Well, another week has gone and thankfully the good weather has remained, remembering of course I write this a few days ahead of publication.

The film business is at a near standstill with empty studios and no cinemas open in which to show already made films. The latter problem may last a long time. It is also causing havoc with television productions. Even during the Second World War cinemas were closed at first but soon reopened as they were considered an essential escape from reality to keep up morale. However, then you were gambling about the chances of being bombed whereas today we are fighting an unseen enemy.

If I were a betting man I would suspect that football matches played behind closed doors but televised, golf courses and garden centres with controlled entry will start again soon.

While self-isolating I am catching up on my reading. I have just finished a book entitled Raising An Eyebrow: My Life With Sir Roger Moore written by my old mate Gareth Owen.

I first met Gareth when he was a University Student in the 1990s when he helped collect petition signatures for our Save Elstree Studios campaign. He was determined to make a career in this silly world of showbiz. His big break came when he was based at Pinewood Studios and in 2002 the long-serving secretary of Roger Moore told him she was retiring. Roger had kept an office since 1970 and she recommended Gareth as her replacement.

He became the executive assistant to a world-famous star by being in the right place at the right time - or call it fate. This led to flying around the world, dining at the finest restaurants and meeting the rich and famous. However, it also involved a lot of hard work ensuring he took care of the business.

Our paths rarely crossed but in 2006 I had the idea that we should start doing more plaque unveilings to honour stars who had worked at Elstree Studios. I approached Gareth and he spoke to Roger, who agreed to be a recipient. Of course Roger was no stranger to Elstree as he starred in a couple of films made there, plus of course the long-running 1960s television series The Saint.

Between my address book and Gareth's we got together a great number of people who had appeared on screen or worked behind the scenes of The Saint. It was a one-off reunion and could not happen today as sadly many are no longer with us. We had our 30-strong community choir sing a reworded version of Nobody Does It Better and the whole event was great fun. I enjoyed hosting it and Roger was just a delight.

Gareth kindly invited me to a memorial service that was held at Pinewood Studios after Roger sadly passed away after his battle with cancer. Roger had expressed a wish to be buried in the church grounds at Denham. Apparently if you are a 'tax exile', which Roger was, the Government rules say you cannot be buried here unless your whole estate is subject to death duties. It seems mad to me that we can award a man a knighthood for his charitable works and representing the UK around the world and then penalise his last wish. The memorial event was great, with the likes of Michael Caine and Joan Collins giving speeches. If you are a Roger Moore fan or like a glimpse behind the scenes I recommend the book.

  • Paul Welsh MBE is a Borehamwood writer and historian of Elstree Studios