It was favourited by a BBC Radio Suffolk journalist and I didn't think anything more about it until last Saturday when I received a message from the same journalist (Jon Wright) asking me if I'd like tickets for Unsprung on Wednesday. Would I!!!!
Details of the evening were sent and my excitement levels grew daily!
I asked my neighbour Jill if she'd like to come with me and we left here at 4.45 for the 1.5hr drive across Suffolk to Minsmere.
When we arrived we met up with Radio Suffolk journalists Jon Wright and Etholle George and they recorded the first part of an interview with us.
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| Jill, Etholle and me |
We then had our briefing with the producer and were taken over to the BBC production village to watch some of the main programme as it was being transmitted.
At 8.40 we were led through the woods to the back of the studio where we waited until the main programme ended. As I'd volunteered to contribute a dialect word during Unsprung I was told exactly where I had to stand. We started to creep into place while they were filming the end of Springwatch as on Wednesdays Unsprung is on BBC2, as opposed to the red button, so there was very little time to get everyone in.
I couldn't believe my luck! I'd ended up right next to Chris Packham, with Robert MacFarlane and Alison Steadman just to my right!
Being in the audience was amazing - the set was fantastically detailed (throw back to my dance career always make me interested in sets and the technicalities of shows) and the camera men and sound engineers moved at such speed.
All of the guests were really interesting, and as someone who loves language and linguistics I was especially fascinated by Robert MacFarlane. I was so thrilled to be able to contribute the dialect word for ladybird, a Bishy Barnabee.
After the end credits rolled we all left the set and we met up with Jon and Etholle to record the final part of the interview.
The interview was broadcast on the breakfast show the next day (1:54:29) but as this link won't last past a month I've put the interview below:
It was a fantastic experience, thanks totally to BBC Radio Suffolk - a birthday to remember!
The actual Unsprung programme is available on BBC player until the beginning of July.
I went back to Minsmere the next day to spend my birthday there, but that's another blog post :-)
