The BBC and me

The BBC has always been controversial. 

On my induction course when I first stepped over the doorstep of Broadcasting House, one of the first things I was told was never, ever, try to sue the BBC. We have bigger and better lawyers than you could possibly afford.

The BBC has always been in the firing line from the Government of the day. They were so worried about it's impartiality that some Governments did all they could to try and scupper it.

When Cameron was in power, he placed many of his friends in the BBC in influencial positions, so we have today a BBC fighting for it's life because it's lost it's impartiality. 

Where do I come into all this?  You may ask. Well to a certain extent the BBC made me what I am today. It was the start of my career. 

I was lucky enough to work with intelligent well informed people, go into Engineering and find that I liked it, became a family with the people I worked with, married one of them. Stood up for them by becoming a Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union rep, or BECTU as it's commonly known.

I have done many film shots that have stuck in my head for years. Filming foetus' for the Open University, to show a baby's growth from start to finish. Arriving in glass jars to be laid out showing how the child grows. Real dead babies, that had to be sprayed with water to stop them burning under the lights. That could not be left alone in the studio, in a closed set with just me the camerawoman, the producer and a member of staff from the hospital museum.

Then there was the executions. Men and women tied to posts and shot. Brains stuck to the wood. Being told that some of the firers had blanks loaded into their guns so that no-one knew who actually committed the executions.

The thing is that you can swing from the macabre to the entertaining in a couple of days.

I loved watching Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews sing together at the 2000 Jules Holland  Hootenanny.  Thought Dale Winton was incredibly funny when he asked us to spread a rumour that he was actually straight and married. Was absolutely so priviledged to work with many wonderful people, to meet and greet stars and take them to the green room or to their meetings.

The BBC was home and family and all encompassing work to me from the age of 22.
Suddenly it was gone. Redundancy.

I worked freelance for a few years, then as I got older, I found my experience was no longer needed, so I decided to employ myself.  We moved to Cornwall with my husbands job bringing money from the EU into a poor area. I let a little holiday cottage I bought with my redundancy. I ran Coppernob Design with my son, making websites and promotional material, and I wrote. 

Been an incredible life, and I have been so lucky in some respects, and it's not over yet. I still think I'm in my thirties.  

Now I write full time, using the wealth of my experiences, stealing personalities and characters from people I have met, to fill my books with real men and women.

Just finished my Legend of The Rollright Stones. In proofreading stage at the moment, needs cover design, and off I go again on another adventure.