First Stop: fun

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Dec 30, 2001 | by MAEVE QUIGLEY

MEET the new entertain-ment gurus who will be taking over your television screens with all the latest 'going out' action.

Ralph McClean, 32, and Christine Bleakley, 22, have teamed up for the brand new BBC entertainment prog-ramme First Stop.

And they intend to investigate every inch of the country to find the best and biggest events which offer the most value for money.

Christine said: "First Stop contains every-thing you need to know about what's on and what's coming up.

"From music to theatre to movies and DVD reviews, we want to offer an honest opinion.

"We're looking at all aspects of entertainment from a punter's point of view - it's all about giving an honest opinion on what's out there."

The pair's on-screen chemistry has a lot to do with their natural enthusiasm for all aspects of entertainment.

And the duo confess that they've always worked well as a team.

Ralph said: "When I was presenting The 11th Hour on BBC Choice, Christine was a floor manager."

Christine admitted: "I was bossing him around then and I still am now so nothing changes really.

"I trained and worked as a floor manager for around five years before I was asked to try my hand at presenting."

Christine was an instant hit with viewers when she first hit the television screens earlier this year in helicopter programme Sky High.

"Sky High was the first programme I presented and although I had great fun flying across Northern Ireland, I was very much on my own.

"Working with Ralph is brilliant because I like having someone to play off and have a bit of fun with."

Ralph hosts his own Saturday night radio show McClean's Country on Radio Ulster and has also stood in for broadcasting heavyweights like John Bennett and Hugo Duncan when they were on holiday.

"Really my background is in radio," he explained.

"I started out as an audio assistant in the BBC so I can always fall back on that if it all goes horribly wrong."

Like Christine, Ralph is a seasoned traveller - partly due to the fact that he works between Belfast and Derry.

He moved to the Maiden City three years ago after marrying his university sweetheart Ursula.

"It's not really too hard as each week First Stop is really put together in three days.

"We do our research then Christine and I write our scripts and then on the third day we record everything. So I only commute those three days as a lot of my radio work can be done from Radio Foyle."

Since Christine split with her boyfriend of three years, Ralph says he's taken on the job of an elder brother - chasing off undesirable suitors.

"I make sure that she stays on the straight and narrow," Ralph joked.

Christine said: "I'd prefer to say we balance each other out.

"Because of my production training I have to keep him in check as he has a tendency to waffle on.

"We like the same kind of films but where music is concerned, we're like chalk and cheese.

"I like dance music and thinks like Creed and Linkin Park but Ralph's more into Curtis Mayfield.

"She's nu metal and I'm old soul, you could say," Ralph said.

"But as far as the show is concerned, all bases are covered so it helps that our tastes are so different.

"One week we'll be doing opera, the next Ash, the next Charlie Landsborough.

"Basically, there are only two types of music - good and bad," Ralph said with his tongue firmly in his cheek.

"And on First Stop, we guarantee you'll get both."

First Stop is shown on Wednesdays on BBC2 NI at 8.30pm and BBC1 at 10.35pm.