When we answered an email from the BBC Bargain Hunt research team for Amateur Dramatics contestants, little did we know what we were letting ourselves in for.  It really was a case of “I’ll do it if you will….”

And so, on the morning of 17 April 2004 we found ourselves meeting the crew and the experts at the Pump House in Cardiff, dressed in Guys and Dolls costumes. The Blue Team: Angie Dymott as Adelaide and Paul Buckle as Nathan Detroit.  The Red Team: Cat Carey as Sarah Brown and Rob Dymott as Sky Masterson. But to get to this stage they actually had to audition and all we will say about that process is that we bet the WNO! And then the delights of the TV filming process.  Choose your item, chat about it and record the discussion at least 7 times from 3 different angles.  In all, we recorded from 5 different locations around Cardiff.  Unbelievably tiring stuff. But it was made fun by the experts, who were terribly generous and liked a laugh - just as well. What is a shame is that you don't see the people behind the camera as everyone was very welcoming.

There was singing too. Maintaining the Guy and Dolls theme, we recorded ‘Guys and Dolls’, ‘Luck be a Lady’ and ‘Sit down you’re rocking the boat’. The definite high point being Paul's long note on the entry to Sit Down! Once again everybody, "Whoahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the people all said sit down.."

By the day of the auction we’d got over the embarrassment of wandering around in costume.  We so wanted our items to do well, and the auction was such an unknown quantity.  It’s quite unlike the nerves before a performance when the success is down to you; this was totally our of our hands.  Despite the lack of profit at the end, we had such good fun.  It’s a cliché, but winning didn’t really matter.  It really was an experience. Thank goodness there was an Art Deco fanatic in to at least make a profit on one item!

To a group of very self critical amateur dramatic performers, the broadcast itself threatened to be excruciating, and in a way it was, but we were so proud too.  We have proved that the Concept Players are fun and have the ability to laugh at ourselves. And watch this space who knows when Cat's dreams of being an astronaut might come true...

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