How things change

When I lived in the 'States (back in the '70s) I went to visit my dad's work at White Plains, Westchester, NY. Someone must've printed me up a laminate for the day, 'cos here I am looking like a right cutie even with a couple of teeth missing.

Right through college and university, I always said the two things I would never do for a living were a) work with computers like my dad, and b) work in a shoe shop like the one my dad bought when he retired. (The former resolution meant I wanted to be, variously, an actor, a pop star, a poet, a writer, a radio presenter. The latter might've been something to do with watching A Taste Of Honey as a kid.)

Lo and behold, nearly thirty years on.

I'm not sure what this proves. Perhaps, that I have failed. (I haven't worked in a shoe shop yet. But if this freelance lark doesn't work out...)

Dalek!

Without wanting this to become some kind of Doctor Who-obsessed blog, I do remain a card-carrying fan of the children's programme which adults adore. Back in the '90s I was asked by the very lovely Gary Russell (then producer of the unlicenced Audio Visuals Dr Who stories, subsequently producer of the licenced Big Finish range of Dr Who stories, before accepting the role of script editor on the Russell T Davies series) to draw a cover for the re-release of an adventure called "The Time Ravagers".

I can't for the life of me remember exactly why Gary asked me - though I think it was something to do with him having seen a dot-stipple drawing of a Dalek I'd done for a fanzine called Tower (of which, more later).

I did the drawing above and sent it off. I think Gary eventually returned it to me when I'd graduated from university (although I'd never expected it to be sent back to me; I was brought up on Take Hart and they never returned pictures), and it went into the box of stuff. I was under the misapprehension to this day that it was never used on the cover of an Audio Visual. But I was wrong.

As with everything in this digital age, my work has been preserved for generations more to enjoy.

(Oh. Gary repaid me for this work many years later - at least I think that's what it was - by giving me the starring role of Robot Butler in a Big Finish story called "The Game". Get the CD and see if you can spot my one line under the oceans of voice effects.)

Pilates

Finally trying to do something about my terribly unhealthy lifestyle (sitting in front of a computer all day), the missus persuaded me to go with her to a pilates class.

Apparently it's pronounced pih-lah-tays, not pie-lates, which is a shame 'cos the latter sounds a bit like "pirates" and I had all my aaarrrgh-Jim-lad gags ready to go. However, the beginner's session, taken by Jenny Sherwood, was very good and I've already learned enough to know that my posture is appalling and I don't breathe properly. In addition, I've discovered several new muscles to cause pain to myself with.

It seems that my hamstring is very tight (which explains why I never became a professional footballer), for one thing, and that I can no longer sit cross-legged as I used to on a daily basis at primary school. Not, at least, without the aid of a rubber block.

It remains to be seen whether or not I carry on going but I've been practising flattening my pubic bone, taking deep breaths and tensing up my stomach. I'm not sure whether the kebab I ate on the way home was counter-productive or not. I expect I'll find out later in the course.

Victoria Hamilton

Anyway, back to emptying the box. I'm not entirely sure at this point that a blog is the right forum for all of this, so might reconfigure one day so that all this stuff can be categorised. I haven't quite worked out how to stop this page just going on scrolling down forever.

In the mean time, if you watched last night's More4 debut drama, A Very Social Secretary, you'll have spotted Victoria Hamilton in one of the lead roles.

This is me and her back in 1988, whilst staying in halls of residence at Warwick University. We were on the RSC's summer project in Stratford. I did used to want to be an actor. She obviously didn't want to be anything but.



Victoria Sharp her name was back in those days. (This pic is knackered 'cos it's a scan of an A3 blow up that I used to have blu-tacked to my wall at home. Obsessive, moi?)

Forgot my damn password

This blogging lark's not as easy as it looks. I forgot my password and had to wait until I was back at my home computer (I've been away in Newcastle working on Sky One's "The Match") to re-access it. Sadly, that means no reports on celebrity footballers. And, as yet, no pics.