Each week I’ll be asking someone what their corona-experience has been like. This (final!!) week Angela Griffin has taken up the reins directing Dun Breedin’. This is her lockdown life…

 

When did you first know this was going to be a big deal?

It was when the conversation started about the kids having to leave school. And the possibility that GCSEs weren’t going to go ahead. Yeah, I think that was absolutely the moment. My daughter came home quite distressed about the idea that this thing that she’d studied for for years was going to be potentially cancelled. That was the moment for me.

What was the first concession you made to the pandemic?

I think it was just my social life, or just… Oh no, do you know what it was? It was a press night at the theatre. And I love a press night, because they’re free theatre tickets essentially. So I let them know that I wouldn’t be able to go; and this is before we’d actually locked down. But because I’d heard about it being transmitted and so on, it was like, “Do you know what? I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go to sit in a theatre with loads of different people.” And so yeah, it was turning down free theatre tickets!

Did you panic shop?

Yes. I remember exactly where I was when I put in my Ocado order. We’d had a big weekend away with friends and we were sat having a huge Sunday lunch. And someone got a text through going, “Listen, this is really serious. You need to stock up at home.” And I put my Ocado ordering and I must admit, I bought 12 toilet rolls before everyone was kind of panic buying those. Luckily I did only order 12, so I didn’t feel so bad about that afterwards. But yeah, I got straight on the online shopping when you could still do that through an app.

Who is in your house?

In my house are myself, my husband Jason, my 16 year old daughter Luna, my 13 year old daughter Missy, and my dog Smith.

Do you even get dressed any more?

I get dressed every single day. Every single day. I have not bowed down to that. I mean, I’ve been working out quite a bit. So I do sometimes wake up and put on leggings and work-out stuff. But yeah, I get dressed every single day.

I think when you’ve got the kids around, well, you can’t be seen to be giving in. I want it to give the girls routine, I wanted to give them structure. It’s important to give them something to get up for, in order keep them healthy in mind and in body. So yeah, every day we’ve woken up to an alarm apart from on the weekends and worked out, done school work, or gone on a big walk with the dog. But we’ve kept active. And I would say that that leads into the next question…

How are you stopping yourself going mad?

How am I stopping myself from going mad? By doing that structure and routine. Filming has also helped because that’s meant that I have a job. But trying to just see the positives of the situation… that’s stopped me from going mad, I think.

What’s the naughtiest thing you’ve done in lockdown?

Naughtiest thing I’ve done in lockdown is having people over. Six people in my garden a couple of days before we were supposed to. So it was meant to happen on the Monday and we had people over on the Saturday. Yeah, I expect the police to come and knock on my door any minute now. Just didn’t see what the difference 48 hours would make. We stuck to the rules and everyone came, we kept the two meters apart, but just didn’t understand why I could do it the Monday, but not do it the Saturday.

If you could be locked in with any three people, living or dead, who would they be. And why?

I would be locked down with my two best friends Lisa Faulkner and Nicholas Stevenson, and Michelle Obama, because I just think she’s incredible. Michelle Obama is all right as well. Yeah. I wish I could be locked down with my two best friends. I’ve got to say. And I think we’d get on really, really well.

What ‘normal’ thing have you missed the most?

Oh, it’s getting on the Tube. I missed the Tube. As a northerner, living in London I think the Tube’s amazing. I can’t believe you can get so far so quickly. And I used it so much before lockdown and I miss it massively. In fact, public transport altogether because now we’re a taxi service to having to take our kids to see friends and stuff like that. So I hate being a taxi driver. I love public transport.

Have you picked up any bad habits?

I don’t think I’ve picked up any bad habits. I think it’s all just been dead positive for me. Maybe playing on computer games, is that a bad habit? I don’t think it is. I think it’s a way of winding down, a stress relief. But I suppose some people would think that was a bad habit. I really love playing on my PlayStation four and my Nintendo Switch.

What have you enjoyed in lockdown that you’ll keep doing once it’s lifted?

Playing on the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch. I will continue waking up at a normal time during the week, even if I haven’t got a job. I will eat lunch and dinner with all my family as often as possible and make the dinners as special as what we have been doing.

We’ve really loved being in the kitchen and having little themed nights, whether it be takeaway night or Mexican night, Spanish night or whatever. We’ve really made our meals occasions and I really, really wants to keep that up. Oh, I’ve just remembered. I found a bad habit, drinking! Drinking every single night. That’s a really bad habit and I will stop that once we come out of lockdown. And exercising every day, even if it’s just for like 15, 20 minutes. Yeah, I think I’ll definitely try and keep that up.

Are you doing any volunteering etc?

I’m not doing any volunteering, no. I’m volunteering to be my daughter’s teacher. Does that count?

What music takes your mind off the crisis?

TikTok music takes my mind off the crisis. God it gets played in our house so bloody much, that every time I hear it, I just can see the moves in my head. So yeah, TikTok music absolutely takes my mind off the crisis!

What’s the first silly thing you’re going to do the minute the restrictions are lifted?

Oh, what am I going to do? I mean, I just want to cuddle my friends. I’ve got to say, I’m desperate to cuddle my friends. I think that that’s the only thing I’ll do is probably get on the Northern line at High Barnet and ride it all the way to the other end and back again. Just enjoy public transport.

 

Dun Breedin is a lockdown comedy hitting all the punchbags that women of a certain age would like to smash! Catch all the Dun Breedin’ episodes here