18 months after the filming, I’ve finally got around to locating my scene in the Fuji TV production of Bizan, starring Tokiwa Takako, and that guy. And me.

For some reason I was under the impression that it had yet to be released, thus didn’t realise that the copy of ‘Bizan’ I’d rented from Tsutaya a while back was actually the one I was in. It was only a few nights ago when looking to see what I had on the ‘waiting to be watched’ hard drive that I skimmed through the drama, and noticed that Tokiwa Takako’s dress looked strangely similar to the one I’d surreptitiously photographed her in in 2007.

It’s always amazing how so many hours of filming become compressed – in this case two days down into just under two minutes. Of which I, er, ‘star’ in for a total of about 15 seconds.

In the photo above, the tour guide is kindly teaching me how to say “dog” in Japanese (‘inu’).

You may recall that one of the things I had to agree to in order to be in the drama was to keep my hat on. For the audition, I’d had quite a lot of hair, but then a few days later, forgetting all about the program, I shaved it all off in preparation for the 9000 mile train ride home. When I got the call telling me I was in, I suddenly realised the implications of what I’d done. That’s when my precious Tilley Hat came to my rescue. The director said they’d use me, provided I keep my hat on (I had quite a job doing so in the windy Yoygi park where the above scene was shot.

Doing part time acting work is quite fun, and I’d recommend anyone who fancies trying it contact the agency I use, Group Echo, who should not be judged by their home page.