It was late 2008 [things weren't great, didn't hesitate] and I was growing weary of my home town once more. You see I'm from Nottingham, but in 2003 I left the village and moved on up to Leeds for Uni, where I met James and what have you, and once we were done being refused equipment and having our grades lowered because the tutors didn't like us personally, it was time to move on again... back home.

I thought I'd never do it, but in 2007 I quit my awesome job at Robovideo [Job Details - Watch movies, eat Chinese food and periodically register a new customer] and sheened my stuff [in the back of a Vauxhall Astra] back home to Notts. I lived with my parents for a couple of months, which drove me crazy, and then moved in with my old friend Dave for a while. Two flats and three jobs later, I was stagnating like a male deer in a shed.

I'm a writer, you see, and I write movies. TV and commercials too.

While Nottingham does have kind of a movie industry [his name is Shane Meadows] there's really not much room for new blood to break through. We tried it, Nick and me. Made a handful of short films between 2001 and 2003, and we started 12bTV http://www.12btv.co.uk in Nottingham too. Didn't really get us anywhere. I discussed it with Nick and the decision was made.

I packed up my things, got a job with D&AD, and did a flit once again to Lon-Don and James' flat in South Woodford. I lived on his sofa for three weeks while we flat hunted, eventually finding this place at the start of April.

So... I've been living in the capital for a little over a year now. What do I think?

It's alright.




London is fine, you know? It's expensive in some areas, but I've found a chain of pubs serving really good ale at an incredible price. Food costs the same largely. Sure, the rent's higher but the wages aren't, which galls me to no end, and the tube is a cross between a mass transit marvel and a sweaty railroad mental asylum, but apart from that how is London any different from anywhere else?

I think if I had more disposable income I might appreciate the capital a little more than I do. Perhaps I'd go see a show, or visit one of its premier nightclubs or bars. However... perhaps not. I'm just not that type of guy. I found some good pubs that I like, and if I'm drinking that's where I go. There's a nice Chinese takeaway here, a paper shop etc...

Essentially all I've done in moving from the village of Selston in 2003 is set myself up another village, albeit on a larger scale. I like that. I enjoy the comfort level of a nearby post office.

There are more people here though, and that's a fact. Damn near no one in London can be said to be FROM London, especially if you consider Essex to not be London [which is a school of thought only held by those from Essex and those from London] and so on any given trip to the chippy you'll walk past Asians, Polish, Romanians, Lithuanians, Albanians, French, Indian etc...

Culturally it can't be beat, but sadly I have grown to hate it since working at Madame Tussauds. That's right... I work in a landmark. It's not that great. 80% of the people through the door are from overseas, which is either a testament to the continued drawing power of not only Madame Tussauds but England as a whole... or incredibly irritating when someone who doesn't speak any English aggressively asks you a question and then gets mad when they don't understand your response. Responses.

On the whole it's no different living here than it is anywhere, from my experience. You surround yourself with the things you find comforting and safe. If you're a party animal in Soho then you're likely to find somewhere to hit E and get your shock on should you move to Doncaster. If you like theatre then Nottingham has three of them. 3 months out of the year it also has a big ferris wheel, much like London's but not as expensive [also thanks to a lawsuit by Merlin Entertainment it's no longer called The Nottingham Eye... look to ride ‘The Wheel of Nottingham’ if you're ever there in March]. If a multicultural melting pot is what you're after, look no further than Leeds or Liverpool.

My point is that while London does have more people, more clubs, more pubs, more attractions and more shops.... that's only really because there's more space to put them in. Everywhere in England is damn near the same as everywhere else. Except people in London are angrier for some reason. Possibly because they feel obliged to ‘enjoy the City’ to its fullest but simply don't have time.

Gazz: Year One - Brought to you by Gazz Wood -