Holiday Sin

I’m back in Manchester and we had a wonderful day today looking at locations for our shoot which begins on Thursday. The hills around Hattersley are stunningly beautiful, particularly when dusted with a light coating of snow. The heavy sky was a myriad colours ranging from powder blue, right down to a curious milky orange which seemed to cling to the tops of the hills.

Paul and I were joined for the day by cameraman, Keith, who filmed A Symphony for Yorkshire, and has recently transferred to Salford Quays. It was so good to see him again. The last time I was with him, we were sitting on an hotel balcony in Romania, terrorising the locals by pouring water from a great height onto the street below. It was incredibly childish, but it made us laugh like hyperactive children.

We made our way around Hattersley Estate, meeting all of our contributors and playing them the newly mixed tracks. After they’d got over the shock of hearing themselves on their stereos, I think they were all rather thrilled. Keith seems excited about the project as well. I think the Estate reminds him of the place he grew up, and many of the people we’re working with were apparently just like his own family. I hope many people who see the films will feel this way, but if a cameraman inherently understands a project, he’ll shoot wonderful pictures.  

I’m in a less than desirable hotel, which is shame because all of the hotels I’ve stayed in so far in Manchester have been very reasonable. Paul, who booked it, was expressly told by the receptionist that the room had a bath, which is one of the few things I absolutely need when I’m in the same place for an extended stay. Unfortunately, I can only think the woman misheard him and thought he said bathroom, because there’s nothing but a shower here – and a really bad one at that! The other issue – and this is inexcusable – is that the internet is not free, and costs £5 per night. There are no reductions for a long stay, so if I want internet it’s going to set me back £70, as I’m reliably informed it’s not considered to be a BBC vital expense. Holiday Inn Express should feel incredibly embarrassed at this blatant money-spinning scheme. Probably worse than any of this – and no doubt because it’s a Saturday night in the middle of Manchester - the place is heaving with pissed up dick heads.

Perhaps the most curious aspect of the hotel design is that you can’t exit the place via its stairs, which simply lead to an emergency door, which is, apparently alarmed. It only has 2 lifts, and it’s ten storeys high, so the lifts take hours to arrive. I shouldn’t complain too much, but when you’re working really hard, it’s vital to have a home from home and plainly this isn’t a hotel set up to function for working professionals. It’s a knocking shop for people on stag dos!

Pepys spent the night 350 years ago composing a song entitled “Gaze Not On Swans.” This is a sentiment that my dear friend Fiona would absolutely agree with. She is terrified of the creatures – and not without reason. She seems to attract them. I remember on one occasion helplessly watching her climbing out of a punt into an overhanging tree because a swan was trying to eat her!

yesterday in Sussex...