Both at the Science Museum and at the NMFI in Bradford there was an IMAX cinema, and because of this somewhat tenuous connection with the world of film we received one year a couple of invitations to the BAFTA awards, held at the Odeon in Leicester Square. Being without limo and as the evening was wet, we met before the event began at a pub round the corner, and eventually opened our umbrellas and walked round to Leicester Square onto - The Red Carpet. Now, this was a formal event and I was in my dinner jacket, with the best pair of black shoes I had been able to find, an old pair of well-polished Oxfords from the back of the wardrobe. These were outwardly fine, but rather worn as to the soles, with the result that as we walked along the sopping wet red carpet my shoes gradually filled with water. Luckily everyone was squelching along, so apart from the occasional spurt of cold water up my trouser leg, nothing could be noticed. However, the carpet had obviously been recently shampooed, and as the stars walked along it in the rain, the residue of this was churned into a bubbling white foam eventually entirely covering the carpet ankle-deep. It was really not a romantic start.
At the later dinner, however, I had the opportunity of shaking Peter Jackson by the hand and congratulating him on LOTR, the first part of which had just won an award. Also drank too much tequila....
