Wednesday Writing - a little late and a little different

In 2004 the BBC launched a new series about family history. Called 'Who Do You Think You Are?', each episode featured a different celebrity searching for their roots.

On an obscure BBC channel after each WDYTYA episode there was an opportunity to see a couple of short (2 minutes max) digital films made by members of the public researching their family tree. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to make one of these films. I had applied to attend a digital film-making workshop prior to this but all the places had gone, but they considered my story had enough family history to make me a candidate for this particular workshop.

So, with nine others from all over the country, I set off for Milton Keynes for a week in a conference centre with the experts from the BBC digital film-making team. And all at the licence-payers' expense.

This film is my own personal result. It's available on the BBC website but I wanted to make it easier to access. We were each given copies of our films on video cassette so I've filmed it from the television - hence the poor quality. The original is top BBC quality. We were recorded in special sound booths and the music that is played on mine was written specially.

When the series was launched they previewed it on BBC breakfast television. A few days beforehand the BBC contacted me and asked if I'd be willing to travel to London to appear on the sofa with Natasha Kaplinsky (or whatever her name is), to talk about my film, an excerpt of which would be shown.

'Oo-er,' I said.

She (the BBC lady) said, 'Your film was by far the most powerful and we'd really like you to appear.'

How can a writer - especially one much used to rejection - say no after such a comment?!

So that's how I came to be in make-up with Matthew Pinsett and on the sofa with Natasha.