Revisiting My Past Skills, Supporting At The Annual Event & Looking On The Bright Side of Life!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. This week did throw in a few curveballs which did get me overwhelmed, but I managed to see the positives of it all. So without further ado, here is what I got up to on the week Commencing 8th September 2025.

Professional:

Acting Class:

This week we looked at both some improvisation games and some scripts where we will learn to develop our self-taping skills. I’ve learnt when choosing them that it’s not always about the scene but which character fits you best, so it’s definitely helpful when I’m looking at them. Although the sooner I pick a script the sooner I can learn it, and I think I know which one I’m going to use. My teacher also mentioned doing another screen school but having intimate style scenes. Not “all the way” but even in scenes like a cuddle and a kiss, where we can learn from intimacy coordinators on how the process will work to keep everyone on set safe and happy. And this is something I’m keen to look at to not only step out of my comfort zone, but to also build up my own self confidence when it comes to the art of romance in the future. He also mentioned about the next big event to celebrate 15 years of the acting class I go to, and he has a few ideas and what others in the group did and didn’t want to do after the last one we did. This brings me on very nicely to the next thing I did this week…

Exploring Other Skills:

This week I’ve been exploring other skills, and potential ideas for some material to showcase at the end of the year. One of them was an impressions routine, which whilst I didn’t perform them directly, I used to mimic a lot of people in my teens, so I thought why not make it into a routine. Although after practicing this week, I definitely need abit of work . But with repetition, their common phrases/words they use, the mannerisms they bring and commitment, I think I’ll get there. 

Acting Jobs:

This week I continued to apply for more acting jobs. There was one day of the week where I had this flow of applying for job after job which was unusual but very productive of me. And I did get one response from that burst of applications, whether I can do it or not is another question. So keep an eye out on my next weekly highlights to see if I could do it or not.

Act On This:

This week I listened to another brilliant Act On This podcast. This one was all about agents, and it gave me some real insider knowledge and stuff I didn’t even know when it comes to working with my current agent. I enjoyed that session very much, and after my initial blow mentioned in the last weekly highlights, I now know I need to communicate what I’m looking for in regards to the next acting job. 

Coronation Street:

This week I watched the show from 5th September. Following Carla and Lisa’s romantic engagement (but not before Lisa caught Betsy and Brody flirting with each other), the meal was interrupted by the arrival of “Tia Wardley”, who gave Lisa some information about the Radcliffes. But she is definitely part of Costello's plan, so what is it he’s trying to hide? Hmmm… but meanwhile, whilst dev and Ronnie loved Debbie’s voice (quite frankly so do i), her presence at the dementia choir resulted in her getting barred. Which was a shame, but I would love to see a duet from both fronds and Debbie, given that actresses Jodie Prenger and Due Denvay have a background in singing in real life. And I think it would be a good distraction for Glenda, as after George and Christina decided to take a step back, Glenda is convinced that she is using George when the water works come in. Carl's next line up of work for Brody and Dylan peaks Betsy's interest but may cause huge implications after seeing spoilers, but there luck soon came when James initially spots them but Carl using his charm to convince him not to get the police involved. And Theo lying to Todd about therapy is either his way of gaining control again, or is genuinely scared of going. I won’t know because of not knowing the social cues, but I’m keeping my mind open to both of those possibilities as you never know. 

Hollyoaks:

This week we saw confusing feelings, another resident in danger and a shocking secret. Monday's episode saw the search for Morgan continue. Darren’s appeal soon turned array when Nancy revealed to Donny about the money the kidnapper wanted. And Frankie’s call to Charlie may have scuppered it, with her not knowing that he was the real culprit. And it didn’t do any favours for Darren and Nancy as they once again bicker over Morgan. But don’t later giving results of Morgan’s blood in her DNA soon revealed that Darren isn’t the biological father. Even though it wasn’t shown on screen at the time, I do wonder how Nancy and the real dad came to be? Dillon is also thrilled to being sober for 60 days, and after deciding to go to Lucas’ place to celebrate (where originally Ste suggested the beach when in fact staying in is the much safer option), he was shocked to see Ste and Rex together. I have a feeling that the secret won’t stay a secret for much longer, and a gentle act of kindness from Dillon made ste wonder if he also has feelings for him too… and Mercedes has a tough decision to make when she finds out she’s pregnant again. And after her most recent fling, I won’t be surprised on who the dad is. Tuesday's episode saw the Osborne’s still finding Morgan. Nancy, still feeling guilty about who Morgan’s paternal dad is, was about to confess to everything, until she came back with Frankie, bringing along Charlie (who they met earlier after he sent her a message), who better have a good explanation about why he did what he did. Donny is also feeling somewhat pressured when froggy comes to intimidate him again, leading to an “escape” with none other than Clare Devine. Mercedes was not happy with the fundraiser for Tony, but Ro opening up about why tony didn’t say anything in the first place I hope will make her reconsider how she goes about it. Very wise and mature of Ro indeed. And Dillon was doing so well until Ste rejected him of his feelings, and whilst they were nearly caught out by Lucas, Lucas knew about Rex following a camera at their doorstep. It also led to him revealing the truth about the break-in, which resulted in Lucas becoming violent again. Little does Ste know that he’s walked right into the lion's den after finding Sienna, who’s been trapped in the love boat, and he’s walked right into that trap as well. Oh dear! Finally, Wednesday's episode saw the aftermath of it, where Sienna revealed to Ste why she’s been kept down there, and Jeremy got in his way of trying to escape. But I wonder what Sienna will do when he gives her an impossible choice? And I sure hope it won’t end in tears, especially now that Lucas realised he made a mistake (or at least I hope his dad’s disappearance will make him realise that how he’s behaving isn’t right). Charlie meanwhile gave his side of the story as to why he took Morgan, and investing in crypto currency. Whilst Darren is understandably upset, Jack (with the explanation from Frankie of what crypto currency is), made him see that it’s also an addiction. But Charlie’s statement to Donny made me wonder why he was lying, and after visiting Clare, it may be linked to it. It looks like she’s on her villainous streak into the Osborne’s again. And following their previous saucy encounter in the last episode, Donny’s mistakes will leave Misbah questioning, especially when she finds lipstick on his shirt. Throughout all of this, I do hope that there’s some happiness for Peri, where after lashing out at Prince and Leela, revealed that she may be fearing that Steph is drifting away from her. But I do hope heath at meeting Tom following his request for peri to see him will bring her some joy. And after looking at the autumn trailer, something tells me it will. 

Eastenders:

This week we saw a blast from the past, realisations and an ongoing war following last week's tense shooting. Monday's episode saw the aftermath of Zoe’s shooting, where Jack did everything he could to cover up his involvement. His lie to his colleague DS Spencer was soon found out, and after she questioned Ravi, Jack's initial idea of making Ravi an informant soon backfired when he started to make threats again. It looks like the rivalry between the two is starting to ignite once again. Kat is also feeling the pressure with regards to zoe, and Alfie was right to use the gentle approach next time when zoe refuses to answer the questions Kat asked her. And Nigel’s day didn’t go to plan when at first he accidentally let Julie’s chickens escape, and then finding out she had an affair years ago. But even Phil was concerned by his idea of going to the countryside, I just can’t wait to see how that pans out. Tuesdays episode saw Kat taking on Alfie’s advice and bringing in the rest of the skaters to cheer up Zoe, even if it meant getting cooked out by the staff lol  but it turned into a heartfelt moment when Zoe mentioned her past, which Kat took on board, and Kim stalking her socials is not helping. Jack is also still on edge with Ravi due to the shooting, and Ravi feeling the same with questions from Priya. But he had no trouble telling Denise about Jack shooting the gun in the first place. Callum also had a blast from the past when his homophobic dad jonno returned (and I did see a clip of him berating his son before which was horrible) who made a horrible attack on eve. But the main thing is she’s okay, with her and Suki taking baby steps. Jonny also wants to help out, but I do hope he doesn’t come across as too forward, little knowing what’s going to happen. And Phil and Nigel had a proper adventure when they found something from their memories, even if it did mean nearly getting caught. And Phil made a good point on how if he can forgive Julie in the past he can forgive him again. Wednesdays episode saw the follow on from what Ravi told Denise. This definitely caused friction between both jack and Denise, and Ravi and Priya. Jack and Denise for realising Ravi was telling the truth, but somehow she’s managed to be on side to help him following a chat with Ravi and Oscar, and Ravi and Priya for him releasing his stress onto her, but then also revealing the truth. Kay is also secretly hurting when Zoe tells Stacy that she wants to move in with her and not in the Vic. I get why Kat's upset, but at least Zoe is not leaving Walford completely. And Johnny is trying to do everything he can to help Callum, and even telling Jonno his coming out story to get him to change his mind about getting to know Callum again. And Phil and Nigel’s trip left a positive impact, but understandably it left Julie feeling left out again. Thursdays episode saw Julie get ready for a job interview, but Nigel’s dementia Hassan other ideas. But a pep talk from Phil did the trick, making him realise Nigel needs both of them to battle on, and even surprising her with new chickens. There is also still an ongoing war between Ravi and jack, still demanding money in the process. But there may be more trouble ahead when after mentioning getting the money and going clean, someone threatening nugget and Avani is a sign that he still has a long and dangerous way to go. Kat also understands why Zoe wants to stay with Stacy, and with Bert and Ernie having new phones with Freddie and Tommy helping them out, I get her worry when they post about the shooting. And Callum comes face to face with Jonno, with some supporting words from Phil, and I think I knew when things were bad, when he got the beers out. And practically admitting that all he wanted was money, Callum faced another devastating blow when Jonno passes away. But I do wonder how long Johnny will keep the secret on why Jonno really said about Callum (which were appalling) after they fall into each others arms again. 

Ridley:

This week the final episode of the drama starring Adrian Dunbar involved a missing persons case. This was in the form of a woman called Tara Dunning, who’s husband Rob mentioned her previous diagnosis of bipolar, and his sister Sarah mentioned about Tara trying to leave him more than once. Although based on his aggressive tone I could see why, but not because of how he was treating her. Then when the car crashed, that’s when things started to get interesting, as cafe owner Celia who worked with Tara also stated how Tara’s mood was changing, and how she got involved with a sex offender called Jason (who wanted to keep quiet until the whole village and she eventually found out). And rob mentioning her trips to Renton were also a clue in the case, but more on that in a moment. Pub owner Simon could also see that something was not right when Celia's cafe was still closed, but a call log Darren found which was never mentioned led Carol and Alex to see Tara’s mother in a mental hospital, who was also sectioned for killing her abusive husband. Alex also got suspicious of the Dr of the building, Dr Vikram Assi, but more on him in a moment. Once again Sarah and Jason were questioned following Celia's unexpected death, and results from Wendy revealed that Tara was having post psychosis and was also pregnant, which rob refused to believe. And after Jason got a confirmed alibi dug up by Darren, Alex decided to confront Vikram again about Tara and the pregnancy, which then resulted in her being found and Vikram being arrested and questioned. And Darren also finding out about his kind of behaviour within the mental hospital also didn’t help his case, but Wendy speaking about her personal trauma made Alex realise that he shouldn’t expect anything and go with his gut. And despite being reunited, a trip to the house made Alex (using the soft approach) realise that Tara was part of Celia's death, also revealing her dark side that led to charging Tara. What a case to end the series, and something that Carol in particular really wasn’t expecting. There was also drama outside of the case. Jack is facing the consequences and doing time for his involvement in a crime in episode 3, which Alex reassured him that it’s not his fault, and Darren opening up about his money troubles and turning to betting to help, but Alex kindly offered to help out. And Ridley himself was questioning his presence in his hometown, with the therapist reminding him that he can’t run away from the past. And it was a good job he didn’t, as Harry making changes to the club and also who he brings on (particularly the female kind), didn’t sit well with her, confiding in Alex about it. But good on her for standing up to herself when she decides to break up with him, and Alex helping her out whatever it takes. And I would say the song itself was the perfect way to end the series on a high. 

The Trunk:

This week I finished this brilliant KDrama. The penultimate episode saw a flashback of In-ji attending her friend Seo Hye-yeong’s funeral and meeting Jeong-won there (but more on that flashback in a moment). It then picked up where we left off and after searching her apartment, Jeong-won comes to In-ji's apartment where he questions why she also was comes here despite living in his home. But instead she pushes him away to try and block out her feelings for him, getting the hint that she’s falling in love with him. Another flashback came of In-Ji’s first husband Seo Do-ha attacking Eom Tae-seong which then led to finding a knife in her apartment, all fresh and clean. And whilst helping her friend (who’s keeping the baby) and having a meal with another, both of them have convinced her that she’s falling in love with Jeong-won, with Jeong-won in turn confiding in Hyun-cheol about his genuine worry. But his biggest surprise was Seo-yeon mentioning how she knew about in-ji and it was all linked to the flashback at the start of the episode, which I wasn’t expecting. But soon in-ji opened up about why she can’t leave her flat, and they both asked about what will happen after the contract, and it’s age to say they may want something more than the contract. But Seo-yeon knows what she wants, but Mr Kim is not happy with the situation. In-ji also showed some proper emotion to jeong-won after finally meeting up with her first husband after so many years, but the way he let her have the moment and also engaged in a heart to heart with her was so romantic. But she wasn’t the only one having a tough time, as Kang yoon-a reassured her husband that everything will be fine after he gets emotional about how quick the kids are growing. But the biggest shock came when in-Ji confronted tae-seong about his obsession with her, revealing that she is linked to the case of the trunk, and jeong-won showed his violent side when coming to her rescue, which I think shocked her as well. This then led to a decision of In-ji leaving the agency, with neighbour Dom-da giving slight hints on why she decided to do so, and with her decision being final. She also revealed her whereabouts on the night Tae-seong was murdered, which I feel linked to her decision to leave. But I think the best is yet to come when Jeong-won finally senses the camera in the lights, and went to Seo-yeon's to see it for himself. The final episode picked up from where we left off, where Jeong-won deliberately broke the chandelier to get the camera, having flashbacks of the night that his mum committed suicide. Ji-o threatened to end things between him and her himself, and during the confrontation between her and Jeong-won, Seo-yeon admitting that she hid the camera thinking he would take her back was not the best move, and after mentioning their late baby, where he admitted he saw her deliberately walk into the road, and also his late mother, good on him for finally ending things for good. And it was a good job in-ji was there to take him on a trip, where she opened up about why she didn’t tell him about the camera, but he wasn’t bothered, and was quite amused when she revealed she’d hit Seo-yeon. But their romantic moment was soon ruined when Jeong-won recounted the moment he first laid eyes on her, and in-Ji requesting a divorce was not what he was hoping for. And it looked as though in-ji is moving for good, as her quitting her Kayaking hobby is a worrying sign. But jeong-won is a man on a mission to make sure she’s okay, but had to accept that because the contact was over, he couldn’t gain any more information on her. And she was maybe right to go undercover when Tae-seong went undercover to get The Trunk from Jeong-won's house but the head of the NM Lee Seon did wonder if it’s because she also likes him. But after a heated debate with Ji-o, in-Ji’s call with Tae-seong is not what she wants to hear, and fearing for Jeong-wons safety, decided to have one final showdown with him, but not before confiding in friend Si-jeong on where she went wrong. But meanwhile Seo-yeon suffered an overdose following recent events, and whilst Ji-o was heartbroken when she stated she wants to go to her ex husbands, Jeong-won made it clear that it’s over between them. But he has other things on his mind when he gets a text from In-ji about her whereabouts with Tae-seong, who admits to killing a pharmacist, where he doesn’t admit why he does it, but my guess was he was just a lunatic. But a flashback made In-ji realise he busted the lock therefore can’t get to it. But thankfully Jeong-won came to the rescue and stopped her from doing the unthinkable after shooting Tae-seong. And after one final heart to heart where Jeong-won opens up about why he has a gun, he and in-ji had a heartbreaking goodbye, leaving him devastated. Whilst In-ji accepted her fate for having the gun in possession, it turns out that Kim ji-o was the real culprit in killing Tae-seong, opening up to Seo-yeon about his past as a guard and witnessing Tae-seong killing someone in the process. This then led to Seo-yeon getting questioned about Tae-seong, followed by finding some baby stuff in the trunk, but I wasn’t sure if the emotion she showed was relief or grief for her late baby. I’m just glad that Ji-o was paying for what he did, but seo-yeon still decided to fight for him. But at least she’s starting to accept she’s a bad person. That’s a start I guess. And I’m glad In-ji is making a fresh start, leaving the apartment whilst finding out a secret about Do-dam, and Jeong-won himself also making a great start to help remove the problem by getting rid of the house completely (although in-ji meant renting the place out when stating something not destroy it) so he can never go back. But their promise to meet again seemed hopeful for the future. And at the end they seemed settled into their new lives, both of them having new pets for company and a film in-ji saw had music by him, finally proud of him for having his career going somewhere. But it wasn’t all good news for some, as Hyun-cheol confided in Jeong-won about Kang Yoon-a wanting a divorce, but I do hope he can help his friend after the journey he wants on in the future. And whilst selling the trunk, in-ji and jeong-won meet for the first time since the contract, shaking hope that there will be one more to go before they can be together. 

Mix Tape:

This week I watched the final episode of the love story based on the novel. In the past, we saw Daniel asking Peter about Alison, with Peter stating that Alison is much happier in her new life, and comments from Alison’s spiralling mum is not helping. But we got to see Alison working in a pub in Dublin, and whilst writing a letter to Daniel, meets Michael after his friends disturb her. We also got to see the moment Daniel's mum Marian hides the letter, which will later be revealed in the episode. And it wasn’t until his mum died (being the reason why he left the army), where he told Daniel about Austin’s whereabouts after she refused to go to the funeral (but I wonder if he knew about Baxter at the time). I’m just glad that Bill was the good dad he was and offered Daniel money to fly to Alison, only to be heartbroken seeing her and Michael together getting to know each other. Then the conversation between Alison Sheila was where officially left Sheffield behind. In the present, both Alison and Daniel are facing problems in their marriages. Alison opened up in a couples counselling session about Michele’s controlling behaviour, with Michael acting like he’s done nothing wrong, and I admired how mature Stella is with the couples counsellor, and Alison made it clear it wasn’t her fault. I’m just glad she finally decided to take the UK tour of her book and decides to not go with Michael, with her decision being final after she stands up to him in the next couple counselling session, leaving him for good. Meanwhile, Daniel and Katja also having friction when the subject of Alison kept coming up, which resulted in him having a panic attack during a family meal. Kat also asked Marian for advice, and I had a feeling Marian knew that something wasn’t right. But Katja eventually found out about Alison, and whilst he tried to make things right, she discovered not only her affair, but also Marian finding out about the letters from Alison whilst staying with her. In some ways, when Katja opened up about her affair, a divorce seemed like the best thing for both of them. I also loved the moment Alison reunited with Peter, both regretting their mistakes but still acknowledged their love for each other. And whilst talking about life, peters new partner and Alison’s kids, he revealed how Daniel was looking for him all those years ago, and how he went to Ireland. But before she could see Daniel, Alison manages to forgive her dead mum and manages to move past her trauma after coming to her old estate. And what an elegant woman she was whilst chatting to Marian, understanding why she hid the letters from her to Daniel and finally allowing her to get the chance to talk to Daniel. And it turns out Bill revealed that Daniel and katja were never going to work, and that he never knew about the letters, wit Daniel saying he regretted about not fighting for her. Never the less, Bill encouraged Daniel to try again and explains how something will always come back like his pigeons, even if it takes a while. In this case, Daniel's journey took longer than expected. Peter also reassured Alison to go for it, using a little poetry in the process resulting in their love song taking place, finally reuniting. And from the looks of things, something tells me that it’ll be for eternity. 

Personal:

Exercise:

This week was another productive week of exercise. But due to my back injury flaring up, I had to take a step away from one of the exercises that targets that area. But none the less I did some good times on the bike, which were 13mins 23s on Monday, and 13mins 22s on Saturday. What I could've done though was made an alternative to an exercise I couldn't do due to the machine having repairs, so going into next week, I might need to do that before I go on the bike.

Survey:

This week I only gained a small handful of surveys. September through to the end of the year is like the last quarter of a basketball game (which is the analogy Ross Grant. founder of Act On This uses), therefore finding time to do the stuff outside of acting can get abit tricky. But as mentioned before, 2% is better than 0%, especially when I'm about to start another busy few months before Christmas.

Cooking:

This week I developed more of my independent skills by making a pasta bake. I haven’t made one in a while, and to do one of the very first meal I cooked was a lot of fun. Not only did it look good, but it tasted amazing! And the rest of the family loved it, which was the main thing. 

Dragon Boat Race:

This week I took a visit to the annual Dragon Boat Race in my hometown. It turned out to be a big crowd, with lots of stuff to do, live entertainment and of course… dragon boat racing. I may not have stayed for long, but it was a good way to relax and breath from my non-acting job, although I wish I went to the stand of the local radio station, asking them questions on how they run things and even ask for a potential job there. But none the less, it seemed like a good turnout, and all in aid of raising money for charity. Fingers crossed I can hopefully assemble a team to take part in it next year! 

Darts:

This week I had three rounds of 6 practices. And I was quite pleased with myself, given as mentioned before that September through to the end of the year is like the last quarter of a football game, therefore focusing more on my goals and stepping away from my hobbies. But all in all, despite some misses and some targets, I'm quite pleased with myself.

National Television Awards:

This week I watched the NTAs, which I didn’t know about until the moment I tuned over. There were brilliant awards to be given out, one of which was Steve McFadden aka Phil Mitchell for best serial drama performance, "Adolescence" for winning not one but two awards, which was Owen cooper for best drama performance (where his co star accepted the award on his behalf), and best new drama, (and that was no surprise given it’s one of the most talked about shows this year), and Gary Linaker breaking Ant and Dec's streak of winning the best tv presenter. Whilst I understand people’s shock (as I was abit), I’m also thinking that because it was the public who voted why are they then suddenly shocked for voting for their favourite person. As they obviously did it for a reason, in this case Gary Linaker leaving match of the day and recognising his hard work was a reason he won. I also enjoyed the music from the assembly house band, and my favourite moment was the special recognition award going to "Wallace and Gromit", with creator Nick Park making a heartfelt speech on how much the show meant to him. And the speech from Wallace and Gromit themselves was also my favourite part of it. I also loved "The Assembly" house band performing their rendition of "Moving On Up", which very nearly had me in tears, but in a positive way.

Gogglebox:

This week our favourite tv critics watched more of the biggest moments talked about on screen. But not before some more adventures that have happened in the week. I got to meet sisters Susie and Rosie, who were discussing all things tap water, and Jenny’s outfit for Lee’s birthday was brio. Mary also had an interesting question for Giles about his Squash, and Pete told Sophie another story linking to his daughter needing a certain type of cereal. Finally, Andrew and Alfie hoped their dogs new toy wouldn't break, Ellie being mad at Izzi for not sharing a snack food, and the Malone's grandchild is growing up too fast, showing his kick-boxing skills. The shows they watched featured “You bet! On Tour” showing a human going face to face with a horse shocking, shocking everyone on the show and the Goggleboxers, and in “90 day fiancé”, Phin went behind Sandra’s back, and I felt the critics’ cringe as to knowing that Phin’s proposal is going to go south. In “Emmerdale”, there was an intense showdown which resulted in a huge climax, and I wish I had Apple TV to watch “KPopped”, as it showed Mel B and Emma Bunton Amal scary and baby spice, finding the K-Pop version of Wannabe a challenge, Mel in particular struggling. The latest task on “The inheritance” didn’t go to plan, with the Goggleboxers having more common sense, which resulted in Catherine taking the sole beneficiary and taking all the money won in the challenge, and ITV news q were only making names about Angela Rayner. Finally, “The Guest” saw the Goggleboxers confused about Rias friendship with Fran, until Ria spots something on Fran's Instagram, and “This Morning” presented a lighter Sunday roast, which I’ll be honest even I wasn’t sure about it. 

Challenging Times and How I Got Through Them:

This week let’s just say that multiple things following last weeks news of me not being able to take part in an acting job took its toll. That and the bad weather not helping. And let’s just say that towards the end of the week, I was quite at a low point. However, what I did to help me was going back to the past and watching some old clips, which were in the form of "Deadly 60". To some, and I do get it, watching videos is not good as it decreases productivity. But for me, and I mentioned in in previous blogs and other posts, it helps me to regulate and also take my mind off of things, and laughing at Steve Backshall where he lost his swimming trunks during an experiment linking to a type of fish definitely helped lol. 

What have I learnt this week? Going back to something from childhood is not silly, but in fact very comforting and therapeutic. And I have a feeling I'll use it more often.

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)