From the Rough: Lights… Camera… Tee Shot

As with the phenomenal amount I do for charity, I tend not to say or write very much about my TV work. But, since the subject has come up, I should perhaps explain that I used to work at Eurosport, the satellite TV sports channel, until it moved to Paris in 1992. I then switched to Screensport, another satellite TV sports channel, until it merged with Eurosport and, predictably, moved to Paris, thereby effectively ending my burgeoning career as a TV personality.

Although I returned to the less glamorous world of writing and have happily remained there ever since, once a year I do some TV work. The occasion is the Sir Henry Cooper Charity Golf Classic in Portugal. It's a seven-day, celebrity-am event which raises about £40k a year for worthy causes. In the past, I have interviewed the players and generally helped with various aspects of the production, such as delivering the sandwiches to the cameramen.

This year, the 10th anniversary of the event, was different as I was asked to co-produce the show with an old friend of mine, Gordon. Fortunately, Gordon understands the technical side of TV whereas I claim to be the expert on golf a skill, sadly, which doesn't quite extend as far as being able to play the game properly. Anyway, I think I'm able to recognise a decent shot when I see one and it was this extraordinary talent that persuaded Gordon give me my break into the Big Time.

The tournament was played last week over three great courses in the Algarve Palmares, Boavista and Penina. Although the weather was strangely unsettled, the event, as ever, was a great success and provided a thrilling climax.

This week I have to fly to Scotland to edit the one-and-a-half hour programme, which is to be broadcast on Sky Sports some time around the first week of June. Since this is my debut as a producer and I've never supervised a full edit before, I'm not unnaturally a shade apprehensive.

Edits are something of a tedious slog in a darkened room so I'm taking my clubs in the hope of occasional light relief. I'll keep you posted as to how it's progressing and, for those who are interested, provide more precise details of transmission dates in my next blog. CUT!