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The researcher rang just before 4pm on Tuesday-would I like to appear as an expert panellist on Newsnight that evening? Big gulp- how can you turn down a challenge like that? You would never think as much of yourself afterwards if you wimped out.
The chauffeur driven limo picked me up at 9.30pm and whisked me off to the BBC at White City. Dave , the driver, told me that Jeremy was a pussycat as long as you were n't a politician! I catch him on University Challenge sometimes and he is pretty impatient with the contestants if they are a bit slow in answering so was n't too reassured by this comment.
On arrival, Dave escorted me to the Green Room. My preconception was a large room with some wine and buffet food and other participants sitting around chatting. The actuality for Newsnight is a small grubby room about 12 foot by 6, with 2 twoseater brown leather sofas at right angles and a water dispenser, tea or coffee. I bounced in to make up which was an even smaller room next door. Stopped short of the full Cheryl Cole fake eyelashes look but had more layers put on than normal. Jeremy came in and was liberally powdered but no make up base or anything like that, unless that was done earlier. Real men do not wear eyeliner!
Then I was introduced to Danny Gabbay, the only economist to correctly predict the recession plus somebody who was commenting on the Iraqui war in a later segment. We were taken through to the studio a couple of moments before 10.30 and the technicians adjusted mikes on us. There were several cameras, maybe 6, but some were behind my view, plus a large monitor so we could see ourselves. It was fascinating to see the way that previously recorded segments were skilfully blended with linking copy that came up on the autocues. Just before our live discussion, there was an interview that Jeremy Paxman had recorded that afternoon with Alistair Darling at the Treasury. I now understand why Jeremy is called the Rottweiler!!
I made the comment that he did n't seem to like Alistair. It's not that , was the response- he is just.....so dull!
Then there was a live interview with Sir Martin Sorrell at Davos commenting on the international forum taking place there. He was absolutely freezing and we could see his breath in the night air.
We were asked a couple of questions about our views of the economy and the Government's handling of it and then we were being led off. The whole half hour in the studio passed in a blur.
Despite my earlier decision to hang around for the drinks afterwards, there were no drinks! So it was straight off home in the cab.
I was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman and survived it! Without knowing what the questions might be in advance, that's not a bad epitaph!