World Cup 2006:
Another hard day at the office, working hotly to finish writing Not Going Out before the lease runs out on the office itself and rehearsals begin in earnest (which happen on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively). Today, we had interruptions by the costume department (we're well into pre-production now) and we had to finish early as Lee was involved in some casting at 3.30 (Lee is executive producer as well as star and co-writer, hence his higher-than-normal stress levels). I've just realised, that doesn't sound like a hard day at the office. Trust me. I was delighted to be out of there at 3.30. One and a third matches seen, as a result. Result! Results:

Argentina 6 Serbia Montenegro 0
Typical to have missed the six-goal annihilation. Argentina are clearly in it to win it. I shall look forward to seeing them play Holland. Or is it the Netherlands?
Holland 2 Cote D'Ivoire 1
Or indeed the Nederlands? It said NED at the top of the screen. As I say, missed the first half and some of the second, so the final score didn't change, but it was stirring to see the Coast do so well, and with such determination against the boys in orange.
Mexico 0 Angola 0
Bad start. NTL box went off. This has happened before, so we tried not to panic, and did all the things you usually do (the NTL helpline, ironically named, shuts down at 8pm) - turn it off at the socket, turn it back on after 30 seconds etc. Good job it wasn't an England match. We gave up and unplugged the cable box at 8.20 and watched the game the old-fashioned way, through the aeriel. Well, after seeing off Iran in some style, Mexico couldn't get a grip on Angola, who held them to 0-0 until half time. It was on ITV1, but no Tyldesley and Southgate. It was a man called Jon Champion's job to continually advertise future matches on ITV1 and point us in the direction of the competition for phoneline revenue, while Southgate's chipping in was done in the much more condusive South-Dublin tones of a man called Jim Beglin, of whom I know nothing. But I liked his casual, sing-song style. (He might not be from South Dublin, but Julie is very good at pinpointing Irish accents.) Did you know, because I didn't, that Angola are semi-professional? Some of them have other jobs, or are unemployed. This makes their performance against Fifa's fourth-ranking side all the more impressive. Here's another fact: the Angolan goalie, Joao Ricardo - by a mile the man of the match, executing a "Pat Jennings" one-handed save at one point, and "unattached" to any club - is 36 years old; the average life expectancy of a man in his country is 38. Gulp. So let us join the pocket of home fans in their red, black and yellow, outnumbered about nine to one at Hanover's Neidersachsenstadion, and cheer Angola back to the dressing rooms. For they held that 0-0 scoreline right to the end. The Mexican coach, Ricardo La Volpe, whom Jon Champion likened to Captain Pugwash with his little goatee, is apparently not well liked at home. He's argumentative, combative and thinks he's always right. Oh, for such an interesting coach here! Anyway, he barely speaks to Fonseca, whom he put on in the 73rd, to much Mexican cheering. Not that it could break the Angolans, who were down to ten men, after a Macanga red card, for the last ten minutes. So, another goalless draw, but what a thrilling match. Just goes to show. (By the way, Beglin, who continued to charm, used the phrase, "It's a big ask." This is a crime against English, but I'll let it go.) My brother and his family used to live in Hanover. I went to visit them once, but, apart from a trip to Belsen, we stayed on the army camp where he was stationed.

Incidentally, doesn't the law of averages state that one or two of the Angolan fans must have died during this match?

I've realised, of course, that if England win Group B, whomsoever they play, they'll play on a Sunday afternoon, when I'm on air. I can't get out of the Sunday show, so my only option is to video the match and watch it the minute I get home at 6pm. This is a radical response to an insoluble problem. After that, should they win, their quarter final falls more accommodatingly into my work schedule, and all the big matches from thereon, including the final, are on in the evenings.

I have recorded the first part of China on BBC2, by the way, but I suspect we won't be watching it for a couple of weeks. Normal service will then be resumed, as I have no interest in tennis.