How wet are YOU?

Today is apparently the most depressing day of the year. According to the people who know these things, 21st January is the worst day for feeling miserable / broke / wet. I can empathise with the wet thing as it’s not stopped raining here for DAYS. The sky’s a turgid grey colour, full of rain and gloom. It’s like living inside a Tupperware container lurking at the back of a manky student fridge.

Cool!

But am I depressed? Far from it, Reader! Last week I did some filming for BBC 2’s The Culture Show where I got to talk knowledgably (?) about regional accents in the media. Top fun. And it wasn’t raining! We were on location in North London, in a car park, but what it lacked in glamour it made up for in COOL.

After I finished filming I had to meet a photographer from Time Outwho took some crazy shots outside Euston Station. There’s a piece about me going in (I think) next week’s edition, so they wanted a picture. Regrettably, the comedy snaps I sent them of me with a massive distorted green face weren’t acceptable. (Why? Why??)

Arty!

On Wednesday I’m doing an interview with KFM in South Africa so if you’re in the area, tune in! Next Tuesday at The Subway Galleryin London, an exhibition opens by Ella Medley-Whitfield and runs until 23rd February. I worked with Ella on one of her featured pieces ‘Sound Conditioning’ aaages ago. Here’s Ella’s take on it:

“For the first half of this exhibition, I’ve comprised an audio installation featuring artist and voiceover to the London Underground, Emma Clarke. Whilst normally used to hearing Emma instruct people to “Mind the gap”, “Alight here”, “Please mind the doors”, here the audience is presented with Emma reciting playground rhymes collected by me on research trips in primary schools around London, as well as a role reversal of the children reciting what would usually be Emma’s instructions. The piece is an emotive exploration of age, innocence and conditioning.”

Interesting stuff. It’s surprisingly powerful, actually. Give it a look if you can.

Hearts and minds!

The world of voicing is bracing itself for Valentine’s Day. As the next major event in the advertising calendar (with Mother’s Day and Easter to follow hard on its loved-up heels) copywriters, producers and voices everywhere will be lubing up their creativity, usually accompanied by a sultry saxophone. Listen out for ads with sketches featuring nervous men being bullied into buying diamonds, jolly-sounding women dropping heavy hints about chocolate, lingerie and mini-breaks in the Cotswolds and the more pointed ads portraying the hapless souls (usually all men) who were silly enough to forget the date. I’ll be freshening up my sexy cleavage read, the eager bright-eyed love-bunny read and the furious Jilted Bitch From Hell read, to make sure I’m fully prepared…

I’ve got shed loads of writing to do over the next couple of weeks, so forgive me if my missives are sporadic. But know this: wherever I am, whatever I’m doing, you’ll be in my heart…FACT.