"Can You Do A Posh accent ?"

Reg and Harry began to finalise preparations for Debbi's appearance in the soap. Reg arranged for Debbi to obtain an Equity card. Despite her lack of any formal training, he was able to pull a few strings with the actor's union. The production company wanted a publicity shot of her in her stripper underwear and Debbi was able to pull strings herself and get that gig for Lawrence. Finally she received a copy of the script, such as it was.

"I know you haven't acted much before but can you do a posh accent ?" Reg wondered. Debbi's normal speaking voice was estuary English with the rough edges rubbed off. "Oh, do you mean speaking like this with a mouthful of plums ?" she attempted. "Great" enthused Reg. "No offence but it sounds just like an ordinary girl putting on airs and that's just what we want !" Debbi didn't have much to say in the script. She was to turn up at the pub in a posh frock, order a gin and tonic in her equally posh voice, exchange a little banter about how quaint it all was with the farm lads, who would be all over her like a rash to the resentment of the local women and then at a given signal she would begin her strip routine. She was only to go as far as her undies and then sit on Seth's knee, before being attacked in a cat-fight by a jealous Angie. It all seemed straightforward enough.

The crew assembled at the crack of dawn on the morning of the shoot. Debbi had always wondered why this was necessary in the movie and TV industry but as the newbie did not have the nerve to ask. They had a quick rehearsal of her scene in casual clothes, she didn't have to actually strip at this point. Most of the cast seemed friendly enough in a superficial way, though Debbi thought she detected just a hint of hostility from Saffron, the actress playing Angie with whom she had to fight. "I'll just trip you and sit on top of you and throw a few mock slaps" Saffron told her. "Then they'll cut away to the aftermath where you're run out of the pub." Debbi was fine with that, not knowing that Saffron was the local Equity rep for the cast and most put out by the fact that this amateur foisted on them had so easily obtained a union card !

Debbi remained oblivious to this undercurrent as she headed off to wardrobe and makeup. The stripper underwear she was provided with turned out to be less revealing than what she normally wore herself. ""We're a family show and go out before the watershed" she was reminded. She rather liked the posh frock, which suited her. She would not mind having one like it. But now the time was rapidly approaching for a take and she began to feel a little nervous energy.