Let my hair down? I'll be back to watch EastEnders!

One thing I do know, we are very lucky. We always get treated to a lovely meal and a get-together. This year we’re off to one of the best restaurants Southsea has to offer.

On top of that, we start at 1pm, so I get the afternoon off.

The free bar starts at the same time and will continue as we head to Gunwharf Quays for after-dinner drinks.

But which Rick will join the party at 1pm?

The one that is now father to two small children, who will be up early? The one who is also back on the radio at 10am Saturday morning?

Or will it be the one who thinks ‘free bar’ and goes for it?

There will be colleagues who will be endorsing this behaviour, so the temptation will be strong to party hard.

It’s been a busy year and we’ve all worked hard, but I think the mood will be one of allowing ourselves to celebrate as we end the year with record audience figures.

I remember Christmas parties of the past, ones where each department had to entertain the rest of the company.

One year I was one of four radio presenters who dressed up as the Spice Gits and performed the hit Wannabe. Thankfully I was Sporty Spice, wearing a Pompey top. Could you imagine me as Baby Spice?

Other years we’ve joined other companies and partied the night away under a huge marquee to circus acts and got to drive dodgem cars.

This year will be a far more intimate affair.

Last year, we’d just had our baby Holly, so I enjoyed the meal and drove home. I sat next to the managing director and was very well-behaved!

Maybe I will let my hair down a little this year, especially as my wife has giving me an open card for returning home time. She’s not expecting me back until 2am.

But the party starts at 1pm and I’m now in my 40s.

Whatever I may say, I reckon I should be back in time for EastEnders!

CHRISTIE’S CRIMES MADE US THINK ABOUT DEATH PENALTY

We watched with horror the latest BBC drama Rillington Place, a three-part series about the mass murderer John ‘Reg’ Christie, superbly played by Tim Roth.

The story unfolded inside the squalid house he shared with other tenants in the slums of London’s Notting Hill. We went through all the emotions imaginable as Christie, a disturbed, creepy man, went about his business.

I knew the story, but was still hooked as Christie faced the gallows in 1953. We then discussed whether, in some circumstances, the death penalty should be re-introduced.

Why have we kept people like Rose West alive? Then again, people like Timothy Evans should never have been hanged. A thought-provoking drama.

HE’S ONLY GOT ONE PRESENT - AND IT’S A RICK ASTLEY ALBUM

How many gifts do you buy your other half for Christmas?

This was a topic on my show this week as I revealed how many presents I’ve excitedly bought my wife.

It was then that my radio colleague Kate Weston revealed she has only bought one present for her husband, Simon.

When I discovered it was Rick Astley’s latest album, I rightly asked whether she no longer loved her husband!

He’s probably got her Donny Osmond’s Greatest Hits.

But then every couple is different.

I will do the usual hunt for nice pyjamas and a comedy wine glass.

But there will be a little something extra special for my wife under the tree on Christmas morning.