Up at 7.30 to start work and things progressed steadily, but by lunchtime I had no second half of the show and no ideas for what I could write about. But suddenly a couple of thoughts that had drifted through the back of my mind transformed into sketches and I completed the script with time to have a leisurely bath and to get to Leicester Square 25 minutes early for rehearsal. Even I don't quite understand how that happened. Last week it had been a massive struggle, but this week the script appeared as if from nowhere (or as if from elves).
And plenty of people showed up for this Bank Holiday show and I had fun chatting to them in the first (unbroadcast) half, including Connor who was on the eve on his 14th birthday and whose dad had brought him along as a treat. Not sure how responsible a parent that makes him, but it's a big compliment to me that a young man like Connor enjoys my stuff. And I realise that I was listening to Derek and Clive when I was that age or younger and it didn't do me any harm. I have grown up to be a responsible and respectable adult who has never had anything unsavoury inserted into any bodily orifice.... Hmmmmm.
Emma was showing off her iPad, which seems like mainly being a very expensive way to play Angry Birds. But it was a lot of fun playing Angry Birds so maybe it's worth it. Ian Apple has done a great job of making something that every fibre of your being wants to own, even if a large part of your brain is wondering if it really is worth it. I watched a bit of 24 on it and it looked stunning and there are some fun and useful apps. I am just so certain to buy one that I am actually quite impressed for myself for having a rational internal debate about it.
Dan Tetsell had been to Sweden for a wedding and brought back Scandinavian Haribo. Last series he had brought back some sour and unpleasant German Haribo, which I recall as being brackish (though that might just be my memory playing tricks on me), but the Swedish versions (and Haribo cannily obviously make their sweets based on local tastes) are quite weird and wonderful, resembling in some cases something you might find in Bombay Mix and with quite an emphasis on liquorish. But we all agreed it was the best Haribo we'd had and we might have to send Tetsell back to Sweden to get some more. It's his main job in the cast. Especially now that Tiny Andrew Collings is dominating and taking up most of the time that Dan would usually have got to play a funny character. And Tiny Andrew Collings took the show to some interesting places this week. I don't know how the actual Andrew Collings will react to it. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is entirely coincidental.
There's a chance that this was the best AIOTM yet. It was definitely one of the most fun evenings overall. Judge for yourself by
downloading here or via iTunes.
