ia play

Lows

• the MWB time, our horrible office above Holborn station. Broken windows that were never fixed, no meeting rooms, the place just oozed depression. But mostly for the sense that we’d become the BBC department that time forgot. And our project getting cancelled.
• Daveys. For the prices, but also for the wine. If I’m honest I dislike the place mainly for the memory of Sandra, Anoushka & myself drinking far too much one night – courtesy of Tony Ageh’s generosity. Luckily no Pudsey’s were stolen on this occasion, just a certain amount of pride damaged.
• Reorganisations. One every two years. You can set your watch by it.

Highs

• Bush House bar: My first job where there was a bar on site, with tiger print sofas and an aquarium no less. I met most of the BBC developers here but also my future husband.
• The search project, in Mortimer Street. Working in the attic about the BBC films office, Tom gave us all Starbucks vouchers to ease the pain of being kicked out of Bush House. We had the web-dev dream team of Martin, Gaynor, Lee, Tim, Mark, Matt, Murray, and Iain. I’ve been to four of their weddings, although I’m kind of cheating as I had to be at Iain’s…being the bride and all that. There was even a toaster. We launched on time and happily too.
• Mags & the beginnings of BBC IA. Margaret Hanley started my IA career off, giving me a job and packing me off to IA summits. She still pushes me to do more and I kind of treat her as my real boss even all these years after she left the BBC. She also kicked off the runaway success that was to be the BBC IA team. I inherited her creation.
• The IA team cAug 2008. I’m stupid to be leaving this lovely, talented bunch. Bound to cry.