IF you were around at the time, it’s a TV moment you will never forget.
Bank Holiday Monday May 5 1980.
Millions of us are watching Cliff Thorburn playing Alex Higgins in the World Snooker Final in Sheffield.
Suddenly, the programme is interrupted and we’re transported from The Crucible Theatre to drama of a very different kind.
It’s the sixth day of the Iranian Embassy Siege in London. And the green baize has been replaced by black clad figures with guns.
Their “explosive entry” into the building and the incredible rescue which followed was a TV first.
At the time, all we could see was smoke, flames and figures on the balconies at the front of the embassy.
The full story of the SAS raid – hailed as a stunning success – emerged later.

JUST back from the finish of the Boat Race, where the contrast between winning and losing is never more stark.
I was in the boathouse at Chiswick where the two crews arrive on shore to be met by family, friends and supporters.
You didn’t need to watch the race to know who had won – the looks on the faces of the Oxford and Cambridge crews told their own story.
Cambridge claimed their first victory since 2004. The celebrations were just getting underway as I left.
They’ve covered themselves in glory, something that, sadly, ITV failed to do with their live broadcast.
Having now had a chance to watch a recording of the race, questions will surely be asked about how they managed to miss the start.

FORGET Bono, Van Morrison, Ronan Keating and Daniel O’Donnell.
The title of King of the Irish singers must surely go to Val Doonican.
Between 1964 and 1986 his BBC1 show topped the Saturday night ratings.
And Val’s Christmas specials by the fireside are the stuff of TV legend.
His laid back style featured a variety of knitted garments, a rocking chair and the easiest of listening.
That included hits like Walk Tall, Scarlet Ribbons, The Special Years, Elusive Butterfly and, of course, Delaney’s Donkey.
Then Val vanished.
For some reason – and I hope he’ll forgive me – I thought Val was dead.
But he’s not.

COULD it be that it’s just an illusion?
The Apprentice is a brilliant format, which began its new BBC1 series last week with five million viewers.
But don’t make the mistake of confusing reality TV with real life.
Most people will know by now that the boardroom and reception area are, in fact, a TV set.
Sir Alan Sugar’s real office is in Brentwood, Essex, miles away from the shiny London Docklands seen on screen in the series.
That means the fired apprentice’s walk to the taxi from Sir Alan’s Brentwood House HQ has to be filmed later.

THERE’S no need to dig too deep into the TV schedules to find a real character with a passion for her subject.
Christine’s Garden was one of my favourite series of 2006 – and I wasn’t the only one who loved it.
Three million viewers were charmed by Lancashire-born and raised horticulturalist Christine Walkden and her garden.
Now she’s back for a second BBC2 series, along with next door neighbour Reg and her absolute love of growing things.
If you’ve not seen Christine before, then don’t miss tonight’s second episode in the new series at 8pm, filmed in late spring of last year.

THERE was plenty of laughter when Sally Hawkins charmed a table of hacks at ITV1’s Jane Austen launch.
She stars this Sunday as Anne Elliot in Persuasion – the third and last of the network’s adaptations.
You may not instantly recognise the name, or the face, but Sally has almost certainly been in something you’ve seen.
Last year she played Manchester department store personal shopper Nathalie in BBC2 drama Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole In My Heart.
Or perhaps you caught her in Vera Drake, Layer Cake, Fingersmith, Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky, The Young Visiters or Tipping The Velvet?
Sally was an absolute delight to talk to – funny and refreshingly honest on the subject of having to kiss Persuasion co-star Rupert Penry-Jones (pictured below right).

THE final verdict may be in on Manchester drama New Street Law – and things don’t look good.
There’s always been a feeling that the BBC schedulers have had it in for the show, filmed on location in the city and on a set near Bolton.
The first series, made against a tight deadline, showed promise but could have done with further development.
Even so, BBC bosses did the drama no favours by screening it in early summer, when fewer people are watching TV.
Series two was streamlined with the production team learning lessons from series one.
But having asked them to again produce New Street Law for a pre-watershed 8pm slot, the BBC delayed transmission for several months before finally scheduling it on Wednesday nights at…9pm.

WANT to know how former EastEnder Shane Richie ended up in the home of the real Albert Square?
Controller of Drama for ITV Productions in Manchester Kieran Roberts (pictured left) explained all when I spoke to him recently at Granada’s Quay Street HQ.
There wasn’t room to include the story in the interview with Kieran, published in the MEN last week. You can read that feature here.
Shane has been in Manchester to film a 90-minute comedy drama called The Good Samaritan, which is by Peter Whalley. He is Coronation Street’s senior writer with over 500 episodes to his credit.
Due on screen later this year, the new ITV1 drama could turn into a series if viewers like what they see.
Kieran is a former Corrie producer and now holds the post of executive producer, along with his other drama duties.

VERY early start today for a location visit in Manchester and interviews with the cast of True Dare Kiss.
The new BBC1 serial, written by Debbie Horsfield, is currently in the middle of filming in and around the city.
Making a TV drama is anything but glamorous, especially when your base is a chilly city centre car park.
Even so, there were plenty of smiles from cast members, including Lorraine Ashbourne (pictured), Esther Hall, Paul McGann and Pooky Quesnel.
I’ve already seen an early DVD taster of the six-part production, with some scenes filmed at Old Trafford.

IT proved to be an eventful trip to New York, with a fair share of drama.
Our party of travellers had been up for almost 24 hours by the time the cast left the stage at the end of the Broadway production of Chicago.
But it was worth all the sleep deprivation to see former Cheers star Bebe Neuwirth as Roxie Hart.
She played emotionally repressed psychiatrist Lilith in the Boston bar comedy, later to become Frasier Crane’s wife.
Bebe also guest starred alongside Kelsey Grammer in 11 episodes of spin-off Fraiser.
She was a revelation on stage in the high energy musical, having previously won a Tony Award for playing Velma Kelly in the same show.
Sadly, at the same time there was drama of a very different kind unfolding just a short distance away in Greenwich Village.