Welcome to our brand-new Meet the Team series! We’re flinging open our doors and hearing stories – and maybe even a few behind-the-scenes secrets – about life here at Liverpool Philharmonic from the people who make it all happen. 

First up is Stage Door Receptionist, Jackie. Holding down the front desk, welcoming staff, artists, tours and visitors every day, she’s the eyes and ears of the Hall and she’s definitely got a few stories to tell. As she said herself, “I could go on for hours, you could be sat here listening to me all day…”  

When did you start working at Liverpool Philharmonic? What was your first day like?  
I started working here in December 2019. The first day at work was pretty traumatic because I came in to train and my sister trained me – she worked here and she expected more than I could deliver because it’d been a long time since I’d been behind a desk. I’d been retired you see and then came back because I didn’t like being retired!  

Tell us what your day looks like.  
The average day… I come in at 8am, earlier if I’m asked to. I come in, set up my computer and then sit back to have my happy space – this is my nice place, this is where I come to get away from life. To put it in a nutshell, this is the job I wish I’d have got when I was 16. If I did, I’d still be working here today – I enjoy it that much. I come in, I welcome people, I sign them in, I sort the post and parcels, and I am also the go-to person when someone wants to have a moan. Nothing gets past me – if I see someone walking in with cakes, I’ll know it’s a birthday so I’ll ask and I keep a little stash of birthday cards in this drawer just in case. I love it, it’s just a nice feeling being here. 

Strangest or funniest thing to have happened at Stage Door? 
Oh you’re asking now, aren’t you… Could be anything! Once, Wet Wet Wet were on, but it was just Marti Pellow and when I was a lot younger, I was convinced that I was going to be his wife, I loved him that much. So I got to know his tour and I said, “Nobody ever talks to me!” They do, but I said, “No one ever speaks to me”. I was saying I loved them and all this, and as luck would have it, that night they needed a shift covering and I put my hand up and said I’d do it. I got to go and sit in a box for 15 minutes on my break and listen to them. As he was leaving, there was a wall of women outside. He came out and he said to me “How are you?” and I nearly fell off my chair. I said, “Nobody ever speaks to me, Marti.” He went, “Why? You’re the face of the place!” And he stood there and had a conversation with me, I was delighted. Then he went and spoke to everybody outside, and he went right up in my estimation.  

Harry Hill once came in and I said “Hello, Mr Hill!” He said “Oh, aren’t you nice?”. He stood there and chatted to me. I like that kind of thing, they make your day.  

Most famous person you’ve met at Stage Door?  
Well Marti Pellow, I’ll say him again, Gerry Marsden I liked him. There’s been a few – Harry Hill was good, he was a gentleman. I wanted to meet Sparks, but they didn’t come in in time. Gabrielle was lovely, she was a sweetheart. And Holly Johnson was here the other week, but I don’t stand on ceremony and I went “Hiya Holly, you alright?” And he came right up and said, “Aw, I’m alright girl, I’m tired,” and I was like, “Holly, come on!” And I was chatting to him for a little bit before he got ushered through.  

Harry Hill stands out – one of his tour said to me, “I’ve got to tell you, this is the nicest welcome we’ve ever had coming into a theatre.” 

Dream concert at the Hall?  
Paul McCartney. I’d like him to come home and recognise the Hall. Will it happen? Never say never! He’d fill here twice and still have people on the roof – he performed in the Phil pub, so he could do it in the Hall? I would love, love, love to see him on that stage. And I’d talk to him beforehand – “Alright Paul!” 

Favourite thing about working here? 
Working here – just coming to work! The outside world can’t touch me when I’m in here, they’re told not to ring me or contact me unless it’s a dire emergency. Leave me to enjoy my hours working with people I really, really like – I really like the staff here. It’s like my other family, that my outside one can’t mix with.  

The Orchestra are like my kids, I know them all by name, and all the freelancers. I know when they have problems, and I’ll ask how they’re getting on. I’m like Mother Hen with them and the techies.  

Oh and Domingo is priceless. When he comes in, he brightens the place up. When he walks in, I go “Morning Maestro! How are you? Welcome back!” I love him, he always stops and chats.  

It's just different, every day is different.