Still a long way to ensure BID

I see from last week’s Stirling Observer the Stirling BID is back in the public eye, despite being voted down by city centre traders last year. With just 46 out of 560 businesses at a public meeting recently to hear plans, it seems The X-Factor is coming to Stirling this month with TV producers in town for open auditions on February 15. Having watched the show with my kids for a few years, I’ve never seen these open auditions before – no, surely it can’t be the case that the show might not be as off-the-cuff as Dermot O’Leary would have us believe?

I’m a huge fan of the X-Factor, because it is one of the few programmes Anne and I can watch with Katie and Matthew and enjoy it together. Not everything has to be dramatically worthy or educationally sound.

I have fond memories of sitting watching everything from Bullseye to The Generation Game with my mum and dad and it was a shared experience we all got something out of. Getting my kids to take their eyes off their tablets isn’t easy, but Simon Cowell has found a way and for that he has my thanks.

If you’re going along to audition, the X Factor booth is open from 11am to 5.30pm outside HMV. Please try to be more of a Matt Terry than a Bratavio!

Chris Kane is a journalist and marketing consultant with Bee Herd Media Ltd. Contact him at www.beeherdmedia.co.uk