Blog posts by year and monthJuly 2012
Posts (10)
The Dark: Nature's Nighttime World
Human senses are not well adapted for life in the dark so it's not surprising that we are not familiar with what goes on when the sun goes down. The opportunity to be a presenter on a TV expedition to South America is one that few biologists would pass up. But The Dark: Nature's Nighttime Wo...
Bert & Dickie: Writing an Olympic drama
I'd never been near any boat smaller than a pleasure cruiser on the Norfolk Broads when I started work on the script for Bert & Dickie. That was part of the attraction for me. I'm sport mad and was intrigued to investigate sculling - a sport which for me was completely alien. (For those ...
Babies In The Office: Taking my baby to work
I was on maternity leave when I first heard about the Babies In The Office scheme.
Is Football Racist? My Dad's story
It's not an exaggeration! Here I am, 32 years of age, I've been a professional footballer for half of my life yet I've never talked to my Dad about his days within the game. The truth is I'm kind of glad that I hadn't. My dad left school with the dream of being a footballer but only manage...
The making of The Riots: In Their Own Words
The riots across England in August 2011 should need no introduction. Following the police shooting of Mark Duggan, a peaceful protest in Tottenham developed into explosive violent disorder. Over five days trouble spread across the country with people looting, setting fire to property and att...
Faster, Higher, Stronger: The history of the 1500m
As a schoolchild I was one of millions who gathered around television sets to watch Sebastian Coe, Steve Ovett and Steve Cram battle each other to win the 1500m in two epic Olympic finals: Moscow in 1980 and LA in 1984. Thirty years ago Brits were the undisputed kings of middle distance runn...
Volcano Live: Why I changed my day job for volcanology
So, what makes a middle-aged office worker up-sticks, give up seven years of her life to return to university as a mouldy-oldie student, travel half-way across the world to go and see volcanoes in the middle of nowhere and pursue a career trying to fathom out how the rocks of this planet formed?...
Henning Mankell's Wallander: I'm the screenwriter
By total coincidence, I live in Southern Sweden, about half an hour down the road from Ystad, the small coastal town where Wallander is filmed and set. I'm one of those jammy sods who managed to entice a Swedish girl into marriage and then paid the price by being made to emigrate to a well-m...
Henry IV and Henry V: Q&A with the costume designer
The Hollow Crown is a series of four adaptations of Shakespeare's History Plays on BBC Two starting with Richard II. Annie Symons is the costume designer on the three continuing films: Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2 and Henry V. Annie talked to me about the creative and practical process of cl...
When I Get Older: My time with Ivy
My main reflection after making When I Get Older is that it was a privilege to stay with Ivy in her home. Ivy is a pensioner whose housing benefit doesn't cover her rent and she's in debt. I found it challenging and humbling to live with her for four days and see how she had to analyse th...
