I love the creative arts. We know this. I went to watch Drop The Dead Donkey: The Reawakening at The Playhouse this week. I was a child when the series was on Channel 4. 1992 onwards. I was 7 years old, watching the show at 10pm when I had school the next morning. I was one of these geeky kids who was old in the head. My mum would work until 10:30pm of a night in Plessey’s on Edge Lane as a cleaner so my dad would let me stay up and watch things like The Equaliser, Nightingales (a sitcom starring David Threlfall & Robert Lindsay), Not The Nine O’Clock News, KYTV (an old comedy starring Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins) and Spitting Image. I’d go into primary school thinking everyone was watching these shows whereas in fact they weren’t. Their parents would send them to bed around 20:30 like normal kids. I thought I was going to marry John Simm and work at Channel 4. I still do. But I shall swap John Simm for Adrian Bower. He’s more my type. The 90’s was where my love for television came to fruition. We only had 4 channels but fuck were they fantastic. The chaotic and fictional Newsroom on Drop The Dead Donkey made me want to work in this amazing industry. It only took me another 30 years to get a degree to do so. Neil Pearson, Jeff Rawle, Stephen Tomkinson and the woman crush worthy Susannah Doyle reunited (along with the actress who played Rhona in my beloved 2point4 Children) to bring us The News once more.
It was fantastic to see the characters come together once more, minus two who are no longer with us, they played the theme tune and everything. The only fault I have with the day is the amount of posh old people that were in the audience. One audience member, a posh woman in her 70’s/80’s in the ladies toilets was very rude to me so I cut in front of her and queue jumped. Fuck her. The day made me realise, I couldn’t give a fuck about anything other than my family and my future in the media. I thought to myself over a pint afterwards “I literally can do anything I fucking well want. I’m 39. I’m sexy, intelligent and funny.” I was rather drunk, granted. I spoke to a friend of mine who is Head of Drama for a Higher Education establishment and realised my self worth. I sent a few dirty messages to men I want to sleep with, ate an entire chocolate cheesecake and fell asleep. I felt fabulous the next day. I never felt regretful or embarrassed. I actually felt amazing. Empowered almost. I still do. The arts is amazing. To work in the Television industry is my dream job. To have a 2 bedroom house in Crouch End is a bonus. I was a drunken mess on Thursday. Let me tell you, that 5 months ago, if I was drunk, I’d have been so bloody miserable. I was so overweight and working in a job I hated, in an industry I didn’t give a fuck about. I took the piss. I was so unhappy. I’d buy clothes to fill a void. Drink to cheer myself up. Now, I’m in the gym everyday, I have lost a stone and a half, I rarely drink alcohol and I’ve cut all the nob heads out my life. They might not be nobheads, they are probably really nice…but they have nothing to offer me. I love stimulating conversations, culture, theatre, arty documentaries and fine dining. (I also love cheese burgers and drives but I do enjoy a pretentious splurge). I am in my element once I’m in a theatre. I was an outrageous and chaotic mess on Thursday, it was fantastic. I was sat on the 3rd row right at the end, stage right. It was orgasmic. I was in awe of the set, the actors and screaming with laughter. It’s my favourite thing to do. Watch something amazing whilst drunk.
I am so glad I’m not in a depressing job role anymore, I know what I can achieve. I’m very excited about the future. You can tell I feel pretentious because I’ve cut a fringe in like Claudia Winkleman or Dawn O’Porter.