Coronavirus diary, Friday 3 April

Bob, making the news...

No trouble finding something to write about today. I made the news myself.

Yesterday, I was having an after-dinner cup of tea in our bistro when Virgil, the deputy general manager, came over with a message from Sunrise headquarters. They had seen my coronavirus diary entries and asked if I would go on ITV to talk about our carers. I agreed. Back to work after 60 years, the last time I was in an ITV studio (it was TWW in those days; in my later years as a journalist I did most of my broadcasting for the BBC, whose studios were in Park Place, Cardiff.)

So it was a new challenge. Was I too old, too rusty? I would see. Later in the evening came instructions on how the makeshift operation had to be done in lockdown. My living room became a studio. What a difference. No camera or sound equipment, just a Sunrise laptop on my coffee table. Three of the Sunrise women were the technical team, marking the position for my armchair, laptop and coffee table, no doubt worried that if I moved viewers would just get a view of my wispy-haired head. 

Bob takes his place on Good Morning Britain

I was awoken at 6.45am after a remarkably good night's sleep, ready for action. It was a live broadcast for the Good Morning Britain breakfast programme. Contact with the studio was due 15 minutes before going on air at 8am, but there was a problem with the link. The Sunrise tech team kept calm. My worry was whether I would hear the questions clearly with my hearing aid but at 8.03am came the OK. I could now see the presenters in the studio and vaguely see myself in my armchair and hear more clearly. Also taking part was a Labour MP and the head of a nursing care homes association. We were to be interviewed separately. 

I had learned many years ago that you needed to give some though in advance to what you wanted to say, so I had jotted down some notes, which in the morning I reduced to a few key words. The other valuable advice was, keep still, no handwaving and, most important, listen to the questions. 

"Are you ready, Bob?" "Yes, fine," I replied. I was on air. It was all over in minutes. I remembered most of my key words, did not move, and think I made the tribute to carers that they deserve. A lot of phone calls and emails today. Fame at last - and it's only taken 93 years. 

PS: you can see a video of my interview here: