The premiere

Finally. I spent most of the day wandering round in a slightly terrified daze, trying to use up time. The festival sent a car to pick me up, which was very nice but meant I was there a good few hours before, so I wandered round the southbank trying to find anything to take my mind off the evening.

I don't know what I thought was going to go wrong, but I certain ly had the feeling that something could go wrong. Mass walk-outs, booing, who knows, this was going to be the first time a paying audience would see it and I had no idea how they would respond.

Thankfully they seemed to like it. People laughed, in the right places too, and then they clapped at the end. The Q and A session at the end wasn't as painful as I feared, though I did manage to get the wrong end of the stick on one question, but all the questions were good and thoughtful, even the ones we could only give short answers to, and nobody asked 'why'?

After that the festival put on a drinks reception for us and guests in the bar, which was excellent, and for the first time that day (or even week) I found I could properly relax. And beer is good. We just got another really nice review from incontention.com so fingers crossed that with some nice words and a good screening we might now get some distribution. Plus the Film Council people were there and enjoyed it, so with any luck that might make getting the next one off the ground a bit easier.

Eventually the bar shut but a hardcore fifteen or so of us (including all of Betty and the werewolves) then headed off to the Pit bar underneath the Old Vic. I eventually got home sometime after 2am, though I'm not exactly sure when. I had a bottle of champagne in the fridge and nearly opened that, but I'm very glad I didn't, so did the next best thing and sat down to drunkenly watch another episode of the Box of Delights on DVD.

It was great to see so many of the cast and crew at the screening, fingers crossed we can get a screening sorted quickly for the rest of them. Must have been an interesting watch for Mathew Baynton (Neil), as that was the first time he'd seen any cut of the film. He's a brave man going to his own premiere like that, but I'm glad to say he seemed happy enough at the end.

So the next hurdle is the industry screening on Monday morning when all the distributors sit down to watch it. I think I'll avoid that one, I don't think my heart could take it.