After nine months of research at The Call Centre I think it’s fair to say that I could now be a fully-fledged member of the Save Britain Money team.
After sitting through countless team briefs, sales agent call training and the obligatory Nev meet and greet sing-songs, it's safe to say I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt.
I must admit, working in a call centre is rather enjoyable.
Far from the stereotypical mundane, repetitive work you might expect, I was introduced to the fun-loving team-mates.
Call centre staff Kieran Vye (left) and Kristian Thomas
What I learnt most about this particular call centre is that it’s much more than a place of work.
They coach each other through those first nerve-racking phone calls and the place is full of camaraderie and team spirit.
Each employee has a name and an identity and is more than just a number and a headset.
They are all in it together and as a researcher I was privileged to be let into the fold for a couple of months.
Although the filming hours were long, and the weeks sometimes felt like months, I miss the place - the buzz of the sales floor, the laughter and the unpredictability of the filming.
My job was to get to know everybody and immerse myself in their day to day lives and responsibilities, and to learn the ins and outs of the products they sold.
It was my responsibility to discover the interesting characters, to befriend and earn their trust, and identify what made a good story.
I'd then take these stories to the directors as a potential sequence to film, and I must admit I was a bit spoilt for choice.
Once we'd found a strong character with an interesting storyline it was my job to set up the filming, gain permissions from local authorities to make all the necessary checks to enable us to film.
When you unearth a great story you find yourself really investing in it, willing the contributors to do well.
Nev and call centre accountant Jeff Nsofor.
One of my favourite stories was when Jeff Nsofor, one of the accountants, asked Nev to sign his working visa to allow him to remain at the call centre.
Nev being Nev agreed, but there's always a catch.
He set up a series of challenges for Jeff to overcome, and the production team were all getting behind Jeff and willing him to do well.
I also did my fair share of tea rounds with Hayley Pearce, a brilliant character and a researcher’s dream.
Anything that’s worth knowing, Hayley has it covered, and the latest hot-gossip is always discussed on her tea round.
I got to know many of the employees on a personal level too, being welcomed into their homes and working lives to document what the call centre is really like.
You can't film everything on a daily basis without occasionally getting on people's nerves but it was a sad day when we packed up the cameras and said our goodbyes.
Even the call centre staff were sad to see us go as we'd all become part of the office furniture.
But now, I get to enjoy the series on BBC Three and re-live some of those amazing moments again.
And who knows, maybe we'll all be reunited again sometime in the future.
