I owe Jay a thank you

Jay and I had arranged to meet for a drink as he said he wanted to some career advice. We had talked on many occasions about how to progress his career in TV but he said he was at a point where he wanted to plan for a more settled life. He was getting married and wanted to find ways to be on the road less to ensure he was going to be around to see his children grow up. So, he said, what did I think about him becoming a lecturer in broadcast journalism. At times I had given Jay ‘tough love’ if I thought he needed to be more realistic in his thinking about his career and he once admitted he always threw news ideas at me with a small amount of trepidation. But did I think he could make go of lecturing? I immediately said he could – yes, he’d have things to learn but his passion for his subject, his generosity of spirit and his lovely people skills made me think he was someone who students would enjoy learning from. He seemed happy and relieved and we spent much of the rest of the evening exploring the idea. Just before we parted he asked me about my house hunting. I had been looking for a place to buy and Jay had been trying to persuade me of the joys of living in Clapham which as a north London girl I was resisting – but that evening he wore me down and made me promise to look in Clapham. And to ensure I would be true to my word he rang me next day to check I was going to contact estate agents! I did look for a property in Clapham, I did find my perfect flat, and I couldn’t be happier. As it turned out I owe Jay more of a ‘thank you’ for that drink and chat than he did me.

Noelle Britton