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Back to the studio to record series 4 of Relativity. We’d last been here in January 2020, before Covid was really being discussed. Things were very different this time, with social distancing, acting behind screens with our own mics and best/worst of all no biscuits all over the place.
Covid also meant that the green room part of the studio wasn’t
The first scene we recorded (not the first scene in script one) was fun to watch and had me crying with laughter (but it might just have been relief), so that’s a good start. The actors kept saying how good the scripts were, which they haven't done much before, so that's both cool and very insulting for the previous 14 episodes.
The first actual scene of the first episode has possibly the raciest (not most racist) line that has ever been broadcast on Radio 4 at lunchtime, so look out for that. I hope it doesn’t kill any Radio 4 listeners with shock.
We also read through script 6 before lunch and it’s not too bad, but I want to do a few rewrites, so the writing process is not yet over, but it never is until the stuff is recorded. We did record a couple of episode 6 scenes (we’re jumping all over the place due to cast availability), so we managed to record all the scenes that are just Emily Berrington and me. As most of what happens to my character is stuff that has happened to me it’s pretty easy to get into character, but I am working with such incredible actors that my job is relatively (relativity) easy and this time I felt like I was doing OK too (but you know, it’s not really like I have to act it).
They made us fill in a Covid form. For some reason rather than asking for your age or your date of birth, they asked for your age next birthday, which seemed cruel. Because I am not yet used to being 54 and it always makes me jolt a bit to think I am, because come on, that’s not possible. But to be made to write 55. That’s just a kick in the nad. I'd better get busy. It's nearly over.
The drive home was tricky, navigating the dark and busy London streets and then getting out into the countryside where deer were standing in the road, seemingly ready to jump in front of the car. But I got home in one piece, in time to help put the kids to bed. I did a bit of work on script 6, but I was falling asleep, so decided to leave it til the morning.
