Simon Minty's recent thoughts and more

Lockdown, shake up, lay down This is longer than the page. On a desktop, scroll down the body of the text to read it all.  Well what are we to do? Everything has changed. We sort of saw it coming but by golly, it got big very quickly. I’m in lockdown in London. I don’t have a specific underlying condition in addition to my impairment, making me more susceptible. By the way I prefer the word susceptible to vulnerable any day of the week. However, I am staying in.  Going out for a bit I had a busy diary, March through mid-July. And then in the middle of March, I saw diary appointments, conferences, training, travel, all fade away. Within a week, my diary was empty, save a stubborn, optimistic appointment in July. I did my last face to face training on 17th March in Bristol; Managing mental health at work. It already felt like we (me and co-trainer Juliette Burton) shouldn’t be there. The hotel was empty and felt weird when we arrived. Hand sanitiser on every de...

Thailand  Simon in front of the Golden Buddha at the temple of Wat Traimit, Bangkok I visited Thailand in March after years of hesitation assuming it would be too hard to get around with a mobility scooter, not to mention emotionality tiring if people overreacted to a short man wandering around. Although not easy, access was ok for me and people weren't especially interested. We spent a few days in Bangkok visiting Royal Palaces, street markets and a terrifying rooftop bar! Then we went to Khau Lak for sunshine and beach time. The world is smaller, difference is everywhere and thankfully most people were polite and helpful. A few couldn't resist taking out their phones to take a photo of me and for once, I decided not to try to control this and gradually I started to not even care. The photo to the right was taken with permission, and I don't think I could look more like a tourist if I'd tried. Disability and comedy A new book about disability and comedy h...

A brief update, promoting the two podcasts I co-host. First up, BBC Ouch with my co-host Kate Monaghan. This month was a lot of fun to record, we were in a mischievous mood and our guests joined in. We talk serious stuff though, diets to 'cure' your impairment, ADHD, ADD, chimps with Down Syndrome. OK, that last one wasn't as serious. Secondly, The Phil & Simon Show with my co-host and former business partner, now great friend, Phil Friend. We grapple with the latest disability and wider world issues with varying success. My favourite bit is Phil's reaction when I tell him I'm reading Andrew Neil's book, which finishes around 1997 when Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister. My mum's impartial and piercingly accurate review of this show was 'I see why you call it the PHIL & Simon Show as Phil talks a lot and you try and get a word in.' You can subscribe to both via iTunes or Audioboom. And do leave a comment or get in contact as it's gr...

The hip is working well. I did trip over the other day... As I was walking, I felt my trousers slipping down a little. I reached behind to pull them up forgetting that my walking stick was in the same hand. The stick got caught between my shins and down I tumbled. There was a weird sensation in my new hip, just for a moment. Almost like a twang but much softer. As someone who has poor balance tripping is perfectly normal to me and my well honed skills of arms out, fall in to a press up position prevented any physical harm. I got up and thirty seconds later all was fine. This new walking lark is amazing and complicated. Work is busy. I've run a lot of training events with media organisations such as All3Media , Endemol Shine and Warner Bros , some via  Indie Training Fund.  Really enjoyable courses, either discussing employment and adjustments or getting deep in to portrayal of disability on TV with people who make the shows. Those I met know how to do it, sometimes they just...

The latest  BBC Ouch  show is out. It's about comedy, mental health, pony tales, doing activities that your impairment suggests you shouldn't and me and  Kate Monaghan-Cocker  making quips.  Mighty fine guest include  Laurence Clark   Harriet Dyer  and  Jack Binstead  who are fun and funny . Hope you like it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p040388d In the studio BBC Ouch show L-R Laurence Clark, Kate Monaghan-Cocker, Jack Binstead, Harriet Dyer

We recently celebrated the tenth birthday of BBC Ouch's podcast!  The original King and Queen of the show, Liz Carr and Mat Fraser , were reunited to reminisce about the early days and then update us on what they've been up to since leaving - BBC1 Silent Witness and US American Horror Story anyone?  We pose the question, 'Who is the best disabled character on TV?' to former BBC Exec  Tanya Motie  media professional David Hevey and US commentator Lawrence Carter-Long   There's an inappropriate guessing game and we discuss why podcasts are often the authentic voice with podmesiter  Helen Zalzman  Two pics below, one of us in the studio and one of me in #doubledenim which my co-host Kate Monaghan-Cocker took just because I was in denim. I hope to follow Liz's career path and bag myself a detective role on Death in Paradise.  Stream or download http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03pqcjf  Subscribe via iTunes https://itunes.apple....

Not entirely sure how this is happening but I find myself acting as a conduit a lot these days. It might be arranging the line up for comedians with Abnormally Funny People, or getting actors who have disabilities to help make a training video and now, it seems I'm becoming a recruitment agency. Below are some cracking jobs with the BBC, all in the comedy department. At the time of writing the deadlines for two are tight, today and tomorrow. Or you could apply for the bigger role of commissioning editor of comedy and have a little more time and hopefully become a big cheese in the funny world. Good luck if you go for any of them. P.S. I've also added a request from Channel 4, via Disability Rights UK who are looking for people to help promote their Paralympics coverage. Info at the bottom of this and deadline is midnight on 7th April. Rehearsals for Abnormally Funny People Edinburgh show with Laurence Clark, Gareth Berliner and Don Biswas Commissioning Editor, ...

Below is a link to an article I wrote for BBC Ouch which appeared on the BBC News website about disability and comedy today, ten years after we did our first show. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-33904621 Juliette Burton hosting improvisation with Lost Voice Guy, Laurence Clark and Tanyalee Davis

I was a guest on the BBC Ouch's talk show in December 2013 talking about the spending power of disabled people, dating and disability and Heather Mills not going to the Winter Paralympics. You listen via the link below and there's a transcript if you prefer to read. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02tcjt0

Simon Minty guest blogs for BBC Ouch If you spend most of your life surrounded by people who are two feet taller than you, then a week in the company of people who are the same height can be both exhilarating and daunting. This is my first time at the World Dwarf Games and I wasn't at all sure what I'd think of it. With nearly 400 athletes from 17 nations competing, it's the largest sporting event in history exclusively for athletes with dwarfism. Read the full article on BBC Ouch .