Sunday 25 November 2012

The final face

At 4.30pm today we filmed the last of our 100 Faces. It felt like the most extraordinary milestone and we drank half a cup of sparkling wine to celebrate.

I was thrilled to hear that the last of the 100 Faces to walk through the door was Becky Cox, who, bizarrely, was a friend of mine from the music school in Northamptonshire. She's recently moved her entire family to Cumbria and they're starting a new life in a farmhouse on the edge of The Lakes. It was so lovely to see her, and have such an old friend sharing such an important moment. 

Today brought an even more inspiring set of people in front of our cameras. We had prisoners of war, a 96-year old who'd walked the length of Hadrian's Wall for charity, a wonderfully coquettish 94-year old with six earrings and a Facebook page, and, crowning things off, our 100 year-old, who didn't look a day over 80. I so much enjoyed talking to her. She had childhood memories of zeppelins passing over her house, and being told by her mother that the Great War was over. It's remarkable that we still have a link to those days. 

When the day started, we were still missing a contributor in the shape of someone born in 1917. The person we'd originally chosen had gone into hospital, so we ended up making a last-minute frantic appeal on the radio for someone who could come in and take part instead. Fortunately someone called in. A perfect conclusion, and a demonstration of the tenacity and commitment of Nell Gordon from BBC Radio Cumbria, who has led this project with skill and compassion. 

I go to sleep a happy and hugely relieved man!

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