Afternoon Extras

Alex caught up for an exclusive chat with Adam Slevin the Director of Creative Design & Experience and Andy Hygate the Operations Director at Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool.The park is pretty much Alex's second home... so he was keen to discuss what happens behind the scenes to keep the park running with rides that are well over 100 years old, to the latest in modern roller coasters.

One of Blackpool Pleasure Beach's biggest attractions is the huge viking themed Valhalla ride. Opened as the largest, private Millennium project in 2000, it has been closed since 2019 for a multi-million pound re-imagining. Now ready for re-opening... Alex talked Beth into having a ride on it! They also caught up with the team behind the re-imagining to talk about all the work that's gone on behind the scenes.

Loads of fun to be had on 16/17 July at the Beach in Port Erin... Alex chats to Steve George one of the organisers.

Karl Millar popped in to chat with Alex about the Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride taking place on May 22nd to raise money for Prostate Cancer & Men's Mental Health. If you fancy taking part in this worldwide event register online at www.gentlemansride.com #iom #manxradio

Alex chats to Mike, Lottie (who he accidentally keeps calling Charlie) and Liam about the huge range of events coming up this Easter for the Rush Hour event which are suitable for families and enthusiasts alike on the Island's Unique Heritage Transport systems.

Alex chats to Karl Millar from MyProm and Oliver Cheshire from Douglas Town Centre Management about the free parking available for the Red Arrows Display this weekend brought to you by Manx Radio, IFGL and the Domestic Events fund... oh and they tried some special Red Arrows food aswell!

Sunday Night at the Villa Marina - Alex chats with Matt James about the upcoming Taylorian show bringing light and entertainment in a dark time for the arts.

Alex went along to the Crogga House open day in aid of Alder Hey and Rebecca House to chat to the team behind the open day; Callum Tilley and Cade Williamson from Crogga Valley Railway and also organisers Neil Duncan and Chrissie Duncan. #iom #manxradio

Christy catches up with singer songwriter Becky Lawrence, who has heard in the past few days that she is a Finalist in the Uk Country Music Awards - AND that her latest single, 'You Say' has gone to the top of the iTunes Country Music Chart. The single is out now on all major platforms. Follow Becky at https://www.facebook.com/beckylawrenceuk/

Did you know that you could have a techy treasure trove sitting in a drawer at home? Possibly even enough to pay for a mini break?! With lots of us always looking for the next upgrade on phones and other techy toys, we could be missing a trick by just leaving the old ones to gather gust. Christy spoke to one man who knows better than most how we could be turning these dusty old Gadgets into gold...

Christy catches up with Director Tony Finnegan, Assistant Director Liz Dixon (who also plays Sister Berthe) and Beth Christian who plays Sister Margaretta in the Douglas Choral Union's fast approaching production 'The Sound of Music'. The show is in association with Manx Radio and starts at the Gaiety on Feb 14th 2020 and runs til the 22nd Feb. Tune in to Manx Radio all next week (from 10th Feb) to win tickets!

Shout out to all the Des’s out there! If you’re taking part in dry January – or just don’t drink - it used to be that there was little more than fizzy pop, juice or water on offer in the pubs and bars. Now though, we live in a time where fake gins, boozeless beers and 0% wine are all on offer. But what do they taste like and how healthy are they? Christy DeHaven caught up with industry veteran Claire Warner from Seedlip and Æcorn Aperitifs, who is on a mission to shake up the non-alcoholic drinks market to make sure The New Roaring 20s don’t become the Boring 20s...

Christy caught up with well known local musician and teacher Katie Lawrence about the new class at the Manx Music Festival this year which came from an idea she had!

Do you have a fabulous feline? Christy catches up with broadcaster and writer Andrew Collins, one of the judges of the 2020 National Cat Awards. There are five categories, including Hero Cat – cats which save the day, and Most Caring Cat, which seeks to celebrate cats that positively impact a person’s wellbeing; the Furr-ever Friends award celebrates tales of friendship between children and cats, while Outstanding Rescue Cat is awarded to fabulous felines adopted from animal charities. The overall winner - the National Cat of the Year 2020 - will inherit the title from Jeffree, a life-changing moggy from Coventry who helped teenager Finn Hackeson, who has Asperger syndrome, cope with the death of his father. Visit www.cats.org.uk/national-cat-awards to enter - and good luck!

Vicki Selleck from NESTA talks to Alex about what we can expect from the next decade in terms of new technology and trends.

Known for their successes in the world of entertainment, father and son Larry and George Lamb have teamed up with Nationwide to offer advice on how to make the most of our money - sharing their own stories of saving too. Speaking to Christy DeHaven for the Afternoon Show, Larry also reveals what his thoughts are on the fast approaching Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special, in which he'll feature again as Gavin's father, Mick; and George tells us about his brilliant farming initiative 'Grow'. For more information about savings @AskNationwide ; to follow the Lambs @larrylamb47 @georgemlamb

It’s official – being snug is good for us! And with meteorological winter kicking in this Sunday, Christy has been speaking to two people who can help us master the art of ‘Cosyology’. TV presenter Kate Humble - who spends a large amount of her time warming up from spending so much time outside in the harsh British weather - and Swedish Lifestyle Expert Catharina Björkman at Contura, are on hand to help us make it through the winter feeling happier and healthier.

Behavioural expert and TV presenter Jez Rose looks at new research from TK Maxx about our gifting habits and offers Christy a rather wonderful gift to help boost her own Christmas spirit : foolproof advice on how to get the perfect present! (full interview)

Following research which shows 63% of Brits are baffled by buying wine (and 90% of us are bluffing it), Aldi has launched its very own wine course to help shoppers pick out their perfect CabSav without drawing a Sauvignon blank. Sam Caporn is a qualified Mistress of Wine - one of only 125 in the world - and Christy DeHaven caught up with her to find out about the online course, which is completely free, and also get some handy hints and tips from her on how to make sure we get the wine that works best for our weekend treats.

10 million tonnes of food are thrown away every year in the UK, valued at an estimate of £17 billion annually. But if you're a savvy diner, you can serve up the previous night’s leftovers for breakfast or their main meal the following day, thus saving money and reducing waste into the bargain. But would you ask for a doggy bag if you're out in a posh restaurant? Jamie Crummie, Co-founder of Too Good To Go, the world’s largest surplus food marketplace, joins Christy DeHaven to discuss why it is important for people to reduce their waste.

Nowadays he might be known as 'Spiderman's Dad', but Dominic Holland has decades of comedy, TV and writing under his own very accomplished belt. He also has proud family ties to - and memories of - the Isle of Man and is happy for Spideyson Tom to be called Manx. He's been drafted* in today to help us get the best from our heating and save us from the Winter Tax, with some top winter hacks. (*pun intended!) An accomplished author, Dominic has just released latest book I,GABRIEL and he also tells Christy how he plans to republish novel OPEN LINKS via THE BROTHERS TRUST with all proceeds being diverted to ANTHONY NOLAN - read a book, save a life. Find out more at www.dominicholland.co.uk

From choosing a bottle of gin, to buying a pair of jeans, or deciding which movie to download…for good or bad you now have some help in the form of influencers. It’s a growing industry and now there’s even a chart of the most influential mummy bloggers, who can earn millions each year. Christy speaks to Jo Middleton - creator of the multi-award-winning parenting and lifestyle blog Slummy Single Mummy - and Ross Furlong from influencer agency Influbase to find out more.

Chef Pippa Lovell, originally from Leicester, has been making something of a name for herself since moving to the Island. Her restaurant ‘Versa’, in Foraging Vintners, takes the celebration of Manx produce to a whole new level; she features foraged ingredients, cutting down on travel miles but also making sure what is on your plate is as fresh, local and nutritious as it possibly can be. And her work is being recognised – she was recently featured on BBC Northwest and today (Monday 11th Nov), she is at the European finals of the San Pellegrino Young Chef of the World competition – where she has very definite plans to promote her Island home. Christy went to see her before she left to find out about the dish she’ll be cooking

Beth Espey catches up with the Dogs Trust CEO Owen Sharp about the famous "A Dog is for life, not just for Christmas" campaign.

Howard Caine caught up with the original exercise guru green goddess herself; Diana Moran to see if it's ever too late to start exercising!

The Chairman of the Isle of Man Victorian Society Bob Stimpson talks to Sarah Hendy about the new set of stamps being released to celebrated Manxman Frank Gill who was key to the creation of the BBC.

Jason Bradbury from TV's The Gadget Show chats with Alex about whether tech has helped us realise our childhood dreams.. and how new tech might be able to do things that today's youngsters only dream about!

How do you sleep at night? If your answer is ‘badly’ then you’re not alone.. a survey by The Sleep Council has revealed that, on average, we Brits really do struggle to get to sleep, averaging about 149 bad nights in a year. Top sleep expert Professor Jason Ellis and his team have created “The 10 commandments of Good Sleep” and Christy caught up with him recently to find out what they are...

How do you sleep at night? If you’re answer is ‘badly’ then you’re not alone.. a survey by The Sleep Council has revealed that, on average, we Brits really do struggle to get to sleep, averaging about 149 BAD nights in a year. Top sleep expert Professor Jason Ellis and his team have created “The 10 commandments of good sleep” and Christy caught up with him recently to find out what they are...

Are you one of the lottery regulars who’ll be glued to the telly this weekend with your ticket in hand, hoping to hear your lucky numbers read out? And what If you did win, would it really make you happy? TV therapists The Speakmans have been looking into that very question and Christy caught up with them recently to see if money really does make the world go around, of it the best things in life are free...

Who’d have thought that caravanning could be considered cool? This week has seen a huge event take place in London celebrating the mobile holiday homes, and you might be surprised to hear that numbers of dedicated caravanning, campervanning and motorhoming fanatics are on the up...Christy caught up with Matt Allwright – him off of Rogue Traders and the BBC One Show – to find out more (full interview)

Mental health sick days and more variety when it comes to workplace benefits – businesses seem to be getting better at considering their employee’s well-being; however, there is one four-legged perk that should be in every office. Christy caught up with psychologist Jo Hemmings for the Afternoon Show to find out more (full interview)

Christy catches up with comedian Lucy Porter for the Afternoon Show, to discuss how working parents can maybe find some time to chill out (full interview)