7.12am: Ashley is up for it. But he needs to leave at 2pm on Saturday because he’s got an evening’s work. He’s ‘between jobs’ at the moment (or ‘resting’ as they say in acting circles). The evening’s work? Cameraman for an cable channel which does on air auctions.

Fiona Farley at Acting Associates is golden. She comes back with another Michael to play the police sergeant and I’m meeting up with him this afternoon for an audition/chat. Next problem: where to meet. Whatever Pictures solves the problem by letting me use their office.

Rob Miles, freelance sound recordist, is golden too. He has loaned me his DAT recorder free of charge and supplied me with some tape stock at cost. I picked it up earlier and the batteries are now charging in the hall. Hopefully I won’t trip over them and fall down the stairs.

Jack, the original police sergeant, is an unprofessional dirtwad, no matter what he thinks. He hasn’t even phoned me back. He can cuff off and fester. And various stronger words.

Now: eating toast and drinking a huge amount of tea in a large NYC mug (featuring a yellow cab on the handle) which a cool friend sent me out of the blue last year on September 10th. I’ve given up giving up caffiene for this weekend. Large tea is good.

Next: get back to equipment company and organise time to pick up camera kit.

Later: try to have a meeting with art department.

This is a full-time job, really, isn’t it? It’s clear why they have all those heart-felt ‘thank yous’ when film makers accept their awards. “I’d like to thank everyone who has made this possible but there are so many people I’ve just phoned in one morning that I can no longer remember their names!”

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3.21pm: Five and a half hours of driving around London. Oh, joy.