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Deleted member 21838
Guest Shopper
You were/are a good man. Like Paul Lavers, you gave us the humour when you were on-air. Sad day when you no longer appeared on the old Ideal World. Along with Paul Lavers, and Jilly Halliday at QVC, one of my favourite shopping television presenters of all time.Thank you so much. I truly appreciate that!
That was a fun night and the basis for wanting Grant to co-host my online show. He's a genuinely great guy and I always enjoyed trying to throw him off his game because his reactions were priceless.
Entertainment is (or should be) a huge part of shopping TV. At the end of the day, it's TV! If no-one wants to tune in, keep watching, and come back for more, what's the point?!
For any shopping channel, the emphasis is sales, of course. However, my philosophy and approach has always been: if the product is flying off the shelves, shut up and let the sales come in. If it's not, dial up the entertainment to keep the audience tuned in and maybe another product in the show will be more appealing. If people don't end up buying anything during that show, at least they've had a good time and will watch again, when they may choose to buy something.
It's about providing a balance between the company's needs and the needs of the customers. You can't ram everything down everyone's throats all the time! A customer is for life, not just for Christmas, type of thing. One has to look at the big picture.
I’m still in London at the moment. I was going to New York for three months in September, then back to LA afterwards (where I still have a home). Unfortunately, the Screen Actors Guild, of which I am a member, went on strike in July, following similar action by the Writers Guild a few months earlier, so all US film and television production closed down, which scuppered my plans.
The writers have brokered a deal and hopefully the actors will soon follow suit. Once it’s all sorted, I’ll spend 50% of my time in the States and 50% in the UK. That’s the plan.
Very much so! As my teacher used to say, “If acting were easy, everyone would be good at it!” It’s a profession you have to stick to. You can’t win unless you’re playing the game.
I was a ‘jobbing’ actor in LA—I worked regularly and made a good living once I was established. That’s all I really wanted and expected. I’m under no illusions about being a ‘star’. I just love doing the job and, as a working actor, one of the ‘that guy in that thing’ types, I’m happy.
The pandemic decimated show business, and my career. Combined with the strikes, everyone is in recovery mode, but one just has to get back on the horse and keep riding. Truth be told, I wish acting wasn’t my all-consuming passion because I wouldn’t wish a career in entertainment on my worst enemy!
I’ve been in the ‘transactional TV’ game for so long now that I can’t help but keep an active interest. Also, many of the crew and presenters are good friends, so I genuinely care about their welfare and careers.
I have many opinions, but, given my tendency to put my foot in my mouth, I’m going to plead the fifth. Yes, it’s a cop-out I confess, but even if I don’t necessarily agree with how people do things, I still respect them for trying.
What I will say though is this. I was very lucky to have had seven glorious years at QVC. They were, and still are, a phenomenal company and I miss working there. You could say that I was spoiled by their high standards and focus on quality, innovation, and customer experience. It’s hard to compare them to anyone else really, especially when most others do their utmost to be ‘different’ to QVC. Well, after 37 years on the air globally, and billions spent on consumer research and operational excellence, doing it ‘differently’ usually means doing it worse. That’s why so many live channels have come and gone over the years, while QVC UK just celebrated their 30th anniversary.
There isn’t a ‘regular’ place at the moment, though I pop up on TV all the time, especially now that many US shows I was in are being repeated in the UK. I’ll keep you updated.
As the saying goes, ‘never say never’. There would have to be several caveats for me to return, if they would even want me to. The phone hasn't rung yet.
Going back to what I said earlier about entertainment, people often mistake my humour for not caring, whereas the complete opposite is true. They don’t always agree with my philosophy and approach, even though it’s a proven formula and appreciated by the majority of people who watch me. I also believe, as a performer, that you have to be true to your ‘brand’. I am who I am, I do what I do, take it or leave it. That will be for them to decide.
My absolute please! Any time. I'm an open book. Not always the book you want to read, but on the shelf anyway when you do.
Hugely appreciated. The same to you and anyone else reading this much longer message than I originally intended to type.
