Alex is sitting next to me - telling me how funny a new film, 'Bride Wars' looks. Dear, oh dear. Even the title says 'stay at home and watch a documentary'. It's one of the movies we'll be reviewing for your weekend's cinema outing on the programme. Not for me, I think. However, our other film - 'Slumdog Millionaire' is a different story. I never get to see movies before anyone else but I did get to see this last weekend before interviewing the director, Danny Boyle, on Monday. The film, let me tell you, is terrific. And the director, let me tell, is one top chap. What a lovely bloke he was. Hope that came across in our interview.
Actually, it's been a great week for movie guests. On Tuesday, we had a chat with Michael Sheen - aka David Frost - about 'Frost / Nixon' - another top film and another top chap. Actually, I think he may have been a little taken aback by the ferocity of my praise for the film. He was terribly nice about it though.
And, as if we weren't lucky enough to have met those two, we had a screen legend, Sarah Miles, pitching up on Wednesday. And she liked my tie. Wonderful taste, that woman.
Seriously, we get some great big starry old stars on 'London Tonight' and it's a privilege to meet them, it really is. Most of them, that is. No, I'm not going to mention names. But one or two should take a reality check...
Now, tonight's reality check on life in and around the capital begins with a story that is hard to believe. A man with Downs Syndrome is admitted to hospital after a stroke. But no one feeds him. The doctors think the nurses are feeding him through a tube. The nurses haven't been told to. The sad ending to this appalling lack of care - a month after Martin Ryan's admission to the hospital - was Martin Ryan dying of starvation. Because of a breakdown in communication, a man lost his life. And Mencap, the charity that valiantly fights the corner for people with learning difficulties, says that while the consequences aren't always so dreadful, this lack of care for people like Martin is not uncommon.
Then, there's the Surrey teenager, Dan Brennan, who jumped on a quadbike on a Greek holiday, not realising it was way more powerful than he expected, and crashed almost immediately. While he's no longer in a coma, while he's got over many of his injuries, Dan hasn't made a full recovery and now his family has been told they can't sue the quadbike company for compensation, because they've got no money to sue for.
Two stories that make you realise just how lucky you are to have your health.
There are some slightly jollier stories too...
We hear from the Chelmsford snooker player who wants to fly aeroplanes for a living (what you might call a 'top-flight sportsman')... We hear from a Bee Gee about raising LOTS of money for charity in Battersea this evening (less a case of 'How deep is your love?'... more a case of 'How Deep are your Pockets?')... and we hear about two of the stupidest burglars ever to walk God's Earth (front of the queue when it came to greed - back of the queue for brains).
And as it's Friday, we'll run you through what not to miss in our part of the world this weekend.
And that list starts with London Tonight... tonight... at SIX.
Ben & Alex.
