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Sixteen months ago, I did something crazy. I applied to take part
in a television series. I knew I didn't stand the remotest chance
of being selected. Which only goes to show how wrong you can
be.
I was very busy at the time, so much so that I'd been avoiding my usual distractions of Twitter and the Cloud. But one hot June afternoon a voice inside my head said 'Log on to Twitter now'. I trust this voice because it gives me very good advice — it kept me away from the King's Cross Tube fire in 1987 and in 2001 it directed me straight to the house we bought when we moved out of London. It doesn't often pipe up but, when it does, I listen.
So I logged on. And the first thing I saw on Twitter — directly in my line of vision — was a Tweet from Mary Portas (the retail guru often referred to as the Queen of Shops) asking if anyone wanted to get involved in her latest project. I'm a big fan of Mary's and it sounded fun, so I clicked on the link. And that's how it all started.
The project is about the lamentable state of high street fashion for women over 40. Something dear to my heart as I often despair of what's on offer, particularly out here in rural England. The clothes either make us look like teenagers or grannies, which is why Mary decided to create and design her own line of clothes.
I was invited to an interview with the production team, said what I thought, and to my astonishment I was recruited to be one of a team of six 'ordinary' women giving Mary our thoughts on everything from the shape and colour of clothes to the way our needs change as we get older. We met Mary roughly once every couple of months and there were some major fireworks along the way. There were also some good laughs.
The three-part series starts at 9 tonight on Channel 4. Apparently I pop up this evening making some disparaging remarks about a ballgown on sale in House of Fraser. (There was a lot of scope for similar comments!) Luckily, there was so much to cram into the three programmes that our six-woman team's contribution comes fairly low down the list of what's on offer but we do appear every now and then. Even so, I think I'll be watching from behind the sofa.
I was very busy at the time, so much so that I'd been avoiding my usual distractions of Twitter and the Cloud. But one hot June afternoon a voice inside my head said 'Log on to Twitter now'. I trust this voice because it gives me very good advice — it kept me away from the King's Cross Tube fire in 1987 and in 2001 it directed me straight to the house we bought when we moved out of London. It doesn't often pipe up but, when it does, I listen.
So I logged on. And the first thing I saw on Twitter — directly in my line of vision — was a Tweet from Mary Portas (the retail guru often referred to as the Queen of Shops) asking if anyone wanted to get involved in her latest project. I'm a big fan of Mary's and it sounded fun, so I clicked on the link. And that's how it all started.
The project is about the lamentable state of high street fashion for women over 40. Something dear to my heart as I often despair of what's on offer, particularly out here in rural England. The clothes either make us look like teenagers or grannies, which is why Mary decided to create and design her own line of clothes.
I was invited to an interview with the production team, said what I thought, and to my astonishment I was recruited to be one of a team of six 'ordinary' women giving Mary our thoughts on everything from the shape and colour of clothes to the way our needs change as we get older. We met Mary roughly once every couple of months and there were some major fireworks along the way. There were also some good laughs.
The three-part series starts at 9 tonight on Channel 4. Apparently I pop up this evening making some disparaging remarks about a ballgown on sale in House of Fraser. (There was a lot of scope for similar comments!) Luckily, there was so much to cram into the three programmes that our six-woman team's contribution comes fairly low down the list of what's on offer but we do appear every now and then. Even so, I think I'll be watching from behind the sofa.
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20 Comments
Yay! :D
Spi, It must be accessible via the channel 4 website.
Sounds as if there is an opportunisty for some real momentum in this issue.....
AS there is baseball playoffs on ESPN I have not informed Her-Indoors of this but set the box to record so she can watch it at her leisure at 3:00 in the morning or so. She is constantly chirping on about this issue.
We want more Spangles! And what, exactly, is wrong with a fascinator? Mm?
I'm hoping for an episode of cowboy builders or crime watch for myself.
Various things happened that I wasn't involved in (such as the silver duct models) because I don't live in London, and sometimes it was easier for the production team to round up the Londoners. There was talk of all of us going to Paris for a meeting with Playtex, but sadly that didn't happen.
Alan, last year I popped up on The Great British Bake-off as a pies expert - all two minutes of me. How funny that you nearly appeared on that too, Tfx. What a small world!
Prop, I am awed by the viewing sacrifice you made last night. I hope Mrs Prop enjoyed the show.
I think you should start a new TV franchise. Call it Cheerful Women of a Certain Age. Grumpy has had its day, I feel. I expect you have all you need within the membership of this little community here.
There was quite a large amount of grumpiness from certain people (but not Mary) during the filming, and the grumpier they got the more cheery I got. They probably wanted to throttle me. Strangely enough, it was mutual!
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