[Jon]

Don't forget the video recorders tonight all UK based wouldbe Kiwi's.

Billy Connolly's World Tour Of New Zealand - Any bets on the number of Lord of the rings references?


Cheers
Jon

[Diny]

Thanks for the info Jon. I will definately be watching that .

Diny

[markkellaway]

Thanks a lot for this tip, just looked on "On The Box" (www.onthebox.com) and it's an eight part series!!!

Must set video, must set video, must set video........

Mark. :P

[Caven]

Can't beat a bit o' the big 'yin!

Let's hope he steers clear of hostage jokes this time. He's still the best for me, though, we all make boo-boos.

"Can I have a roll of nilononunum?"

"A roll of ####### what?"

Classic.

[Diny]

Big Yin

I find him strangely attractive - even with a purple beard, and what about that Harley-Davidson trike he rides....... phwoarrrrr :nice1

Diny

[Timbo]

Dont be deceived by the stage act. I met the man himself when he was out for the day with his two little girls and he was charming.
I will definately be recording the whole series, if for nothing else other than to give to my Dad so that he has a better picture of NZ.
Talking of which, I am sure that I have seen advertised a DVD that is essentially a guided tour. Any clues as to where I saw it/can buy it???

[Diny]

That's it !!!!!

Just finished watching episode 1 of Billy Connoly's World Tour Of NZ.

I'm getting one of those trikes !!!!!!!!

What a beautiful country.

Brilliant programme - looks like it's going to be a good series. I bet the amount of OEI's submitted after the last show finishes will rise a fair bit.

I have to admit though - if I was planning on going to Dunedin town I think I'd plan again :no

Diny

[Mildred]

I would have enjoyed it more if my two kids hadn't been up late watching it :roll:

My 8 year old daughter didn't realise that half of what he said was rude but my son, however, can't wait to look up all those new words in the dictionery :?

[AliJax]

EIGHT WEEKS :wah .........EIGHT WEEKS :wah ........WE'LL BE IN NZ IN 6, AND MISS WHAT AUCKLAND IS LIKE :wah .

:laugh :laugh :laugh

oh no I'll know exactly what Auckland is like - but miss what Billy has to say about it.

I'm with you Diny, Linda hates mbikes - but said "..them bikes are brill...!" [YES] :nice1

[captainxmas]

Great show to look forward to, I love all the little nuggets of local history that he digs up. Stuff you don't usually find on your tod.

And god do I love them big open roads...

Right on about Dunedin Diny, it didn't grab like we expected and there's bound to be an increase of 'fasionable immigrants' damn. Perhaps the show was funded by the NZIS to get their quotas up??? :laugh

[Danpoll]

Luckily I was out last night so I recoreded the show. Therefore I had the bliss of fastforwarding thru the stand up. I cant see what was wrong with Dunedin and I will still go there. especially the bank, beats my local branch. Wonder what the cheque book looks like.

He is in Greymouth and Queenstown next saturday, set the video again.

It was hard to grasp any sort of opinion on the place, other than it looks stunningly beautiful.

Dan

[Diny]

Sorry Dan

I didn't mean to knock Dunedin - it just looked abit tatty that's all. However - the surrounding area is wonderful - I can guarantee you that.

Sorry to have to put another negative in ...... but ..... Greymouth !!!! No - not nice - sorry.

I promise that's the last of my negatives - I'm just glad he's getting my 2 least favourite places out of the way early on in the series :nice1

What about that trike ???????????? My next Harley will have to have an extra wheel I think.

Diny

[Brit Guy]

I used to really like Billy Connolly, however, as my wife pointed out (she doesn’t like bad language) he can’t seem to tell a joke without swearing!.. no need really, he would still be funny just the same. I’m still looking forward to the series though, just to see the various places he travels to. I wish there was more of the ‘places’ that he visits and maybe less of his audiences. Hope he will visit Christchurch (does anyone know??) And, when was this recorded?

[Danpoll]

no offense taken, It revealed a somewhat quirky side to Kiwis. I particulary like the guy that shot the monument so he got community service to moe its lawns, judges with a sense of humour great.

Dan

[Watt Dabney]

WD

[Timbo]

Talking of Billy, there is a reference to him and an NZ connection at the end of this article from Stuff

Farewell to 'a favourite aunt'
20 November 2004
By HANK SCHOUTEN


A three-generation tie with the navy's oldest ship, HMNZS Canterbury, will come to an end when it is decommissioned next year.



Among the crew for her last visit to Wellington this weekend are Warrant Officer Mike Dench, of Warkworth, and his 18-year-old son Andrew, a navy chef.

But their father and grandfather Jack Dench is also part of the frigate's history – he was chief petty officer when it was launched by Princess Anne in Glasgow in 1970.

They calculate a member of the Dench family has been on the crew for half her 33 years at sea.

"It's been a big part of the family history," said Mike. He remembers going to Britain as a 10-year-old when his father was posted there for the commissioning. He also remembers the great days when the family would go down to the wharf at Devonport whenever his dad came home from an overseas deployment.

The Canterbury was like a "favourite aunt", a ship with a lot of spirit and great morale. Despite its age it was still able to hitch up its skirts and go, he said.

It is the last of the navy's four Leander class frigates that is still operational.

Canterbury's 22nd and last skipper, Commander Peter Kempster, said: "It's an honour to be the last commanding officer of any ship, let alone the Canterbury, being the ship she is.

"She's always been the best looking . . . even though she's 33 years old she's got really nice lines and she still looks good."

But after nearly 100,000 sea miles and 69,000 hours at sea it is showing its age.

Last year a serious fire hit the auxiliary switchboard, and a survey found weaknesses and corrosion in the hull under the engine and boiler room.

A quick fix has kept it going till next year but a shortage of spare parts and the cost of more work means its life cannot be extended.

Two more exercises are scheduled for early next year before final farewell visits to the Canterbury's home ports of Lyttelton and Timaru.

The decommission ball will be a big event. Legend has it that Scottish comedian Billy Connolly was a welder in the Yarrow yard when it was built. It's hoped he could be master of ceremonies.

Commander Kempster said Canterbury was likely to be disposed of quickly – either sunk or sold for scrap within weeks of decommissioning, rather than kept for spares or as a shoreside training ship.

In Wellington, HMNZS Canterbury, berthed at Queens Wharf, will be open for public tours from 1pm to 4pm today and tomorrow. It is due to leave Wellington for the last time on Monday.

[Babette & Andy]

Loved the programme, but at times when he really gets going have to concentrate hard on what he's saying :? His sense of humour does tickle me though; especially the joke abou the Scotsman, Welshman, Irishman en Englishman - said it all for me :laugh :laugh
Look forward to the rest of the series.
Babette :nice1

[Diny]

I think if you can ignore the expletives he's brilliant, the bad language is just his way - I stopped noticing it afer a while. That joke was funny Babette - very apt.

I also loved the one about the man who thought he was a moth. :nice1

Diny

[Moorf]

:wah

I want to see this programme tooooo..... did someone say there is a DVD out for it already?

Where, where where?

[Rimbo]

Just watched it tonight and loved it.
Billy Connoly is all about humour at its rawest. If your offended reach over the cat for the remote and watch I'm a Celeb. :eek
for me i loved the short snippits of Invercargill and Dunedin. If i wanted a mini london or manchester i would not bother looking at NZ. Greymouth will be worse by all accounts, Bring it on Billy, for me this is what NZ is all about!
:nice1

John

[Pakeha Boy]

HMNZS Canterbury eh.
My old ship that. I was assigned to Canterbury in 1978.

Thanks for that snippet Timbo.

[jo b]

I missed it :(

Thought it started next week but my sis has taped it :clap

Thank God for big sisters

I luv Billy, his biography written by his wife was brilliant.

Jo

[Slatch]

I will definately be recording the whole series, if for nothing else other than to give to my Dad so that he has a better picture of NZ.
Talking of which, I am sure that I have seen advertised a DVD that is essentially a guided tour. Any clues as to where I saw it/can buy it???

http://www.sendit.com/circle/search?words=new+zealand&f=dvd&x=12&y=11

I think "Coast to Coast 2004" is possibly the guided tour you refer to, of which I am waiting for to come into stock from this, the only UK stockist I could find. You may also notice Billy's Tour video at a reduced price! Sorry Moorf, not a NZ website but you could possibly get it sent over, although I'm sure it would be available in NZ.

[Timbo]

Thanks slatch. :nice1

[Babette & Andy]

Slatch / Timbo - I've ordered the Coast to Coast DVD through the website that was recommended here on the forum by I believe Sandra:
http://www.nzvt.co.nz/
If it's anything as good as the write up, I would almost class it as essential viewing for us all. :nice1

Babette

[captainxmas]

Babette

I'm no expert on DVD's but the description on that link says that it is NTSC Open Zone, are you sure it will run on a PAL dvd player?

Hopefully not sorry :hopeso

[sarahw]

We got coast to coast through play.com a few weeks ago - have only had chance to watch the first half about the North Island - it is interesting. :nice1 (play.com's website said it was a region 2 DVD, but on the back of the cover it reads:

'This DVD is NTSC open zone and will play on any multi-standard or NTSC player.'

All I can say is it works on our player & ours is a UK-only player. :mrgreen:

[Babette & Andy]

Thanks Sarah & Captainxmas - :hopeso hope it works when we get it.

Babette

[leslie]

just the IDEA of naked bungy makes me CRINGE - and i'm a curatin hater. he does add in all the little fun bits you'd never otherwise know. must have excellent researcher...

11 yrs ago we spent 5+ days in dun, and must say found it v charming and not nearly as backward as seemed in show. didn't show lovely beaches etc. one would think like other cities it has progressed? that said, if you are big city type wherever you go worldwide small towns will seem, well, small.

its all v encouraging though...

[Slatch]

I'm no expert on DVD's but the description on that link says that it is NTSC Open Zone, are you sure it will run on a PAL dvd player?

The link Babette refers to has a NZ version of the disk, the other websites mentioned have a region 2 version which is PAL and will work anywhere in Europe.
It is easy enough to change a DVD to 'multiregion 0' just by putting a sequence found here at www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks, which has most DVD's. Saves £20-30 taking it to a shop or paying that little bit extra for a multiregion DVD.

[markkellaway]

Just saw Billy in Christchurch, to Anne shouting "we bought our souveniers from that shop!!!!" What a great show though, to see those empty roads and fantastic scenery has got me fired up again, if only I could wind the clock forward six months. :yes

Mark. :P

[Babette & Andy]

if only I could wind the clock forward six months.

Same here Mark! Was a bit dissapointed that he didn't show more of Nelson, apart from the WOW museum. Guess he really liked it.

Anyway, received the Coas to Coast DVD and it works no problem, only watched a little as is supposed to be a Christmas present :yes . From ordering it took about 10days to receive it, so pretty impressive.

Babette

[markkellaway]

Hi Babette,

We also ordered the DVD, £13.99, hopefully here soon so we can get some more eye candy!.

Mark. :P

[Bubbles]

If anyone hasn't seen the Blly in New Zealand series.

http://www.bbcshop.com/invt/8228900&bklist=icat,3,,newreleases

Cheers

[Timbo]

John. Iam pretty certain I saw the dvd for sale in the national press for only £17.99. Will try and find the ad.

[markkellaway]

Hi Guys,

http://www.play.com/play247.asp?pa=stcs4&page=title&r=R2&title=184459

£17-99 Delivered.

Mark. :P

[Bubbles]

Tim and Mark,
thanks for the updates :nice1