I think I’m addicted to Trip Advisor

It says it all in the title of this blog. I’m addicted to something. A website. 

Life before Trip Advisor was so easy. You wanted to go to hotel or restaurant, you just go. Ok, you may have asked friends if they had been and based on their feedback you would make a judgement on if it was worth going to said destination.

Now you check the reviews online because you don’t want to be the idiot who will pay for poor service, poor food or a poor experience

My addiction to Trip Advisor started when I moved house about a year ago. I moved from a town that had only a few typical food chains to visit to a big city that had hundreds of different independent establishments to try.  Seeing that I did not know many people in the area where I lived I had rely on the good people of Trip Advisor to tell me if it was wasting time and money visiting. 

I’m really fussy about which information I trust. I won’t visit a restaurant with less than 50 reviews. You would ‘assume’ staff or friends of staff would be among the first lot of people to leave a positive review. So the larger review core the better. I’ll make a point in reading the very good reviews and the poor reviews. I won’t read the ‘Excellent’ or ‘Terrible’ reviews. I’m always suspicious on these reviews. Not sure why. Generally it will be people who had a really nice meal and didn’t actually pay themselves (Excellent) or people who did pay and something was not to their own standard (Terrible). It is as if I have my own formula to finding a great place to eat. Some people would call this sad (and rightly so) 

So now before dining out I will spend about an HOUR looking at all the places where I would like to eat and decide on the opinion of other people, people I don’t even know (who may have an agenda). Let’s be honest, we all have our own standard of what good food is. Some people think Nando’s is incredible, when let’s be honest, it is just posh KFC? 

I’m also finding myself writing reviews of each restaurant I visit. One’s where I have already left a review. There really is no need. At first I was just commenting on the food and the service. Now I am writing about the decor or the cleanliness of the toilets (please someone,  dis-connect my Trip Advisor account). I am using quotes from others in my party to describe the food. On a recent visit to a restaurant my mother said ‘the best fishcakes I have ever tasted’ – I included this in my review! As if anyone would actually care (cringe). If my mum was a world class chef, then maybe this would be a good review.

II spend too much time previewing where I am going to eat, and reviewing what I have eaten when I get home. My addiction to Trip Advisor is at a manageable level. It is when I start recording audio commentary into my phone during a meal for later use, which is a time to seek professional help.

 

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Tell friends they mean something.

I was really saddened to learn this week that an old school acquaintance had taken his own life. Although we were neither great friends or enemies, I feel a sense of loss. A loss for his family and close friends, a loss of a talented and creative man, a loss of someone who appeared to bring so much happiness to people. We were friends on facebook but never communicated, however it was always nice to see how the old lot from school were getting on.

It only seemed liked yesterday when we were at school together and still should be enjoying many years to come in our lives. Here I am at the age of 34 writing about his tragic passing. It just does not seem right. To take your own life you must be in a dark place. A place where you don’t see happiness anymore. Some people hide it every well from even their closest allies.

By all accounts even in the week before his death, ‘M’ was spending time with friends, doing what most young (ish) men do in their spare time. That is why there was a real sense of shock to all of his friends (close and not so close). One thing I noticed on his facebook page was an out pouring of grief (as you would expect) with contributors saying nice things about M’s personality and character. I can’t imagine losing a close friend in any circumstance. I worry about when that day comes. 

‘M’s passing has made me think about my friends more. Maybe just a nice text to a good friend could make all the difference? A catch up over lunch? Tell them why you love them being in your life?  For those who are going through a tough time and thinks NO ONE would be interested in any of their worries, you would be very much surprised. Friends don’t always show their love and what you mean to them, but it is there. I promise. 

One of the hardest things I have ever read in my life was a letter written by my dad when he knew he was dying from a terminal disease. I was only 10 when he died, I did not read the letter until I was at least 17 or 18.  I don’t think I have read the letter since. Similarly, reading a goodbye letter when someone has the intention of taking their own life is horrible. (This is something posted by the family of my old school acquaintance) 

No matter how close you were, you feel a tremendous amount of guilt wash over you. The letter mentioned a song about how he was feeling at the time. It was Katy B – Crying for no reason. I knew the song but made a point of looking at the lyrics.  It just made me realise that no matter how happy someone can be on the outside, it does not show their true feelings. I felt quite choked up reading those lyrics in regards to M’s death. 

I really hope ‘M’ has found peace. Perhaps one day we can catch up on those years we just passed each other in the school corridors without a care in the world about each other. 

As you can appreciate I would like to keep his identity private for the moment. It is very much raw for his family and close friends at this present time.  For those reading who does know who this blog is dedicated to, I know you’ll be feeling the same after reading some heartfelt tributes on facebook this week.

RIP Big Guy. 

 

 

 

Friends with brainstorming benefits

It is amazing how a chat over a cup of coffee with a mate can inspire you to do different things, or try a different approach in your life or work.

I was catching up with my best friend Gema earlier this week. Gema is also a media type (more so tv than radio).

One area of our friendship I value is how we’ll talk about work – not the usual moaning and complaining (ok there is a tiny bit of that) but in the main how to evolve as better broadcasters, better communicators and challenge ourselves to achieve more.

There we were on Wednesday in this rather rustic coffee shop in London, scoffing down coffee and cake. We were talking about the success of Gema’s blog. It really is great. She re-invents old clothes and crafts and talks about it in such a fun way (i’ll put the link on here if you fancy a read). Gema is so creative. Her mind is always full of ideas and is certainly one of these people who need more than 24 hours in any given day.

Although what she writes about is not a main interest of mine, it is HOW she writes that makes it a great read (for me anyway).

We were discussing about how make a blog more than a just a errr blog?

Fashion and crafts is obviously very visual. You need to SEE the results, – however I simply asked Gema ‘Can fashion/crafts work at all in JUST voice, do you HAVE it see it?’

We discussed how audio could help give a new angle to her blogging. Perhaps using it to give a quick preview to what might be in an upcoming blog (giving a flavour to what the reader is about to take in). ‘Later this week check out my blog when I will looking at ……’

Maybe posting to twitter/facebook an audio preview of the blog and encouraging the ‘audience’ to read the full blog elsewhere.

How about interviews of people to listen to rather than read about? For Example, Gema once saw a woman walking down the street with a dress totally made of ties (i know, right?) Rather than take a photo and write about it later how DIFFERENT would it be that alongside the picture there was an interview too with ‘tie dress lady’ ? Much more power hearing it from the horses mouth than reading about it, right?

I’m not for one minute suggesting people don’t or never have used audio for blogs; though you’d be surprised how many people don’t when they can.

Youtube is a massive hit with beauty bloggers for example. How many do podcasts or audio tips? Seems less effort than a video?

Audio can play a massive part in blogging. It adds more of personal touch to your work.

So what would you use to record?

I suggested to Gema to use a rather cheap recording device for her phone. (VR+) it costs less than £1.50 and records direct from your phone with pretty decent quality. Using the audio recorded on the phone it is easy to upload to websites such as Soundcloud or Audioboo – these free sites are a platform for people to showcase any audio. They are pretty easy to manage and post on social networks (and embed in a blog or website). If you are worried about ‘mucking up your lines’ there is always a rather good FREE audio editing software programme called ‘Audacity’ . Really easy to use and can edit out mistakes etc.

I love these little brainstorming sessions with friends. Friends know what you are trying to achieve and can also be honest without the threat of sounding harsh. We search sometimes to what OTHERS are doing in our creative thinking when all along it could be just a quick text away to a mate!

It works the other way too. Just today I had a coffee with a work colleague of mine who has given me some real food for thought about a little project I am hoping to work on in the summer. I’ve gained some great ideas from him and looked at things differently. I feel really positive getting a different perspective on things. Can’t say too much about the project at the moment, but could be really interesting for anyone who likes the world of media (or hoping to progress in it)

When you work in media, you generally hold your ideas close to your chest. I guess just in case someone steals your idea! However talking things through with other creative types really helps you refine your idea.

If you wanted to view Gema’s blog here is a link >> Sequins and Slippers

I wonder if an audio element will make an appearance on her blog soon? (No pressure)

Let me know your thoughts about blogging whilst allowing audio be a useful edition? Is there an angle you could use? If I can help you with ideas with it, then shout!

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Crazy About One Direction!

First of all, let me just state the title of this blog is not my own personal thoughts, but the much talked about Channel 4 Documentary on Thursday 15th August.

As someone who works in the music industry, I felt this was something I needed to watch. I’m glad I did.  I’ve always realised there was a huge following of One Direction, but did not appreciate what lengths some fans (not all) go to get closer to their idols.

During the mid 1990’s I was a school boy growing up in a world where my female class mates were mad about Take That. Yes, they would have posters up on their walls, a Robbie Williams pencil-case, a Mark Owen t-shirt, but I never remember hearing stories of them waiting outside hotels or tattooing themselves to get noticed by one of the group members.

Ok, in 2013 we have social media and as the programme pointed out, twitter plays a massive role for ‘directioners’ getting their daily fix.

Just looking through twitter today, I’ve noticed many One Direction fans seem pretty angry of Channel 4’s portrayal of them. I imagine only a very small percentage would claim their behavior is similar to those who featured on the programme.  Sure, getting very excited and sometimes crying over your favourite music star is fine; having fits of jealously over their ex-lovers, not so much.

We only saw examples of the extreme fan (which obviously makes for better television). Some of it was quite fun to watch. For the older viewer with a bit more live experience you realise one day those fans will look back and laugh at themselves. We were all young once, right?

What I found rather disturbing was the twitter messages to the likes of Harry Styles. In one example, a fan was declaring if Harry did not ‘follow’ them, then they would commit suicide.

Now of course we do not know if the person who tweeted that message meant it, or was using it as a form attention seeking. Either way, it is worrying a young female (we can only assume) would even want to type those words so publically?.  I’m not even sure where you can pin the blame on someone tweeting a message like that?  Is it the hype from the music industry? Peer pressure from those on social media? The parents who have little control of what their son/daughter posts online?

Either way, I do genuinely worry about what happens when One Direction call it a day. There will be fans who see the death of the group (not literally) as the end of their own world. Sure there will be an outpouring of grief online, and luckily we live in a time where people can express their true feelings via social media and youtube etc, however it also opens up the doors to bullies who can take advantage and feed off a young person’s unhappiness like a leech.

It was a really interesting watch though. I can only think Harry, Niall, Luis, Zayn and Liam all decided to watch something else!

Follow me on twitter. You’ll find a link on the right of this page!

Andy

Motor Neurone Disease – how it affected my life

I have already posted a blog on the affect of my dad growing up but I thought I would focus on what took him away from me.

Today is motor neurone global awareness day. Whenever I hear the words ‘motor neurone’ I shudder. It brings back painful memories of being 10 and watching my dad suffer from this hideous disease. There are many different forms of MND. Some live with it for many years (like Stephen Hawking) some have an aggressive form that kills within months (like my dad).

In basic terms MND is a muscle wasting disease. It eats away at all muscles in your body. You lose all form of movement (even the ability to speak).

My dad lost movement in his arms first, then legs, then his speech was affected. The only working function in his body was his brain. He knew exactly what was going on around him, he just couldn’t do much about it. Before he lost the use of his hands he would write on a notepad to communicate, over time you could see his writing was getting worse and this was a sign of loss of muscle in his hands and arms.

My dad spent most of his illness at home. We had a conservatory at the back of the house and he would spend 24 hours in the same chair. After he lost the ability to eat or drink he was fed via drip. Sometimes in the middle of the night I would remember the machine bleeping because the liquid in the drip had run out. I used to think it was a sign that my dad had died. I used to panic and go and wake my mum up.

From what I remember my dad discovered he had MND when he had loss of grip in his hands. He went to the doctor thinking it was something minor, possibly something a few drugs or small operation could sort out. He came away with the news he had a terminal disease. From the point of that visit to the doctors to when he passed away it was about 9 months.

My dad was 56 when he died. He was in hospital at the time. As a 10 year old it was a tough time, I remember this part of my childhood more than any other part. I have more sad memories of my dads life than happy ones. I don’t remember much about my dad being active, doing those ‘dad’ things; I just remember him sitting in that chair knowing that everyday was a day closer to his death. I find it hard to remember his voice.

Motor neurone disease is horrible. For anyone who has a family member or a friend who has/had suffered from it you’ll know how painful it is to watch a loved one battle with it. Knowing you are helpless is guy wrenching.

Anyone can get MND, though it can be carried in genes of other family members. The more family members who have it, the greater chance you have of getting it too. my dad is the only person in my family (that i know of) who has had it so hopefully i’ll be ok! There is no link to lifestyle or diet, it just appears.

After watching my dad die like that I am very much pro euthanasia . I know life is precious and should never be taken for granted, but being trapped inside a body that simply does not work is NOT a life. It is suffering for the patient, it is suffering for the family members.

Peter Martindale (dad) was a fantastic family man. He was so hard working, he owned various shops on the south coast of England. Mainly home brew shops (big business in the 1980’s). He also owned a card shop. He would bring home an unopened card for my mum day on her birthday show her the card and say ‘read this, this is what I would have got for your birthday’ take the card back to the shop to sell for profit.

Through his hard work, I grew up in brand new four bedroom house on a very nice residential area near Portsmouth, England. My mum didn’t have to work, he wanted her at home to raise the family. He provided a future for his family before he passed away, and for that I am forever in his debt.

Love you dad x

Life without a parent

Andy Martindale

December 4th 1989 is a date that will live with me forever. I was in the bathroom and my mum broke the news to me that my dad had died. Although expected due my dad having a terminal disease, for a 10 year old boy it was a very distressing moment to take in.

Only a months before his death, my dad was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.
It is a muscle wasting disease that works its way around the body destroying everything its path.
It took hold of my dad very quickly, the only part of his body that worked was his brain. He was literally locked in a body that did not function. He had to be fed through an intervenes drip. That is no way to live. In a way I am glad his suffering was short lived.

There are many different forms of this disease. Stephen…

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A head start towards work experience in radio

Working as a professional radio presenter and a lecturer of media, I engage with many students about work experience. Some students require a placement as part of their curriculum, others want to gain vital experience within a radio station. Either way, it is a really competitive market. Much of it is about being lucky with timing, However, there are other elements that  could give you an advantage of getting through the door.

In my experience of working in radio stations, I see a ridicolous amount of young people emailing a radio presenter or using social media to ask if they can come on work experience. A total waste of time for various reasons.

Firstly, the presenter (in most instances) have no control of who comes in on work experience. Asking a radio station via twitter or facebook looks really unprofessional. I guess it would be like driving up to a McDonald’s ordering window and asking if they had any vacancies just after you placed an order for happy meal. Totally not the right approach and certainly to the wrong person! 

The other area negative approaches is the ‘asking’ part. ‘Would it be possible to come on work experience please?‘ – Why should the radio station take YOU on just on the basis that you have asked them?  What is making YOU different from anyone else? What can you offer a radio station that someone else can’t. Be more positive in your approach. TELL the radio station what you will bring to them. How will you be a good addition to the team in the short term.

Radio stations (particulary commercial) are very short staffed in the current climate. They would rather have you DOING something than you being shown something. In your initial correspondence, talk about your broadcasting experience within education. Explain the equipment you have used, the projects you have undertaken. If you have made audio, send it in. (no longer than 2 minutes). You need to stand out. Perhaps check with your tutor  /teacher to see what they think of the audio you are to provide

I’ll be honest, some (not all) radio stations will see a work experience student more of a hindrance than a help. If you think you will be sitting in the studio all day with the DJ’s watching them host their radio programme, you are very much mistaken. There are so many area’s that make a radio station tick.  The truth of the matter is, you will spend the least amount of time with the on air team. You need to show that you are flexible in your work skills. Despite being radio, you need to consider other skills that would help the business in its day-to-day running. Website updating, social media, good clerical skills, a friendly telephone manner etc…

Here are my top tips of enhancing YOUR chance of getting in a radio station for work experience (some of these tips are useful for general experience)

 

1) Ring the radio station and get the name/email of the person who is responsible for recruitment of work experience. You would be surprised how many people DON’T and there email is deleted.

2) Explain in your email what you can do and the skills you process.

3) Remember, don’t ask if the station does work experience! Be positive in your delivery ‘I feel these skills would benefit Station FM the next time you recruit for work experience’

4) Explain WHY you would like work experience. 

5) Mention something about the radio station. They would rather take on someone who knows what the radio station is about. ie; ‘I really like your latest tv campaign’  ‘I really enjoyed the interview with Coldplay last week’ etc…

6) State your availability. When were you hoping for your work experience, how long for. Can you work into the evening or weekend? 

 

I’m no expert in hiring work experience. However I have seen it from both sides. I have seen the mistakes people make and straight away they rule themselves out.  I can’t gaurentee these tips will work, however they will put you a couple of steps ahead of the others!

Good luck, and let me know how you get on! 

There are other media/radio blogs on this page. Enjoy! You can also follow me on twitter (click the tab on the right)

Andy

Breaking into media? Hospital Radio is a great starting point.

Whether you want a career as a radio/television presenter or just fancy trying something totally different once or twice a week, then I can totally recommend joining your local hospital radio station.

To be honest, when I joined Portsmouth Hospital Radio I was 15 (I’m now 33), I was not after a media career, I just went in for a look around! Without that visit, I have no idea what path my life would have taken!

Although I already had an interest in radio (pretending to be a DJ in my bedroom!) I never did see myself working in the industry. My mum told me one day that the brother of one of her best friends did a radio show once a week at the local hospital radio station. He had offered the chance for me to sit in on one of his programmes. I went along, watched him present his two hour programme and it looked fun! I filled out an application form that night, paid my annual subscription fee (I think it was £9) and told to come in each Monday to help present the request show between 7-8pm!  I’ll be honest, I was not that excited about the prospect, but thought I would give it a go! It was something to do that was a bit different!

I was told to come in at 4pm, meet up with the two presenters who normally present the show (both women, who didn’t exactly make me feel welcome). Although the show was not until 7pm, the early arrival allowed time to visit the wards of Q.A. Hospital in Portsmouth and take the requests from the patients. There I was, walking around the wards armed with a clipboard and pink request forms, looking for people who were well enough to engage in conversation. I found it quite daunting looking back! Some patients were very chatty, some wanted to keep you talking for ages because they were lonely.

It was a real challenge explaining to people how they they were actually going to listen. It was a little box attached to the side of the bed with a single dial on it. The dial was numbered 1-9. Depending where you were in the hospital, you could hear the radio on either 3, 6 or 9 (no idea how I remembered that!). Then there was the issue with headphones, some beds had them, some didn’t. I am pretty sure it is different now to what it was like in 1995! My two colleagues would make sure we were back in the radio studios by 6pm to then search for the requested songs on a computer that made the most basic of computer systems look like the latest product from Apple.

85% of the songs were on vinyl. Very few were on CD. The one hour show went so quick! I really enjoyed. The two girls let me read out a few requests and over the coming weeks we alternated who would be in control of the desk. It was not long until both of them had left the organisation (something I said?). Progressively I was doing more and more on the station. I was hosting Monday night by myself, then co-presented a Wednesday request show and also presented the sport show on a Saturday. By the time I turned 16, the programme manager had left and I said I would be interested in replacing him! The chairman of the station said ‘ok then’. Here I was, 16 years old, running a radio station. It was an incredible experience. I was recruiting the high volume of people volunteering their services (just like I did). I wanted to put my mark on the station. I blagged some free jingles and got in touch with record companies to help build our record library.  I extended the broadcast hours each day by 3 hours. When I joined the station, all the programmes started at 4pm finishing at 10pm. I re-organised the schedule for the station to start at 2pm and finish at 11pm. All other times, the station was broadcasting a local BBC radio station.

I joined the committee of the radio station (helping create ideas on fund raising, programme issues and general running of the organisation). I really enjoyed all the responsibility. I really came out of my shell, I was more confident generally in life and had my mind set on working in radio as a career. I had a really happy two years at PHB (Portsmouth Hospital Broadcasting). Two years I would never forget.

I was really sad to leave, but I needed to take my career to the next level. The old programme manager (the one whom I replaced) had joined a community radio station in Portsmouth called ‘Radio Victory’. He suggested I got involved alongside him because he felt I had potential to succeed in radio!

Time did not allow me to hold down both positions. However the experience of hospital radio allowed me to get to that community station, which ultimately helped me move into a paid career as a radio presenter (I job I still do today).

Hospital radio is certainly a great starting point for your career in radio (or in TV). Maybe if you feel you need to build your confidence, joining up and giving up some of your time really does help. Perhaps your son or daughter are growing out of their hobbies too fast, this is one they will never get bored off. It might even lead to something for them too?

I met some incredible people at hospital radio, people I won’t forget, people who inspired me. Hopefully this blog with inspire you to do it too?

Here is a link to find your local Hospital Radio station in the uk > http://www.hbauk.co.uk/?page=6

I would love you to leave a comment on this blog too if you have time 🙂  and do follow me on twitter …..there is a nice button for you to press on the right of this page.

Andy

The big band break up!

So here we are the day after British band JLS announced they are splitting up! It was a moment to shatter the world of young music fans everywhere. I personally have not seen this much outpouring of grief from a fan group of a band since Take That split up in 1996.

It was not that long ago when Westlife split, there was very little press coverage on it. JLS splitting was one of this years biggest music stories.  I guess Westlife had been around so long that their fans had grown up and had a bit more life experience to deal with it. The news about JLS made the BBC flagship news programme, that is how big it was (unless it was a slow news day). Twitter was full of (mainly) young girls expressing how upset they were about the break up.

I think most females (who are now in their 30’s) will remember Tuesday 13th February 1996 as a day that broke their hearts. For those too young to remember it was massive news when Take That announced they were splitting up. Special helplines were created to those who were finding it hard to cope with such news. I was in my first year of college at the time, and I remember vividly hardly any girls attended the next day of lessons! It was almost like a ‘boys only’ college for the day! Perhaps the same could have been the same in schools and colleges today but in shock about JLS?

I also remember the February 13th 1996 quite well also. It was about 5pm, the doorbell went at the home I was sharing with my mum. It was the daughter of our neighbour across the road. I never really knew her, but I knew her parents were a really nice couple and would do anything for their children. She was in floods of tears, red as anything (from what I assume was a large amount of crying). ”It’s over, they’ve split up, they’ve split up”  my mum put her arm around her shoulder, invited her in to sit down, the young girl was very short of breath, obviously very distressed. All she could say was ”they dont love us anymore, they split up’. My mum was utterly shocked, she obviously thought the girl was talking about her parents, my mum seemed to know EVERYTHING that was going on in our street, and could not predict a seemingly happy couple just ending their marriage!  My mum said ‘would you like me to go and talk to them for you’ …..the girl said ”You know Take That, how do you know Take That???’

Then it dawned on both of us that all along it was about a pop group NOT her parents. If the phrase ‘hashtag awkward’ was known back then, I would have used it at the precise moment.

If you enjoyed this blog, check and follow the others (details on the right handside) and do hit follow on my twitter icon!

Andy

Broadchurch, best British TV in years! (no spoiler here)

I have just sat down GRIPPED to the final episode of Broadchurch. What a great ending. So many twists and turns throughout the past eight weeks leaving all viewers having a very different opinion of who Danny Latimer’s was! (and of course a back up person just in case). Most of the TV programmes I love are US based, the tv shows that leave you wanting more. Prison Break, 24, The Killing and more recently Homeland. The writers of Broadchurch messed with our minds for the first few weeks, making most main characters look suspicious for various reasons. I have to admit (and I wont give out a spoiler here) I worked out who the killer was in the second episode, a couple of things confirmed it for me in the third episode (perhaps I should apply for a job in the police?). One aspect of the programme I ‘enjoyed’ was the raw emotion from the victims family. The affect it has on the entire family . I could not imagine what any parent would feel finding out their child had been murdered. The immediate days afterwards. The actors who played Danny’s parents (Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchen) were incredible in those highly powerful and emotional scenes.

It literally was a television show that got the whole of the country talking. Newspapers produced double paged spreads on ‘who done it’, people were asking friends on Facebook and other social media. I noticed lots of people watching the finale JUST so they didn’t feel left out (despite not seeing previous episodes). I can’t remember a British TV show that last had this widespread affect! I saw an interview with Andrew Buchen (Mark Latimer) and he said that the entire cast did not know who the killer was themselves until they filmed episode six. Therefore nothing could be given away in expressions given by the actors. David Tennant was excellent (as always), Olivia Colman (DS Miller) deserves so much credit too. A recognisable face to many viewers, but this will lift her profile so much and we can expect to see her in more great British TV.

Broadchurch will certainly win many BAFTA’s next time around. I cannot tell you how excited I am about the fact there is a second series! Will it be a new story? A continuation of what we have just watched? MORE questions! Arrgghhh the writers are doing it to us already and it has not even started yet!

Judging by a few posts on twitter, many people were expecting a big twist, but I think it was obvious there couldn’t be when we saw the flashback about what happened!

Either way, it was a beautiful end to the perfect TV show, with the perfect cast.

Bravo ITV.

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