with Gareth. Looking forward to seeing him when he comes further north, although it's a shame that Derby has been postponed. Linda

Please could you tell me where to find this. Would love to read more details. Thanks Linda

Thanks Janice for the details of Gareth's gig on Friday. It's lovely to have some idea of what he sang. Glad you had a great time, Carol and June. Looking forward to your reports and finding out what Gareth thought of your book, June. Have a fantastic time at Dartford later today. Linda

The first understudy for JVJ is Jonathan Williams who is supposed to be good, but haven't seen him myself. I bet a lot of the people standing were employees at the Queen's taking a final chance of seeing this cast.

Thanks for your report Eternal and so pleased you had a brilliant day. The barricade is pretty stunning, isn't it? I assume you had Simon Bowman playing Valjean (he hardly seems to have been around lately), it was Simon Shorten when I went and he was very good (not quite JOJ though). As for the young gentleman in the black coat..... He was pretty good when I went too! Gareth headed off down Shaftesbury Avenue between the shows when I was there, presumably to have something to eat. Bet it was busy at the stage door today, I remember what it was like on the last day of Joseph. Thanks again. Now we have the summer gigs to look forward to. Linda

Has anyone had news of how today's performances went? Gareth has been very quiet - I've seen posts by other cast members but nothing from him since this morning. The last eighteen months seem to have flown past but they have been amazing. Linda

Hope everyone going to one (or both!) of the final shows tomorrow/today has a fantastic time. I was there for the two shows two weeks ago and also saw Gareth before, between and after the performances. (He must have thought I was stalking him!) It was a brilliant day and I was so pleased to see Gareth as Marius in the Queen's production. I loved the tour but had first seen Les Mis at the Queen's in 2008, so was keen to go back there. I must admit that I think the barricade is brilliant at the Queen's and I do like Marius singing 'Empty Chairs At Empty Tables' in the empty ABC Cafe. I honestly think that both productions have their own strengths and I'm glad Gareth had the chance to perform in both. Don't forget to look out for Gareth in the early scenes when he appears as a convict, a farmworker, a factory worker, a guard and a judge (enthusiastically banging his gavel) and perhaps more - like he did in the tour. Once again, have a great time and let the rest of us know how the shows went. There will be more tears than usual, I suspect, and from the cast too Linda