After covering a varied portfolio of sporting events for 13 years, Wimbledon, Athens Olympics, Royal Ascot, London Marathon, Great North Run, the Boat Race and of course MotoGp, Superbike and Speedway, I decided to pursue a different professional route for personal reasons.

I adored working in the sporting arena, particularly Motorsport and I have missed the thrill of working live; in-fact I have felt a little lost without the pit-lane!

So a return to the BBC and indeed to enter the premier class of all Motorsport, F1, was the best Christmas present I have ever received.

I have a huge amount of respect for the BBC Team, those in front and behind the camera. I’ve crossed paths with both DC and EJ on several occasions and I think that if everyone is happy we can make some great telly… I’m also excited to team up with some of TV’s most creative producers again; I have missed them!

However most of all, I’m looking forward to the race action. I will be giving 100% of myself to present the best shows possible and yes, for those who may be wondering about my 2 -  wheeled life, I will have a close eye on that too!

I’m very aware that this is a tough  but incredible job and that I have a huge Jake Humphrey shaped hole to fill. I will be giving it my very best shot and I hope that you will enjoy the continued coverage

Many thanks for all the comments and good luck wishes, they are very much appreciated.  X

Anyway, the overriding factor was that technology is adored, flaunted and desired but can wind up making for a super expensive shopping cart. So, I’ve been looking at beloved gadgets for under £100-ish…

I have been a huge fan of the G-form ‘Reactive Protection Technology’ since I was encouraged to drop a bowling ball on my iPad to test out the shock proof case. For the record, my device was unharmed in this experiment. Now, using their 3 layer technique they make cases for iPhones, hopefully for other brands soon, because these little babies are the cats whiskery bits. 90% of impact is absorbed into the shell and just as important, they also look cool. If you’re looking for something more businesslike the Proporter Leather case might tickle your fancy, it has an aluminium lining to add a little ruggedness to its slinky appearance,

I have a penchant for headphones, especially in-ear types (I’m aware that makes me sound odd So I think they make a top gift. Sneaking into my assigned price bracket are the achingly stylish Atomic Floyd ‘PowerJax’. They offer heart-pumping bass and a gorgeous crisp sound quality, silicone ear-tip seals to block out any irritating ambient noise and…(I love this) they have a Kevlar anti tangle chord! Yes, it works too, no more fiddling with endless knots.

For something a little more quirky, have a look at Quarkie.com. I love the cats eyes, yes they are a tad blingy but I have embraced the festive spirit, and the bass sounds great and there is minimal distortion. If you’re more rock and roll than me, there is also a vipers head, honestly!

I’m relieved that Amazon have introduced the Kindle Paperwhite because my fella drives me mad with his extra light he clips onto his regular kindle, its like someone is shining a maglite (the new ML100 is pretty good btw, but the belt loop attachment is way too nerdy, even for me!) into my eyes when we’re reading in bed. The Paperwhite also boasts more pixels for an enhanced reading experience and can store 1100 books.

Sporty? Check out Scosche Rhythm. Its an arm band that monitors your pulse and lets you know how many calories have been ousted, how fast and how far you’ve run. It connects to your phone/tablet via Bluetooth and gives you real time feedback. I also like the Fitbit Zip. It tracks your activity via an accelerometer and if you’re brave you can share the info with your friends.

This is the tip of the iceberg, trust me… happy Christmas shopping!

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During my old gadget TV show I designed a pair of shoes that controlled an MP3 player. Trust me, they wouldn’t have impressed Christian Leboutin – I’m afraid to say they didn’t really impress the marvellous Wayne Hemingway who was judging that day. Recently though it seems that the dah-lings of the fabric world are wrapping themselves in all things gadgetastic and London fashion week was more than just a showcase of style.

The social networks were awash with London Fashion Week comments, blogs and, for the first time, about 70% of the shows were streamed live on YouTube. I have secretly always wanted to be sitting on the front row for the top shows alongside the belles du jour and last week, finally, I was right there. Topshop amassed the largest ever online audience for their live streamed show that played across various platforms to 2 million fashion fiends. I particularly liked their ‘shoot the show’ idea via Facebook, you could click the pieces that took your fancy from the live show then share them with friends, or not, if you didn’t want to end up with the same wardrobe!

The point is that the immersive connected feeling that social networking can provide worked brilliantly across the globe. Arguably Dianne Von Furstenberg got there first by utilising Google Glass to film a first hand POV of her 2013 S/S collection at New York fashion week. All the models and stylists wore the augmented reality shades to capture the behind the scene fun and frolics which was later posted on YouTube, bringing fans closer to the action.

I love it when available technologies are embraced, unlike my dad, who still doesn’t own a mobile phone! I wont be designing any more ill fated shoes, but I’m happy to be a part and on the cutting edge of fashion, even if I’m just an enthusiastic spectator.

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I’m a footie lover, a Wolves fan, it’s in my DNA. I’m loyal, passionate and always watch with an optimistic eye. The other eye is always looking for a way to escape this inbuilt addiction, I’m well aware that I’m sometimes watching a bunch of overpaid Wendy’s with ego’s matching the likes of Piers Morgan, Simon Cowell etc  So…is it possible to avoid sports grubby petulant little cousin?

I’m kind of hoping that cycling will continue to grow after the enormous success of the golden boys and girls of the 2012 velodrome and the future BBC Sports Personality of the Year Wiggo for his incredible accolade a la France. With that in mind I was wondering if this is the ultimate two wheeled dream-machine, the One-77 cycle?

It features an ultra-lightweight carbon fibre frame, a super Shimano 20 shift electric gear system and an on board touch screen computer to record cadence and speeds. It’s British too, made by Aston Martin. The only downside is that I would need to be a footballers wife to afford hefty the £25,000 price tag.

Well, it turns out that isn’t a dream-machine, but just a dream.

I’ve been playing FluidFootball. It’s a free tactical footie app and a modern day subbuteo. I dare you to download it and not become hooked ! You learn to move the players, cross, pass and strike the ball with help from commentators Richard Keys and Andy Gray (there wasn’t one comment about me being a girl btw You win coins to open new games, then progress to different cups which cost real cash. Angry what ?

I didn’t do very well getting away from football did I?

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The Shard – and incidentally the view from the TR office – would you want to abseil down that?!

For many years I have utilised the wonderful little Go Pro Hero hd cameras, small enough to mount anywhere, offering broadcast quality hd pictures. We use them a lot for filming because they are reliable and built to withstand the general bumps and bashes equipment receives when being put through its paces. So when my attention was drawn to live streaming their shots, my eyebrow did its best Roger Moore impression.  I couldn’t help but imagine how useful this tool would be to preening adrenaline junkies across the globe wanting to share their great feats.

The GoPro WiFi BacPac is a wireless device that attaches to the back of a GoPro HDHero or HDHero2 camera, and connects to the Remote control via a wireless signal created from the BacPac – you don’t need an internet connection to use the remote control.

After a Firmware Upgrade on the camera, the product should be working, then it requires the app, which I’m assured will be available very soon. This will enable the smart device to become the view finder for the camera and the full controller. So, shots can be streamed live to the device, or better still, the internet as a live feed! I also love the fact that one remote could control up to 50 cameras.

While we are on this subject, I find base jumping utterly beguiling. I’m not sure that crazy antics get any cooler than jumping off stuff and actually flying with the help of just a technical ‘Batman’ style suit. Have a peek at this ‘Vampire4 wing suit’ and imagine yourself in it. A wing suit! How cool is that? I will never, ever skydive, but I must say that I was in total awe of these suits giving ‘superior glide, precise control and high forward speed’ but it raises the question; how much forward speed can one person genuinely need? You have just jumped off a building for goodness sake!

So that takes me back to my jump, can I or can’t I? …that is the question.

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It is being deemed the ‘Socialympics’. The stage is set, the technology is capable and we are poised. During the last Olympics Facebook boasted 100million users and Twitter, 6million. This summer the figures total more like 900million and 140million respectively. Globally we will be glued to our TVs, (worth buying a 3D TV for) watching live streaming on the net and apparently some even managed to get tickets to be trackside

Wherever we are, we can share, capture and post our experience, our moment, our joy, expectation, our memory… because let’s face it, Usain Bolt we ain’t!

Why record a portion of an emotion when you can save the whole thing? I’m talking 360. There is a great new little device called ‘Bubblescope’ about to go to market. It’s an imaging device that you attach to your phone which enables you, in one click, to shoot the entire 360 surrounding as a still or video. No stitching together or multiple shot faff – perfect for THOSE moments – and then using the ‘Bubblepix’ app you can upload your masterpiece and share it with the world. You can find more information at www.bubblepix.com.

It’s the simplicity that I like, I don’t want all my shots to be in surround, but the scope twists on and off easily and is small enough to carry in your pocket, something that I will actually do rather than just think is a good idea. Beware if you are ever standing behind me, you may end up in my bubble!

Here are a few apps that you may like to grab in time for the Olympics:

London Olympics Ultimate for Android. Schedules, medal tables, news etc.
2012 Olympic news.  For Windows Phone 7
London 2012: Official join in. For iOS
and live streaming on BBC Sport facebook Apps and Eurosport Player.

Enjoy x

PS, if you’re younger than 40, you may need to google Blakes 7!

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A very big thank you to all the lovely dress designers and milliners that very kindly loaned me my Ascot wardrobe.  If you want more information, we have listed the websites for you to take a look at

Amandawakeley.com
Suzannah.com
Antonyprice.com
Pauleka.com
Philiptreacy.co.uk
Janetaylormillinery.com
Stephenjonesmillinery.com
Williamchambers.co.uk
Racheltrevormorgan.com
Corneliajames.com

All pictures taken  by Graeme McAlpine at www.McAlpine.tv

Over 4,600 people arrived at Himley Park – Wolverhampton last Sunday in wonderful sunshine intent on not only having a fun time, but also attempting to raise as much money as possible for Promise Dreams.  Last year, a fantastic £103,000 was raised by the 3,500 competitors. Would it be possible to improve on that figure…………………

Fresh and Emma hosted the event (Emma looking gorgeous as Minnie Mouse) and I joined my fellow patrons from Promise Dreams, namely Steve Bull, Beverley Knight, Jacqui Graham, and Matt Murray on stage for a pre walk warm up carried out by the girls from Wolverhampton Uni.   We were delighted to have the lovely Nick Hancock join us on stage.

You can see the vid here to get an idea of how everybody enjoyed themselves and when Free Radio announced on air early on Monday morning that the money raised on the day was an unbelievable £117,000 I can only imagine just how happy all of those people would be to know that they had been part of something so wonderful.

£117,000 will make so many dreams come true for the youngsters that Promise Dreams work with. There will be so many happy, smiley children because of the wonderful people that gave up their Sunday to raise money and on behalf of the Promise Dreams team and their Patrons Beverley, Jacqui, Steve, Don, Matt, I would just like to say a very big thank you to all of you who took part and of course to Matt and the team at Free Radio who made it all possible.

So if you agree please sign the petition here www.bikerpetition.co.uk

It’s has been a busy few months. As well as the above I have also engaged in some filming for 5th Gear, The Wright Stuff, The Alan Titchmarsh show, Daybreak and Llve with Gabby. I enjoyed hosting the House of the Future at The Ideal Home Show this year. It was the centrepiece for the entire event.

I also had the honour of meeting Prince Charles who was quite lovely and very friendly and finally I had the opportunity to show off my well practiced curtesy! We enlisted some fun technology, my particular favourites were the new Renault Twizy electric car and the Transport Pod which I found to be the ultimate in relaxation gadgets. Lee Baldry was on hand to present all the daily shows and the show was a great success, hurrah!

So too was Gadget Show Live. It’s always a huge pleasure to meet people who watched the show and of course to work live is the best experience…any old monkey can do take after take on a pre record but living on your wit, live, is where it’s at!  With 3 shows per day  we pretty much  lived in the Supertheatre all week, but I met some wonderful people and had a lot of fun, so lovely to meet you if you were there!