For a while now I have been telling the story of how I lost my sight, then how I moved on to a new career and built a whole new life and image for myself. The story was never meant to be published, it was never really meant to leave my own thought processes, but when it did and I started writing down in blog form, the crazy antics that go on in my life, it became apparent that people enjoyed laughing at my adventures.
When I started writing my blog, I only did it so that I could fill the hours doing something worthwhile whilst getting to know my new computer. Seemed like a sensible thing to do, not only killing a bit of time but also getting some of the weird stories out of my mind. The comments, the laughter and the buzz all made it worthwhile. I got the bug - I was like a teenage girl on Britain's Got Talent! Excited to see what the next move was going to be, although my talent wouldn't translate well to the stage; after all who would want to watch a blind man write a blog in his dressing gown on stage whilst picking his way through a family bag of Doritos?
I never once considered myself a writer, not until the good people at the HuffPost came along and invited me to join their team of bloggers. Me, a blogger for one of the biggest websites in the world!? Of course, why ever not? Aside from my weird, sometimes crazy goings on, I must be able to find other things to write about, surely? Well it turns out, I was wrong. Most of the feedback I receive from the three or four people that read my work, simply say: we love your outlook on life, we love your sarcasm. We want more of that. We want more of your blind man stories.
So this short story tells the tale of my recent visit to the BBC.
This wasn't the first time I had been on BBC and it wasn't the first studio interview I had done, but the previous were all about the Gloucestershire Blind Cricket team https://www.facebook.com/GVICCC/ (yes, that's a thing). This one was just about me and my journey to the HuffPost.
Turning up to the studio in my best suit, with no tie of course (ties are not cool), I sat nervously waiting my turn to go and speak about my life on air to all of the wonderful people in Gloucestershire. The receptionist was lovely, offering me tea, coffee and chatting away to my deaf ear. I decided I would stick to water to avoid a parched throat. Listening out for my build up before being called into the studio, I hear the presenter say "next in the studio, we will be speaking to Marc - a charity worker, cricketer, blogger and first date extraordinaire, and now blogger for the HuffPost". I actually thought to myself, I quite like the sound of that dude. Sounds like a stand-up guy.
I must have been day-dreaming for a moment; it suddenly dawned on me, as I was being called in to the studio, the stand-up guy this presenter was referring to was, in fact, me! It was a very surreal moment and one which I will never forget.
Having met presenter Anna King, I was settled into a nice comfy chair, shaking like a leaf and struggling to remember any of what I had done for the last 10 years of my existence, and it was show time. The stand-up guy that I had just heard about had to now take centre stage. Remember to picture the audience naked - I was told by the friend who drove me over. Thanks Pete, not your best piece of advice.
The interview went off without a hitch; I remembered to not swear and we had a good laugh doing it all. Half an hour in the studio flew by. Anna was a very charming interviewer and I loved every moment of it. Thanks to BBC iPlayer, I even got to listen back to it afterwards, and you know what? If I didn't know better, I would certainly take that dude on the radio out for a beer.
Here is a link to the interview which at time of publication is available for 3more weeks