My Evening as a Supporting Artist

[Sundae]

Not really telly, but one for the Brits.

Guess who I had dinner with tonight? No?
No, you wouldn't be able to guess as there are so many people in the world.

Heston.
And the Schofe.

Re-re-wind (when the crowd says bo selecta)
Can you tell I'm still all fizzy?

Serious business now.
The fine supermarket I work hard for, asked for staff to be in the audience for a live TV event (live on their online channel). I was one of those picked in the draw. Yay me.

There were only five people from our branch and we knew very little about it.
We probably should have, but being so close to Christmas, in-house communication tends to focus on sales. So we turned up at the meeting place in "smart Christmas Party clothes" and were then ushered across to the hall where we would be filming.

My lickle group were pretty much through the door first.
We didn't queue-jump, but none of us had coats to check in, we'd all turned off mobiles or not brought them and we'd already signed the disclaimer forms.
This did mean that the table we were allocated was at the back, but it was okay, the hall they were filming in was pretty small. And we were close to the runners/ catering staff - woohooo!

There weren't any seats, but the film time was less than an hour. I was happy standing in my red heels. I love my red heels.
We stood at waist high tables. Turns out that the TV chefs/ presenters we feature in-store and in our adverts, were all making a Christmas dish. A mini cookery show. But. Every time they made their food, we were served with a taster too.

You know me. I'm TV savvy.
I immediately got the fact that the Steadicam guy would have to come past us.
I got the fact that the cable was going to have to go over us.
I got that I had to check my peripheral vision and be aware of what was happening behind me.
The runners/ production team liked this.
Some people were moved prior to filming. We weren't, and we got extra servings

On the tables from the start were glasses of Prosecco (I had Schloer) and Heston's festive range. I checked with the staff whether we could eat them. Not yet, not yet, wait until the show started because they were going to pan in.
You don't want to mess with people who work in live tv, even if it is online. Not because they're dangerous, just because it's not fair.

The floor manager introduced himself. Cheer and clap and laugh throughout he said (we tried, but we were at the back)
He introduced Phillip Schofield, who introduced Heston Blumenthal, the Baker Brothers and Rachel Allen.

SCOFFAGE TIME!
I checked over my shoulder and got the nod. Yup, we can start eating. Same with all the food.
Some tables dived in too soon and were glared at. I think they were too scared to eat after that.
We left stuffed as a tick.

Heston started.
Roast potatoes.
Blah, blah, blah, roast potatoes.
I should have listened more to the recipe, they were amazeballs.
Really just the best roast potatoes I have ever eaten.
Clap, cheer.
Potatoes deserved a standing ovation but we were already standing.

Oh, in case you didn't know, Philip Schofield is tiny. Not short - Heston is shorter but muscular. Pip is just... tiny. Little pipe-cleaner man. Probably to stop Holly Willoughby looking too thin next to him.

The Fabulous Baker Brothers.
Who are quite yummy. Especially the little one.
Cooked some gammon, and we got gammon cobs.
A little bit of a shame because I genuinely like Tom & Henry and I got a really fatty slab of meat in my cob.
Cobs removed from table, off go the cobs, no crying from me.

On comes Rachel Allen. Nice Irish lady. Made something sweet and chocolately. There was salt and caramel involved, and orange peel. Little glasses appeared with little spoons. I just wanted Heston's pies back, and his potatoes, and to talk to the Baker Brothers about cheese. But I ate the dessert. Rude not to, especially when I knew it would be whisked away very quickly. Bye-bye dessert.

I hope to get a connection to the video at some point.
The link doesn't seem to be working right now. Or at least not for me.
I got to wear my long, long skirt and fancy top, which I despaired of getting to wear (because the skirt is already slightly too large and is way too dressy for our GTG, even by my over the top standards).

And I kissed Henry.
Or he kissed me.
He was just right there as I was leaving and although he was talking to production staff I figured he'd like to hear that I loved his work and all this and all that.
So I said thank you and that I was a fan and he said "Christmas kiss?"
And I can't remember if I kissed his cheek or offered mine. Kiss is kiss though, right?

Only one I've had this year.

[limey]

What fun! Lucky you

Sent by thought transference

[Clodfobble]

Wow, that sounds like it was a lot of fun, Sundae.

[glatt]

You've been on tv before. An old pro.

[Sundae]

[DanaC]

Fucking awesome!

[Sundae]

I know, I really am

[glatt]

I saw you!

[be-bop]

Those roast spuds looked really nice **slurp**

[Carruthers]

From The Guardian...

The small but pretty church hall in the Buckinghamshire village of Waddesdon is bedecked with holly, a forest of Christmas trees and piles of presents big enough to suit a giant. It could be a jolly night for the local rotary were it not for the full camera crew, studio lighting bright enough to blind a reindeer and an equally dazzling line-up of celebrities.

But this event won't be a TV Christmas special on BBC1 or Channel 4. Presenter Phillip Schofield along with celebrity chefs Heston Blumenthal, Rachel Allen and Tom and Henry Herbert, better known as the Fabulous Baker Brothers, are here to film a live special for Waitrose, streamed via YouTube and the retailer's website.

I didn't want to cut and paste the entire article for fear of breaching copyright, so it can be read in its entirety here:

Waitrose goes live online with Heston Blumenthal

[Sundae]

There is a line that implies that the only staff there were in a cupboard.
But perhaps it was written by Godron the Gopher