AngryBritain's Angry Blog

Talk To The Press Guest Blog

2011-02-01T09:31:00.009Z

When Hazel Bowden told us she was the only known women in the UK to have had twins – twice – in under a year, we knew newspapers would be fighting over her story. We secured her a deal with a newspaper and a women’s magazine. Then there was Yasha, who at 7 years old, was the youngest person in the UK to get an ‘A’ for A-level mass, and Cassie, who fell pregnant nine years after going through the menopause, and Karen Johnston, a mum of 10 who had twins aged 54....

From the horse that had been attacked by yobs and went on to have rare 1 in 1000 foals to the best friends who were diagnosed with cancer on the same day and got the all clear just weeks apart, we’ve helped hundreds of people tell their story to the press and secured them hundreds of thousands of pounds in payment.

My name is Natasha Courtenay-Smith and I’m the director of the award-winning press agency Talk to the Press. We specialise in helping people sell stories to national newspapers and magazines, and managing the media strategies of ordinary people caught up in a media storm. We can also help you raise awareness of a particular cause or situation by finding the ‘news’ angle on your circumstances.

We’ve represented many individuals who suddenly and unexpectedly found their lives making headlines, including Kara Hoyte, who made legal history following changes in double jeopardy laws, Katie Hill, who became the youngest person in the UK to have a gastric band, Aled and Laura Williams, who hit the headlines following the birth of their conjoined twins Hope and Faith, Karen Johnston, the mum of 10 who had twins at the age of 54 and Arfan Haque, whose father was killed in a brutal happy slapping attack that took place in front of his 3 year old daughter Mariam.

Plus, we’ve helped people promote their books, raise money for charity, fight for justice, and expose wrongdoing and corruption, or simply tell everyone about their weight loss or achievements! We have even represented Idi Amin’s daughter Khadija, who had never spoken about her father at the time she contacted us.

You’ll have seen our stories in national newspapers such as the Daily Mail, News of the World, Sunday Mirror and the Guardian and in women’s magazines ranging from Marie Claire and Grazia to Take a Break and That’s Life. And the individuals we represent regularly appear on This Morning and Daybreak.

Agencies like Talk to the Press are a vital part of the cycle of news and in bringing up events that might be happening largely unnoticed beyond the realms of your neighbourhood into the national news. When you look at a story in the newspaper or on television, have you ever asked yourself how it got there? Sometimes stories are picked up because they are thrust into the public domain through something like a court case, or sometimes stories are sought out by journalists to tie in with particular trends or research studies.

But in other instances, expert agencies such as Talk to the Press have been involved, finding a news angle in what is happening and contacting appropriate news outlets.

Whatever your story, and whatever your goal in telling it, feel free to contact us for free and confidential advice. From the wierd to the wonderful, we love hearing true life stories and we hope you’ll share yours with us. Likewise, if you have any questions, email me onnatasha@talktothepress.com

To find out more about selling your story, visit www.talktothepress.co.uk

It's back! #Glee Mon 10 Jan, 9pm, E4

2011-01-07T12:59:00.004Z

As another school year begins, the Glee kids discover that their elusive popularity still remains outside their grasp. Several things have occurred over the summer break: Finn and Rachel have been and still are dating, despite the fact he considers her “a controllist” with a huge ego; Tina has dumped Artie, and is dating fellow Asian Mike Chang; Puck got a vasectomy; Santana got a boob job; Heather spent her summer lost in the sewers; Slushees are still readily available; and the prevailing opinion among the student body is that Will’s song selections for New Directions sound like they come from “a drag queen’s iPod.”

The arrival of the boys’ new football coach, Shannon Bieste presents a problem. As funds from both Glee Club and the Cheerio’s are diverted to the revitalised team, Will and Sue form the unlikeliest of alliances as they attempt to bring down ‘The Beast’; no mean feat when she stands at 6’1, is an ex maximum security prison officer and can dead lift a Cadillac.

And the drama doesn’t end there; when Emma informs Will that she has begun dating her debonair dentist, he realises what he has thrown away and the arrival of Sunshine Corazon to the Glee Club means Rachel REALLY has to sing for her survival.

And so, as the Darwinian fight for survival begins; old rivalries are cast aside, new alliances are formed and hearts are broken all over again.

#Movember Day 30

2010-11-30T09:47:00.001Z

The least you can do is DONATE!http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

LAST DAY!!!!

#Movember Day 29

2010-11-29T14:36:00.002Z

The least you can do is DONATE! http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember Day 28

2010-11-28T19:56:00.000Z

#Movember - Day 27

2010-11-27T21:58:00.000Z

2010-11-26T12:54:00.015Z

Frankie Boyle's Tramadol Nights. Tuesdays at 10pm on Channel 4. www.channel4.com

This six-part series combines Frankie's outrageous and often controversial stand up with pre-filmed sketches in which he picks apart all aspects of modern life. Everything is given a uniquely Frankie spin - scabrous, sharp and scathing - for no-holds-barred comedy that promises Boyle with extra added bite.

The Morgana Show. Tuesdays at 10.35pm on Channel 4. www.channe4.com/morgana

This five part sketch features the comic creations of the eponymous Morgana Robinson. These include Gilbert - A well-meaning but socially inept teenager who is making his own homemade TV show with the not-so-expert help of his granddad - Madolynn and Norman - Madolynn's a past her prime Hollywood siren who is now a hopeless alcoholic living the LA lifestyle with husband Norman - but also impersonations of famous faces as well including Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole from the X Factor and self styled daredevil Fearne Cotton.

#Movember Day 26

2010-11-26T09:47:00.000Z

5 Days Left Please Donate!!http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember Day 25

2010-11-25T09:43:00.000Z

5 Days Left Please Donate!! http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 24

2010-11-24T09:34:00.002Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 23

2010-11-23T09:01:00.001Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember Day 22

2010-11-22T10:07:00.001Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 21

2010-11-21T11:17:00.002Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 20

2010-11-20T09:51:00.002Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 19

2010-11-19T09:23:00.001Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 18

2010-11-18T09:04:00.000Z

Donate http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember Day 17

2010-11-17T09:29:00.000Z

Donate http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 16

2010-11-16T09:31:00.002Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

Movember - Day 15

2010-11-15T09:39:00.000Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

Movember - Day 14

2010-11-14T10:30:00.001Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember Day 13

2010-11-13T11:01:00.002Z

#Movember - Day 12

2010-11-12T09:58:00.002Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 11

2010-11-11T09:23:00.002Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 10

2010-11-10T09:43:00.001Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 9

2010-11-09T09:10:00.000Z

Donate! http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

Day 8

2010-11-08T08:44:00.000Z

Donate! http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

Day 7

2010-11-08T08:43:00.000Z

Donate! http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 6

2010-11-06T11:17:00.001Z

Donate http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 5

2010-11-05T09:22:00.002Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember - Day 4

2010-11-04T09:15:00.002Z

Donate: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

#Movember Day 3

2010-11-03T09:54:00.004Z

Donate here: http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

Movember - Day 2

2010-11-02T11:04:00.001Z

Movember - Day 1

2010-11-01T09:29:00.010Z

AngryBritain is growing a 'Mo' for Movember, check here daily for our 'Mo'gress!

Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.

Please sponsor our Mo by visiting http://uk.movember.com/mospace/761920/

For more about #Movember or to get involved visit: http://uk.movember.com/about/

NEW! X-Factor Roundup - Week3

2010-10-25T13:18:00.005+01:00

Week 3 of X-Factor, Britain's very own 'Search for a Karaoke Superstar' juggernaut rolled into town on Saturday night and it's time, to face, the fact that, we're hooked.

The bright eyed hopefuls burst onto the stage and straight into a sanitised version of Cee-Lo Green's 'F*ck You' appropriately renamed 'Forget You' because we will have done precisely that with the majority of them by the grand final.

After a few flashes of Simon's white teeth, Cheryl's home-dyed hair, Dannii's expressionless botox-filled face and Louis clapping his hands like George Osbourne at a cashpoint, we were off into the first performance. Paije Richardson, who had come dressed as Joan Collins circa Dynasty, belting out 'Aint Nobody' (Dressed Like This Anymore). Shoot the stylist!

Next up John Adeleye trying to inject some fun into his performance but clearly concentrated on his Poodle style hair instead. Zoom? Yes John, as it turned out straight to the head of the dole queue.

Trying to 'Do It Right' next was Jessica Rabbit, sorry Rebecca Ferguson, with bright red hair, red lips and a dress to match, it was quite clearly a warning to turn the TV down and wait for the arrival of the snarling side-mouthed singing Cheryl Cole tribute act Cher Lloyd, sporting a perm not seen since Kevin Keegan last used it in the 70's. Cher encouraged us to 'Shout, Shout, Let It All Out' and I did, until her performance ended.

Painter and decorator Matt took to a stool with guitar to make a Britney song his own. Hit Me Baby One More Time? No thanks, but keep hold of that stool and guitar, they'll come in handy on the underground. And so will your hat. Taking equally bad fashion tips from this year's X-Factor 'stylists' were One Direction with their 'Back To The Future' trainers, scruffy hair and not a pube between them. Their sickly sweet performance of 'Nobody Knows' (Who we are) no doubt had 12 year old girls beheading their Justin Bieber dolls across Britain.

There wasn't a 'Whole Lotta Love' for TreyC Cohen who ended up in the bottom three after belting out Led Zeppelin's classic. Her performance clearly went down like a Led Balloon with the public. There wasn't much love either for one trick pony Tesco Mary Byrne and her rendition of 'I Have Nothing'. Cowell scowled at Louis 'She needs to do a more modern song' and we fear that if Louis doesn't give her one next week, it could be Mary that will need help packing her bags.

Morrisey Grimshaw then had a miserable daffodil waving stab at being James Bond with 'Diamonds Are Forever', Diamonds might be forever but your singing career sure isn't. Aiden was followed by the cattiest girl band in the history of the X-Factor ironically singing 'I'll Stand By You' (So long as you tell me I'm the prettiest). In possibly their worst performance so far, they miraculously hung on for another week avoiding the sing-off.

Standard fayre from Katie Waissel as she trotted on, was a bit smug, and trotted off again before Wagner, the lion-haired sex pest took to the stage for his cringeworthy Spice Girls and Ricky Martin 'mash-up' surrounded by scantily clad buxom dancers. Yet despite the ensuing uproar over the dancers appearing to expose themselves to Wagner at the end of the song, barely anyone passed comment on the biggest tit of all.

The one singing.

See you next week, and thanks for reading. If you liked it, we might just do it again.

Misfits - Series 2 Trailer!

2010-10-19T14:41:00.004+01:00

Everyone's favourite super charged ASBO teens will be back on E4 in November. The BAFTA winning comedy drama was praised by audiences and critics alike and as a teaser here is the code for the trailer that premiered last night during The Inbetweeners.

Brand new Misfits. Coming to E4 in November. www.e4.com/misfits

LONDON RIVER - A film by Rachid Bouchareb

2010-09-28T13:02:00.004+01:00

‘LONDON RIVER’ will be released on DVD on the 11th October, by Trinity.

Set against the backdrop of the 7th July 2005 bombings, London River tells the story of a friendship which develops between two seemingly unconnected people - Elizabeth (Brenda Bleythn) and Ousmane (Sotigui Kouyate). Both of them have come to London to search for their children who are missing in the aftermath of the bombings.

Although they come from different religious backgrounds - Ousmane is an African Muslim living in France and Elizabeth is a white Christian living in Guernsey, they share the same hope of finding their children alive. Putting aside their cultural differences, they give each other the strength to continue the search and maintain their faith in humanity.

London River - Trailer from London River on Vimeo

The DVD has 16 minutes of extras, including an interview with Director Rachid Bouchareb and Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn, as well as the theatrical trailer.

BBFC Rating: 12

Film Length: 85 Minutes

Extras: 16 Minutes

RRP: £15.99

Release Date: 11th October 2010

Seven Days - PREVIEW!

2010-09-22T14:16:00.004+01:00

Follow the interwoven lives of some of Notting Hill's most colourful characters, in the documentary series where what you see has only just happened. An outspoken hairdresser, a budding rapper, two glamorous models, a single mother, a student, two pet therapists, a flamboyant restaurateur and many more, all with stories to tell and decisions to make. What have they been doing in the last seven days?

Combining not only up to the minute documentary footage that's filmed, edited and on air in just Seven Days the 8 part series includes ground breaking online interactivity at its core. Through a unique offering called Chat Nav that combines digital and social media the Seven Days audience will be able to communicate with, and influence how, the real people of Notting Hill live their everyday lives by interacting with them at www.channel4.com/sevendays.

Using specially created components the site aggregates all media activity and packages it up so that the people on screen will be able to see, and act on, what the people at home say about them.

Catch Seven Days - Wednesday 22 September 2010, 10pm, Channel 4 - www.channel4.com/sevendays

Hero at 30,000ft - Preview!

2010-09-08T14:31:00.013+01:00

Derren Brown, the acclaimed psychological illusionist, returns to Channel 4 for an amazing 70 minute special on Wednesday 8^th September at 10pm.

Hero at 30,000 Feet takes an ‘average Joe’ on an extraordinary psychological journey which will culminate with him facing a life-changing decision of whether to take control of a Boeing 737 packed with passengers, which he believes is about to fall out of the sky.

Viewers will also witness a series of extraordinary personal challenges the subject has been through with Derren as he becomes empowered by life-skills that transform his unconfident character.

Watch the trailer now here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/derren-brown-the-specials/articles/derren-brown-live-trailer

Derren Brown says: “I hope it's a show that people take something from. We easily let life pass us by, and ultimately this is about engaging with life and understanding that it is the choices we make right now that define us, not what we've done in the past.

Derren Brown: Hero at 30,000 Feet. Tonight at 10pm on Channel 4. www.channel4.com

Stitch-up a mate with MTV

2010-08-31T15:46:00.003+01:00

Click to enlarge:

Don't forget to tell them AngryBritain.com sent you!

Preview: This is England '86

2010-08-31T11:30:00.002+01:00

THIS IS ENGLAND '86

A brand new four-part serial coming to Channel 4 in September

It’s 1986 – the year Maradona ends England’s world cup dreams in Mexico; the year Top Gun is the highest grossing film; the year over 3.4 million Brits are unemployed and the year Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) is leaving school.

On his own again after the gang was broken up by Combo’s (Stephen Graham) terrifying acts of violence, hapless Shaun is a magnet for trouble. Then a chance encounter reunites him with Woody (Joe Gilgun), Lol (Vicky McClure), Smell (Rosamund Hanson) and the others and soon the past is forgotten. The gang are back together and they’re all looking for love, a laugh, a job and something that resembles a future.

Shane Meadows said: “When I finished This Is England I had a wealth of material and unused ideas that I felt very keen to take further – audiences seemed to really respond to the characters we created and out of my long standing relationship with Film4 and Channel 4 the idea for a television serial developed. Not only did I want to take the story of the gang broader and deeper, I also saw in the experiences of the young in 1986 many resonances to now – recession, lack of jobs, sense of the world at a turning point. Whereas the film told part of the story, the TV serial will tell the rest.”

Channel 4 Head of Drama, Camilla Campbell, said: “Film4 has a longstanding relationship with Shane, and so I’m thrilled that a filmmaker of his calibre has decided to make his TV debut for Channel 4. I can’t wait to see the characters reunited in 1986 and watch their stories unfold over four hours of television. With all it has to say about the way we live now as well as the way we lived then, this is a darkly funny and utterly compelling British drama.”

Catch This Is England '86. Tue 7 Sept, 10pm, Channel 4 - www.channel4.com/thisisengland86

Win a years FREE Bike Insurance with MoneySuperMarket.com

2010-08-30T18:04:00.008+01:00

Click to enlarge image:

Click this link to enter the comp and good luck!

http://bit.ly/af1jq3

#WIN - 3 Course Meal with VIP Hospitality

2010-08-24T09:57:00.008+01:00

In association with City Warriors White Collar Boxing, we are delighted to offer you the chance to win an exclusive pair of ringside tickets for their 'Models Fight Night' in aid of The Redwood Lodge Children's Home on Thursday 23rd September at The Troxy, London

This fantastic prize includes a 3 course meal, wine on the table, waitress, service and tickets to the after party. This is a black tie event.

To enter simply follow @CityWarriors on Twitter and RT this message:

'I've just entered the @CityWarriors Models Fight Night Competition by following and RT'ing this message http://bit.ly/Eom9b'

or simply write on the Facebook wall with 'Enter me in the Models Fight Night Comp'

http://bit.ly/cXVzeG

Competition open until Thursday 9th September and winner will be picked at random on 10th September allowing plenty of time for posting the tickets!

For more information please visit http://www.citywarriors.co.uk/

Oh, and we will be there too!

All the lazy ladies, now put your hands up

2010-08-20T14:35:00.003+01:00

Click to enlarge:

Alive, well and living on Twitter

2010-08-13T23:08:00.007+01:00

As it turned out following my initial excitement sadly, Froyo 2.2 didn't agree with my Nexus One. It started doing some odd things, it would randomly move between screens, the battery life was reduced by around 30% - one day in particular I took it off the charger at 10.30 am and it was dead by 4 - and worst of all, it absolutely refused to connect to my work's Exchange server, meaning I couldn't pick up my work email.

My Nexus One was effectively a very pretty paperweight.

I trawled the very helpful Vodafone forums and Google but it seemed I was alone with my oddness, and some might say not for the first time. Vodafone's forum moderators suggested a few things to try but sadly none of them resolved the issue so it was escalated internally to them via their excellent Twitter customer team @VodafoneUK.

Within a few hours one of their techies 'Andy' had called and he promised to go off and see what could be done without me having to send the phone back avoiding any inconvenience. 'Andy' apparently has contacts in high places at Google so if he couldn't fix it, no-one could.

So today, I received another phone call from the lovely 'Kirsty' on their web relations team. She basically broke the news that I had broken the phone while upgrading it. Well, actually that's not what she said at all, she said I clearly had been unlucky with the upgrade and it hadn't gone as it should have. While chatting to her I told her that I was very reliant on email, twitter and a phone who's battery lasted the day and that although a replacement Nexus One would be lovely, I really wished that I had gone for a BlackBerry having never been let down by my previous 8900.

To my absolute delight 'Kirsty' said that as I was only just outside their swap-out period that on this occasion she would swap the Nexus One for a new Blackberry 9700, and change the contract to a BlackBerry plan. Not only that, but it would be delivered to me on Monday, and all I needed to do was box up the Nexus One and send it back to them once the new phone was up and running. In other words I wouldn't be phone-less for any period of time.

Ultimately, even though I was unlucky with the upgrade to Froyo, (Many others have no complaints and are enjoying both their N1's and the new 2.2 features), as a 'Power' user running AngryBritain.com mostly from my phone during the day, I probably chose the wrong one to replace my previous BlackBerry. There's nothing wrong with the Android phones and they really are a very cool alternative to Apple's offering, but for me sadly, it just hasn't worked out this time.

Vodafone really would have been quite within their rights to tell me to bugger off and make me take a replacement Nexus One with 2.1 but they didn't, and it's this 'over-and-above' Customer Service that needs to be celebrated.

Great customer service is all too rare in Britain today and it's heartening to know that it is still out there alive, well and apparently living on Twitter, and to @VodafoneUK I am truly grateful. They can now consider themselves to be genuinely a part of 'Team AngryBritain' helping us build a better Britain.

So, if you're in the market for a new phone you could do a lot worse than jump on Twitter and follow @VodafoneUKDeals and @VodafoneUK. Tell them AngryBritain.com sent you.

Vodafone UK - AngryBritain.com salutes you.

The Shallow Factor

2010-08-11T11:59:00.003+01:00

#ABReviews Frozen Yoghurt

2010-07-21T09:30:00.004+01:00

'A new update is ready to install, please connect to charger', was the message that popped up on the Nexus One last night. Could it be? Could it be Froyo, Android 2.2?

Indeed it was.

Surprisingly quickly the update downloaded itself over my god-awful Sky broadband connection, installed and waved hello from the home screen, data intact. No three hour long iPhone OS upgrade and restore nonsense here thank you.

While taking a beating from the Android community for being too chicken to 'Root' my phone from day one, I was happy to wait for the official upgrade, thereby leaving my warranty in tact. As it turned out, my patience looks to have been rewarded.

Announced 2.2 features like Exchange support, USB tethering, and Wifi hotspot, all of which had been in doubt that Vodafone may remove them, seem to be present and correct. As does a boost in scrolling speed, browser loading and iPhone-like multitouch pinch and zoom in the gallery and browser.

As you can see from the picture, there are now permanent hotlinks to the Phone and Browser, freeing up two slots on the home page, which is handy when you have two widgets running like I do. One of those being the improved 2.2 Google search which lets you limit searches to the web, your phone, your contacts or your apps making things easier to find.

In my original Nexus One review, several of the niggles I had with it were resolved with a couple of free apps thanks to the Android community within about an hour of posting the review.

The one that remained was scrolling to the bottom of an email string to reply and I'm delighted to say it has been resolved in 2.2. A reply button, which expands to 'reply, reply all, forward' appears prominently in the top right hand corner, exactly where it should be. There are also a couple of new buttons to let you flick through your emails one by one without jumping back to the inbox.

Since the original review I've found a couple of nifty widgets that show an unread count on Messages and Gmail in an iPhone style that replace the normal shortcuts for those apps. They look great. You'll see the non-standard Gmail icon in the pic above, the messaging widget is identical to the original. Anything Apple can do ...

Android 2.2's biggest two-fingered salute at Apple comes in the form of support for Flash. BBC iPlayer over wifi works a treat and web pages with Flash elements load and play just as they would on your desktop. How do you like those apples Apple?

All we need now is a decent music player interface and the iPhone4 really does have something to worry about.

You may have read that the N1 is about to be phased out by Google and sold only directly to developers. Google simply don't have the business model to be able to supply to end users so they will now just provide support for it.

The good news is Vodafone UK will continue to sell it to the masses for the foreseeable future, as will other carriers around the world. So, if you're in the market for a new handset nip down to your local Vodafone store and play with a Nexus One with 2.2 and iPhone4 side by side. Don't just follow the herd.

I'll keep this post updated with things I discover as time goes on, but if it's hasn't reached you already Froyo is coming to your Nexus One soon. And it's great.

#ABReviews

#ABReviews - The Google Nexus One - UPDATED!

2010-07-14T22:25:00.008+01:00

Two weeks ago I had an unwelcome phone call at 8.57am while trying to boot the 8yr old out of the door to school. The result of this was a BlackBerry 8900 lobbed somewhat carelessly at the worktop. Only it missed the worktop and at some velocity met the stone kitchen floor.

I've dropped my phone in the past, mostly while pissed and from some considerable height so I was surprised to find a blank white screen with a jagged line of leaking LCD crystals staring back at me. After I'd said 'Fuck' quite loudly in earshot of the 8 year old, I picked it up.

Now, me and 'The AngryBerry' have some history. In the time before I had children, I would change my phone more often than I changed my underwear. I got rid of my iPhone 3G due to it's inability to send email from any pop account that wasn't @mac.com and it's 5 minute battery life. I replaced it at the time with a 2 year deal on a BlackBerry 8900.

Thanks to my previous disposable income suddenly disappearing on nappies and baby-paraphernalia with the birth of my daughter, when the AngryBerry took it's tumble I was 18 months into that contract and VERY ready for a change. Orange wanted £70 for a new handset as I had foolishly declined to pay £12 a month for the last 18 for their insurance *snigger* - That's a consumer tip right there. The 'man-sums' suggested that I would be barely worse off starting a new contract, with a new phone. And boy was I ready for it.

I've had them all over the years, Nokia's, Samsungs, Sony Ericssons, Palms, iPhone 2 and 3G and other Blackberrys so consider myself reasonably qualified to review phones. However, I am no T3, Engadget or Stuff magazine who really know their techno-onions. So some of this review may be utter bollocks.

Pre-worktop incident and knowing I was due for an upgrade at the start of November the hunt for a new phone had already begun.

As an internet celebrity *cough* I rely heavily on Email and Twitter and am very rarely less than 30cm from my phone. It needs a battery that will last a full working day, which to me is a charger-less hammering between 7am to 7pm, think continual Email, Tweeting and IM. Up until I destroyed my BlackBerry 8900 it had performed these tasks commendably, let down only by it's utterly dreadful internet browser.

The iPhone 4 was the natural choice. So much so that I had battled the queues on launch day to go poke one and stare in awe at it's retina displayed glass clad beauty. When I left the Apple Store on Regent St that day, nothing but a white 32GB iPhone 4 would do. As the white one hadn't started shipping, I'd sit it out and wait.

And then the bad press started. And didn't stop.

This meant the choices for a replacement were fairly limited. Under consideration were:

- iPhone 4

The iPhone4 was very disappointingly a non-starter due to the widely reported signal issue, and my past experience with poor email integration and the dire battery life. Believe me that waving it goodbye was a real wrench as I'd had my heart set on one since those pictures hit Gizmodo.

- Palm Pre Pro

I struck off the Palm Pre early on due to it's horrid bubble-wrap keyboard and the fact that people would probably point and laugh in the street when I took it out of my pocket.

- BlackBerry Bold 9700

Having had a BlackBerry 8900 for 18 months and it never letting me down, I was heading towards a new Bold. Albeit the flashy white version. I don't really have anything negative to say about Blackberrys other than I just wanted something different that could do what it did, with a better browser. It was still very much in the running. The safe choice.

So that left the HTC Desire and Google Nexus One. And Android - an unknown quantity.

While essentially the same phone, personal preference of the design of the Nexus One over the button arrangement on the HTC Desire led me to seek out a deal on Twitter from @VodafoneUKDeals for the Nexus One.

I'm now a week in with the Nexus One (N1). And this is my review.

It comes in a box. With things that you need to make it work. The handiest of which is a neoprene case with an Android embossed on it. On the downside, it is a bit thin and provides minimal protection, I imagine, from stone kitchen floors. But it'll do to keep the screen scuff free until a proper case arrives from eBay, like mine did after 3 days. £2.69 for a gel case and proper screen protector from a UK seller. Bargain.

In the hand, for those of you who have iPhones, it is an eerily similar experience. A big bright 'some-inches' AMOLED screen, minimal clutter and a trackball. Which is pointless but it does glow when you get a message. On the top you have your on/off and mute button and on the left hand side volume up and down. The N1 has a soft touch coating round the back so it doesn't feel like it's going to slip out of your hand like the old iPhone 2G.

Turn it on and you're greeted by Android 2.1 (A moot point while Vodafone sort themselves out and send the 2.2 Froyo update)

Steve Jobs will probably shit out an iPad if he reads this but essentially Android is scarily similar to the iPhone UI. Prod stuff, things happen. Swipe stuff and things happen, mostly very smoothly. Pinch a webpage, and it zooms in and out, perhaps not as smoothly as an iPhone might do it, but not so you'd notice and kill yourself out of shame.

Voice Search and Input is utterly brilliant and provides moments of hilarity as it gets simple words very very wrong. But really it's a gimmick, and you'll end up using the keyboard. So let's talk about that.

The bad:

Ok. The Android keyboard is not as good as the iPhone's. There, I said it. And there is no getting away from it. It is neither as accurate nor is the 'predictive' autocomplete anywhere near as good as I remember my iPhone 3G being. Having had a super accurate BlackBerry qwerty keyboard for 18 mths I am struggling to make the transition to a soft-keyboard, but I am getting there and improving with it daily. From some Googling I understand you can install the HTC Desire's keyboard which improves things - this is on my to-do list. And that's the beauty of Android, you can bugger about with it. The same will never be true for Apple.

UPDATE 15/7: Since posting this last night a twitterer pointed me in the direction of 'SwiftKey' a free app from the Android Market. It's a new keyboard that is both more accurate, and unnervingly predictive. It's looking very much like my keyboard gripe is over.

Another sucky feature is the lack of a BlackBerry style dial by name shortcut. Ie, Type A-N-G-R-Y on the keyboard and it brings up ANGRY's number. Instead, you have a very awkward scrolling system, which is not as slick as the iPhone's 'poke the nearest letter' to bring up that contact quickly. You do however have easy access to a favorites list and a call log for fast calling. Thats a minor gripe, but it would be brilliant if the dial by name feature makes it to Android in a future release.

UPDATE 15/7: That same twitterer pointed me in the direction of another free app called 'DialerOne' also available in the Android Market. It replaces the standard Android phone pad and gives 'dial-by-name' functionality and works brilliantly. So that's that dealt with too.

The last gripe, again which could be easily fixed in a later release, is having to scroll to the bottom of an email to find the 'Reply' button. Especially when if it's a long email string. There is no overlaid 'Reply' button - a big oversight if you ask me.

But, that dear readers is about as bad as it gets. In all other respects the N1 pisses on the iPhone and BlackBerry from a very great height indeed.

The good:

Email - Get yourself a Gmail account, ask it to collect all your email from other accounts and it'll push them out to your N1 BlackBerry style. You can reply from the account email is received into using Google's own servers, and I have found that this has resolved countless issues with my POP mail provider. It is a truly epic email program and I wish I'd found it years ago.

Twitter - I had a brief fling with Twidroid, which is excellent if you like Tweeting through a letterbox while 80% of the screen is taken up with the keyboard and other junk. Following a recommendation from another twitterer I've settled with Seesmic, and so far so good. It's accurate, connects flawlessly and notifies me when I have new mentions and direct messages. Twitter. Done.

IM - I'm using eBuddy which connects to multiple IM agents like Yahoo, MSN and AIM and works a treat. The end.

Battery Life - Email, Twitter and IM running all day with Wifi and GPS off will see the N1 run from 7am to 10pm easily. With WiFi on it's nearer 8pm. Big deal. See Apple, it can be done.

Other stuff

Music - Drag and drop non-Drm protected iTunes music onto the N1 and it plays them beautifully with nice detail through a pair of Sennheiser CX300's. It's never going to be an iPod Touch. It just isn't but it plays music through a perfectly useable interface which I'm sure will get better as time goes on. You get album art, skip, shuffle and play buttons. And that's about it.

Camera - At 5mp it produces decent pics and is much faster than the steaming turd on the iPhone 3G. It also allows easy sharing to FaceBook, Twitter, Email and so on.

Widgets - My favourite new feature. Widgets for things like Weather, News, Twitter and Calender are updated in real time on the home screen. Utterly brilliant. And you may have read about the 'Live' wallpapers. They are pointless, trust me.

Android Market - The Apps Store it isn't, but there's plenty of rubbish in there to keep you amused. And mostly for free.

UPDATE 15/7: And some of it is very useful and has resolved some niggles I had. Brilliant.

Navigation - Tied in with Google Maps is marvelous. Bin the TomTom. This is the future. And it's free.

Syncing - I use a Mac, and have my iCal Calender and Address Book sync'd via my Google account. Changes appear within minutes. Kudos to Google, but If you don't want to give them your personal info MarkSpace make an Android plugin for Macs which, if their BlackBerry one is anything to go by, will work a treat for about £15.

And there you have it, the Google Nexus One. I love it, even with the niggles. The 2.2 update will add other very cool functionality like hot spot tethering and a boost in speed so the sooner Vodafone release that, the better. Vodafone, are you listening?

If you absolutely must have an iPhone then go get one, and good luck to you. Just make sure you hold it right handed.

If you're undecided and don't want to follow the herd take a good hard look at the N1. You just might like it.

Highly Recommended

#ABReviews

Thanks to @nikwells and @chaosgerbil for the Android Market tips!

David Beckham answers our question on Yahoo!!

2010-07-14T15:11:00.002+01:00

Gadget Show - New Series - Mondays at 8pm!

2010-07-13T11:13:00.012+01:00

Our inner-geek loves this viral!

*Proceeds to run around the room making ee-ee-ee-ee-bow-bow noises*

Not quite Mr Right? Be on TV!

2010-06-30T10:52:00.004+01:00

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And don't forget to tell them AngryBritain.com sent you!

Not quite Masterchef? Be on TV

2010-06-30T10:48:00.004+01:00

Click to enlarge:

As ever don't forget to tell them AngryBritain.com sent you!

The AngryCharity - Important update

2010-06-29T10:58:00.006+01:00

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#TenantScum - Update

2010-06-21T12:23:00.004+01:00

#TenantScum - We made it to the paper! Click the image to enlarge:

Read the original post here:

http://bit.ly/bExIhC

The Tiger with his tail between his legs!

2010-06-16T11:15:00.006+01:00

Tiger Woods has provided us AngryBritain.com with plenty of entertainment over the past few months - so here's some more with a sneak peak of ‘Tiger Woods: The Rise and Fall'.

Catch the full program on Thursday the 17th of June, at 10pm on Channel 4!

For more log on to http://www.channel4.com

Get a Spot on TV!

2010-06-15T17:21:00.004+01:00

Click to enlarge:

Please don't forget to tell them AngryBritain.com sent you!

It's Regionals! #Glee Season Finale Sneak Peak

2010-06-11T15:53:00.002+01:00

Olivia Newton-John, Josh Groban, Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff Make Special Guest Appearances

The moment New Directions has been waiting for has finally arrived, it’s time for Regionals! But when Sue pulls a fast one on Will and the glee clubbers, their chances at the title could be compromised. Meanwhile, Quinn’s life changes forever in the “Journey.”

You can catch Glee# 22 ‘Journey’on Monday 14th of June at 9pm on E4 and Friday 18th June at 8pm on C4.

And if you have, for some inexplicable reason missed the return of the show that has taken the country by storm, then get yourself to 4OD here at http://www.e4.com/glee/

Come Dine and be on TV!

2010-06-11T12:47:00.003+01:00

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As usual, don't forget to tell them AngryBritain.com sent you!

#TenantScum - The Blog Post

2010-06-09T12:06:00.008+01:00

'Just stay put'

Three small words uttered by the overpaid cheap suited pen-pusher at Tunbridge Wells Housing Benefits team (TWHB) to TenantScum. Her in the picture quaffing the overpriced cocktails from some neon-lit hellhole in Maidstone, who hadn't paid a penny to me in rent since January.

Roll back the clock to January 2009. For reasons I don't need to go into, I had become an accidental landlord. Stuck with a newly renovated and immaculate house I couldn't sell due to the total absence of a housing market, I had no option but to rent it out while starting my new life in elsewhere with Mrs AB2B. Then out of blue, when it was looking particularly financially gloomy TenantScum appeared waving a cash deposit, looking for somewhere to live for 12 months.

Result.

Paperwork done TenantScum moved in. Months 1-3 spent anxiously waiting for the rent to arrive passed without incident. Months 4-8 a couple of days late, but who's counting? Months 9-12 sporadic payments - a couple of hundred here, a couple of hundred there but paid up.

Alarm bells were ringing. But the tenancy rolled on unofficially.

January 2010. Nothing. Not a penny.

February. Nowt.

March. Nada.

April. Zip.

May. Zero.

It soon became apparent that TenantScum was receiving Housing Benefit. And thanks to a combination of incompetence from TWHB and the 'I-know-my-rights-and-I'm-playing-the-game-and-the-system' attitude of TenantScum, her benefit claim was on hold. And with it, her payments. She knew the game all too well. I was screwed.

And she didn't give a shit.

Frantic phonecalls to TWHB because TenantScum wouldn't respond as she 'didn't have credit for her phone', presumably having spunked her portion of my rent on those overpriced cocktails being quaffed above, resulted in some back payments being made to me. A massive relief having covered two mortgage payments for 6 months.

TenantScum, it turned out, was entitled to just £240 a month. Less than a third of her monthly rent, the remainder supposedly being paid by her. In other words two thirds wasn't being paid, yet TenantScum still had a roof over her head. Mine.

To cut a long story very short, a week ago TWHB found TenantScum some other sucker to put a roof over her head literally just before I went to the expense of evicting her via the Courts. A small and shallow victory.

So, this past week I've been at the house undoing the damage TenantScum did. It's quite an extensive list including such joys as repainting the sitting room in beige from battleship grey and repairing the paint overspill on the ceiling, sockets and skirting, ripping up the filthy dog urine soaked carpets and underlay (this is no exaggeration), replacing the dishwasher with it's smashed panel, and the broken fridge. Replacing the architrave in the kid's bedroom where they had poked their fingers through and scratched their names in it. Not to mention the sofa, smashed wardrobe, ripped mattress, rabbit hutch, bike, box of car parts, broken mirror, picture frame and table strewn across the garden and left behind for me to dispose of, at my expense. And the broken shed window. And the patio, covered in paint. And so on ...

Here's a little video taster:

TenantScum - For the record, you are an animal. And leaving an SD Card behind was an error.

I guess the point of this blog post is not only to share my anger, but also to question why 'Just stay put' is acceptable in today's Britain. There is no protection for the landlord in any way, shape or form. Politically correct 'Benefits Britain' has created a culture that supports those who expect everything for nothing. And get it.

In AngryBritain's Britain it would be far simpler. It's my house. Don't pay your rent or treat it with respect, you're out - today. No long drawn out processes, notices here, letters there, court orders, bailiffs and expense. Just a very simple boot up the arse and a two-fingered goodbye.

And 'your stuff is in the road'.

If you happen to be reading this in Kent and have just rented your house out to a young mum. Good luck. I'll pray for you.

And if you happen to be in the market for a newly decorated 2 bed house with new kitchen, bathroom, garage and parking for two cars, in a quiet close, 50 yards from the village green in a lovely rural Kentish village surrounded by hop fields, and just 10 minutes drive from Royal Tunbridge Wells drop me an email. It's on sale now.

Tenants need not apply.

Are you GaGa for Glee?

2010-05-28T15:01:00.002+01:00

Long live the Freak! This episode goes Lady Gaga crazy, with guest Broadway superstars Idina Menzel (“Wicked”) and Jonathan Groff (“Spring Awakening”). The Glee ladies and Kurt (who rocks those infamous armadillo shoes) each represent the pop Queen in mind-blowing Gaga costumes. The boys get creative too, with their heavy metal ‘Kiss’ number. More leathers please boys!

Glee, the most watched US Show on E4 starring totally amazing Show Choirs, for like ever. And now with Kurt and the rest of the cast paying homage to Gaga, there’s even more reason to tune in and sing along!

You can catch Glee# 20 ‘Theatricality on Monday 31st May at 9pm on E4 and Friday 4th June at 8pm on C4

And if you have, for some inexplicable reason missed the return of the show that has taken the country by storm, then get yourself to 4OD

To make sure you know when we've got #Glee follow us on Twitter - @AngryBritain

Dream On! with #Glee

2010-05-21T15:20:00.003+01:00

No need to dream when AngryBritain can bring you a sneak peek of Monday's all new Glee Episode 'Dream On'. The show goes out on Monday 24th May at 9pm on E4 and Friday 28th May at 8pm on C4

Doom descends upon Will and the Glee Club in the form of Mr Schu’s former high school nemesis, Bryan Ryan, guest star Neil Patrick Harris. Directed by Emmy Award winner Joss Whedon (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”) Will’s old rival threatens to cut Glee club and ruin their dreams all because of his own failure as a star. But good old Will has a few tricks up is sleeve in a bid to save the club and the bitter ex- Gleester recovers some of his stage dream in the process.

And if you have, for some inexplicable reason missed the return of the show that has taken the country by storm, then get yourself to 4OD here:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od

Reading this? You must have something to complain about!

2010-05-19T13:14:00.004+01:00

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And as always, don't forget to tell them AngryBritain.com sent you!

More chances to be on Telly!

2010-05-19T10:26:00.004+01:00

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Looking for love? Be on TV!

2010-05-14T16:03:00.001+01:00

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#UseYourVote

2010-05-06T07:23:00.007+01:00

As I stand here at 07.24 over the sink, looking over the Kent countryside, just beyond my modest 4x4 that I can't afford to put #Petrol in any more, today is a good day to a Brit.

Today is the day us Brits get to decide who runs our country for the next 4 years.

It's a privilege, and one to savour.

So, it worries me, that in a straw poll last night on Twitter 10 out of 15 people who responded to my question 'Who's getting your Vote tomorrow?' said that they weren't going to vote at all.

It's not often that AngryBritain gets serious but on a day like today, a day when we really can change Britain, I can't urge anyone who isn't intending to vote to do so strongly enough.

Voter apathy, perhaps understandably from being repeatedly kicked by Gordon Brown and his band of Merry Thieves, will only lead to a further 4 years of misery under Labour or at best a Hung Parliament.

And nobody wants that.

Please go out and vote, vote decisively, vote for change.

AngryBritain can't tell you who to vote for but please vote for someone. It takes seconds. The Polling Stations are open now and until 10pm tonight.

I'm so keen that you non-voters vote i'll be answering your questions all day on why you should.

You can email me: angryman@angrybritain.com or Tweet me @AngryBritain

Imagine waking up tomorrow in a new dawn for Britain under decisive new leadership.

Please Britain #UseYourVote

AngryBritain.com is available for TV and Radio commentary tonight. For details:

http://www.angrybritain.com/press.html

AngryBritain's Got #Glee!

2010-04-30T16:40:00.006+01:00

AngryBritain loves #Glee. And you should too!

Here's another EXCLUSIVE sneaky peak of Glee Episode 16 ‘Home' going out on Monday 03rd May at 9pm on E4 and Friday 7th May at 8pm on C4

“Well as I live and breathe, Will Schuester?!? I just had a sex dream about you!”

Yes, lock up your sons as well as your drinks cabinets as everyone’s favourite ‘mature’ student is back to save Will and New Directions in “Home” the all-new episode of Glee. Guest Star Kristin Chenoweth returns as April Rhodes, Will’s former class mate with the big voice, the big heart and the even bigger booze habit.

And if you have, for some inexplicable reason missed the return of the show that has taken the country by storm, then get yourself to 4OD here at:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od

Need more Glee? Get it here: http://www.e4.com/glee/

AngryBritain.com and Channel 4, bringing you Glee for the long weekend!

#Glee, #Gleek, #Glee4

Getting Married? Be on TV!

2010-04-26T16:43:00.005+01:00

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'Do' tell them AngryBritain sent you!

AngryBritain - Glee EXCLUSIVE! #VoGlee

2010-04-23T12:00:00.008+01:00

It's no secret AngryBritain is a MASSIVE Glee fan. And if you're not, you should be!

Enjoy this sneak peak of new Glee 'Power of Madonna' episode going out Monday 26th April at 9pm on E4 and Friday 29th April at 8.00pm on C4.

“WWMD. Ask yourself, what would Madonna do? Well, the answer to that question would normally be: date a younger man.” Sue Sylvester

And if you have, for some inexplicable reason missed the return of the show that has taken the country by storm, then get yourself to 4OD here at:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/4od

Need more Glee? Get it here: http://www.e4.com/glee/

AngryBritain and Channel 4 are so good to you - Now say thank you!

#Glee, #Gleek, #Glee4, #VoGlee

Get AB on TV! The FaceBook group!

2010-04-21T16:11:00.003+01:00

Join the FaceBook group to get me on telly!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=109520419088165&v=wall

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Get AB on TV! #ABStrike

2010-04-19T09:46:00.003+01:00

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Darling, Is there Petrol in the car?

2010-04-15T09:27:00.006+01:00

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Vote For Sale

2010-04-07T19:04:00.002+01:00

Click to enlarge and visit the auction here (Until ebay pull it!)

http://bit.ly/b5Ns2r

MasterBaker? Be on TV!

2010-04-01T16:14:00.004+01:00

Another chance to be on TV! (Click to enlarge)

As ever, don't forget to tell them that AngryBritain.com sent you. If you make it, AngryBritain is particularly partial to BlueBerry Muffins, and none of that low-fat nonsense!

Muppet?

2010-03-29T09:44:00.006+01:00

If you'd have said to me a few months ago that half of my chums on Twitter would be influential journalist and media types then I'd have laughed in your face and sent you on your way.

*Waves at Kevin O'Sullivan, Dean Piper, Nigel Pauley, Leigh Holmwood, Rowetta Satchell, Marverine Cole, Duncan Bannatyne, Sarah Lucy Ellis, Krishnan Guru Murthy and several others*

The power of Social Media. Discuss.

AngryBritain.com - One of the UKs Top 50 Most Influential Tweeters, 30,000 Website Hits a month, Featured on TV, Radio and in Print.

There's an Election on, so isn't it time you got in touch?

Visit our press room for more - http://www.angrybritain.com/press.html

Download the China Radio International Podcast!

2010-02-19T09:12:00.006Z

This (far too early) morning's China Radio International panel discussion featuring yours truly is now available to download as a Podcast.

Link below:

http://bit.ly/bsqKmk

Worth 60 minutes of anybody's time we reckon, so put the kettle on, your feet up and listen in to AngryBritain telling China how us Brits really feel about the upcoming the election

Cagefights, Crocodile Wrestling and Celebrity Big Brother feature highly.

Yes I am serious.Enjoy!

AngryBritain.com goes International again

2010-02-18T09:46:00.006Z

We are delighted to have been invited back onto the Today program on Beyond Beijing again at 2am UK time on Friday 19th. For any of you who have insomnia we will be talking about the imminent UK Election. For those of you who need their beauty sleep, the program should be available to download as a Podcast a day or so later. The discussion topics are as follows and I'd welcome your comments before the show tonight - please email them to me: angryman@angrybritain.com or Tweet @AngryBritain

1． For those members of our audience not entirely familiar with the landscape, there are essentially three major players. The Labour Party, The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Give us a thumbnail picture of each party and what they essentially represent.

2．The Conservative Party of David Cameron were hot favourites, but their lead over incumbent Labour is ebbing. Why?

3． While official campaigning hasn’t really begun.. what do you expect to be the main platforms of each of the major players?

4． There are concerns that we could be left with a hung parliament. Explain to us exactly what that is and its implications for how the country will be governed?

5． Just how seriously are people taking the threat of a hung parliament?

6． The alternative to a hung parliament is, I suppose, a coalition. How would that work?

7． The Liberal Democrats say a “close vote” could be good for Britain. How close do you expect it to be? Would it be better for the Lib-Dems to join a coalition or sit essentially as the key decision makers on every piece of legislation in a hung parliament?

8． Elections in Britain are run somewhat differently than those in the United States – a process that takes more than a year and is one I suppose most people are fairly familiar with. For example, typically how long is election campaigning in Britain, and how big a part does money and lobby groups play?

9． There has been some criticism of “negative campaigning” by the Conservative Party. Do British voters get turned on or off by negative campaigning?

10． We are also going to see televised debates between the parties for the first time. There is still some controversy – but certainly there will be Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg. How do you think these guys will do in a debate situation.. and how much impact will their performance have on the overall outcome of the election?

11． There has been speculation that voter turnout at this election will be lower than normal, that people are just tired of politicians. What factors have led to voter apathy? (expenses scandal.. bickering.. infighting.. lack of direction?)

12． How wide watched has the Chilcott Enquiry been in Britain, and has that – or is that – having any impact on voters?

13． There is a record number of Members of Parliament not standing for re-election. Why is that?

14． It has been suggested that many of the MPs have decided to call it a day because special payments to sitting members of parliament who lose might be scrapped after this election. Are these people just trying to secure their golden parachute before it is too late?

15． There seems to be a distinct lack of celebrities jumping on the campaign bandwagon – actress Goldie Hawn (who to be frank is not quite A-list anymore) will endorse Cameron and the Conservatives. But where have all the celebrities gone?

16． On the topic of celebrities. Veteran actor Sir Michael Caine was once a firm Conservative and Margaret Thatcher supporter. Back in 1997 he switched his support to New Labour, but is now said to be returning to the Conservative fold. He said, “I mean, we’re in a terrible state whichever way you look at it. I don’t know what Cameron’s going to do, but in the end you have to have someone new and see what happens.” Now that isn’t what you’d describe as a ringing endorsement is it, but is that sentiment widely held?

17． Gordon Brown’s so called “Star Chamber” of leading chief executives and chairmen have just announced they’ll quite happily serve under a Conservative administration. How much of a blow to Brown’s credibility to lead Britain out of financial crisis has that been?

18． Now here is a worrying statistic. A poll among Britain’s university students revealed that 33-percent did not know that Gordon Brown was the leader of Labour Party. Thirty-four percent couldn’t place David Cameron as the head of the Conservatives – and about half had pretty much no idea about the Lib Dem’s Nick Clegg. Well, I think it is worrying – do you? And how worried should Brown, Cameron and Clegg be?

Thanks and enjoy the show!

How not to network on LinkedIn

2010-02-02T12:03:00.003Z

Die. Without the T

2010-01-20T21:03:00.007Z

AngryBritain is on a diet.

Like millions of you out there in the Blogosphere January 1st 2010 was D-Day. 'D' as in Diet.

We're two weeks in and undoing the damage we didn't need to do over Christmas, following the damage done in the 11 months previously.

What I want to know is why does it have to be so bloody difficult? Are we really so used to stuffing our piggy little faces with chocolate, pies and booze that we are actually unable to enjoy anything that might be deemed 'good' for us?.

Er, yes actually.

Every spoonful of Special-K is a Big Mac, every Banana a Twix. Food is the enemy. Dust.

I need to get a life. And lose weight.

Dear Virgin Media,

2010-01-07T08:11:00.006Z

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New Year, New Kitchen?

2010-01-06T16:26:00.002Z

AngryBritain.com has been asked to help find worthy people to be nominated for a new Kitchen for a show in prodution for Ikea. Flyer below, please call Laura at Monkey Kingdom if you are able to nominate someone who deserves their dream kitchen - (Click to enlarge):

January Sale!

2010-01-04T14:04:00.006Z

Well, it's been a long time coming but finally the AngryShop is here. In association with CafePress .co.uk we are delighted to now be able to offer a range of AngryMerchandise from Badges and T-Shirts to top-of-the-range Gadgetry.

Log on to:

http://www.cafepress.co.uk/AngryBritain

and check it out for yourselves.

Every home should have something Angry!

AngryCharity

2010-01-03T18:17:00.003Z

As it's going to be a big year for AngryBritain.com, we want to make the most of it and try to really make a difference. Pontificating is all very well but it's real-action that counts.

To the right of this post ==> you'll see a new 'Donate' button. 50% of anything donated is going straight to good causes throughout the UK. This is a brand new idea and we are currently talking to lots of people within the Charity sector to make sure it is run properly, fairly and most importantly legally. We also want your suggestions for worthy causes.

We can't go registered until we raise the first £5000 and as soon as we hit this we'll get 'Registered Charity' Status. We'll post every donation made here in the news pages, and keep a running total so you can see how much is going to be helping others.

If you are involved in a Charity, or want to be a part of what's now going to be known as the AngryCharity, please email me at angryman@angrybritain.com - We need as much help as possible with this project!

Thank you.

The AngryMan

#SkyUNFAIL!

2009-12-17T21:33:00.003Z

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And so the moral of this story is .... there are still a few good eggs in Customer Services. They work on a Thursday night at Sky. Got a problem? Then call Sweet-Louisa or Super-Jack or someone like them in call-centres across Britain, seek those people out and you WILL have your problem resolved.

Louisa, Jack AngryBritain.com salutes you.

#SkyFAIL! Feedback? I'll give you feedback!

2009-12-16T20:42:00.003Z

Click to enlarge - Yes they really did send this tonight ...

#SkyFAIL! - Webfilter? Schmebfilter!

2009-12-16T19:11:00.001Z

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#SkyFAIL! It gets better! - Response

2009-12-16T18:57:00.001Z

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#SkyFAIL! It gets better!

2009-12-16T18:46:00.003Z

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#SkyFAIL! Update

2009-12-16T17:19:00.003Z

Click to enlarge - Read bottom one first!

SkyFAIL!

2009-12-14T22:42:00.008Z

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Trend Setter? Be on TV!

2009-12-02T10:09:00.006Z

AngryBritain has been asked to help find male Carrie Bradshaws for a new series of The Charlotte Church Show (She's a busy girl eh?). Flyer below - Click to enlarge:

Good luck cool cats, and as always, don't forget to tell them AngryBritain.com sent you!

Be on TV with Charlotte Church!

2009-11-30T13:45:00.006Z

We've been contacted by another TV company (We're going to have to start charging!), to help them find people for a new pilot show starring the very very lovely Welsh strumpet that is Charlotte Church.

Details below:

Do You Have an Interesting or Quirky Obsession?

A new Channel 4 ‘Charlotte Church’ pilot is looking for individuals with interesting and quirky obsessions. Can you tell a car make by its engine? Can you remember every cast member of your favourite TV programme; can you name your favourite pop song when played backwards? Do you know everything about your favourite pop band? It could really be anything!!

If you or know of someone with a quirky obsession and would like to hear some further information, then please get in touch with me, Laura, on 0207 749 3164 or email me lauras@monkeykingdom.com.

As always don't forget to tell them that AngryBritain.com sent you!

Now, where's that Star Trek collection ...

Be on TV with Charlotte Church!

2009-11-30T13:45:00.000Z

We've been contacted by another TV company (We're going to have to start charging), to help them find people for a new pilot show starring the very very lovely Welsh strumpet that is Charlotte Church.

Download the International Interview Podcast!

2009-11-30T13:36:00.004Z

AngryBritain's International Interview on China Radio International is now available to download as a Podcast.

Link below:

http://bit.ly/78RkrZ

Worth 60 minutes of anybody's time we recko, so put the kettle on, your feet up and listen in to AngryBritain talking about why 'Cool Britannia' is now more like 'Fool Britannia'

It's International Day!

2009-11-26T09:28:00.005Z

Tonight (Well tomorrow morning at 2am!) Will see AngryBritain.com going International. If you are unable to sleep we will be on the panel of the Today program on Beyond Beijing, talking about what happened to Cool Britannia. The discussion topics are as follows:

A policy document published a couple of years ago by the opposition Conservative party painted a picture of Britain as a broken society riddled with debt and addiction, welfare dependency, family breakdown and educational failure. It said that family breakdown costs £24 billion a year, educational underachievement £18 billion and crime £60 billion. Is Britain broken?

Who broke it? Some say the left is largely responsible for the destruction and despair – conversely, others say the country is fighting a war on two fronts: the economic downturn and the lingering legacy of Margaret Thatcher. Which is it?

Susan Anderson, director of public services and skills policy at the Confederation of British Industry says the number of 18-24 year olds not in employment, education, or training will continue to rise. She says “We know from the 1980s recession that unemployment scars the lives of young people, so they need our support.” Are they getting it?

Official figures from the Government's Department for Children, Schools and Families indicated that 959,000 of the nation's 16- to 24-year-olds were classified as NEET (not in employment…etc) by June 2009. That is an extraordinary number. Why is there such a lack of opportunities?

Immigration has become an almost taboo word in what has been described as today’s Politically Correct Multicultural Britain. Yet it is a matter of fact that where there are nearly million of the so-called NEETS, that number is matched by Eastern European workers – largely low skilled – that have been recruited by British employers in the last 4 years. Is there a connection?

As we’ve just mentioned, sometimes even just talking about problems related to immigration can immediately lead to accusations of being a member of the British National Party. But just how concerned are average citizens, and is there any really sensible debate in the UK over immigration?

It has also been suggested – at least according to a report released by the Department of Work and Pensions – that the NEET phenomenon is at least partly (and possibly largely) due to the fact that “British workers lack basic employability skills, incentives and motivation.” Fair comment?

If we take the report from the DW&P at face value, then obviously it is a pretty shocking indictment of the education system, wouldn’t you say? According chief executive Sir Tom Leahy of the Tesco supermarket chain, “despite all the money that has been spent, standards are still woefully low in too many schools.” In 2008, 40% of 16-year-olds failed final high school exams in math and 37% failed the same tests in English. What has gone wrong?

“Broken Britain” is a term that the Sun newspaper in the UK uses to describe the supposed lawlessness of the youth there. Just casual reading of the headlines on UK newspaper websites suggests that there is indeed a problem with youth crime – and in particular knife crime. But are the press exaggerating the problem simply to sell papers?

Legendary British actor Sir Michael Caine has been somewhat outspoken on youth violence in Britain and even suggests a return to national service. Not to put boots on the ground in Afghanistan, but simply to give the youngsters a sense of belonging somewhere, to something, rather than what he describes as an aimless existence. So, non-combat national service? What do you think?

Two British academics argue that almost every social problem, from crime to obesity, stems from one root cause: inequality. Here are some figures. Obesity is twice as common in the UK as the more equal societies of Sweden and Norway. Teenage birth rates are six times higher in the UK than in more equal societies. The academics say countries such as the US and the UK where the top 20% earn seven, eight or nine times more than the lowest 20%, scored noticeably higher on all social problems at every level of society than in countries such as Sweden and Japan, where the differential is only two or three times higher at the top. So is that the root cause of Broken Britain?

It is all well and good blaming everything on Maggie Thatcher and the Tories – but according to research the Labour government has only maintained inequality at the level at which it inherited it. While there has been some positive action at the bottom income levels for pensioners and young families, the damage has all been done at the other end. Peter Mandelson said early in the Labour administration, 'We are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich. And according to the academics, he has been as good as his word. Is there really anything to choose from between the Labour Party and the Conservatives these days?

Britain’s National Health Service used to be the envy of nations! But the other day I read this rather weak attempt at humour – “The National Health Service – a free for all but worthless to many.” Too harsh?

Paraphrasing from the UK Progressive website: Gordon Brown knows that as despised as his Labour Government currently is, the Tories, because of their own past history and an unconvinced electorate with the leadership ability of David Cameron – next year’s election is still wide open. Is it? Which way do you think (wish?) it will go?

Listen live on the Internet: www.AM880.net

Angry? Another Chance to be on TV!!

2009-11-24T22:15:00.007Z

As you know from time to time AngryBritain.com gets asked by TV companies to find people for shows they are making. Well this time they've definately come to the right place!

Angry? Then you're destined for stardom:

"Wanted: The Angriest People In Britain

Mild and gentle TV company would like to meet exceedingly angry people for a TV pilot.

We're looking for ravers and ranters who are always stressed and lose their temper at every little thing.

Does your spouse despair? Do you terrify customer service assistants and traffic wardens?

We would love to get to know you better, especially if you wouldn't mind being on camera and would be up for trying some quirky anger management techniques.

We would also love to some home footage of you behaving badly. Have friends ever caught one of your outbursts on camera? If so send us a link!

Please contact me asap if you're interested: shamini@twohandproductions.com

Quirky Anger Management Techniques? We'll have some of that - it's got to be better TV than I'm a Celebrity ... Don't forget to mention AngryBritain.com sent you!

A lesson in Journalism in Britain today ...

2009-11-20T14:05:00.004Z

And the power of Social Media ...

EPIC FAIL!

AngryBritain.com goes International 27th November

2009-11-17T12:11:00.009Z

AngryBritain.com is going international on 27th Nov on China Radio International

Pretty much everything will be on the table for discussion: What happened to 'Cool Britannia' - why are Britons so angry? We'll look at the national health service (once the envy of the world) to violence on the streets - that prompted Sir Michael Caine to suggest a return of National Service.

The "NEET" generation - Not in employment, education or training...

Of course, immigration, unemployment... aging population...

Britain

broken? Who broke it? Can it be fixed?

Whatever happened to Cool Britannia?

Listen Live - 2am

time

http://english.cri.cn/08webcast/today.htm

Mama's and Crapa's

2009-11-04T08:52:00.011Z

A word of warning to expectant, dewey eye'd, parents out there looking to buy furniture for their nursery. AngryBritain has crossed swords with Mama's and Papa's, and they aren't playing nice.

So now, neither are we.

In summary, we bought their 'Murano' furniture in May. It's falling to pieces. And apparently it's our fault:

"I have spoken to our technical department and they have suggested the following:-

1) Please can you check the instructions as there is a possibility that the runners are upside down. (They aren't!)

2) The other thing to check is that the correct location holes have been used as over time the drawers could slip out if the correct ones have been used. (They have!)

3) Generally the advice is to check the instructions as we are confident that if followed correctly the drawers will fit ... (AngryBritain is good at FlatPacks!)

... The advice that I have been given is that after this length of time the only other contributory factors could be caused my movement of the item or overloading of the drawers ... I have advised that it is difficult for me to establish what has occurred and it is possible that the issues could be attributed to how the product has been used.

Mama's & Papa's Customer 'Care' "

They've offered a replacement, we don't want it. We want a refund. We are entitled to one under the Sale of Goods Act - the furniture is not 'fit for purpose' as you can see from the pic and the admission above.

So, if you are looking for furniture that you can actually build without the help of Craig off Big Brother, put stuff in and use, and very occasionally move - might AngryBritain suggest Ikea?

Can we have that refund now? ...

FAIL!

Unusual Habit? - Be on TV!

2009-10-30T07:16:00.001Z

AngryBritain.com has been approached again by TV company, Endemol, the people who make Big Brother to help them find people who might be interested in taking part in a new TV show for BBC Three. See below - (Click to enlarge):

Please don't forget to mention that AngryBritain sent you!

Dear Dave,

2009-10-16T09:15:00.006+01:00

From the mobile desk of AngryBritain.com

(For which read the 08.23 to Hastings from London Bridge)

Dear Mr Cameron

‘I have a dream’

So, it’s now 08.23 and I have just boarded the train to Tonbridge to go to a series of meetings to compete for some work which just might make me enough money to cover this month’s exorbitant bills and taxes. I left home at 06.21 first battling with London Blunderground from Watford to get here.

While stood on the concourse at London Bridge clutching my overpriced coffee from CaféBucksRepublic, last nights Evening Standard billboard caught my eye.

‘Cameron dreams of a Better Britain’ it said.

AngryBritain.com dreams of a Better Britain too, so I thought I’d get in touch via the the interweb and say hello, and maybe even see if we could be friends on TwiFaceSpace.

Let me introduce you to www.AngryBritain.com. We are the online home of fed up Brits. A place where like-minded individuals gather and share experiences of the horrors of living in Brown’s Britain.

We’ve been on telly and radio quite a bit, and you might even have heard of us, though we would never be that presumptuous. We’ve even got a couple of thousand followers on Twitter. Not bad for a fat bloke with an internet connection and an overdraft. Some way off @Wossy I grant you but he blocked me anyway so sod him.

If you peruse the following link, you’ll see some of these real-life horrors for yourself:

http://www.angrybritain.com/beef.html

Interesting reading yes?

As a nation, we’ve had enough. Had enough of high taxes, bad Government, dishonesty, poor manners, lawless streets and discourtesy. AngryBritain.com is here to stay and we’ll always battle on to mend Broken Britain long after the Scottish windbag, or whoever happens to succeed him come May 2010 has forgotten about their election promises.

What AngryBritain wants to know is: Are you really any different? Do you really care about ‘mending Broken Britain’

If you do, you might just get my vote.

Finally, I read this morning that you want to ‘Sprinkle a little stardust’ in your cabinet and the house-hunting thinking-man’s TV crumpet Kirstie Allsop is ‘In advanced discussions’. AngryBritain would like to be ‘In advanced discussions’ too or maybe even just grab one of those overpriced CafeBucksRepublic Coffees with you some time.

We’ll even pay - out of our own non-expensed pockets.

What have you got to lose?

Oh yes, an election.

The AngryMan

www.angrybritain.com

www.twitter.com/angrybritain

angryman@angrybritain.com

You think you know someone ...

2009-09-16T12:42:00.006+01:00

You think you know someone, right?

You think you've got them down, their funny ways, habits and how they do business and then straight out of nowhere they suprise you and show their true colours.

All that previous history obliterated in seconds.

It's not very often this blog is personal, but today AngryBritain.com is smarting. We've been let down badly by a friend.

That person knows who he is, and we hope he's happy.

AngryBritain will soldier on without him yet despite this we still wish him well.