claytoncast

The week has ended with a burst of golden summer. We even rooted about in our shed - yes,we are the proud owners of a shed - and got the sunlounger and the deck chair out yesterday afternoon to spend an hour in the garden reading. Fabulously my Amazon Kindle works brilliantly in the sun shine - something the over hyped i pad won't do. This was a good dry run as in two weeks time it will be spending its days in the Turkish Sun on holiday! I'm so looking forward to our annual holiday this year. The spare bedroom is about to see some pre packing this week, which even for me is early. Normally I like to do it the week before, but this year the anticipation is high and I can't wait. I don't know whether it is just age, the run of various ailments that I've had this year or a general sense of recession related ennui but I want my holiday. I really can't get very excited about the jobs I'm doing at the moment and I want to be away from them. We've done Turkey e...

I spent the first term at Grammar school straining to see the blackboard. I just couldn't read the writing and spent most of each lesson asking the people sat next to me what it said. At the point at which I was in danger of losing friends, or worse still being moved to the front of the class, I was diagnosed with myopia. A school eye test told me I was short sighted and horror of horrors I would have to wear spectacles. Great pains were taken by both me and my mother to keep me out of NHS frames and a suitable sexy black framed pair were chosen. Very Joe 90 - this was 1969 after all. The first morning I wore them at school, full of nerves and trepidation, I sat in registration holding my head high only for our form teacher, the redoubtably busty Miss Pjnder to say "Clayton, take those off and give them back to whoever they belong to and stop messing around" It took every ounce of gall and fortitude to puff up my medium chest(at the stage I was one of the shortest boys in...

After all the excitement of my Prime Ministerial handshake last Sunday morning, and my following appearances on both of that evening's BBC News bulletins, this week would be hard pressed to live up to such heady heights. I found myself looking forward to the work in hand this week. Three jobs that I knew I'd enjoy. On Wednesday I was down in Wales working with some directors at a media company who produce corporate videos. Clever talented directors , but who had had no training in how to work with actors. They are not alone. These days hardly anyone bothers. Most tv shoots consist of reading the script and standing in position while the shot is lit and then going for it. Unless there is a camera error, the last thing a take will be redone for is the acting. An awful lot of directors in tv these days don't seem to have an idea about how to establish a dialogue with actors. We like to be challenged and pushed out of our comfort zone. These days budgets and sch...

It' s been a strange week. All over the place work wise and some peculiar highlights. I managed to set off for a job in Preston on Monday and leave all my credit and debit cards at home. With just £8.56 in my pocket it became a matter of ingenuity to last the course. Thanks a million to the lovely Sikh taxi driver who took me to the hotel for £7.30 when the fare was £15 and thanks to Maria my fellow actress who I met there for lending me a tenner. Thanks be for pound shops of which Preston has a lot so that one can stock up for the train at three chocolate bars for a pound. I didn't leave anything behind on Wednesday night when we went to the Press night of "All the Fun Of The Fair". the new David Essex musical at the Garrick. I only wish I had - namely all my critical faculties. Its a travesty of a show. It looks like it's been touring since 1980. The set is so tired. It's the first time a set has made me angry. Running away to Doncaster - as near as d...