Random musings and general banter.

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All the discussion of Zhuzh! set me thinking as to when I first saw it and then purchased some. I have vague recollection of seeing it on IW, then finding it at a lower price direct.

In any event I purchased direct in May 2007, delivery was £1.50.

Edit - Found an earlier purchase, Sept 2004, again direct.
 
I looked back at Steve’s Wikipedia entry earlier. I had completely forgotten that he left Ideal World in 2003. He came back to the channel with Zhuzh! essentially as a guest with a product to sell, rather than present. Thus, in fairness to Simon, he (Whatley) could have turned up on Bid-Up doing similar with Peter as the showcasing host, perhaps?
 
Pedro is really an awful piece of humanity. He doesn’t care what he says (lies) about anyone or anything to get a sale.

I remember Steve launching Zhuzh but pretty certain Pedro wasn’t with Ideal World then.
Some or most of the modern day presenters could learn a lot from Steve. OK yes he did mention his private life on occasion but he always gave full details of whatever product he was selling. I think he often was on with Joan Rivers when she was on QVC and she’d always give him a piece of her jewellery for his wife.

whether you liked Steve or not, he was always professional and looked smart. Pedro take note
 
I looked back at Steve’s Wikipedia entry earlier. I had completely forgotten that he left Ideal World in 2003. He came back to the channel with Zhuzh! essentially as a guest with a product to sell, rather than present. Thus, in fairness to Simon, he (Whatley) could have turned up on Bid-Up doing similar with Peter as the showcasing host, perhaps?
I am sure that Zhuzh was launched on Ideal World in 2001 and it was the only shopping channel it could be purchased from.
 
Two as I recall. Or was it three at times? Loved horses also. Though, I don’t think he brought one of those in..

Apart from the tragic nature of his death, I suspect he was also brought down in mood in terms by the court case a few years previously. I won’t go into it in detail as it is documented elsewhere. Suffice to say, he was cleared of three of the four charges with the jury undecided on the fourth.
 
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He didn't last long on Gems, a month !!! Really can't think why.......really can't think why they employed him in the first place. Anybody remember him on there or did they make him do the 2am to 6am slot
Sadly, I do remember Pope Peter on Gems, even though if you'd blinked you'd missed it. One day, when I finish my therapy, I will write a book about it (look, buy it - just buy it and don't forget to put it on your insurance).

One cherished(?) memory is of what was, I believe, his first night of presenting and poor Rachel Hatton had the enviable task :eek: of introducing him to the masses. This was then the late night slot (11.00 pm, I think). Well, of course he kicked off straight away, shouting and gesturing, smirking and talking over Rachel, moving around the set and doing a poor man's Larry Grayson, the only difference being that Larry could be funny. Rachel stood there looking as though she'd been hit by a bulldozer. I must say I admired her for the way she remained calm, all the while looking at the camera with her eyebrows raised about 6ft and her jaw somewhere on her feet. In the end, I think she just said something along the lines of 'you'll be with Peter for the next x number of hours, see you soon everyone' - and then she skedaddled. Personally, I would have felt like punching him where it hurts if I'd have been her, but all credit to Rachel she remained professional, although quite obviously shell-shocked, poor soul. She's a better woman than I, that's for sure.

He just wanted her off set and gone, made it completely obvious, so that he could start his "act" for the masses. OH and I couldn't believe what we'd just seen - we'd deliberately tuned in for the laughs, but just looked at one another and said "what the...?". Husband said a sentence ending in something like "rude git", I seem to recall. We still laugh about it. So much for one big happy family crapspeak - his ethos was seemingly 'don't let anyone upstage me, I'm the star'.
 
Sadly, I do remember Pope Peter on Gems, even though if you'd blinked you'd missed it. One day, when I finish my therapy, I will write a book about it (look, buy it - just buy it and don't forget to put it on your insurance).

One cherished(?) memory is of what was, I believe, his first night of presenting and poor Rachel Hatton had the enviable task :eek: of introducing him to the masses. This was then the late night slot (11.00 pm, I think). Well, of course he kicked off straight away, shouting and gesturing, smirking and talking over Rachel, moving around the set and doing a poor man's Larry Grayson, the only difference being that Larry could be funny. Rachel stood there looking as though she'd been hit by a bulldozer. I must say I admired her for the way she remained calm, all the while looking at the camera with her eyebrows raised about 6ft and her jaw somewhere on her feet. In the end, I think she just said something along the lines of 'you'll be with Peter for the next x number of hours, see you soon everyone' - and then she skedaddled. Personally, I would have felt like punching him where it hurts if I'd have been her, but all credit to Rachel she remained professional, although quite obviously shell-shocked, poor soul. She's a better woman than I, that's for sure.

He just wanted her off set and gone, made it completely obvious, so that he could start his "act" for the masses. OH and I couldn't believe what we'd just seen - we'd deliberately tuned in for the laughs, but just looked at one another and said "what the...?". Husband said a sentence ending in something like "rude git", I seem to recall. We still laugh about it. So much for one big happy family crapspeak - his ethos was seemingly 'don't let anyone upstage me, I'm the star'.
How he has lasted so long is a mystery. Hard to believe but his ridiculous antics must move product. When someone swears a lot, you tend to become immune to bad language, the shock value fades. I suppose it's similar with him, everyone accepts he's an idiot; Peter's just made an outrageous claim, Peter's just told a dirty joke, Peter's implied that the first flexi is the total price. So what? Move on.

But it never sits easy with me and I think quite a lot of us on here. We expect higher standards of honesty and decency but this irritating man lives in a time warp and is well beyond his own sell by date.
 
He must survive because of either sales or what he knows about people? He surely cannot survive on the ‘quality’ of his act. A ghastly human anachronism from the days of telex machines, Provident Cheques, half-day closing and keeping dripping at the butchers…Double entendres, sexual tongue posturing and general leering to camera. Larry Graysonesque stares to camera on a tediously repetitive basis. It has to surely be increased sales compared to others. I cannot imagine who he appeals to in 2024, but clearly those people are out there still (just), and must buy during his broadcasts. Or maybe nobody has the front to face him and tell him the party’s over.
 
He must survive because of either sales or what he knows about people? He surely cannot survive on the ‘quality’ of his act. A ghastly human anachronism from the days of telex machines, Provident Cheques, half-day closing and keeping dripping at the butchers…Double entendres, sexual tongue posturing and general leering to camera. Larry Graysonesque stares to camera on a tediously repetitive basis. It has to surely be increased sales compared to others. I cannot imagine who he appeals to in 2024, but clearly those people are out there still (just), and must buy during his broadcasts. Or maybe nobody has the front to face him and tell him the party’s over.
You missed out: shops in the 1970s that would display signs in the window saying "no obligation to buy"! Even when I was 8 years old that annoyed me.
 
He must survive because of either sales or what he knows about people? He surely cannot survive on the ‘quality’ of his act. A ghastly human anachronism from the days of telex machines, Provident Cheques, half-day closing and keeping dripping at the butchers…Double entendres, sexual tongue posturing and general leering to camera. Larry Graysonesque stares to camera on a tediously repetitive basis. It has to surely be increased sales compared to others. I cannot imagine who he appeals to in 2024, but clearly those people are out there still (just), and must buy during his broadcasts. Or maybe nobody has the front to face him and tell him the party’s over.

The sales, we may find his sale techniques horrible but think about the audience he is selling to and he must sell stuff as when IW2 collapsed TJC picked him up pretty quick.
 

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