Following our stunning success on University Challenge the Professionals, the RNA was tempted, when phoned by a researcher for Eggheads to try their hand at another TV quiz show. It was a whole other experience from Uni C but enjoyable nonetheless.
The BBC had informed us that we had to be at the studios by 8.00 am. The taxi was ordered for 7.30 - and all this on a Monday morning. Consequently, getting the hotel contingent of the team out of the hotel and into the taxi was reminiscent of herding cats. As I get nose bleeds at the thought of being even a tiny bit late I was only just spared making an unsightly mess of the BBC foyer by the fact that we actually pitched up on the dot of 8.00am. My mind was also taken off the unpunctuality issue at the sight of Julie Cohen stroking a dalek's - ahem - appendage whilst pouting sexily. Not a vision one sees every morning - at least not here in Oxfordshire.
The taxi contingent - me, Judy Astley, Phillipa Ashley and Katie Fforde - were the last to arrive at the hallowed Beeb site. Melanie Hilton ( who writes Regencies for HMB as Louise Allen) and Julie Cohen were already waiting for us having opted to get up hideously early and come in from home.
More cat-herding took place as we were swept off to the green room by two BBC lovelies who didn't look old enough to be walking to school on their own let alone helping produce a TV show. The green room was stark but comfy with nice squashy sofas and lots of tea, coffee and pastries. We were then taken through the rules and the health and safety briefing and given the chance to sign our lives and image rights away. These rules and regs were read out to us and then explained in words of one syllable. I was tempted to ask that, as we'd passed the audition so the BBC obviously thought we were 'quite bright', why was there the need for the kindergarten level of explanation? But I forbore. I didn't think it was a good plan to make enemies before the recording.
That plan went out of the window with my first encounter with CJ. As we went into make-up he was being very dramatic about the magnitude of his cold and how ill he felt. 'Not well? Shame,' I said snakily.
Watching the others getting transformed from 'pleasantly attractive' to 'phwoar!' was great fun and I couldn't wait for my turn. The lovely lady did her best but it might have been a help if she'd had something half-decent to start with. Still, at least she achieved 'humanoid' and possibly even 'identifiably female' which was a bonus!
Then it was into the studio and on with the show. After University Challenge it was odd not to have an audience and the studio was strangely empty and soulless. To keep my mind off the butterflies I did offer the sound engineer the chance to make a happy woman very old by threading my mike lead through my clothes himself... Spookily he declined. Ah well.
And suddenly we were recording. I sat there like a rabbit in the headlights while my team mates climbed cheerfully onto the tumbrels to be taken away for the individual rounds. Their depth of knowledge and, when that failed, blinding guesses, made me gasp. I lost track of the times I thought 'she can't know that' only to be amazed! Before I knew it, it was the last round and all over. They said it would go fast and golly it did.
Would I do it again? Obviously being a shameless media tart the answer is yes!!
