Coronavirus diary, Monday 13 July

Bob, live on ITV's Good Morning Britain

I am in my room at 8am after an interesting half hour trying to remember an old experience - being interviewed.

The interview - probably my last on television - was a follow up to one three months ago on ITV's Good Morning Britain. It was timed for 8.50. Unlike last time, this was less makeshift.

Instead of sitting in my room talking to a laptop it took place in the front grounds of Sunrise in the gazebo set up for visitors. Almost a carnival setting with balloons and bunting, appropriate for celebrating the return of visitors after four months.

My special visitor was Ria, my grand-daughter, who had been asked to come by ITV. Ria was my second visitor, after Robert's long trip to Wales on Saturday.

The two man television team arrived in an incongruous small white unmarked van for the live broadcast, the last item in the morning programme.

Two chairs had been set up in the gazebo as with my Saturday meeting with Robert when a video was taken of us chatting, followed by a brief interview, a trial run presumably for today. 

I was fitted with a maze of wires and an ear bud. It was like being an undercover  detective. There was an early problem; I could not hear a word the sound man said. It was in my totally deaf ear. 

After a switch and a lot of tinkering I could hear better, but still not well and I was concerned how I would manage on air as I could not see the interviewer.

The last and only time I have been interviewed remotely for television was in 1971 when I was appointed Cardiff city council's public relations officer. Back then I was alone in a small studio in London, linked 'down the line' with an interviewer at BBC Wales in Llandaff, Cardiff. An unpleasant experience, but it worked.

This time I had to concentrate even harder.

I assumed the main question would be my reaction to having my first visitor and how life had been at Sunrise since April.
Not knowing the questions made it difficult to cover possible points although in some ways this is an advantage provided you listen carefully to what the interviewer says.

This usually makes the response less stilted and interesting.

A sign from the sound man and I was on. 

I don't remember the first question but I answered hoping I had got it right.

The next was to compare the wartime experience with today, not an easy in a few words. There was a chance to tell again how great everyone at Sunrise had been from the start.

Then Ria was called to sit in the gazebo, two metres from me, and we were filmed greeting ad chatting.

In a matter of minutes it was all over and the programme ended.

I was left wondering how it had gone, regretting some of the points  I should have made or did not have time to get across.

Still, I did my best.