Sunday 4 December 2011

A GLIMMER FROM THE PAST

It's amazing what turns up on YouTube every now and again: such as lost moments of TV that you thought you'd never see again. The other day, I stumbled over myself – well, that is, the me I used to be a decade or two ago! – hosting the BBC TV's then Sunday morning God-slot, First Light.

There's mercifully little of me in this clip: basically just the opening to the programme and my introduction to Adrian Snell and Friends' performance of 'By the Waterfront', an appropriate number for a Sunday morning...



Seeing this snippet of my brief-ish TV career, brought back a lot of memories of working at the BBC studios in Manchester and of being totally thrown in at the deep end of television presentation: learning, amongst other skills, to read auto-cues and take direction via an earpiece... Of course, in those days, I was still young enough to believe I could do anything and never once batted an eye-lid at tackling something new... Nowadays, I'd be a tad more reticent!

Having been told, two days ago, by The Church Next Door (in a outburst of pre-Christmas spirit) that we have to vacate our flat by 27 January, I rather wish I was still presenting a religious current affairs programme!

As a result of the imminent upheaval caused by having to move our joint 60 years of possessions (or, I guess, that should be 120 years) – out, into storage and possibly – at some point in the future, as yet unknown – back in again, is likely to curtail much serious (or even trivial) blogging for a while; but if and when I disappear from view, rest assured I will, eventually, return!

7 comments:

scb said...

Absolutely loved the glimpse of the Brian of Yesteryear! Thank you!

Didn't love the news that the powers that be have finally spoken and ousted you from your flat. The two of you will be in my thoughts as you go through the next weeks.

Warm thoughts,

Beth

Suzanne said...

Oh dear, how awful! I hope you and David have somewhere to go and that this won't upset your Christmas. Why though?

Brian Sibley said...

SCB – Well it had to happen, sooner or later, but their timing (as it has been throughout the whole of the last 2+ years leading up to this) is fantastically unhelpful!

Suzanne – The 'why' is rather a L-O-N-G story, but is, essentially, about expiring leases and tenancies being taken over and major building works needing to be undertaken and an insistence that we remove every single item from the flat (and ourselves) while those works are being done. Well, that's the short version...

Anonymous said...

I'm so, so sorry about all the upheaval. I hope that when you're both finally resettled, you'll NEVER have to go through anything like this again. Best wishes as always - and try to enjoy your Christmas despite it all. (Easier said than done!) (RGP)

dragonladych said...

Oh dear! I hope you'll find a nice place very soon.

SharonM said...

Lovely to see that clip of you!

Sorry to hear that the Church, in the true spirit of Christmas, is finally turfing you out.

I suppose the only positive thing that I can say is that it ends the uncertainty of when you would have to move.

Hope you manage to find somewhere and that the move isn't too distressing.

Roger O B... said...

Was that a plate full of muffins on the table behind you in that clip, Brian?
Should I start clearing out the stable (er, garage)?
Roger
MOTOMOED: Road rage at being held up by a herd of cows