Sadly I remember the story.
He was at a gay club with his gay friends, parked in a disabled bay with his blue badge.
He dropped his friends off, and drove back past the club on his way home.
It rained very hard, so he stopped the car to wait for the rain to stop.
Somebody knocked on his car window and started chatting. He thought he recognised him or her from the club and said 'get in' - two people got in the car. He realised he didn't know them, but they asked him to take them home for �x amount. He agreed.
After a while, the car was stopped by police who asked the passengers if they were being charged. They said they were. He was charged with plying for hire without the necessary licence and subsequently disqualified.
He changed his story a few times, and wouldn't admit to either being parked in a taxi rank or right outside a club, but he was. It wasn't a random stop either - he had been seen doing it before and was being watched.
You have been caught fair and square - you have no grounds for appeal and was rightly disqualified. You should have thought about your licence before you started using your car as an illegal taxi.