About me

Dale Franklin comes from a real showbiz family - his mum, Pat, was one of TV's Wrigley's Doublemint twins and his step-father, Derek Franklin, was a radio star...

Read Dale Franklin's full biography

What a wash out!

I know it's a favourite topic for ridicule but here in Surrey the Bank Holiday was almost a total wash out. I hope the weather was better in your part of the country!

Despite the rain and cold I watched my son play rugby in a tournament on Saturday - it was quite comical to see all the parents huddled in a tent munching on bacon butties and talking about the good old British weather!

On Monday I watched my daughter dance at a charming, bustling May Day Fair in Berkshire - many were dressed in attractive plastic rain smocks as they cheerily dipped their hands into their pockets as they supported all the worthy causes that had turned out, despite the rain!

Surf's up!

Well another busy week at The Q. I launched a fab Gem Day with JR (Julia Roberts) and then presented the finale with Jill - I hope you enjoyed the labours of our gem buying team !

I mentioned last blog that Toby had visited the vets - well I'm delighted to report that all went very well. He had 3 nasty lumps removed from his back, had a troublesome dew claw removed and other things removed that still make a grown man wince!

So all in all he went through it a bit. The good news is that our vet did a wonderful job and Toby healed very quickly and the results regarding the lumps were all clear. The picture is of Toby after the op - he's now back to his bouncing best!

Enjoying an extended Easter break

Hi all,

Just a quickie as I'm on an extended Easter break till next week. Hope you all had a nice break - the weather was crazy wasn't it? All four seasons in one day on Good Friday.

I thought I'd try and get a few days off as we are really gearing up now for our momentous move to Chiswick - the logistics involved are quite incredible. Seriously, some of our technical guys here have been working on this project for over 18 months and I can't imagine where you would start on such a massive move! Luckily for all involved, all I have to do is make sure I'm there in good time on our opening day.

A fairy dust fantasy...

Wow! Let the sun shine in! I hope all my readers are experiencing the 20 degree temperatures we currently have in the south. As I've been back on later shifts again, I've been able to enjoy this beautiful weather, whilst it lasts! I'll never moan about late shifts again!

The sparkling Jenniefer Kirk is back at The Q and I dug out these old photos today of us both at a customer event party – I'm guessing taken around 1999?

Step into spring

Hi all and many thanks for your comments last week – Marian I wasn't avoiding you or your freshly baked buns – I was going through the 'Garden Re-Leaf' show with Richard Jackson, as you correctly surmised.

On that note thanks to all who supported that show - I'm not sure of the final figures but I understand we easily broke the fund raising target we had set ourselves. So a huge thank you from both QVC and the Greenfingers charity for your purchases and a huge debt of thanks to all the participating suppliers on the night, who donated at least £1 per transaction to such a worthwhile charity.

Spring is in the air... almost!

Hi all and thanks for your comments and reading last week's blog.

It's that lovely but slightly uncertain time of year when it isn't quite full blown spring because we know that the last days of winter can still turn around and bite us when we are least expecting it.

You know, that awkward moment when you  enthusiastically wake up to sunshine pull on a T-shirt and shorts and leave the house, only to find the temperature drops to 3C, with blustery showers later in the afternoon and you don't have a change of clothes or a coat? Sound familiar?

I'm not a morning person!

Hi all, hope you're well - just a quick blog to stay in touch!

This week I've been moved onto the earlier shifts and I'm even presenting a couple of Morning Shows with Kathy. I'm looking forward to working with Kathy but I'm not sure about the 7am start (9am on-air).

I'm more used to getting home as the dawn chorus starts rather than getting up with it in full swing! If you're able to join me for Thursday and Friday's shows, I promise I'll have changed out of my PJs!

A true BOTF introducing 'Franklin Fox'!

Yes, dear reader, the long teasing wait is over and I can exclusively announce that the Charlie Bear's homage to a certain silver-haired presenter will be shown to the great Q public a little after midnight this coming Sunday into Monday.

I know most of you guessed correctly that it is indeed a cuddly black and grey-toned plush fox complete with a stunning white tipped brush!He has been named by Charlie and William as 'Franklin Fox'.

Back at The Q again

Hi all,

Thank you for your comments, as always they are much appreciated. As you've probably guessed, I've been off for a few days (half term), not doing much really, just relaxing and re-charging the batteries. Although I did manage to squeeze in a rather amazing 30th birthday party on Monday night.

The party was held in a posh West End venue in honour of my godson's birthday. He runs a successful West End theatrical and TV management company and represents many well known faces of stage and screen. The party was karaoke with a difference – a live band actually played instead of a CD etc.

On the mend...

Thanks as always for your comments – as some of you have noticed I managed to infect myself somehow with a very nasty and (at the time of writing) unidentified gastric nasty! I am very much on the mend and appeared back on-air yesterday (Thursday). I've been told at work that I haven't yet got that sparkle back in my eye (whatever that means) but I am feeling 300% better than at the same time last week.

As I write, (Thursday evening) the snow is falling heavily outside (well heavy for the Home Counties!). When it snows in Surrey it brings the child out in almost everyone, myself included, and as Michael MckIntyre so accurately said, 'You open the curtains in the morning and shout "Narnia"!!'