Cameraman based in Edinburgh, employed by ITN, working for ITV's Good Morning Britain covering stories all over the UK and the world. War Zones, World Cups, Royal Tours and many other less exciting assignments, like interviewing current and ex Prime Ministers have kept me busy over the years working in Breakfast Television since GMTV came on the scene back in '93 and regional TV before that. In 2009 I began to record what it is like to work, the often strange and long hours needed to bring the hard news, human interest and fluffy fun to the UK's TV screens in the morning, mostly broadcasting live.

Monday, 9 February 2009

"Marry Me" in Cardiff

8th February 2009


In the cold darkness before sunrise I crunched over the ice to the car. I had a long drive ahead and given the weather over the last few days I was not sure how long it would take me.


I drove along the Biggar road heading south. The snow covered hills and the beautiful purple sky lit by by the predawn light was breathtakingly surreal. The landscape had the feel of a set from  an early Star Trek episode. It is when I see sights like that I that I think it is great working for GMTV and having to be up and about at a time of day with a temperature of minus ten degrees Celsius, when most people are still sound asleep tucked up in their nice warm fluffy duvets. They are unaware of the spectacle that nature has displayed just outside their bedroom window.



The Predawn sky just outside Edinburgh


I had a long and uneventful journey from Edinburgh to Cardiff apart from the weather. As the day wore on and the miles clocked up the weather went from arctic serenity through arctic mayhem to good old British heavy rain.


Near the centre of Cardiff at a secret location I met up with Dave the Production Manager, Kristian our new Presenter and the bevy of Producers led by the lovely Yiljan. I hope Stuart and Jen don’t mind being referred to as a bevy. 


Dave had set up a sort of hidden camera for use on the live tomorrow. We will be shooting a man dressed in a Gorilla costume accompanied by a string quartet singing a song to his girlfriend and then proposing to her. All quite normal stuff for a monday morning.


Once the little technical stuff was done we retreated to the hotel for a nice dinner where we put the world to rights over a few glasses of mineral water. Seriously! When you have to be up at a time that the majority of people don’t even know exists drinking any more than a minimum amount of alcohol is a no go.


Bed by 10pm


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