This is all a bit showbiz: sorry.

Went to the Green Wing Series Two press launch at the Bafta. For series one, someone put the tapes in a brown paper bag, slid them under the door of Channel 4 and ran away, and if there was a press launch, it consisted of getting a runner to colour-photocopy some GW postcards and chuck them out of a window in the hope they'd hit a journalist.

The difference of expectation for series two can been seen in the fact that I woke up the next morning thinking 'blimey, those rose petals get everywhere'.

Never been to Bafta before, but there's an online tour on the website (can't find the link, sorry), so I was familiar with the layout, and had already planned a number of 'safe points' - places to retreat and re-arm if during the evening the building were to be attacked by terrorists and/or zombies. Or indeed terrorist zombies.

Anyway, the room quickly filled with at least a thousand hard-bitten journo's, all wearing black, which I thought was a nice touch. I was wearing a washed-out stripey shirt, jeans and a goatee, as was Rob, so when later on we did a bit to camera for the C4 website, we looked like a nice gay couple, although clearly I was the slinkier younger one Rob had picked up at a bar somewhere, who had then ruthlessly worked my way through his contacts book and was now planning to leave him crying in a restaurant while my glittering career outstripped his. May have thought about that a bit too much.

We then got to see the first episode, which I hadn't seen before, on a huge screen ONE MILLION FEET HIGH with a sound system of ONE BILLION DECIBELS. That's all I'm going to say about it really, although I did laugh a lot, and occasionally one of my own lines drifted past, waving at me rather self-consciously, like a friend in a parade. Also, the actors have seemingly abandoned their previous commitment to naturalism and low-keyness, and have let down their hair down a bit, which is nice to see.

The only mini-review I've seen so far said that they thought the gag rate was a bit low, but possibly there was a lot of plot to get through**. Oddly enough, I thought the gag rate was very high, but there's a whole chunk in the middle where it's almost pure stream of consciousness, until the plot suddenly realizes it's gone to the wrong building and runs through the door, sweating heavily and apologizing to everyone. When it's on telly, I reckon probably video it, then at half-time go and walk around the block, or splash cold water on your face or something, and dive back in. Not sure what new viewers will make of it, but as has been pointed out 'Fuck 'em, they had their chance' (I don't think that was in the press pack though).

Afterwards, I saw an award-winning comedy doer and Shakespearean actress who is in Green Wing quite a lot, and who I know reasonably well (look, it's Tamsin Greig, okay? Just to clarify). What, I wondered to myself, would be the best way to greet her? Should I: a) slide gracefully between the lady from the Observer and another lady from that other paper and whisper 'my dear, you look fabulous', b) pretend to be on my phone, wave casually and smile wryly at all the surrounding nonsense, or c) flick V-signs until she notices, then shout 'Hello Stinky!'.

Yes, indeed. I did 'c'. I think there might be something wrong with me.








* 'Cooo-eeeee!' I love that joke. 'Camp followers' you see. Playing with words there.***

** Waves at Media Monkey.

*** Just realised I took out that bit, so * makes no sense at all. Ooh, this is like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Ish.