Gareth, you need to know a few of the basic bright stars, this isnt too hard.
HAve you got Stellarium?
www.stellarium.org
Put in your location, and it will show you whats in your sky. At the side mark, get it to label the bright stars/planets. Its great.
At the moment, Arcturus is the bright star in the NW, then depending on your location, Vega is good for me in the N, or Alpha Centauri or Accrux, in the south.
Even if you start off with 3-4 stars it will make things easier.