The Winds of Change by Darryl Morris It was the same old story. I was never brilliant at school; I never had the enthusiasm to focus. I thought that might change when I was in sixth form collage. I knew I’d want to be doing more radio work, one thing I wasn’t prepared to do was scale back on that but I also thought I’d be able to knuckle down with work. I wasn’t. There is no doubt about it, it was all too much. This might sound a bit foolish and a controversial decision but for me, it was always radio over school. Thousands of people graduate from college/ university every year with qualifications in media studies or something similar, fully expecting to walk into a job in broadcasting. I knew that wouldn’t happen. My small few years of hands on experience had shown me that any qualification in media studies would be about a useful a Katy Price in the Cabinet. It’s a nice safety net, for sure, but the world is a different place now. It’s not a case of serving your time in school, getting some qualifications, then making your way into work. I know an endless amount of people in their 30’s, 40’s and even 50’s who are back at university learning a new trade. They all carry experience way beyond what their younger peers behold. I could have done one of two things: put all my efforts into making it work out in the radio industry or focus on my education and take some time away from the hands on stuff. The latter never even crossed my mind. It’s an ideal that will cause some disagreement with traditionalists, but I’m a progressive. I meet people regularly who are all set with university degrees and are superb at passing exams but are in no way fit to do the job. It’s not a decision that suits everybody but this job is practical and the experience speaks volumes over the certificates. Despite this being my mind set I was, for the time being, still at school. I’ve mentioned drama as being a subject that I loved and excelled at. That was still the case with collage. The drama department, and in particular teacher Miss Holden, had given me my first shot at radio so how fitting they should also give me a pass into television.
I need a clear something up here. Yes, I want to do television. No, it’s not selling out. TV and radio are very similar and the skills are transferable. There is a tendency for some stations to hire TV presenters to do radio shows because they are famous. This is sometimes met by disagreement from some passionate radio people who see famous faces slingshot into great radio roles without any real experience. Indeed, this is annoying for people trying to make a break and it’s easier to go from radio to television than television to radio. Many TV presenters make great radio presenters, some don’t. Many good radio presenters make great TV presenters, some don’t. Every case is different but it’s all fair game. If you do a good job and make good radio, what’s the harm?
We had a supply teacher working with us while another was off making children. It came to light that in a pervious life she’d worked for a Manchester based casting director who she still had contact with. Now she worked in education, should a role come up that might suit something of school age, she was often asked if she knew anybody for that gig; things like Waterloo Road or Tracey Beaker. A role had come up in an advert for Chicago Town Pizza and its sponsorship of American Idol on ITV. Everybody was offered the chance to attend and open audition and initially, it didn’t jump out at me. Looking back it was an opportunity I could hardly afford to turn down, but I wasn’t so confident. A couple of us from the class decided we’d go, make an evening of it in Manchester and if it leads to something then so be it. The date arrived and so did the audition. We went in and met with the casting director (a pit bull of a woman), the director of the advert and the commercial team from Chicago Town Pizza. One by one we auditioned with a mixture of nerves an excitement. I got an idea from the director that I’d done well and it was a good experience but never one I expected to be fruitful. Some time past and as the old story goes, I completely forgot about the audition. Christmas was creeping closer and we’d been given late December as a cut off point. If we hadn’t heard by then, we probably never would. I got a call on the cold morning of the 19th. It was a guy. He sounded a bit out of breath and hard to understand. He told me he was calling from the casting directors and that I’d got the job with Chef Productions and how they’ll be in touch after Christmas with the filming dates and details. I put the phone down feeling slightly bemused. I’d popped in and auditioned with my mates during a trip into Manchester and now you’re talking about Production Company’s and filming dates. I didn’t get time to think about much else before the teacher from school called. She asked if I’d heard yet,I said yes I’d just come off the phone. She made a little noise that I assume was one of joy (that or she’d cut herself) and congratulated me on getting the job. So this was it then. In a slightly breathy fumble and a squeal of joy (or possibly pain) I had my first job on TV. National TV. TV. TV. TV. TV. YES! I had a very Merry Christmas.
The filming dates arrived; one day on location in Manchester and another at the Pie Factory Studios in Media City. All of a sudden it was very real. Sound crews, makeup guys, camera guys, lighting crews, runners, directors, producers, assistant directors and assistant producers, more people than I could ever have imagined. Then - the cast. That was me and a couple of others. Me. I was in the cast. I was on the call sheet. My name was on the clicky, bangy, black and white board thing. Me. On the telly. One of the main differences between TV and radio is the time it takes. TV takes forever! Makeup, wardrobe, take after take, all for a couple of seconds worth of an advert. During one of the many, many hours sat in the green room drinking coffee and eating stale sandwiches conversation turned to pay. Now, this is always bad news. Rule number one is never talk about politics, religion or pay. Although we’d debated the impending economic downturn and the role of the church in modern society so I suppose it was only natural. It came to light that some had been promised more money than was actually delivered. Long story short, I’m the type of breed who sticks up for people if there is an injustice. My granddad was a union man and his father did the same, negotiating fairness on the part of the workers. I didn’t exactly do this, but I was part of a group who politely rose the concerning issue with the crew. The crew decided to call the casting director who decided to arrive on set. This pit bull of a woman promptly began to rip into me with her aggressive eyebrows and scary mouth. I was numbed, startled and irritated in the same breath. I left on the second day of filming completely fumbling. But little did I know… ‘Pit Bull Bi**h’ was about to lead me to the biggest progression in my career yet…
To be continued…