Email: alisongrist@tiscali.co.uk Call: +44 (0)7940 59 00 70

January 2010: Last week I received a phone call from Andrew Sutton, one of the Executive Producers on ‘Burlesque Undressed’ the film I have been working on since September. He said he thought it was a good idea if I would give an intro speech alongside Stefan Demetriou of EMI, another Exec Producer, at the forthcoming Premiere of the film. This was to be in front of a 150-strong audience made up of invited guests and paying public. I tried to sound calm but immediately felt terrified. I wrote and directed the film but I’m not front-of-camera talent - I don’t do microphones, I don’t do public speaking and I’m not in the league of the Oliver Stones or Nick Broomfields. This would surely be a disaster.

Now our film stars the very glamorous Immodesty Blaize, Queen of burlesque, who would be attending the soiree. Andrew Sutton also happens to be her Manager and a silver-tongued charmer. So I asked, why not himself and Immodesty to do the speech? No, no, he replied, they didn’t feel it was appropriate and Immodesty had nominated me.

Gulp! On arrival at the venue, the gorgeous Curzon Soho on Shaftesbury Avenue, the film’s title blazed away on the marquee – “Burlesque Undressed Premieres here tonight!” Photographers stood outside waiting for celebrities to turn up; inside, fabulous posters of Immodesty could be seen at every turn.

Downstairs by the bar, a private section had been roped off and secured by beefy men, behind which Immodesty was having photographs taken with contributors such as Sir Peter Blake and Marc Almond. I bumped into Stefan and he asked if I was as nervous as him. Hell yes! I was offered a glass of champagne - dear reader, I knocked back two! Then we went over our notes to double-check we were thanking the right people. I wanted to say thanks also to Stefan for being ‘whole-heartedly behind the project while constantly apologising for the lack of money’ but I had to cross out the last bit as both Heads of Parlophone and EMI were in attendance.

Before we went through to the auditorium, the photographer asked to take a photo of me beside Immodesty, who looked ravishing. Her hair and make-up was perfect and she dazzled pure glamour with her long black dress showing off a tiny waist.