The Southbank Centre has pulled off one of its greatest achievements in celebrating this anniversary year in its remarkable history: Goalhanger: The Rest Is Fest is part of the Centre’s 75th anniversary programme, and it has been brilliant, writes Michael Holland.
In the series, that ran from September 4th to 6th, a whole variety of stars were shining as they spoke about their lives and interests: Stanley Tucci, Tom Holland, Robert Peston and Steph McGovern, along with a host of others, that included spies, politicians, historians, journalists, comedians, actors, TV presenters. I was lucky to have bagged myself tickets for two of The Rest is Fest shows.
The first was Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Big Meeks – Micah Richards – recreating their football-based podcast where they discuss the topics that matter and plenty of those that don’t.
It’s an unscripted show to a point, but follows signposts that ensure they don’t miss anything or anyone important. Meeks is the usual brunt of their jokes, but he always comes out on top, and laughing in his own inimitable way.
At this friendly gathering, there were almost 3000 people having a bit of banter with the three former footballers. Whenever a club’s name was mentioned, cheers went up from one area of the Royal Festival Hall. Some attracted boos. It was the usual booing and shouting that you get at a match. The format was a game of two 45-minute halves, with drinks taken at half-time. Perfect.
The refreshments may have helped Shearer to reveal something he’d never spoken about before, as well as talk about his emotions when taking his final kick in professional football – the penalty against his main rivals, Sunderland. But the couple having sex on the piano in his hotel suite was the best of the lot.
I think I wasn’t alone in being shocked when Lineker revealed he had taken (legal) drugs at a tournament the boys were reporting on, and then peddled some to Big Meeks! The upshot being that they were both terribly unwell. The payoff was them acting out the crawling across the floor to get to the toilet before it was too late. They didn’t get there… The images they conjured up as they crawled across the stage were not a pretty sight to have etched on our minds.
At The Rest is Quiz evening, Marina Hyde, one of the Guardian’s greatest ever writers, teamed up with Richard Osman, to preside over a quiz. Some of those in the two-man teams were journalist Katty Kay, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, Lineker (again), and Al Murray, plus other experts in their fields. This was a lot of fun, and took a lot of effort from the audience not to shout the answers out.
As the quiz went on, and more drink was imbibed, it looked like it could have descended into chaos, but Osman, the Master of Quiz Masters, kept it all together. If it had gone on any longer, though, who knows how it would have ended?
A big, loud three cheers to the Southbank Centre for the brilliant 75th Anniversary events that have been on so far, and for those that are yet to come. Also, hats off to the Southbank Centre staff and press office, who have got fully behind everything going on there to make the experience a memorable one to all visitors.
Always check out the website because there’s actually more free stuff going on, for all the family, than ticketed: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/
