I slept well last night. Well considering I had a huge day to awake to. Today I recorded 20 episodes of Tweet of the Day with a life long hero of mine, Michael Palin. There are moments in a life when the stars shine bright, the sun is warm and the World seems a better place. And so it was today. It began well, my drive through the mist and mellow fruitfulness of the Somerset Levels around here was a gem of a journey. Luckily I had my camera with me and managed to run off a handful of images en route. Vapour trails are very photogenic, but we forget the costs.
To the main event of the day, the arrival of Mr Michael Palin into BBC Bristol. It is almost too embarrassing to say but since a child I have admired this man. Firstly as a comic genius, but latterly as a travel journalist of huge stature. Something I mentioned when we sat for a coffee before the reading, the excitement of Around The World in 80 Days when it first came out, which unbelievably was 25 years ago and on September 25th 1988 the first day of the actual journey took place.
Today I don't mind admitting I was nervous. Meeting a great man, a lifelong hero and also making sure I got 20 programmes recorded took it's toll. I'd not been this nervous since my degree exam days. I needn't have worried. I received the call from BBC Security - Mr Palin has arrived. Wandering down to the car park there he was, alone just looking like he always does, looking for this unknown producer. He saw me and pointed and I pointed back. "Mr Palin, I'm Andrew Dawes". A banal beginning but it broke the ice. Beside us was a gardener desicrating a hedge with a petrol trimmer - "what a great place to do a recording" he quipped as we went to the bar. With him briefly was his 'Travelling to Work' tour manager Jo who made her excuses and beetled off to I no not where.
We sat down with a coffee and exchanged pleasantries. People around us looked and looked again. Members of the team drifted in and paid their respects, followed closely by one of the bar girls who wanted her photo taking. Eventually this calmed down and we had a run through of the scripts, making suggestions and working out the delivery speed. What a professional he is, asking my advice and that I was to direct him as to what I wanted (I'd suggest he would be far better placed to deliver this than I). In the studio it was the same.
We began with programme 110, and immediately I knew this was going to be good. 200 words, read twice and not a mistake. A cascade of cultured words emanated from behind the glass, a delivery like the velvet cascade of a favourite uncle telling a much loved story around the camp fire. I was hooked. The team behind me were hooked, and Mike the engineer of 40 years experience just turned to me and said "this is good". It was. After an hour and a half we had a break and Michael Palin entertained us with his anecdotes of his Python days, plus his quite exceptional experience in the Welsh hotel the night before - room service only, he was barred from having food anywhere else in the building. His way of telling us this had us in raptures.
We finished the recording at 2pm and managed to run off some trails for Radio 4. Then some photographs - official ones to begin with in front of the branding banners, but then I asked if I could have a personal one taken with him - he stood close to me and pointed a finger at me, I returned the gesture and we stood there shooting each other. It was natural and absolutely a diamond moment in my life. I'd earlier asked if I could have a personal photo taken outside and we stood next to a tree. He put his arm around me and likewise I did him, so the above image was created. And then it was all over, he walked off across the carpark and was gone to his hotel and a rendezvous with the people of Bristol at the Colston Hall tonight.
I finished work early today. After that, the anticipation first thing, I was on a high, I couldn't concentrate and above all I wanted to saviour this moment. Meeting a childhood hero could have been a crushing disappointment. They may not live up to expectations, the bubble may burst. Not today. Michael Palin is above all a very professional person to work with, but he is much more. He is a very decent man, that comes through without ceremony. I feel privileged to have been able to spend 3 hours in his world, an 8th of a day, but a period of time I'd not change for the world.
One final thing I asked him if he would be willing to sign my script, expecting a signature. He wrote "To Andrew, thank you for allowing me to tweet! Michael" It seems since being asked to do this programme back in June, he has become a fan of Tweet of the Day.
Now that is something for my memoirs. I shall sleep well tonight.
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