[Worzel]

A couple of really interesting reasons!

When I was at secondary school, Carole Hersee came in and gave a talk in our school assembly about what it was like being the test card girl. She even brought in Bubbles the Clown. I found it really fascinating hearing about her Father, his job as a BBC engineer and that the cross on the blackboard was positioned in the middle of the screen. (I don't think many of the other pupils found it interesting, sadly!). That was around 1998.

Then in 1999 or 2000, the chap who flew the BBC One balloon for the filming of the idents happened to know one of the teachers. So one afternoon we were treated to the BBC One hot air balloon being inflated on our school field and eventually taking off. Actually seeing that in person was pretty special. I'm just gutted no photos were taken as a picture of me standing next to the balloon, aged 13 would have been amazing. I looked at TV idents in a completely different way after that.

Then in February 2001 I was a contestant on the BBC Two Saturday morning kids TV show, Subzero. Having experienced going round Television Centre for the first time, the show being filmed in TC1, being based in Red Assembly and walking past Eamonn Holmes' dressing room was just incredible! My family and I spent 2 days there. Rehearsals were on the Saturday, then the live show went out on Sunday. My subsequent visits to Television Centre after that were very special, but not quite as magical.

Although I didn't get into TV production, I do Radio Production as a Head of Production making idents/promos/commercials etc (as well as presenting on the radio too) so I do think the above all played some part in what I do in some of my work today.

That's my story!