I'm still around. mostly elsewhere though. However … being on tv last week was 'interesting' as well as being unexpected / unintentional.
For those who didn't watch Channel 4 news† last Saturday it was about the Chris Rennard affair; I'd made a post on facebook and Chris had replied to me. C4News had noticed this and - more importantly - it turned out that i was the _only_ person Chris had responded to anywhere. Why me? I've absolutely no idea. But anyway, I'd gone to the BBC that morning to do a Wikipedia thing (New Broadcasting House - like the old one but with new bits added on) but when I connected to the internet I found a direct message on twitter from Cathy Newman (co-presenter) asking me if they could talk to me. Another DM led to a phone call and at 3pm I found myself getting into a car they'd sent for me and going to ITN HQ‡. Rushed straight through the newsroom (this one very quiet, compared to the BBC's which was quite full and busy) I was suddenly in the studio about to be on camera (to tape). Having not expected to be in such a position when I left home that morning I wasn't wearing 'nice' clothes (comfort!) or have a hair brush with me. Spent about ten minutes or so being interviewed and then left. Naturally enough, only a short section actually made it to the national news that night.
The thing is I ****HATE***** seeing photos of myself, let alone film / video. The last time I did a news piece to camera was around ten years ago and it was live to a remotely-operated camera for BBC Hull, which meant I never had to see it. This time there was no way I could miss seeing it - or my mum or others miss seeing it either. I have a face for radio, and a body for burying very deep.
The feedback (FB, twitter, irl) has mostly been good, but I hated what I saw on screen. To my mind I DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT! but yes, everyone then tells me I do, so what do I know! I mean, I know I'm fat / overweight. I can't hide that, but on screen I looked even way way way bigger than I see myself in the mirror.
But I got through it so maybe, just maybe, I might be confident enough to do it again - sometime before another ten years goes past.
† UK National station, main evening news programme - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_4_News
‡ The other national news in the UK after the BBC - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITN