Today, I had my first experience as a runner for the BBC Freelance service with the antique valuation show 'Flog it!'.
It was a great experience, not only for my CV, but mostly because of how friendly the community of production crew were towards us, the lowly runners. To many in the screen industries, 'Event Stewards', as we were called, are blow even the Runners, as they are temporary staff who only make the tea and coffee. I expected this, if I'm honest, and so was wonderfully surprised by how lovely and welcoming the entire crew were towards us temp freelancers. We were welcomed in the morning briefing and checked up on throughout the day and not once did it feel as though we were outsiders, despite the fact that the majority of the crew and production team knew one another.
I did indeed make enough cups of tea and coffee today to be thankful that I do not drink it myself, but I take it as a respectable mark of paying one's 'do's', as they say. For the opportunity to observe a living, breathing production environment, I truly do believe that is perfectly respectable to start out making the tea and coffee – so long as the production company in question isn't taking advantage.
I'm happy to report the BBC certainly do not subscribe to such immoral employment practices, with 84p per hour on top of the 21 age group minimum wage for working on Good Friday. A very pleasing addition to an already enjoyable day!