I first got to know Seán Day-Lewis in the 1980s when he was on a panel of advisers helping to select groups and individuals to make Open Space “public access” programmes for BBC Two. He was very loyal to the Community Programme Unit and its remit to give voice to the unheard and marginalised, and his contributions at selection meetings were greatly valued.
He also edited One Day in the Life of Television (1989), a British Film Institute project based on diaries submitted by more than 18,000 people at all levels of TV on 1 November 1988, whether as viewers or as producers.
Seán selected diary entries from around 800 people (including me), to create a snapshot of an industry on the cusp of massive change. With help, Seán made a brilliant selection, capturing a recognisable world that is long gone, and yet still alive. I was so inspired by the whole thing I kept a detailed diary for more than 20 years.
