Fagan Finds A New Web Domain

Afternoon everybody! As you've probably all gathered, I've not been posting on my blog as often as I intended to this year. There's numerous reasons, including the fact I've been writing articles for Kettle Mag & Eat More Cake but there's also a bigger reason I've been hiding.

A couple of months ago, I decided it was time to take Fagan's Finds up a notch and purchase my own domain, woo! I chose to move away from Blogger, and try out Squarespace instead, which I'm still learning the ropes of. 

So the next time you'll see a blog post published, it will now be over at www.fagansfinds.com which I'm super excited about. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm still learning how everything works, so at the moment the website is under construction. Being realistic considering I have other responsibilities (university, work, social life, radio hud, boyfriend etc), the finished product will probably be in the new year. 

But, I still thought I would share with you all about the transition. It's been lovely hosting my blog over on this website, and I might eat my words in a couple of months and return. But until then, I'd like to thank everybody that has viewed this blog over the years, it's been an absolute pleasure. I'll be sure to update over here when everything is up and running!

In Stitches || July 2015

July has been a busy month, not only in my own personal bubble but in the world of comedy. Tours have been released left, right and centre (read more to find out who), films have been premiered and just general happenings. Well here's my highlights from the month of July, hope you enjoy! 

Welcome Your Agony Uncle, Matt Berry:

©Joe

Over the years that I've admired comedy, Matt Berry has always appeared down the line. The guy appears to be seamless in everything he does, whether it be acting, singing and now advice. That's right, you can now send your worries and concerns to Matt Berry curtesy of www.joe.co.uk a website tailed to male audiences, and he might answer you! You don't see a whole lot of agony uncles, so this is a refreshing piece of news to go around. If you fancy having a read of the entries or posting something yourself, then click here! 

Visit Memory Lane With Paul Foot:

©GiggleBeats

Once again, Paul Foot it back on the road and offering fans the chance to go down memory lane with him. In this special mini tour, fans can sit through some of Foot's old gigs, specifically 'By the Yard', 'Still Life' and 'Kenny Larch is Dead'. The shows which start this October in Leicester and finish in Brighton this December, will be played on consecutive nights at the chosen venues. To find out whether Paul Foot is performing near you then click here, there will also be updates on future events and everything Paul Foot related.

Bad Education Comes To The Big Screens:

©DigitalSpy

And finally, if you're a fan of Jack Whitehall, like myself then you can begin the countdown to his first film 'The Bad Education Movie'. The TV show which finished last October, after three series is now being brought to cinemas across the UK, where Alfie (played by Whitehall) takes his students on their final school trip. Of course, this wouldn't be a comedy film without a series of unfortunate events happening, and the trailer certainly showcases a few. It is yet to be released when the film will be out, but I will be personally keeping my eyes peeled! The watch the trailer, click here.

In Stitches || June 2015

Hello, hello! Hasn't it been a while since I've posted on Fagan's Finds, well now I'm back again with 'In Stitches'. For those of you who don't follow me over on Twitter, I've been freelancing with 'Eat More Cake' and 'Kettle Mag' alongside finishing my first year at university. But enough of the excuses, here's June edition of 'In Stitches', enjoy! 

  Channel 4 drop 'The British Comedy Awards':

 ©RedCarpetNewsTv

A statement was released last month from a Channel 4 spokesperson, following the decision to renew with BCA's deal. Channel 4, have been broadcasting the awards for the last three years, but last years figures were less than half compared to when it first aired. This decline resulted in the TV station deciding to give the responsibility to another broadcaster.  There has been no word on who will take over the comedy crown, but suspicions suggest a return to ITV, who ran the show for 20 years. 

  BBC iPlayer release British Muslim comedy shorts for Ramadan:

 ©BBC

In honour of the muslim religious holiday Ramadan, BBC iPlayer have released five comedy shorts featuring up and coming British Muslim comedians. These shorts explore the lives of modern Muslim lives, including the ups and downs and the struggles during Ramadan. You can watch the comedy shorts if you click here for the next 7 days. All the shorts were directed by Dave Lambert, who has been involved with comedy shows such as Alan Partridge and The Mighty Boosh to name a few. 

  Julian Barratt & Simon Farnaby join forces on Baby Cow film:

 ©PMCvariety

'Mindhorn' will be the love child of comedy legends 'Julian Barratt' and 'Simon Farnaby'. Both have worked together in various projects like 'The Mighty Boosh' and 'Bunny and the Bull'. Filming will start on the Isle of Man in late July, but there is no information yet for a trailer or a release date. The very bizarre storyline follow MI5 Special Operative 'Bruce Mindhorn' who is kidnapped in the 80's. He is then subsequently fitted a lie detector in his eye, so he can physically 'see the truth'. This then follows a serious of events, which you can tell will be all forms of the weird and wonderful. 

  'Hancock's Half Hour' revitalised in missing episodes:

 ©Telegraph

And finally, back when radio comedy was popular 'Hancock's Half Hour' was one of the most listened to comedy on air. The series itself ran from 1954 to 1959, and now the show is returning to Radio 4 planning to air the 20 missing episodes from the BBC archives. Last year 5 shows were aired and due to the popularity, another 5 are planned for this year. The episodes will be recorded this July down in the London studios but it has not been released which scripts have been chosen and when they will be aired on Radio 4. 

In Stitches || December 2014

The last month of 2014, saw some lovely moments rise up in the world of comedy. Some which were expected like the Big Fat Quiz of the Year, which is always a treat, and then some not so expected like Noel Fielding's tour being postponed. But lets get straight into the round-up for December 2014, as we've got quite a lot to cover!

Toast of London Series 3 Confirmed

Last months round-up saw much discussion towards Matt Berry's Channel 4 hit, 'Toast of London'. Fans were up in arms celebrating, as it was announced that series three was on the horizon for 2015. Although it is argued that 'Toast' has rather low viewing figures, the whacky show has gained a cult following, only increasing its success. So make sure to be on the look out for series three, and while we're all waiting on updates for series three, why not catch up on the previous two on 4od here. 

©Channel 4

The British Comedy Awards 2014

A special treat towards the run up to Christmas, is the always brilliant 'The British Comedy Awards' presented by Jonathan Ross. This years awards, saw continuous jokes and references to its sponsor Lidl as well as Jack Whitehall winning King of Comedy for the fourth year running. A favourite up and coming comedian of mine, Nick Helm, won 'Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist' from his work on the BBC Three programme 'Uncle'. A few old favourite faces won including Katherine Parkinson for 'Best TV Comedy Actress' and everybody's favourite Monty Python came away with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award'.

©SickChirpse

An Evening with Noel Fielding Postponed

Fans of 'The Mighty Boosh' and 'Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy' know the great man behind it all Noel Fielding had been venturing around the UK with his brother Mike Fielding and Tom Meeten on his latest stand-up tour. I had the chance to go watch one of the brilliant shows in November in Manchester Apollo, and it wasn't a disappointed. Due to such a high demand and success, extra dates were put on that ran into 2015. Sadly however, the dates which were supposed to start in late January have now been postponed to December time. Its recently come to light that the change came about due to unforeseen filming commitments in 2015. A list of the new dates has been placed on TVO, for those who have booked tickets (like myself) as some tickets may no longer be valid please check here. 

©ArtsCentreMelbourne

Nevermind The Buzzcocks Christmas Special

Carrying on with more Noel Fielding based news, was the Christmas Special to 'Nevermind The Buzzcocks' alongside Phill Jupitus and host Rhod Gilbert. This years special showed no exception with the outfits, as we saw both panellists dressed as Wizard, X Factor judge Louis Walsh as Joko Ono, singer Melissa Steel as East 17, comedian Lloyd Langford as a choir boy alongside Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock. The show had its usual conventions going on with several Christmas themed questions, and an identity parade which featured The Snowman. You can watch it over on iplayer by clicking here. 

©BBC

Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2014

If one brilliant panel show wasn't enough, then after all the Christmas cheer was over you could sink your teeth into BFQOTY which you stuff your face with turkey leftovers. This year saw the return of the much loved, Richard Ayoade and the quiz's usual host Jimmy Carr. The other team members consisted of Mel B, Sarah Millican, David Mitchell, Kevin Bridges and Micky Flanagan. The teams this year, unlike others seemed more focused of actually gaining points and winning although that didn't stop unconventional bouts of the weird and wonderful from peering its head. You can relive the night simply by clicking here. 

©Talkback / Brian Ritchie

In Stitches || November 2014

    November has not been a disappointing month in the world of comedy, the month kicked off with a blast bringing us Toast of London series 2. The first series of Toast was aired last year on Channel 4 and received more than a warm welcome. With the brilliant Matt Berry playing the main character, Toast who is a struggling actor, we follow him through his adventurous lifestyle while meeting some quirky characters along the way. Toast is definitely tailored towards those who're previous fans of Berry's work such as Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, Snuff Box, The IT Crowd and The Mighty Boosh due to its surreal and satirical material. I for one am a huge fan of Berry, so I found the second series to be just as funny and entertaining as the first, definitely search this out if you've got half an hour to kill. 

© Channel 4

 
  This month we've surprisingly got two lots of Toast related news, as fans of the show are now able to begin buying related merchandise to decorate their humble abodes. Smart Giant Design have released four prints starting from £20 each, featuring the main characters; Steven Toast, Jane Plough, Ray Purchase and Clem Fandango. You could equally purchase all four for £50 to show your dedication to the show. The prints themselves are really simplistic showing the key features of each character, and I personally wouldn't mind purchasing myself one for my flat. You can click here, to have a nosey at the prints, treat yourself!

© Smart Giant Designs

    
     After a good couple of years, I was able to go see Noel Fielding again, and this time it was on the third row for his latest stand up gig. Renowned for his work as Vince Noir in The Mighty Boosh with his partner in crime Julian Barratt, Noel went on his own and produced two series of Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. The show, being more outlandish and surreal to the Boosh seemed to tighten his fans but still had huge success. A few months after the end of series two, Noel released tour dates around the UK, which are still currently running into 2015. I'm tempted to do a full review on the gig as it was so mental, but if I say anything its that Noel Fielding has not lost his comedy touch! With modern references to Tinder and other 2014 nonsense, Noel pulls it out the bag once again and proves his brilliance in the field. 

© Love Southend

    
   Questionably the most surreal and controversial man in comedy, the likes of Chris Morris the creator of The Day Today, Jam and Brass Eye graced our radios this month. BBC 4extra broadcasted a three hour long documentary called Raw Meat Radio in dedication to Morris, featuring interviews from those who've worked with him over the years including the man who suspended him from Radio 1. Alongside this is also clips and unheard scenes from his shows unfortunately there is no actual input from Morris himself, who tends to stay out of the media's limelight due to his shows. You can still listen on catch up here, its definitely something not to miss out on if you're a Morris fan. 

© Pix Good

    

Soap & Glory || Body Buttercream, Rosy-Radiance Blush and Super Colour Lipstick

    My obsession towards Soap & Glory clearly hasn't died out as I've been buying more of their products and I'm still head over heels for the brand. It also doesn't help that Boots keep putting on 3 for 2 offers in stores either as they send me into overdrive. I've had all three products for just over two months now, so I'd like to say I've got a fair judgement on all of them.

Soap & Glory™ Super-Colour Fabulipstick™ Collagen Boosting Lipstick

   

    The first product on the list is this beautifully cherry coloured lipstick called 'Man Trap'. As you can see from the link below the photo, the name for this lipstick is quite the mouthful, but exceptionally good. It has a very heavy colour pigment on my lips, which is a benefit as you don't need to repeatedly go over your lips for an opaque and matt effect. The staying power is quite impressive as well, I've noticed it doesn't rub off as easily when drinking and eating, I'd approximate 4 hours wear without reapplying. The lipstick itself might be considered quite pricey for a drugstore brand at £9, but I'd argue that so far its highly worth the extra few quid.

Soap & Glory™ Love at First Blush™ Multi-Shade Blushing Powder

    

    Now this second product is used by myself every single day and its Soap & Glory's brilliant blusher. What appeals to me so much about this blusher it the variety of rosy tones, which contrast with the two white sections that create a wonderful luminous glow. This powder is also very build-able for either a subtle daytime look, to a more dramatic night time look so its essentially a 2 in 1 product. Over the course of experimenting with this product, I've found you can get away with using this for contouring, if you angle your brush into the darker tones. The only downfall I've found is that the blusher has a lot of fall away product, so you do have to top it up quite regularly, especially if you're on a night out but thats a minor detail that can be easily sorted out.  

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Buttercream

   
    Finally, the last product in todays post is the well talked about 'Sugar Crush Body Buttercream'. This product has been raved about by numerous bloggers, so I ended up caving and buying it even though I've never been a body moisture fan. If you can go into Boots and just smell this, I urge you to because it smells absolutely divine (I swear I'm not smelling it as I'm typing, honest!). The lime and kiwi juice water give it a sharp scent which stays on your skin afterwards for a good couple of hours. This product just honestly feels so lovely when rubbed into your skin, the consistency is rather thick and luxurious which is a plus! I suffer with dry skin on my legs but after applying this my skin is restored.

One Month Into University & Tips

    Following on from my previous post on A-Level results nerves, a month (or just over) has passed and I'm no longer living at home with my family, surrounded by everything that has been familiar to me over the last 18 years. Those of you who're readers of mine won't know that on results day I was actually put through clearing, this is when you don't get the required grades for the course. This resulted in me choosing another university (thankfully they were my backup uni) and got onto my desired course as well, two weeks later and one of my grades had risen but I was still going to my clearing option.

    I'm now located at the University of Huddersfield doing Broadcast Journalism, which is just under two hours away from home. I will admit, I am extremely happy that fate played out so that I ended up in Huddersfield because so far I've made a lovely group of friends and had some really fun experiences. A month into university, and I'm in classes Monday to Thursday as well as being part of a 2 hour radio show on Fridays called 'The Friday Warm-Up Show'. Whether you go to a town, city, small or large university I honestly think university life is what you make of it as I've had a cracking time so far! Obviously I'm sure a third year student could give more valuable advice than me, but these are the things I've picked up on over the last few weeks. If anyone reading has recently started university or returned to the next year, why not leave your experiences or tips below in the comments section to help those who're gonna be freshers next year. 

• Make friends with your flat mates, course students and with others across your accommodation.

• Keep on top of your readings, no matter what course you study there's gonna be extensive reading behind it.

• Don't do your main shop at a chain supermarket unless its Lidl or Aldi if you wanna be money savvy. 

• Speak to your family, although you want to revel on your newly found freedom, don't shut out your life from back home, you'll need them again.

• If you go drinking the night before an early class, be home and in bed by 3am (latest!) so you can at least catch 5 hours to sober up (or you risk falling asleep in class or even missing it altogether).