IT may be a dark Monday evening in Britain but there’s a dash of sunshine on the other end of the line.
Jill Scott is trying to order some lunch, which is why her hotel room phone has been engaged.
Eventually we hook up. She’s in the middle of an American tour and I’ve just finished watching a preview DVD of The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
Grammy award-winning singer Jill, 35, takes the lead role of Precious Ramotswe in the feature length BBC1 film.
Based on the novel by Alexander McCall Smith – the first in a much loved series of books – it’s a very big deal on both sides of the Atlantic.
Both Anthony Minghella and Richard Curtis are involved in the production, with a full series of films to follow.
You can read more in the online version of today’s MEN TV feature interview with Jill here.
And here’s a taste of some of the material I couldn’t squeeze into the feature.
Read reviews of Jill’s concerts and you’ll see her described as a “saucy soul sister” with a “sweet humble air”.

A touch of frost at today’s Dancing On Ice finalists press conference.
Not between Suzanne Shaw, Chris Fountain and Zaraah Abrahams.
No evidence of all that nonsense in the tabloids about backstage tension, which was also denied by all three this morning.
But the atmosphere did turn a little icy when judge Jason Gardiner was asked which one of them deserved to win.
He returned to the issue of bookmakers’ favourite Chris’s ice hockey experience, with the Hollyoaks star sat just a few feet away.
Happily, there was much more to report from all three finalists.
There’s a feature on Pg 9 of tomorrow’s MEN – I’ll post a link here when it goes online.
Update: The online version is here.
I note it’s already being reported elsewhere that Jason’s “attack” on Chris today means he doesn’t think he deserves to win.
Well, make up your own mind.

YOU have to take most TV awards ceremonies with a large pinch of salt.
The decision to give an award to one person, and not another, can often be baffling.
Take, for example, the case of Life On Mars’ star John Simm.
So far he has been shamefully neglected when it comes to awards.
But sometimes the people who vote for these things get it right.
Today it was the turn of the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) at a glitzy event in London.
Coronation Street’s Kym Ryder was named Soap Personality of the Year.
Life On Mars was voted TV Crime Programme of the Year.
And the equally marvellous Cranford took away the prize for TV Drama Programme of the Year.

HE denied the rumour last year after speculation in the tabloids.
And James Nesbitt again ruled it out when asked this afternoon if he was the next Doctor Who.
“Definitely not. No.”
But would he like to play a guest role?
“No. I don’t know if they were ever interested in me as Doctor Who.
“The problem is, you kind of read these things in the paper and you begin to believe them.
“I’m the last person that should believe everything I read in the papers, and yet I do.
“No, I couldn’t follow Chris or David. I thought they were both brilliant.
“But also it’s not really something that was my…I didn’t really grow up with it.
“Although my kids love it now.

HE’S hardly recognisable as the man who fell from a tree in Cranford.
But watch out for Andrew Buchan, who played carpenter Jem Hearne in the BBC1 costume drama.
He takes the lead tonight in a new ITV1 drama series – after an impressive performance at the press launch early last month.
The Bolton-raised actor was relaxed, articulate and handled the media like an old pro.
He plays hired killer John Mercer in The Fixer, as you can read in Friday’s MEN interview with Andrew, 29, here.
Some actors are naturally defensive when being interviewed, fearing the press are out to expose them in some way.
Others go with the flow and recognise most of us simply want to report the facts accurately and spark the interest of readers.

THE police search continues at the former children’s home in Jersey at the centre of an abuse investigation.
I’ve taken a particular interest in the story since it first broke last month.
Later series of BBC1 detective drama Bergerac used the building to depict the HQ of the fictional Bureau des Etrangers.
And it’s a remote spot in the parish of St Martin that I know well.
I visit Jersey at least once every year and usually make my way along the winding country roads to Haut de la Garenne.
Not to visit the building itself – used in recent years as a youth hostel.
But to park in the quiet country lane directly outside.
That’s my hire car in the below pic, parked where Jersey Police deputy chief officer Lenny Harper now stands to give press briefings.
Walk a short distance along that country lane, behind where I stood to take the photo, turn right and you find yourself at the top of a private road.

THE TV world can throw up stories which have to be treated with caution.
It’s an old game played by certain sections of the media.
Speculate about something that may happen – even if you have no real facts to back it up.
Then weeks or months later you can run another report saying whatever it was is not going to happen after all.
Take the tale last year about Michelle Collins making a possible return to EastEnders.
The fact that her character Cindy Beale is dead didn’t get in the way of the speculation.
Her death could have been faked – or she might even return as a ghost, it was claimed.
All of which left the actress herself totally baffled.
“That was a bit weird,” said Michelle.

THE flight from Manchester touches down next month for a new series of a rare sight on ITV1.
Benidorm is back for a second spell by the pool with a sunshine script from Derren Litten.
ITV has struggled in recent years to produce a decent sitcom.
But while not to everyone’s taste, Benidorm might just have cracked the problem.
We saw the first two episodes in the second series at the press launch in London yesterday, ahead of interviews with the ensemble cast.
Many return from the first series, including Johnny Vegas, Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran, Janine Duvitski and Abigail Cruttenden.
And there are also guest appearances from ex-EastEnder Wendy Richard and Margi Clark.
Wendy is sprayed with squirted sun cream during a duel by the pool.
She later ends up being pushed into the water.

THIS is the striking image of former Coronation Street star Lucy-Jo Hudson released today.
The actress, who played Corrie killer Katy Harris, has since gone on to star as Rosie Trevanion in Wild At Heart.
And this Sunday’s ITV1 episode sees Rosie’s screen wedding to boyfriend Max (Martinus Van Der Berg).
Or does it?
An uninvited guest, in the form of a bushfire, threatens disaster for Leopard’s Den and possible tragedy for one of the residents.
Viewers will have to wait until the final episode in the current series a week on Sunday to see the conclusion of the dramatic storyline.
As is the way with TV weddings, there are problems even before we get to the main event.

HE’S back tonight in a new series of Hotel Babylon.
But off screen Max Beesley has already checked out of the five star establishment to seek a Hollywood role.
Perhaps I’m wrong, but there appeared to be a slight undercurrent when Max was talking about Hotel Babylon recently.
He was, rightly, upset when the BBC failed to re-commission Bodies.
As for Hotel Babylon, he told us: “I’ve done half of this new series and then I’ve left.
“I suspect it’ll probably get re-commissioned. Those type of shows do.
“Babylon has, without doubt, been good for me in the fact that we get such a huge audience base.
“It enables you to then go off and do other projects.