[James]

Up early for Johnny

By Peter Stebbings

Cheeky chappy Johnny Vaughan returned to his Barnet roots early on Monday morning as part of Capital Radio's Hidden Gems tour.

Johnny, 38, lived in Totteridge and attended St Andrew's Primary School in The Green, before moving out of the area aged 12.

After hosting a number of television programmes, including Channel 4's Big Breakfast, he stepped into Chris Tarrant's sizeable shoes after Tarrant quit as Capital Radio's breakfast show DJ after 17 years.

The Hidden Gems tour, which is taking place all week around London, saw Johnny and a considerable number of technicians and young fans take over the After Office Hours coffee shop in High Street, Barnet, from 6am until 9am.

Among the guests were r 'n' b singer Lemar (who studied biology at Barnet College) and Hadley resident Helen Adams (she of Big Brother 2 fame). There were also a few blurry-eyed officers from Barnet Police to ensure none of the fans got too out of control and to stop those without tickets from getting in.

Seventeen-year-old Andy Whyment, from Hertford, said: "I won a competition to come along. I had to get up at 3am and arrived at 5.30am, but it has been worth it. I met Helen from Big Brother and it's been really interesting to see how it all works.

Another fan, Rebecca Harvey and her friend Jemma Pobjoy, both 15, who attend Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School, in High Street, Barnet, were equally enthralled at seeing their favourite radio presenter.

Rebecca said: "We were outside because we didn't have any tickets to get in and he winked at us and waved at us. We were outside for about an hour and then the policeman let us in."

After chatting and posing for pictures with just about everyone in the audience, including the local constabulary, Johnny said: "It's been great to come back to my roots. It does affect your social life he is on the radio from 6am to 9am five days a week. I don't go out much on the razzle anymore, but it's great."

Referring to falling listening figures, he said: "I don't know how they work those numbers out. It's difficult replacing someone like Tarrant: he was the don. But we are still number one."

1:52pm Thursday 28th October 2004

Edgware Times

You can listen to the show here, I don't know if Helen was interviewed.

http://www.capitalfm.com/breakfastsh...e.asp?id=45586

[Romantic Old Bird]

Thanks for that James - great to have a sighting, or should I say a hearing!

[BusyBee]

Thanks James you are a star to pick this one up.

You know how to spoil us H and P fans

[rachb]

Thanks James

I've just listened to the first half an hour nothing so far will listen to the rest later
Fingers crossed the bit with Helen will be on