Last night’s acting school get-together was a hoot. Top marks to Martin for getting us all in the same place at the same time and Lori for the venue suggestion. With his story about his Mum at the premiere of ‘Chaplin’ – or was it the one about going for a curry with Robert Downey Junior in Haringey – Lawrence reminded me that he truly is the Jackie Mason of Finsbury Park. Craig was gracious enough to gloss over the fact that I called him Mark for half the evening whilst Robin cruelly reminded me that I once died a thousand deaths performing Bowie’s Andy Warhol. Helen saved my blushes by entertaining my opinions on Anglo-American relations before went on to recall Angie helped us recall a selection of the romantic entanglements that we had all put ourselves through. Someone, I forget who, pondered on the absence of others we knew, corresponded and worked with over the years – too busy? too famous? too shy? too aloof? – and I suddenly found myself thinking of the Britpack mawkfest ‘Peter’s Friends‘, a film about a bunch of actors having a reunion. Whilst their Oxbridge-fuelled country house reminisences were in no way reflective of our more down to earth East End flashbacks, I felt a little like one of those characters – more than happy with my lot in life but always harbouring a small desire to still be in the business. This, in turn, reminded me of the best line in Peter’s Friends, where Emma Thompson, naked except for a candlewick dressing gown, implores Stephen Fry’s bisexual Peter to “fill me with your little babies.” Fry responds with a great line (penned by Rita Rudner): “You’d be at the top of my list, along with Michele Pfeiffer and River Phoenix.” Talking of films, last night’s festivities have been rush-released in .avi format for your viewing delight here and here.