My early 30s. I’d just left the Edinburgh Film Festival. The BBC asked me if it’s like to do a TV show interviewing movie stars and directors. I said yes, if it would be about actual scenes in their movies. Lauren Bacall, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, Jane Russell, Donald Sutherland, etc.  

I made so many friends through these interviews. They got good reviews, but audiences seldom topped one million (whether it was Sean Connery or Jonathan Demme). Today that would be considered a big audience, but back then the BBC was a bit disappointed. 25 years later they repeat them sometimes.